Chapter 77、Can a Shut-In Suffer from Kidney Deficiency?

"Level Up Immediately!"

Yi Bai sat on the sofa, grinning so wide it almost looked like he might leap into the air from pure excitement.

He'd received a new talent in the afternoon, and by evening, it had already leveled up from A-grade to S-grade.

It was the kind of jackpot that made everything feel unreal.

"Let me check if there are any changes after the upgrade!"

Yi Bai eagerly opened the talent interface, scanning through the details. Most of the information on the Vassal's Protection talent remained the same, but there was one new addition.

What had once been five contracts was now six.

[Full-Belly Contract]: After the talent holder eats food or drinks, the vassal immediately receives half the amount of food or drink consumed by the talent holder.

This contract only applies to normal food and water, not special or enhanced items. Any unused food or drink disappears at midnight.

"Damn, this is a god-tier skill!" Yi Bai's eyes widened in amazement. He couldn't contain his joy.

At first glance, the new contract didn't seem to benefit the talent holder directly, but the advantages for the vassals were enormous. Half of whatever Yi Bai ate, they could receive too!

This was essentially creating resources out of thin air, a massive boon for expanding his power base. He could drastically reduce the need for survival supplies in the growth of his faction.

"This will save a ton of resources!" Yi Bai thought. "Let's see if it works tonight!"

"No, let's try it now! Afternoon tea!" Yi Bai shouted, already getting impatient to try out the new feature.

Soon enough, a beautiful afternoon tea appeared in front of him. A slushy orange cocktail with a hint of Moutai wine—made from oranges grown in their greenhouse, ice harvested from their freezer, and a delicate splash of liquor mixed by Jiang Xiaoci herself. It was meant to invigorate and give energy for the day's work.

Yi Bai wasted no time. He took a spoonful, and the bright, tangy orange burst in his mouth, followed by the refreshing chill of the slush. The sweetness spread instantly, like biting into a summer snowflake. The faint alcohol scent drifted up, giving the drink an unexpected depth.

One spoonful, and Yi Bai had to close his eyes in pleasure. Every cell in his body seemed to cheer for the sensation.

"Xiaoci, this is amazing! Do you want a bite?" he asked, still savoring the taste.

"No, thank you, sir." Jiang Xiaoci smiled and shook her head, her satisfaction coming from Yi Bai's enjoyment.

"You're incredible. It feels like you can do anything... Xiaoci, is there anything you can't do?" Yi Bai marveled as he delicately continued his drink.

"Of course there are things, sir. For example, I don't really understand Li Ya's research," Jiang Xiaoci responded softly. "And Chen Qiuren's poisons—I'm not familiar with how to concoct them. I only know a few basic toxins."

"But still... I really think you're amazing!" Yi Bai said, completely taken by her.

"Ordinary women can't compare to you." He took another sip of his orange slush.

Jiang Xiaoci chuckled but didn't respond, only watching him with a soft gaze.

The slushy drink was finished quickly, and Yi Bai glanced at her as she wiped his mouth. He didn't need to say anything—Jiang Xiaoci already knew what to do.

"I'll go take care of it now, sir," she said, standing up.

"Mm." Yi Bai nodded, watching her leave.

Before long, the sounds of astonished voices could be heard from the building below.

"Holy crap! I got a notification from the shelter! I got a free afternoon snack!"

"Shit! This flavor, this texture! And there's alcohol! I'm in heaven!"

"Wait, what? Is this really the apocalypse? How am I eating like this?"

"I know what's going on! Miss Jiang just announced it over the loudspeaker! It's the Chief's talent! Whatever he eats, we get half!"

"Damn! Chief, please, give me a cigarette! Please, I haven't smelled tobacco in forever!"

"That's how the talent works? You don't have any shame! I'm writing a blood letter begging the Chief and Miss Jiang to marry right here!"

"Bro, you've got some... unusual tastes, huh? Keep it down, we're just getting slush, that's all!"

"Come on, don't be like that. Miss Jiang just explained it—only normal food and water apply, no fancy stuff. Just enjoy the slush; we've already hit the jackpot with that."

