Several days passed, and the number of refugees stranded in the Safe Zone did not decrease; instead, it gradually increased. The entire Safe Zone was filled with refugees waiting for resettlement and job opportunities.

Although the entire Safe Zone was bustling with construction, with new factories opening every few days, the supply still couldn't meet the demand.

The end of the war did not improve the situation in Hedong City; rather, it continued to deteriorate.

However, for Chen Shouyi, life had completely calmed down.

After several nights of archery practice, he had thoroughly corrected his rough archery techniques. Now, all that remained was repetitive practice to continuously improve his shooting speed.

However, this couldn't be accomplished in a short time.

Today, he planned not to go out and decided to rest for a day.

In the evening, after taking a shower, Chen Shouyi lay half-awake on his bed in thin pajamas, slowly flipping through a book on the basic customs of the Otherworld Barbarian Tribe.

The size and region of the Barbarian Tribes varied, as did their level of civilization.

Some smaller tribes, with their backward civilization, were on par with primates, living by hunting and gathering, having basically not developed any material civilization.

However, larger tribes, especially those that believed in deities, often had a higher level of civilization. To some extent, the existence of gods promoted the development of civilization.

Some civilizations could even be comparable to Great Xia's Shang and Zhou dynasties. They no longer relied primarily on hunting and gathering, but had developed animal husbandry and farming, learned to weave and manufacture tools, and constructed buildings, forming a nascent form of the state.

The Barbarians that previously invaded Hedong City clearly belonged to this kind.

As for whether there were more advanced civilizations, humans had not yet discovered any. However, the author of the book held an optimistic attitude. The existence of the Mysterious Power, although seriously hindering the development of productivity, might lead to the application and development of extraordinary abilities, possibly paving a brighter path different from humanity's own.

...

Next to him, the Shell Lady listlessly played with the Crystal Ball for a while, glanced at the Giant lying next to her, grabbed his clothes, turned over, climbed onto his abdomen, and jumped vigorously to show her dissatisfaction: "Good Giant, are you really not going out today?"

"Not going out, taking a day off!"

"Why take a break? I'm not tired at all!" the Shell Lady said loudly, dissatisfied.

Chen Shouyi glanced at the Shell Lady, who was visibly discontented. You've been sitting on my shoulder, at most shouting a few words—of course, you're not tired. But I am; do you know how strenuous it is to continuously draw a Strong Bow for hours?

If it weren't for my Natural Healing, with every minor muscle injury quickly healing, my arm muscles would have torn by now.

"Be good, we'll go tomorrow!" Chen Shouyi comforted.

"No! I'm not good! I want to go kill bad rats; I want to go kill the vicious big bird." The Shell Lady bounced up and down on his abdomen in dissatisfaction.

"I was the one who killed them! You didn't manage to down a single one," Chen Shouyi corrected her seriously.

The Shell Lady's expression froze, and she quickly said, "But I discovered them all."

"What's the use of discovering them if you can't kill a single rat?" Chen Shouyi gave a sidelong glance at the Shell Lady, who was only fourteen or fifteen centimeters tall, and said disdainfully.

The Shell Lady turned beet red, writhing for a long moment before turning her head in shame and rage: "Bad Giant, I'm ignoring you!"

Saying that, she angrily jumped hard on his belly.

Chen Shouyi glanced at this little thing, gave an evil smile, and as she was about to land from her jump, he mischievously tensed and relaxed his abdomen. The Shell Lady's body was instantly catapulted high into the air, and she screamed in surprise, but soon she became excited.

"So fun, good Giant, do it again!"

Chen Shouyi chuckled. As she was about to land back on his abdomen, he puffed up his belly again, making the Shell Lady bounce high like a trampoline, screaming like a spring.

"Good Giant, I want to go higher, the higher, the better."

"Okay!" Chen Shouyi readily agreed.

This time, he used even more strength, and as his belly inflated, the Shell Lady was catapulted like an arrow off a bowstring, but Chen Shouyi immediately sensed something was wrong.

