CH 151

A torrential rain centered around the Cangyu Mountains descended like a lifesaving elixir from the heavens. This rain not only nourished the parched earth but also saved countless seekers like He Xuchou. It granted them the strength to stand once more, and once the spark of hope lit up in their eyes, they would possess extraordinary courage and power.

As a result, after this downpour, the Cangyu Mountains witnessed a peak in the number of people seeking refuge. This is just the beginning; once the news of the rainy season in the drought spreads, more and more people will make their way to the Cangyu Mountains.

Because it cannot be denied, this rain is a miracle. On the ecologically devastated Cang Zhan Star, this rain seems like a faint signal, telling the world that there is still a possibility of returning to normalcy for the environment.

Within the Cangyu Mountains, even the air seems to have been cleansed by the rain. The rejuvenated green leaves also drank their fill of water, and the entire mountain range resembled a pool of green spring water in the midst of a parched world. With each sip, it offered refreshing and cool comfort.

The greening and planting work involving all members was coming to an end, and they still couldn’t believe that there had been such a refreshing downpour in the drought of Cang Zhan Star. What excited them the most was the possibility that they had played a part in it. Although they couldn’t understand the purpose of the Shui Jing Gong members burying energy stones around, or what these formations were for, they had indeed witnessed real rain.

While the excited discussions about the rain were ongoing among the people, the members of the Shui Jing Gong gathered for a meeting.

“I didn’t expect the effect of the seals created by Shui Shui to be this good. It feels like we won’t have to worry about droughts in the future,” Nan Ge exclaimed with genuine joy, adding, “Shui Shui is truly a treasure. He always finds a way to solve our problems.”

Having received numerous compliments, Shu Shuishui had long since transformed from his former shyness into a little pride. “It just so happened that I obtained the materials for making the Rain Prayer Seal from the Huanxing Continent, and combined with the suitable environment in the Cangyu Mountains, it achieved this effect,” Shu Shuishui explained. Every day, he and Gu Langu could obtain one item at random from the Huanxing Continent through the Shui Lan Ring, which was a reward they had received for participating in the simulator missions.

Indeed, this rain took even the Shui Jing Gong by surprise. When Shu Shuishui first attempted to use seals to induce rain, he openly admitted that it might not necessarily succeed. The results were cause for celebration, as the effect of the downpour extended not only to the Cangyu Mountains but also had a ripple effect in the surrounding areas, making it a widespread event.

Shu Shuishui had obtained enough materials to create three Rain Prayer Seals this time. Judging by the effectiveness of this rainfall, the remaining two seals would be sufficient to ensure that the Cangyu Mountains smoothly passed through the dry season. Moreover, the greening efforts in the Cangyu Mountains had already taken shape, which was why the Rain Prayer Seals had such a powerful effect.

With about twenty days left until the end of the dry season, the teams from various bases were still working tirelessly to plant trees. Compared to the beginning, the tree-planting teams had been streamlined, but their coordination and efficiency had not diminished in the slightest.

Apart from the tree-planting teams, the Shui Jing Gong had four special teams led by Nan Ge, Liu Po, Xie Feng, Shu Shuishui, and Gu Langu, respectively. These teams were responsible for burying spirit stones in specific areas and then communicating with them using spiritual energy. Due to the vastness of the Cangyu Mountains, this task was quite substantial, but thankfully, the planted spirit trees had begun to contribute.

The Cangyu Mountains were no longer solely reliant on individual spirit stones for their energy supply. After overcoming the initial scarcity of spiritual energy, the growing spirit trees were now providing feedback to the Cangyu Mountains.

In this manner, the guardian formation of the Cangyu Mountains was strengthened day by day. Of course, in the eyes of outsiders, the actions of the Shui Jing Gong were mysterious and difficult to comprehend. However, with the reassuring memory of the rainstorm, no one questioned the actions of the people from the Shui Jing Gong.

Although the true secret behind the rainstorm’s arrival was not openly disclosed by the Shui Jing Gong, every base understood that there was a close connection between the rainstorm and the Shui Jing Gong. The Shui Jing Gong seemed to be undertaking a mad endeavor to restore the ecological cycle of the Cangyu Mountains and create a normal area, a true Shui Jing Gong.

What was even more surprising was that they didn’t consider this speculation as the ravings of madmen. Instead, they actively cooperated and became part of this seemingly insane venture.

After the rainstorm, the Shui Jing Gong dispatched more teams to patrol the vicinity of the mountains. Their objectives were to prevent incursions from Zone A and Zone S and to search for survivors who had come seeking refuge.

The interception teams dared not get too close to the mountains because the mutated creatures inside were not to be trifled with. What baffled them even more was that, as time passed, these mutated creatures began teaming up with humans, and they seemed even stronger!

For those who couldn’t intercept the Cangyu Mountains, the interception teams turned their attention to those seeking refuge. These people were labeled as traitors, and orders from Zone A and Zone S were clear: if a traitor was found, they were to be immediately eliminated. However, this order didn’t deter the continuous stream of people heading for the Cangyu Mountains. Too many bases couldn’t endure the dry season, and this year’s Cang Zhan Star truly lived up to its label as an era of apocalypse, with extreme weather running rampant.

The population of the Cangyu Mountains was rapidly increasing. Nan Ge and Liu Po had already formulated a comprehensive plan for receiving new members and placing them in suitable areas. These people did not belong to the Shui Jing Gong. They had their own exclusive residential area in the Cangyu Mountains. After becoming familiar with the environment, they could choose to apply to join a base, and if the base found them suitable, their application would be accepted.

