Chapter 138: Leveled Up Yet Again and Again

Jiang Huan tapped the screen, and fifty thousand points were directly deducted.

However, the three tiers of the boxes remained small, medium, and large, without any change.

No, wait, there was a difference. A number "1" had appeared on the box opener.

Jiang Huan tentatively poked it.

With a click, the box opener dropped a small bottle sealed with a wooden stopper.

The moment she touched it, Jiang Huan instantly knew its origin: the physique淬炼 liquid (body refinement fluid).

As long as one still had a breath left, drinking it would instantly restore them to peak vitality. Whether one suffered from severed limbs or systemic poisoning, a single sip would neutralize all poisons and regenerate missing limbs.

If one was healthy and free of ailments, it would elevate the body's latent potential.

Scientists before the apocalypse had said that the skills and knowledge currently mastered by humans only occupied a tiny fraction of their potential. By developing just a bit more potential, a person's various faculties would improve exponentially.

If human potential were fully unlocked, the creation of time-travel machines and the rapid terraforming of other planets might not be out of reach.

This vial of refining liquid was designed to harmlessly enhance potential while clearing away physical impurities and chronic ailments.

Jiang Huan gripped the bottle so tightly her fingers turned white.

She found a spoon and poured out a spoonful, which amounted to half the bottle.

As the spoon entered her mouth, the taste was overwhelmingly fresh with a hint of bitterness.

Swallowing it was not difficult. A faint coolness originated from her throat, but once it reached her stomach, it began to act up, transforming into countless tiny silver needles that pierced every blood vessel and nerve in her body.

Jiang Huan felt as though she were being pierced completely through, ready to be battered and deep-fried like a skewer.

Perhaps five minutes passed, perhaps ten. Jiang Huan estimated the time wasn't long because she remained entirely conscious and did not pass out from sheer exhaustion.

When that bizarre sensation finally dissipated around her lower back, Jiang Huan was drenched in sweat.

No, it wasn't just sweat; there was also blood, a layer of grime, and an urgent urge to use the restroom.

Jiang Huan first relieved herself, and then thoroughly scrubbed every inch of her body. When she dried her hair and had the leisure to look in the mirror, she was almost dumbfounded.

She had changed.

Her facial features were still recognizable, but they seemed to have been optimized. The pores visible on an ordinary person were now so microscopic she could hardly find them.

Her gaze was brighter, her vision significantly improved. The woman in the mirror did not have an excessively fair complexion, but rather a healthy, radiant glow.

To use the phrase yearned for by countless girls, it was a face that looked like its owner had perfectly regular periods, never suffered from constipation, never experienced insomnia, and never felt dizzy upon standing up from a squat.

Health—absolute, unadulterated health.

One vial of physique upgrade fluid a day. If split in half—half for herself and the rest saved for her younger brother—if she kept drinking like this, would she be able to achieve immortality?

After letting her imagination run wild for a while, she checked the time; it was the middle of the night.

Jiang Huan deployed her RV, set up malicious intruder alarms all around it, and then heartily prepared a hot pot and barbecue, slowly drinking and dining by herself.

After eating and drinking her fill, she realized she had consumed a whole table's worth of food—her appetite had grown even better.

Jiang Huan seized the time to rest, waking up just past five o'clock. She packed away the vehicle, shouldered a backpack full of cigarettes and alcohol, and headed toward the base.

The base today was completely unrecognizable compared to before she left for the selection trials. Single-story buildings and thermal insulation layers constructed from novel materials made the ceiling heights of these houses exceed standard dimensions.

Outside the gates were two guard booths manned by sentries. Seeing Jiang Huan approach, the two men—who probably didn't have a deep impression of her—proactively intercepted her.

Jiang Huan pulled out a pack of cigarettes and explained that she was here to trade for some food provisions.

The two guards exchanged glances; one stayed to watch Jiang Huan while the other went to report.

Before long, when the guard returned, he brought out more than just one person.

Both Captain Guan and the burly man known as Brother Biao were there.

Both men were eager to claim the cigarettes in Jiang Huan's hand. Since Jiang Huan only wanted food to fill her stomach, that was simple enough—both of them could provide it.

However, Captain Guan happened to have high-protein food. Jiang Huan choked slightly, recalling something, and specifically asked if it was milk or something similar.

