153: Chapter 147 Conditions

Chapter 147 Conditions (Requesting follow-up subscriptions)

The core focus of the Tyrant's exchangeable items is entirely on combat. From the Tyrant Arena and Rage Blood to the Tyrant Core, these are all meant to forge monstrous entities that are berserk and possess formidable combat capabilities. Whether it is the host personally or his warriors, everything is prepared for battle.

As for the Pig-headed Farmer, just as its name implies, its traits and creations are all prepared for planting and harvesting.

The Pig-headed Banner can transform fertile land, but the greatest use of this creation is not in habitable floors, but rather across this wasteland filled with parched earth.

Wherever the banner is hung, all shall become fertile land.

If combined with the Vine Mother, a creation of the Grafted Mother Vine, the two complementing each other can easily forge a utopia on the wasteland. Wherever one passes will become fertile land, forming the foundation upon which the Shelter establishes itself and thrives.

The function of the Farmer Vine is also not to cultivate Transcendent individuals, but rather to train a group of farmers capable of better tending to crops. It does not matter if their strength cannot break through or if they possess little combat prowess; what is important is that they can enrich the soil, nurture seedlings, shorten the time required for crops to grow, and improve the planting environment.

Food is the foundation of the doomsday world.

With a massive number of farmers, coupled with this habitable floor sufficient to cultivate tens of thousands of mu of fertile land, the future population that Wang Ting's Spark City could accommodate would probably not just be tens of thousands, but at least double that, perhaps even touching the threshold of 100,000 people.

"Step by step. Once Spark City is established, the exchangeable items of the Pig-headed Farmer will find even greater utility."

Wang Ting glanced at the exchange interface, and his mind was put at ease.

When to exchange and when to slow down—he already had a corresponding plan in mind.

It was not a matter of not exchanging, but rather delaying, slowing down, and exchanging methodically.

He swept his gaze across the exchangeable items of the Sickle-Wielding Scarecrow and the Faceless Farmer.

This time, these two did not bring him any extra surprises. Their exchangeable items were basically similar to low-level anomalous monsters like the Scarecrow and the Rot Soil Hound. To Wang Ting, their usefulness was better than nothing, but their cost-performance ratio was not that high.

"That is only natural. Being able to provide settlement points counts as contributing a service. I wonder if there are even stronger monsters inside the mobile barn floor?"

The area of the mobile barn floor was massive, and the barn's rules were obviously different from Scarecrow Manor.

Wang Ting currently lacked sufficient strength on hand, making it completely impossible to turn the place upside down and find the hidden monsters inside.

Although Wang Ting was tempted, he could only temporarily shelve the search plan.

Once the city walls of Spark City were erected and matters here eased up slightly, he could have Feng Bo dispatch a squad to conduct a detailed investigation of the mobile barn floor step by step, gathering intelligence and clues.

After Wang Ting exchanged for the Hive City, Dong Hu and the others quickly figured out how to use the flesh soil.

They dug out the flesh soil, then mixed it with a large amount of clay, or simply utilized the assimilation property of the flesh soil to mix in vast quantities of sandy soil before stuffing it into molds, ramming the earth walls firm bit by bit.

Originally, building rammed-earth walls was extremely laborious work that required continuous pounding to bind and compact the earth walls together so they wouldn't easily deform or collapse.

Such heavy labor would exhaust hundreds of people working in two shifts, and even a limit-breaker who had undergone their first limit-breaking would end up dripping with sweat if they went at it personally.

However, with the flesh soil of the Hive City serving as a base material, and with Wang Ting intentionally guiding the Hive City to shape and gradually solidify it into the form of a city wall, the speed instantly skyrocketed.

Five days later, the city wall had already risen to over three meters high. The crimson earth wall was incomparably sturdy, carrying an air of stern solemnity. Gale-force winds swept across the wasteland, kicking up countless sand particles; rolling waves of yellow sand assaulted it, yet they all crashed uselessly against the city wall, completely unable to affect the residents of Spark City inside.

The four sections of the city wall had short sides measuring about 170 meters and long sides measuring 180 meters, forming a regular square. The Infinite Building, the camp, supplies, and personnel were all enclosed within and protected.

