146: Chapter 146 Wasteland Preparation

In the rocky hollow, Lin Ye had already started working.

He first removed Zhao Mengmeng's shoulder armor.

That piece of beast hide had been cracked by falling rocks on the third level and burned with several holes by the acid mist.

The edges had hardened, and the stitching on the inside had snapped in three places.

Zhao Mengmeng sat cross-legged by the fire, holding an aluminum pot, but her eyes were fixed on Blake in the distance.

"He's still watching."

"Let him watch."

"I'm afraid he'll stare himself into a hungry frenzy."

"Even if he does, he'll have to cross the line first."

Lin Ye placed the Molten Crystal Core on the edge of the fire.

The heat released by the crystal core gathered steadily, softening the shoulder armor.

He threaded the animal tendon through a bone needle and re-stitched it along the old tear.

Every stitch avoided the hardened areas, piercing into the leather that still retained its resilience.

His speed was not fast, but it was steady.

Zhao Mengmeng looked down for a while and couldn't help but ask, "Are you really from the Archaeology Department?"

"Mm."

"Does Archaeology teach you how to sew leather armor too?"

"Restoring artifacts, leather, bamboo slips, fragments—it's about the same."

"Your major has a pretty bizarre employment outlook."

Lin Ye flattened the tear, "Don't move. If the thread gets crooked, it'll chafe your shoulder."

Zhao Mengmeng immediately sat up straight.

The firelight illuminated the dirt and bloodstains on her face.

She had been holding on through sheer willpower, but now, enveloped by the hot soup and the fire, sleepiness began to well up.

Yet, she still didn't close her eyes.

She knew Lin Ye was tired too.

From climbing the giant vines to the ice storm, the violent bear, and the first three levels of the Giant Tower, he had barely had a full night's sleep.

Lin Ye finished sewing the shoulder armor and handed it back to her.

Zhao Mengmeng touched the repaired area; the animal tendon thread was tightly interwoven, and the previously torn section was pressed flat.

"Not bad, Master Lin."

"That'll be twenty."

"Hell money?"

"If you dare to give it, I dare to burn it."

Zhao Mengmeng buckled the shoulder armor back on.

The fit on her shoulder was even better than before.

She moved her arm a couple of times, and her eyes brightened slightly.

"It really doesn't chafe."

Lin Ye didn't stop.

He spread out all of their protective gear—bear skin, wolf king hide, and rock sheep skin.

He placed the damp, cold parts near the crystal core.

And the scorched, stiff parts away from the flames.

The crystal core's heat was very even and wouldn't roast the fur until it became brittle.

After a few minutes, the moisture trapped in the protective gear began to rise.

White mist dissipated above the fire, carrying the scent of blood, char, and leather.

Lin Ye turned the furs, and Zhao Mengmeng helped press the edges.

The two of them were working together more and more smoothly.

The Great Xia Live Stream chat was scrolling rapidly.

[ This scene is so satisfying. While others are freezing in the wasteland, Brother Eye is camping and doing maintenance. ]

[ The crystal core can even be used as a dryer. The things Brother Eye picks are truly useful. ]

[ He really doesn't waste a single resource; he can even salvage broken leather. ]

[ Look at those ones from overseas; they're all huddled up and shivering. The gap is too obvious. ]

In the distance, Ivan leaned against a black rock, using a red-hot fragment of a bone pickaxe to cauterize his wound and stop the bleeding.

His Molten Crystal Core was placed by his knees, its heat unstable.

Every now and then, the crystal core would burst out a small puff of scorching air.

Ivan was burned and cursed with a Russian swear word.

Martin had it worse.

The crystal core he obtained had more impurities.

It was too hot when close to his body, and too far away to provide warmth.

He could only place the crystal core on a stone and use the residual heat to warm his leg injury.

But that hot air carried a pungent smell, scorching the edges of his wound black.

Martin looked at the stable fire on Lin Ye's side, his expression grim.

He knew the gap wasn't due to luck.

Since the second level, every one of Lin Ye's choices had been too precise.

The stone pillar route, the shelter from the poisonous rain, the luring away of the Blade Lizards, and the traversal through the heat lines on the third level.

This person must have some kind of method for making judgments.

But Martin had no proof.

And he had no strength to snatch it away.

Blake's mood was worse than Martin's.

The surface of his crystal core was covered in dense gray spots, and the red light inside flickered on and off.

He had intended to use it for warmth, but was burned by a sudden heatwave, causing the skin on his left palm to split open again.

He cursed under his breath, enduring the pain.

He saw Lin Ye using the crystal core to dry the leather armor, saw Zhao Mengmeng drinking soup, and saw the firelight shielding the two of them in the rocky hollow.

Hatred accumulated in his chest.

But hatred couldn't make his severed hand grow back.

He could only endure.

Lin Ye suddenly picked up the Fire Axe with the rolled edge.

This axe had followed him from the ruins to the Giant Tower, and its blade had long been completely destroyed by the Red-Armored Lava Beast.

The axe face was curled, and there were several chips on the edge.