Captain Guan replied proudly: indeed, there was both milk and compressed milk tablets. The capital was currently distributing milk tablets to the citizens; a single tablet could sustain energy for over sixteen hours and had high nutritional value, so even if one didn't eat much, there was no fear of starving or lacking strength.

Aside from that, agricultural technology for vegetables had also been improved and was gradually being cultivated in various corners of the base.

They even invited Jiang Huan to taste some.

Jiang Huan politely declined: "I'm on the front lines, I don't lack food. I appreciate your kind intentions."

"True, your place certainly doesn't lack these things."

Jiang Huan maintained a polite smile.

Although psychologically she could not bring herself to eat high-protein products made from cockroach milk, the existence of this stuff undoubtedly had inevitable value. Compared to cattle and sheep, cockroaches reproduced quickly and were easy to raise. Even if the milk harvest from a single cockroach could not compare to that of a cow, it could not prevent the inevitable, unstoppable reform of food sources in the current living environment.

Through negotiation, Jiang Huan's backpack of cigarettes and alcohol was exchanged for a dozen bags of flour, a dozen bags of rice, and two boxes of milk tablets. Jiang Huan requested a pushcart and wheeled them away herself, refusing any help from others.

Arriving at the previously agreed-upon location, Jiang Huan retrieved a few more bags of dried meat and Chinese sausages from her spatial storage—all air-dried and vacuum-packed—along with dried bean skin, vermicelli, and other dry goods that required soaking.

After a brief thought, she also dropped off two boxes of basic medicines, gauze, and syringes. By now, the goods had piled up into a small hill on the ground.

With over thirty boxes of gold traded, it would be utterly unjustified not to leave behind a substantial amount of supplies.

Before eight o'clock, Jiang Huan heard someone approaching. She proactively revealed herself and pointed to the items on the ground. The arrivals were Wang and his group, who cheered with uncontained excitement and swarmed around Jiang Huan, nearly performing a wild tribal dance.

Jiang Huan told them to cut the nonsense and hurry up and move the supplies up before the temperature skyrocketed.

Thus, seven or eight people carried half of the supplies up first. When they came back down for another trip, they wondered how there were still five bags of rice left.

They had no choice but to use the handcart to help transport the rest up the mountain.

Jiang Huan accompanied the second group back up and noticed some aged grain piled by the entrance.

Liu Ling explained: "These rice and flour grains had gone a bit stale, but even before they went stale, we couldn't bear to dispose of them. Now it's great—a large batch of fresh grain has arrived, so we can hurry up and eat these older ones."

Jiang Huan didn't get to share this meal because the helicopter would only wait for one night.

Before her departure, Liu Ling shoved a large bowl of dumplings into her hands. These had been hurriedly made just so Jiang Huan could eat a few as a token of their heartfelt gratitude.

Everyone spontaneously followed behind Liu Ling to see Jiang Huan off.

"I'll keep arranging the excavation work. When you come back next time, it definitely won't disappoint you. Take good care of yourself, and don't put yourself in danger."

Jiang Huan nodded: "I will. You take care too."

With that, she waved her hand, telling everyone to turn back and stop seeing her off.

The helicopter rotors roared, lifting the aircraft off the ground and taking away Jiang Huan, the leader who would forever hold a place in everyone's hearts.

"Jiang Huan, stay safe—"

"Big Sister! Good luck!"

The corners of Jiang Huan's lips curled up. Oh, these kids.

After the helicopter had flown a distance, the man in the pilot's seat suddenly spoke up: "I didn't expect you to be the boss of a survival outpost. You must have gone through quite a massive psychological struggle back then."

Jiang Huan thought to herself: *No, absolutely not. I didn't struggle at all—I was more than eager to leave the base for the front lines.*

At present, the fact that she was revered by the masses was merely a case of "familiarity breeds contempt" averted by distance.

Coupled with the fact that she could still bring tangible benefits to everyone, she naturally appeared fragrant and appealing.

"It was alright," she replied. When it came to socializing, vagueness was best.

The pilot did not press further about Jiang Huan's inner journey, and the two remained relatively silent for the rest of the journey.

Finally landing at the monster containment unit, Jiang Huan stepped off the helipad and immediately heard a commotion ahead. Even from ten meters away, she saw a person come flying out through the air.

With her enhanced vision, Jiang Huan could even see the pectoral muscles of the person who had been thrown out still heaving.