11: Chapter 11 Tool Freedom

Fang Che's gaze swept across the surroundings, finally locking onto a rusted pickup truck that had overturned by the side of the road. "Let's try dismantling this."

Jiang Ning looked in the direction he pointed, raised an eyebrow, and without a word, strode straight over.

She circled the pickup once, finally setting her sights on the intact metal door. She took a deep breath, grabbed the edge of the door with both hands, her muscles tensing instantly as veins slightly bulged on her arms.

"Open up for me!"

With a grating, irritating sound of metal twisting, the door was ripped open just a crack. However, the hinges at the connection were exceptionally sturdy; no matter how red Jiang Ning's face turned from the exertion, she couldn't tear it off completely.

Sweat trickled down her temples, and a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks, making her look slightly dishevelled.

"Beauty, are you okay?" Fang Che stood to the side with his arms crossed, speaking in a relaxed tone. His voice carried a hint of banter: "How about you let me try?"

"Why are you looking at me? Is there iron on my face?" Jiang Ning panted heavily, turning back to glare at him directly. "Shut up! Even if I can't handle it, I have to try—brute force is the name of the game!"

She let out a roar, pouring all her strength into her arms, and her power exploded in an instant.

A crisp crack sounded.

Along with that crisp sound, the door hinges snapped completely. Jiang Ning stumbled, holding the heavy half-door as she took two steps back to steady herself. She casually threw the door to the ground with a clang, then broke off two rotten wooden planks from the truck bed. Only then did she dust off her hands and look at Fang Che with a hint of provocation.

Fang Che smiled, ignoring her little attitude. He walked forward, bent down, and touched his fingers to the heavy half-door.

[ — — Triggering Critical Hit Check — — ] [ Critical Hit Multiplier: × 12 ] [ Obtained Item: Iron Block × 12 ]

He then touched the two wooden planks. [ — — Triggering Critical Hit Check — — ] [ Critical Hit Multiplier: × 8 ] [ Obtained Item: Lumber × 8 ]

"Is that all?" Jiang Ning frowned as she watched the scrap material vanish into thin air after Fang Che touched it. "One axe requires 5 Lumber and 2 Iron Blocks; this amount of material is only enough to make two or three, it's not enough to go around at all."

Inside the Train, the girls who saw this scene through the windows also began to whisper amongst themselves, and the hope that had just ignited became dim once again.

"Yeah, dismantling is so strenuous, and there's so little material..."

"Then what are we going to do..."

"Who said it wasn't enough?"

Fang Che spoke up suddenly. He straightened his body, brushed the dust off his hands, and a mysterious smile curled at the corners of his mouth.

Amidst the confused gazes of everyone, he turned and shouted toward the Train: "Watch closely!"

The next second, he extended a finger and tapped lightly in the empty air. His consciousness sank into the crafting system, consuming the 5 Lumber and 2 Iron Blocks he had just obtained from his inventory.

[ Select Crafted Item: Simple Iron Axe ] [ — — Triggering Critical Hit Check — — ] [ Critical Hit Multiplier: × 30 ]

Boom! A golden light, far more blinding and brilliant than any before, suddenly exploded with Fang Che at its center!

Jiang Ning instinctively squinted her eyes against the sudden glare. Immediately following that— Clang! Clang! Clang!

A dense, crisp series of metallic clashing sounds erupted violently on the quiet street! Thirty brand-new iron axes, shimmering with a cold metallic luster, appeared out of thin air before Fang Che, falling continuously from mid-air and instantly piling up into a small mountain!

The whole world went quiet for a second. Whether it was Jiang Ning, who was right there, or the dozens of girls in the Train, everyone was stunned. Their mouths hung open unconsciously, their eyes bulged round and wide, and their minds went completely blank.

What... was this? Magic? Or a miracle?

Fang Che didn't pause; meeting the dull gazes of everyone, he operated the system again. [ Select Crafted Item: Simple Iron Pickaxe ] [ Critical Hit Multiplier: × 30 ]

Clang, clang, clang! Another thirty bright iron pickaxes slammed onto the pile of axes. The sound of metal colliding was incredibly exhilarating and inspiring, ringing out across the sky and striking hard against everyone's hearts! Sixty tools! Piled into a mountain of weapons!

"Ahhhhhh!" Someone let out a scream of immense shock, instantly igniting the entire scene!

"Oh my god! Oh my mother!" "He turned scrap metal into a mountain of tools!" "This isn't real, I must be dreaming!"

The Train door was forced open with a hiss. The girls rushed off the Train frantically, charging toward the pile of weapons with reckless abandon. Their eyes were filled with a fervor mixed with ecstasy, adoration, and disbelief!

Even Teacher Qin Bing couldn't maintain her composure at this moment. She held onto the door frame, her fingers trembling violently as they gripped the control panel, her eyes filled with irrepressible excitement and shock.

"Quiet!" Teacher Qin Bing barked, though her voice carried a hint of a tremor, forcibly suppressing everyone's frenzy.

She took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the mountain of weapons, then looking at Fang Che, who stood to the side. She quickly issued orders: "Everyone come over, pair up, and take one axe and one pickaxe each!"

"Gu Nanzhi!" "Here!" The arts committee member Gu Nanzhi, her cheeks flushed red with excitement, immediately stepped out of line.

"Take ten people and be responsible for collecting all the dried grass and vines by the roadside. Also, all the fabric you can find from torn clothes and old sofas—pile it all up and wait for Fang Che to process it!" "Yes!"

"The rest of you!" Teacher Qin Bing's gaze turned to the others, her voice suddenly rising. "Form a demolition team! Our goal is to turn everything on this street that can be dismantled into our resources before the Train leaves!" "Understood!"

This time, the response was a uniform and powerful shout from over thirty women. Panic and despair were swept away, replaced by soaring morale and hope for the future!

Soon, a female demolition team armed with sharp tools was formed on the spot. With tools in hand, their destructive power increased exponentially. The clanging and banging of their work rang throughout the entire street.

Fang Che and Jiang Ning became the absolute main force of the demolition. Jiang Ning always had endless energy, and the iron axe whistled as she swung it. Fang Che followed behind her, his palms brushing over the scattered wood and iron sheets, collecting the massive amount of material after Critical Hits into his inventory.

On the other side, the fiber team led by Gu Nanzhi was also working vigorously, quickly piling up five large haystacks that were half as tall as a person.

"Fang Che! It's ready over here!" Gu Nanzhi waved vigorously.

Fang Che walked over and reached out to press his hand onto one of the piles. [ — — Triggering Critical Hit Check — — ] [ Critical Hit Multiplier: × 27 ] [ Obtained Item: Fiber × 5350! ]

"Waaaaah!" The few girls responsible for piling the haystacks were so excited they hugged each other, screaming and jumping.

The clothing problem was solved! The final shortcoming of the entire team had been filled, and everyone's hearts settled with unprecedented calm.

They watched that figure constantly weaving through the ruins, that extremely extraordinary figure who created miracles, their gazes burning with intensity. With him there, there was no problem that couldn't be solved.

The team continued to advance deeper into the town, and the scope of the demolition grew larger and larger. Just as everyone was working in full swing, Jiang Ning, who was at the very front, stopped in front of an independent two-story residential house.

She kicked open the rotten door and walked inside. A moment later, her puzzled voice came from inside the house. "Fang Che, come here for a second." There was a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "This floor... seems to be hollow."