Dong Hu detached a portion of people to begin constructing housing bit by bit in the residential area of Spark City.

Secondary flesh soil, blended from flesh soil, replaced the existence of concrete, offering higher efficiency and greater sturdiness in building multi-story structures.

One residential building after another was constructed with square layouts and neat arrangements, each standing three stories tall—except for the one specifically built for Wang Ting, which was constructed in the style of a grand villa.

Right beside the residential area was the massive warehouse that had been constructed first.

Several storehouses stored massive quantities of supplies, with large amounts of energy blocks, wheat, and other items neatly stacked inside, amounting to tens of thousands of catties.

The townspeople involved in constructing Spark City and exploring Scarecrow Manor totaled nearly six hundred people, consuming nearly a thousand catties of rations every day.

These tens of thousands of catties of food were merely the first phase of rations, just enough to last until the city walls and buildings were initially completed.

Ren Chuan sent people over to keep a strict watch, distributing provisions daily according to headcounts. For the food of the remaining second and third phases, he still had to find a way to go out and trade for it.

The armory was established independently, guarded by members of the Guard Team, and only a few squad leaders like Wang Ting and Feng Bo could mobilize large quantities of weapons.

Aside from the residential area and storehouses, outside Spark City there was also a pond a hundred meters wide and long, about two meters deep, with pool water continuously welling up. This was the fish spring that Wang Ting had exchanged for.

A huge perch, looking eighty percent similar to the Silver-Scaled Perch-Toothed Fish, constantly swam back and forth in the water. Five days had passed, and as the companion mother fish in the pond, it had unexpectedly laid about a hundred-odd fish eggs.

At this moment, it was continuously swimming around, tending to these fish eggs. Once the eggs hatched, this pond would soon become lively.

With the pond came a water source; although the water flow was limited and it wasn't wise to drain the pond to catch all the fish, it was sufficient for the current Spark City.

According to Dong Hu's estimate, in another week, the city wall could be raised to seven meters. At the same time, firing slits, watchtowers, and other positions could be rapidly put in place. By then, it wouldn't just be a city wall, but a fortress.

After determining the sizes of the four city gates, Wang Ting had already started having Ren Chuan's side prepare for direct processing by the Machinery Factory, so that all the city gates could be fitted with steel gates when the time came.

Wang Ting finished patrolling a circle around Spark City when a guard hurried over to his side and whispered, "Leader, those two can't hold on any longer."

The two people the guard referred to were Li Tianlong and Lin Ping. The two had been detained by Wang Ting here in Spark City all along, guarded by dedicated personnel.

Food and drink were provided in full, but the Parasitic Seeds on their bodies had never been extracted, maintaining a low-frequency extraction of their vitality.

That despairing state of feeling one's vitality slowly draining away while parasites constantly writhed inside one's stomach, yet having no way to extract them, was no less torturous than being blindfolded and subjected to the water torture.

The two men's minds were tortured bit by bit, and a sense of terror constantly lingered in their hearts like a shadow.

On the first and second days, the two could still barely manage to eat something.

By the third and fourth days, the amount of food they ate decreased. It wasn't that their bodies couldn't take it, but rather the unsettling feeling of being unable to get a reply no matter how desperately they sought an audience with Wang Ting, combined with the fear of losing their lives at any moment, made them too anxious to swallow their food.

Now, having reached the fifth day, the guard noticed that their condition was not right and thus came to find Wang Ting.

The corners of Wang Ting's mouth curved up slightly. "Let's go take a look."

In a corner of Spark City, inside a square wooden prison cell, Lin Ping and Li Tianlong now looked emaciated. Merely five days had passed, yet their vital energy and spirit had been worn away by a huge margin; their lips were chapped and peeling, and their eyes were dull and lifeless.

Hearing the sound, they turned their heads to look, suddenly snapped to awareness, and scrambled on all fours to the edge of the cage.

"Let me go! I am willing to submit and do anything, as long as you extract the parasite from my body."

A hopeful glow burst forth in the eyes of the two, but beneath this hope lay a deep-seated terror toward the "parasite" they spoke of.

"Let them out."

Hearing Wang Ting's words, the guard stepped forward and opened the cage.

