The Real Man

The night rain poured down heavily, the previous typhoon had blown away most of the leaves from the trees in the community, and now even more were swept away. The weeds in the green belt faced a reshuffling, and the debris hanging on the grass branches, such as garbage bags, paper scraps, and leaves, had been blown away by the wind. But just like a crowded subway station during rush hour, the more people leave the car, the more come in.

Compared to the fierce wind and rain outside, Tom and the others chose a suite with the balcony door closed, and even locked the front door. In this way, although the room was a bit stuffy, it was safer.

After settling the wounded and others, Tom took Lin Meiqi to check the surroundings. He knew that such actions would make others more certain that he and Lin Meiqi were having an affair, and they were going to "deeply" communicate in a secluded corner.

It didn't matter; no matter how they looked or thought, it wouldn't change the decision they were about to make. Moreover, in this era where the strong ruled, such things were quite normal.

The reason for this was that Lin Meiqi knew she was about to return to the shelter, where people were mixed and Tom would not tell her the part of the story that interested her. So she had been pestering him on the way, forcing him to tell her. This kind of open harassment and covert coercion made Tom very headache. So now he brought her to a dark corner to explain about the shelter's secret room and exchange.

After closing the bright shelter watch, Lin Meiqi nodded in satisfaction. "The fanatical followers of Darwin, the hidden shelter exchange room. Tom, this really feels like a game!"

"I feel the same way, but Darwin's fanatical believers wouldn't play such tricks. There's no need to make it so mysterious."

Lin Meiqi rubbed her brow in annoyance. "The purpose of the shelter is simple: to promote the awakening of abilities in the shrinking people. You can only get a longer breathing space in the shelter if you awaken abilities. Did you notice? There are very few survivors around the shelter. Perhaps in places farther from the shelter, the ratio of survivors is even higher."

"What?" Tom was taken aback. "Why is that?"

"I have a speculation that survivors are subjected to rigorous tests to reach the shelter, which helps them awaken. Although the shelter's protection time is limited, there are fewer people around it, so there is more material left, which is more conducive to the survival of people coming out of the shelter. They may want the awakened to choose to settle around the shelter. As long as you're near the shelter, it means you don't have to worry about monster attacks at least nine hours every week."

Tom suddenly realized, "To provide survival supplies for awakening people who come from far away, fanatical believers also have control over the success rate of shrinking?"

Lin Meiqi shrugged. "I don't know about that, but that's just my rough guess. Then there's the issue of exchange in the shelter. If the purpose of the shelter is to provide a safe house for you to catch your breath in the trial field, then the purpose of exchange is to make the awakened bear the responsibility of saving the weak. If you save non-awakened people and they are grateful, the shelter will reward you with weapons, equipment, and even technology. Did you notice? Technology!"

"What?" Tom didn't understand.

Lin Meiqi tapped his helmet and said, "Unlike the mechanism of the safe house, this technology, which is only mastered by the fanatical believers, can actually be opened to you, which means that as long as you master the appropriate technology and apply it, you don't need his shelter. The simplest example is you, a conduction material technology, can help you make equipment that combines energy crystals with armor. What if there's a stronger technology? Then you can even establish a safe camp. Uh... you have one now, don't you?"

Tom nodded. Without Lin Meiqi's reminder, he didn't even realize that it was just a technology that allowed him to make safe armor.

"This is contradictory to the establishment of a shelter as a safe house for the awakened. If those two men in black are really that powerful, they are most likely beneficiaries of these technologies, that is, fanatical believers. If they know that there is an exchange mechanism in the shelter, they will definitely take intervention measures. And the most direct way is to kill the shelter, that is, you, the awakened."

With Lin Meiqi's analysis, Tom's originally vague inference suddenly became clear. It seemed that the identity of the shelter owner must be strictly kept secret.

"So, if I were a fanatical believer, then you now..." Lin Meiqi chuckled and made a shooting gesture with her finger, "you're already dead!"

With Lin Meiqi's clarification, Tom's understanding of the concept of the shelter became much clearer, and he had a more complete understanding of the identity of the shelter owner.

Strengthen yourself and save more people.

Perhaps this was the true intention of the fanatical believers in building shelters.

"After talking so much..." Lin Meiqi showed a proud smile, which Tom was familiar with, "how are you going to reward me?"

"Reward? What reward?" Tom could only compromise.

"Give me a kiss?" The girl tilted her head and said with a smile.

Tom's face immediately turned red. He hesitated for a few seconds before refusing, "No... that... that's not the kind of reward."

