Chapter 75、Another jackpot! A growth-type talent!

"Another Jackpot! Growth-Type Talent!"

"I can't be that lucky, can I? How could I keep hitting jackpots?" Yi Bai mused to himself, already feeling that today's luck was improbable. After all, he had only just received a major reward — a 500-strong army under his command. Statistically, tomorrow's reward would likely be a smaller, material-based one. Even so, Yi Bai would be content with that.

He realized his talent functioned somewhat like the principle of the "leaky bucket." He saw his shelter as a metaphorical wooden barrel — whenever one area was lacking, his ability filled that gap. A little here, a little there, and gradually, the entire structure would become unbreakable.

"Xiaoci, is there anything planned for tonight?" Yi Bai asked, turning to his assistant.

"Hmm… Sir, I don't anticipate any major events," Xiaoci replied, her tone calm and precise. "Lin Yue is expected back in the early morning. Chen Qiuren is still guarding the off-site trading post. The survivors we recruited today will likely rest for a day or two before we assign them new tasks."

Under Xiaoci's careful planning, the entire shelter was progressing smoothly.

Yi Bai nodded. "In that case, I'll sleep."

"Sir, are you going to bed this early?"

Yi Bai glanced at his watch. "It's not early anymore. Just let me sleep."

As he turned to walk off, Xiaoci placed a large black bag on the table. "Chen Qiuren wanted me to give this to you. He says it's something you'll enjoy."

Yi Bai raised an eyebrow and looked at the bag. Opening it, he found a stack of game discs and controllers.

"Hmm? Where did Chen Qiuren find these?" Yi Bai asked, a little confused.

"Apparently, he got them during his trading rounds," Xiaoci explained with a smile. "He heard you liked games and handpicked a few."

Yi Bai was pleasantly surprised. "Hmm, not bad. An older guy who still has a heart." He began to look through the games.

When he opened the first disc case, Yi Bai froze. The discs were unmarked, with only black text scrawled on the surface:

AI Girl 2TMOD CompilationElder Scrolls - Love Lab UpdateClassic Masterpiece - Winter RhapsodyWarden Karina - Final EditionThe Treasure of Nadia - Full Save Files IncludedTouching Masterpiece - Sister Diary...

Yi Bai stared at the titles for a long moment. His body went still.

"Sir?" Xiaoci noticed his reaction and quickly stepped forward, concern in her voice. "Is something wrong with the games?"

"Sir, do these games have issues?" Xiaoci continued, noticing Yi Bai's stunned expression. "Chen Qiuren was so confident that these would bring you to tears!"

Tears? Yi Bai thought, Are you sure it's tears coming out of my eyes… or something else?

He shook his head, speechless. That madman, Chen Qiuren, really did go all out with his "gifts." What kind of way is this to impress your leader?

"They are indeed tear-jerkers, alright…" Yi Bai muttered under his breath, stuffing the games back into the bag.

"Xiaoci, you're not busy with something else, are you?" Yi Bai asked, changing the subject.

"Hmm?" Xiaoci blinked. "If you want to rest, I can stay and keep you company."

"No, no, you go ahead and handle things," Yi Bai replied with a stern face. "The shelter is finally getting back on track, and much of the progress depends on you. Xiaoci, you're doing the hard work. I'm counting on you!"

"For you, sir, I don't mind the hard work at all," Xiaoci said with a soft smile. She then turned and left the room, leaving Yi Bai alone in his private space.

Yi Bai sighed and muttered, "Chen Qiuren… You really do make me look at you in a new light…"

Later that day, Chen Qiuren returned to the shelter with his team, exhausted from their journey. He couldn't wait to show Yi Bai his new treasures.

As soon as he entered the building, he rushed into the main hall, shouting, "Miss Xiaoci! Is the boss awake yet? I've brought something awesome — he's gonna love it!"

"Is he up?" Xiaoci asked, raising an eyebrow. "He hasn't slept all night?"

"Didn't sleep a wink?" Chen Qiuren's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint. "He must've been playing the games all night! He's definitely loving it!"

Xiaoci cast him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Well, you know… He's got to rest his body, right? Can't keep playing for too long!" Chen Qiuren said with a sly grin, then suddenly asked, "By the way, do we have enough medicine in stock? It's important for the health of the shelter…"

Xiaoci was puzzled by the question. "Medicine? You're asking about medicine now?"

"Yeah, you know me! As a doctor, I'm always concerned about people's health!" Chen Qiuren said with a serious face.

"Hmm," Xiaoci nodded. "We've got a good supply. But if you need anything specific, I'll have Lin Yue get it for you."

"Perfect! I'll write up a list later," Chen Qiuren grinned. "This one's for the boss, though — it's important! High-quality stuff!"

"Oh?" Xiaoci raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "I'll make sure to take it seriously."

The two of them continued their discussion as they headed upstairs. Chen Qiuren eagerly dodged the watchful eyes of the robots stationed outside and knocked on Yi Bai's door.

"Boss, I'm back!"

He opened the door without hesitation, but suddenly froze. "Boss… What's with that look on your face?"

Yi Bai was sitting on the couch, his expression grim and his eyes locked onto Chen Qiuren with a piercing glare. On the table in front of him lay a mess of unmarked game discs, controllers, and a screen.

Chen Qiuren froze, realizing something was wrong. "Boss?" He stammered, visibly nervous. "Did I… Did I mess up?"

Yi Bai's voice was cold. "You want to tell me what this is?" He pointed at the discs with a furious expression. "Why are there titles like Huluwa, Transformers, The Legend of Nezha, Avengers, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? What, you think I missed these cartoons in my childhood?"

Chen Qiuren's face went pale. "What?!" he exclaimed. He quickly shoved one of the discs into the system, muttering, "That can't be… I checked them before I bought them…"

But as the game loaded, a shrill, childish voice rang out, "Little Nezha is here!"

The screen displayed an oddly dressed cartoon child, holding a silk ribbon and riding a pair of flaming wheels.

Chen Qiuren slumped to the ground in disbelief, muttering, "I've been scammed! I paid with seven bags of instant noodles for this?!"

Yi Bai could hardly contain his anger, grabbing a controller and throwing it at Chen Qiuren, who narrowly avoided it.

"Look at what you've brought me!" Yi Bai's voice was thunderous. "You've got me childhood cartoons I've already seen a hundred times?!"

"Sir… I was tricked! I swear I was!" Chen Qiuren wailed, not knowing what to say.

Xiaoci, watching from the doorway, couldn't help but laugh. "So even you, Mr. Chen, can fall victim to scams," she said with a teasing smile.

"Fake goods! I bought fake goods!" Chen Qiuren groaned, on the verge of tears.

Yi Bai sighed deeply and pointed to the door. "Go. Get back to work."

Chen Qiuren stood up like a chastised child, his shoulders slumped. "Yes, boss… I'm off to work. No complaints. I'll work all day."

Later that day, after Yi Bai had calmed down, he went back to his usual routine. The midday reward was delivered as expected — a material-based prize to help supply food and water for the influx of new survivors.

As Yi Bai opened his reward, however, the system message flashed again:

Congratulations, you've triggered a high-level talent reward! You've received an A-class Growth-Type Talent: Protector of the Minions.

Yi Bai blinked. "Another jackpot!" he murmured. "Now that's an interesting talent…"