Sure enough, the next moment, the Shell Lady collided with the ceiling, making a faint thud, cried out in pain, and fell straight down like a shot sparrow.

Chen Shouyi broke out in a cold sweat on his forehead, quickly reached out to catch her, and placed her on his palm.

"Are you okay?" Chen Shouyi asked with a wry smile.

The Shell Lady held her head, tears welled up in her eyes from the pain. Her mouth quivered, and soon she burst into tears:

"Bad... Giant, you made me... it hurts so much, no fun at all."

"Alright, alright, it's my fault!" Knowing he was in the wrong, Chen Shouyi readily apologized.

Sniffing in grievance, the Shell Lady said, "Then... I want... a reward!"

"Sure, no problem!" Chen Shouyi agreed.

"I want a big, big gem!" The Shell Lady immediately wiped her tears, the miracle stopping them, and said loudly with reddened eyes.

"Okay!"

"I want one... one... one!" The Shell Lady repeatedly chanted a long string of 'one'.

Chen Shouyi was too lazy to count, thinking, are you trying to scam me here?

"Only one!" Chen Shouyi decisively refused; opening this door would devalue it.

The Shell Lady's eyes welled up again, threatening to cry.

"Two, I'll give you two!" Chen Shouyi quickly said.

Hearing this, the Shell Lady beamed with joy, now departing from any tears or pain completely, bouncing on his abdomen excitedly, saying loudly, "Good Giant, let's play this game again."

"No more, go play by yourself." Chen Shouyi quickly refused.

I can't afford this. If it happens again, I'll be bankrupt, Chen Shouyi mused internally.

...

The next morning, just after finishing breakfast, Chen Shouyi saw Bai Xiaoling carrying an aluminum alloy briefcase walk into the living room, with four fully armed SWAT officers standing outside the door.

Why such a grand show of force? He glanced around, finally paying attention to the briefcase, a trace of doubt flashing in his mind. He stood up and asked, "Sister Bai, what's going on?"

"General Manager Chen, this is your payroll for this month."

Finally, payment day had arrived. His salary from the last month had long been spent, and he had just over two thousand yuan left on him. These days had been tight, having to retrieve all arrows he shot during archery practice, no longer daring to spend wildly.

Taking it over and glancing at it, he found it was actually five million six hundred and fifty thousand, of which sixty-five thousand was a martial artist's stipend and salary from the national, provincial, and city governments, while the remaining five million was a mission bonus.

He pondered for a moment, "Such a large bonus amount is obviously compensation for the recent conscription."

"The money has been transferred to your account. You can withdraw it at any time at the New City Bank in the Safe Zone using your Martial Artist Certificate!" Bai Xiaoling said, inwardly envious, as her monthly salary wasn't even a fraction of his!

Not even a tenth of a fraction!

Chen Shouyi knew of the New City Bank, the only operating bank recently opened by the City Government serving only the Safe Zone. Unfortunately, citizens were too intimidated to deposit any money.

For his part, Chen Shouyi also didn't trust it, preferring to keep cash safely at home.

"Also, there's something else that requires your confirmation and signature!" Bai Xiaoling continued, handing over an aluminum alloy briefcase and a document and pen.

Slightly puzzled, Chen Shouyi took the briefcase, tore off the top seal, and upon opening it, found twenty thirty-milliliter vials of transparent liquid. Looking at these faintly glowing vials, he had a guess, taking up the product brochure to glance over it.

Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed!

Inside were ten vials each of Divine Marrow Potion and Divine Blood Potion.

Locking the briefcase, Chen Shouyi glanced over the signature document and asked Bai Xiaoling for confirmation: "Do I have to sign?"

"You must!"

"Such a hassle!" Chen Shouyi muttered under his breath, but ultimately picked up the pen with a helpless expression and carefully signed his name using deliberate muscle control.

Bai Xiaoling took a stealthy glance and discovered his writing looked as if it had been printed.

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