"Are you sure? It's only one chance, you know? People say that youth and beauty are like delicious delicacies in the world, and my kiss, as a beautiful girl with mixed-race looks and big breasts, is desired by many. Are you sure you want to refuse?"

...

"Sure," Tom said decisively.

"Okay, I won't tease you anymore. I used to sleep holding a stuffed animal, and now that I'm grown up, I prefer smaller ones. The clothes I'm wearing now are from the recent Barbie doll I pampered, but after shrinking, I couldn't find a Barbie doll to put next to my pillow to sleep with, which has been affecting my sleep. So, I want you to make me a little person, palm-sized, or a bit bigger, but not too big for me to handle."

"A doll?" Tom thought for a moment. He had never made one before, but the principles were similar, so there shouldn't be much problem in actual operation.

"If making a doll is too difficult, a robot will do. You said you liked building Gundam models, right? Anyway, it just needs to be humanoid."

"Okay, I got it." This difficulty was easier than... kissing her.

When the two returned together, Wang Zixiong was whispering to Liang Pingchuan on the side, probably teasing him. Tom also saw Feng Hanyun looking jealous, while Liu Liqing stared at him resentfully.

Tom didn't care how they talked. It conveniently covered up the purpose of their conversation outside, avoiding the exposure of his identity as the shelter owner.

As soon as Tom sat down, Feng Hanyun greeted him with a piece of jerky. Tom hadn't eaten anything since entering Room 403, but now she seemed to be mindful of this and took the initiative to bring him food.

After thanking her, Tom started eating the jerky and then announced the rules for night duty. All males had to take turns on night duty. If any abnormal situation was found, it needed to be reported immediately.

Of course, it was too dark, and if Liu Liqing stopped glowing, everyone could only see a blurry environment.

At this early hour, Tom also collected some iron blocks and used his metal shaping ability to make a metal canopy, adding protection on all sides, attached to the back of the wooden beetle. This way, survivors sitting inside would be safer.

However, the canopy was only on the back of the wood beetle, and its head still had a large open space, making it convenient for Tom to observe the surroundings while driving.

Perhaps these days of being attacked by ants had exhausted him, and Tom had shown great strength in the recent battle. Liu Liqing and the others, 5 men and 1 woman, felt very relieved. When Tom finished his work, he found that they had fallen asleep.

He didn't mind and arranged for Wang Zixiong to take the first watch, then found a corner to take a nap.

In a daze, Tom vaguely dreamed of the figure wearing a jacket with a Darwin fish logo again, but this time, unlike before, she turned back before leaving, revealing a female face. Although he couldn't see the features clearly, Tom could feel her reluctance and pain as she looked at him.

"Mom?" Tom murmured. He concentrated hard to see the face clearly, and gradually, the woman's face became clear, surprisingly familiar.

"Feng Hanyun?" Tom recognized her appearance. He breathed a sigh of relief, then realized that the woman in front of him was indeed Feng Hanyun, and he woke up.

Feng Hanyun brought her face close to Tom's, seeming to be about to say something more, but Tom was startled awake. She looked a bit embarrassed, turned her head away shyly, and said, "Ah... Tom... Are you awake?"

Tom breathed heavily, sweating profusely each time he woke up from the recurring dream. This time, Feng Hanyun's scare was more intense than usual, and he let out a long breath to calm his racing heart before asking, "What time is it?"

"I don't know. I saw Wang Zixiong going on patrol, so I guess it's still some time before the shift change. I just came to see you... How are your injuries?"

"I'm not injured." Tom didn't consider minor scratches as injuries at all. He sat up. "I'll go check around."

As he stood up, Feng Hanyun seemed to gather her courage and grabbed his hand, pulling him back to the ground. "Tom, don't go... I... " Her words trailed off, but she couldn't articulate, so she grabbed Tom's hand and brought it under her skirt.

"If you want to... feel at ease, that little girl is asleep. It's dark here, and there's no one..."

Tom forcefully pulled his hand away. Although he felt a bit tempted, he still felt it was inappropriate. He shook his head immediately and dismissed the thought.

As he took a few steps away, Feng Hanyun also stood up, unwilling to give up, and shouted, "What's wrong with me compared to that little girl? I know my attitude was bad at first, but I know I was wrong. I can change. Haven't I already changed since I came out with you? I want to be with you, Tom. I don't want to compete with Lin Meiqi. I just want... to be your woman."

Tom, who had always been alone, had only heard such confessions in TV shows and movies. Suddenly, hearing a woman say it directly to him made him feel quite comfortable. After all, he had always been invisible, and now someone was paying attention to him.

"Turn around, hug her, and you'll become a real man."

A voice in his head said to him like this.