Lin Ping and his companion felt a shock in their hearts, cringingly walking out from inside and kneeling before Wang Ting.

"I will send one of you back to control Bullet Town for me. If Bullet Town is not lost for three months and no news leaks out, I will remove the Parasitic Seed."

Hearing Wang Ting's words, the two instantly scrambled forward on their knees.

"I am a Transcendent; I can control Bullet Town."

Lin Ping was inherently someone who cherished his life. Now reduced to such a plight, for the sake of survival, he truly was willing to throw caution to the wind.

Li Tianlong's entire face turned deathly pale; he knew he couldn't compete with Lin Ping.

Seeing the appearance of the two, Wang Ting nodded slightly. "Then you shall go. Remember, within three months, I want you to firmly control Bullet Town."

He waved his hand, having the guard lead the person away. Given Lin Ping's current state, he would probably need a day or two of adjustment before returning to Bullet Town.

As soon as Lin Ping was led away, Li Tianlong, who remained in place, felt somewhat at a loss.

"Sir, my strength cannot match Lin Ping's, but I can help you monitor him. He definitely won't obediently listen to your orders."

Li Tianlong quickly found his chance at survival, which was to stab Lin Ping in the back.

Wang Ting needed someone to keep an eye on Lin Ping, and the best choice was him—someone who originally belonged to Bullet Town.

Wang Ting heard a satisfying answer, but what he wanted was far more than that.

"That will depend on your performance. I will give you half a month to prepare. If you can survive a month from now and polish your physique to its peak, I will give you a chance to break through to become a Transcendent, and then you can go to Bullet Town."

Li Tianlong was stunned. Break through to become a Transcendent a month later? This—he was merely a captive, how could that be?

Li Tianlong did not know what Wang Ting was thinking. Wang Ting simply told him to get up and then had him follow behind.

The two arrived inside Scarecrow Manor, where an arena woven and constructed from flesh, blood, and bones appeared before him.

Beside the arena were several wooden-built cages, inside each of which was either a Scarecrow or a Rot Soil Hound.

Xiang Nan had been waiting here for a long time, looking at Li Tianlong with a playful expression.

Wang Ting instructed Xiang Nan, "Throw him into the arena and release monsters for him to fight to the death every day."

As soon as Wang Ting's words fell, Xiang Nan kicked over a cage, placing the Scarecrow inside directly into the Tyrant Arena.

Facing the sudden monster, Li Tianlong couldn't care less about his physical weakness. Between life and death, he had to fight with all his might. Barehanded, he lunged toward the Scarecrow, not even caring as sharp claws slashed across his shoulder, instead smashing his fists one after another onto the Scarecrow's head.

His physique was stronger than the Scarecrow's; after all, it was a body that had undergone a second limit-breaking, and every punch carried heavy force.

Under his frantic attacks, the Scarecrow's head was smashed to pieces.

After being smashed, the Tyrant Arena began to writhe with flesh and blood, swallowing the Scarecrow's remains down beneath the arena in one gulp.

Such a transformation frightened Li Tianlong, but very quickly, his terror turned into wild joy—the power refined from the Scarecrow's life essence was seeping into his body bit by bit.

From astonishment to shock, it transformed into wild joy. He abruptly looked at Wang Ting, dropped heavily to his knees, and knocked his head against the ground three times with heavy thuds.

"Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!"

Finding a path to survival after being placed in a position of certain death—Wang Ting was not only letting him live, but was even granting him a chance to metamorphose into a Transcendent.

At this moment, his mind was surging with emotion; he had long forgotten who had captured him in the first place. Or perhaps, under such an environment of extreme torture, not only did he not resent Wang Ting, but he actually thanked Wang Ting for capturing him.

At this moment, only a single thought remained in his mind:

Loyalty.

Wang Ting paid him no mind, shook his head slightly, and left.

For the next month, aside from members of the Guard Team using the arena during training sessions, Li Tianlong was the sole prisoner of the Tyrant Arena.

This was Wang Ting's arrangement.

Those who walked out from battle after battle in the Tyrant Arena would be influenced by the bloodline of the Tyrant Arena, suppressed by the host, and would grow increasingly respectful and loyal to Wang Ting.