After all, population growth was a prerequisite for development, and as long as resources were sufficient, no base would refuse to increase its population. The Shui Jing Gong was no exception, but its admission requirements were the strictest, yet people still applied every day.

The growing number of personnel also meant the expansion of the planting team, and the greening and planting efforts were accelerating every day.

For those who had successfully sought refuge, life in the Cangyu Mountains felt like a new beginning, a departure from their past hardships. They now realized that on Cang Zhan Star, they could live like this.

Cheng Que’s laboratory had already produced three batches of contract devices, all of which had been sold out. Cheng Que was sorting through the list of people on the next batch of orders while asking Qing Mengxing beside him, “Are you still used to it here?”

Qing Mengxing’s gaze swept through the laboratory. “It’s alright. By letting me in here, you’re not worried that I’ll see the core secrets?”

“Can you understand them?” Cheng Que was unfazed.

Qing Mengxing smiled and answered honestly, “I can’t understand them, but I’m very interested.”

Indeed, researchers tended to be concerned about their experimental results, but that was in the past. Considering that the world would be destroyed in a few years, would Cheng Que still care about these things? Moreover, very few people could understand these complicated data. Although he couldn’t remember where he had seen Qing Mengxing before, Cheng Que, who had an exceptional memory, realized that they must have met briefly. He couldn’t recall anything specific, but it seemed like they had met before entering Cang Zhan Star. Although he still couldn’t remember, Cheng Que clearly had no concept of embarrassment and calmly continued to the next topic. “Aren’t you planning to form a contract with a mutated creature?”

Qing Mengxing waved his hand. “I’m used to being free.”

Cheng Que didn’t say much more, speculating that Qing Mengxing hadn’t yet let go of the matter of the Dream Star River team’s annihilation and didn’t want to accept new companions for the time being.

On the eighty-second day of the dry season, with the last spirit stone buried and communicated through with spiritual power, the protective formation of the Cangyu Mountains was completed!

Shu Shuishui clapped the dirt off his hands and looked up at the sky. The transparent barrier was invisible to the naked eye, but they could still sense that something had changed, such as the temperature becoming more comfortable, the humidity increasing, and even the breeze feeling more pleasant…

During lunch, Gu Langu’s plate had five extra roasted grasshoppers, neatly arranged and attracting envious glances from many. Since the food issue had been resolved, it had become difficult for them to eat Shu Shuishui’s roasted grasshoppers again. For a moment, the group found themselves reminiscing about the days when they couldn’t get enough to eat and didn’t have proper clothing.

“Time passes so quickly. In the blink of an eye, it’s been a year. Last autumn, Shui Shui only came up to my ankles, and now it’s this high!” Reminiscing about the past, Yu Jin couldn’t help but sigh.

Shu Shuishui corrected him, “If you count the tail, it’s more than just the ankles.”

The others were left speechless, and Shu Shuishui’s fixation on his height reminded them of the days when they measured his height with precision.

Gu Langu nodded in agreement from the side. “Yes, it can definitely reach the calves.”

Shu Shuishui chimed in, “Gu Gu is right!”

The dog food on the dining table had become routine for everyone. After a brief moment of sour expressions, everything returned to normal. They raised their glasses together to celebrate the completion of the protective array. With a slight alcohol buzz, their eyes seemed unusually bright. The storms they had experienced on their journey felt like yesterday, but now they were just memories to accompany the drinks.

After lunch, everyone except Shu Shuishui went back to work as usual. Shu Shuishui, who was drinking alcohol for the first time, initially appeared quite normal. So when Shu Shuishui suddenly disappeared from the table and turned into a furry ball of a dormouse, no one reacted at first. When they approached, they saw a dormouse sitting on the chair, its small body rising and falling as it snored lightly. When Gu Langu reached out and picked up the soft and squishy dormouse, the little rodent raised its paws in a toasting gesture and said in a muffled voice, “Cheers! Another bucket!”

Everyone was left speechless. Well, considering its size, one glass of wine was indeed a bit much.

Gu Langu carried Shu Shuishui back to the bedroom, placed the bundle on the bed, and was about to let go when the little dormouse suddenly hugged his thumb. The tiny creature looked pitiful and whined, “Wanna hug Gu Gu’s thumb and give it a kiss!”

Gu Langu studied the situation for a while and finally found the right way to hug and kiss the dormouse with his thumb gently caressing the small tuft of fur on its forehead. The little dormouse immediately showed a contented expression, and its cheeks puffed out in satisfaction. Gu Langu couldn’t resist using his other hand to give it more affectionate strokes. It had been a long time since Shu Shuishui would transform into his dormouse form, and Gu Langu decided to make the most of this opportunity for some cuddling.

Soon, the little dormouse released Gu Langu’s thumb and continued its demands, “Wanna hug Gu Gu’s index finger and give it a kiss!”

Gu Langu was bewildered. Although he had never encountered such drunken antics before, he was more than willing to cooperate. Thus, Gu Langu’s ten fingers were sequentially requested for affection. After the last one, the pinky finger, received its hug and kiss, Gu Langu was afraid that Shu Shuishui would request to kiss his toes.

Fortunately, Shu Shuishui, even in a tipsy state, didn’t have extreme tastes. He simply let out a satisfied burp, then transformed back into his human form and opened his arms, saying to Gu Langu, “Want Gu Guo to hug and kiss.”

Gu Lan Guo: ??? While this kind of tipsy behavior was a first, Gu Langu was more than willing to oblige. So, he hugged Shu Shuishui and gave him a warm kiss, savoring the affectionate moment.