Zhao Mengmeng saw it and asked, "Can this thing still be saved?"

"Yes."

"It's curled up like a potato chip."

"Potato chips can still be eaten; this can still chop."

Lin Ye moved the Molten Crystal Core close to the axe blade.

The heat from the crystal core concentrated on the metal.

The area around the chips on the axe blade gradually turned a dark red.

He didn't heat the entire axe, only controlling the crystal core to get close to the specific area.

Once the metal softened, he placed the axe flat on a black stone.

With his other hand, he picked up a flat stone hammer.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

A dull thumping sound echoed in the rocky hollow.

Every strike landed on the curled edge.

The curled iron was hammered back into a flat plane bit by bit.

Zhao Mengmeng watched with her mouth agape, "You know how to smith too?"

"No."

"Then what are you doing right now?"

"Hammering it hard."

Lin Ye changed the angle and continued to hammer.

He first hammered the bent blade straight, then used a bone blade to scrape off the oxidized black scale, and subsequently reheated the axe blade section by section near the crystal core.

Then, he sharpened the blade using a rough black stone.

Sparks flew between the stone surfaces.

The broken axe gradually regained a beveled edge.

It wasn't pretty.

But it was vicious enough.

The Great Xia Live Stream chat exploded again.

[ Hardcore repair! He's really using a single crystal core as a forge. ]

[ Who said the Fire Axe was scrapped? Brother Eye disagrees. ]

[ This is the satisfaction of survival; fixing gear on the spot is so stress-relieving. ]

[ Did you see that, you guys on the foreign internet? We don't steal from you; we build it ourselves. ]

Finally, Lin Ye lightly touched the side of the axe blade with his finger, avoiding the sharp edge.

He cut a strip from a piece of scrap beast hide.

He pressed the axe blade across it.

The beast hide was sliced through smoothly.

Zhao Mengmeng clapped, "Master Lin, the sharpening is a success."

"Barely usable."

"Barely? This thing can crack someone's skull open again tomorrow."

Lin Ye placed the Fire Axe by his side.

Subsequently, he checked the Dark Weaver.

The bracer shell had two deformations.

The edge of the launch slot had white marks from the high temperature.

The remaining anchor points were very few.

The Nano-wire body was still relatively intact, but the high-frequency engine had been overstressed and couldn't run at full capacity continuously for a short time.

Lin Ye knew what to expect.

He couldn't pin all his chances of survival on the Dark Weaver from now on.

He had to save the last few anchor points for emergencies.

Zhao Mengmeng also began to check the Wind-Chasing Claw.

Her three-pronged hook had obvious wear, and the cable had several hard spots burned into it by the high heat.

She used a bone blade to shave off the scorched burrs and wrapped the worn areas with animal tendon.

The two of them didn't idle.

A safe zone is not a zone for enjoyment.

Twelve hours is a window for the living to restore their condition.

Waste a moment, and you'll have to pay for it with your life on the next level.

Time passed slowly.

The wasteland entered the deep night.

The brightness of the glowing moss dimmed, and the cold crept up from the ground.

In the distance, the three foreign Challengers were huddled up on their own.

Ivan was still tough; he slept against a rock, clutching the remaining handle of his bone pickaxe.

Martin couldn't sleep due to the pain; every so often, he would press down on his injured leg.

Blake didn't sleep.

He kept watching Lin Ye.

Zhao Mengmeng noticed that gaze and cursed softly, "Aren't his eyeballs tired?"

"Hating someone is more stimulating than sleeping."

"Why does he have to stare at you? You didn't steal his things."

"I'm blocking the USA's path."

Lin Ye poked the fire.

"He wants to get resources to save his own country, and he also wants to stop Great Xia from continuing to catch up on the score."

Zhao Mengmeng fell silent for a moment.

She understood.

This wasn't just a simple personal grudge.

Everyone who survived to reach the Giant Tower had an entire nation resting on their shoulders.

Blake wanted to kill Lin Ye out of both greed and the pressure of his nation's destiny.

This made him even more dangerous.

Zhao Mengmeng hugged the crossbow tighter, "Then we can't give him any opportunities."

"Mm."

Lin Ye tucked the Molten Crystal Core back into his chest.

The fire was still burning.

He told Zhao Mengmeng to crawl into her sleeping bag.

Zhao Mengmeng was unwilling, "You sleep first; I'll keep watch."

"Your hands are steadier than mine; I'll need to rely on you for the crossbow tomorrow."

"You can barely keep your eyes open."

"I can keep watch even with my right eye closed."

"That sounds very punchable."

Lin Ye tossed the sleeping bag to her, "Sleep for four hours, then wake me up to switch."

Zhao Mengmeng stared at him for a few seconds, then finally crawled in.

"Call me if there's any movement."

"Mm."

"Don't try to be a hero by yourself."

"I'll only be half a hero."

"Get lost."

She closed her eyes.

Not long after, her breathing gradually steadied.

Lin Ye sat by the fire, his back against the black rock.

The twelve-hour countdown ticked away bit by bit.