"Eat up, get to work! Sister Li told me that we're implementing a work points system in the settlement. Whoever works more will have their shelter prioritized for development by the Chief!"

"Damn, then I'm definitely getting chosen. My constant temperature talent is unbeatable! I'm going to become the central air conditioning of the whole place! I'll be the sun, spreading warmth to everyone!"

The joy of receiving their share of Yi Bai's food was so infectious that the entire settlement buzzed with excitement. New residents beamed with happiness, while the old ones could only look on with envy. They felt like they were in an awkward position—without shelters and bound by the Vassal system, they were starting to feel like the ones who were a bit out of control.

But, as it turned out, Jiang Xiaoci had a special plan for them. These new arrivals, without shelters, could be trained just like the girls had been. They would fill special roles in the settlement—whether spies, or perhaps even assassins, depending on the training.

The decision about whether she should personally train them, or leave it to Chen Qiuren, lingered in her mind. She had time to think over whether these recruits should become spies or something more lethal.

Meanwhile, Yi Bai was lounging on the sofa, contemplating the next steps. He opened the shelter's interface and checked the requirements for upgrading his Vassal talent again.

"Next upgrade requires 10,000 vassals?" He frowned slightly, thinking through his options. "If I keep going at this rate, I should have 10,000 by the end of the first round of the apocalypse, right?"

Yi Bai muttered to himself, "If the talent only adds a new contract each time it upgrades, then even if it reaches SSS-level, it won't be that powerful... At most, I'll have 7 or 8 contracts. It won't be the top-tier ability compared to Shut-In's Paradise."

"Eh, whatever. As long as I keep getting stronger, it's all good. It's a free talent after all."

Yi Bai shrugged. With the Shut-In's Paradise talent in hand, every day felt like he was reaping rewards. He wasn't about to complain.

But things didn't go as smoothly as Yi Bai expected. Over the next week, it felt like he had entered a "dry spell" where his luck had run out.

During the week after receiving his Vassal talent upgrade, Yi Bai didn't get any more high-level rewards. Instead, he was flooded with standard C-grade rewards.

Four were related to food and water production—enough to supply ten people for a day, nothing more. Two were safety-related: an unlimited-ammo sniper rifle and an unlimited-ammo assault rifle. The last reward, though still C-grade, had a specific use.

[Absolute Defense - Bulletproof Vest]: C-grade equipment item. Completely nullifies damage from handguns, submachine guns, and low-caliber rifles. For other firearms, damage is reduced by 50%.

It sounded impressive, right? Absolute Defense!

But its only use was against bullets, and only lower-caliber ones at that.

To be honest, even combat-focused talents like Wang Daniu, who had enhanced physical abilities, weren't worried about bullets anymore. Unless they hit him in the head, he could self-heal and keep fighting.

So, Yi Bai didn't bother keeping the vest. He passed it to Lin Yue, who actually went out of the settlement more often.

Over the course of the week, the rewards seemed to plateau. Yi Bai started to suspect that his shelter no longer had urgent needs that required high-level rewards.

The settlement was growing rapidly, and its infrastructure was expanding. Yi Bai had already recruited thousands of new residents, and his army was performing exceptionally well. His faction was practically untouchable.

"Maybe the talent system doesn't feel like my shelter needs anything urgently anymore," Yi Bai mused. "Still, a few talent upgrades would be nice! Even a few C-grade ones will do."

He had already grown to appreciate the value of talented personnel, and a C-grade talent was worth its weight in gold.

But the talents just weren't coming.

"It's like the Vassal talent drained all the luck out of me," Yi Bai sighed.

It wasn't just the rewards. Even the rescue missions were falling behind. After a week, only 2,000 new survivors had joined, far fewer than the 1,000 he had recruited in just one day with the Vassal talent.

It wasn't Lin Yue's fault, either. She and her team were working hard, but many survivors had gone missing. Some shelters had been destroyed, and entire neighborhoods had vanished without a trace. It looked like a mysterious figure from the city center was gathering up survivors.

"I'm not getting good rewards, and now someone's stealing my people!" Yi Bai groaned, rubbing his head.

Jiang Xiaoci, ever perceptive, looked at him and suggested, "Sir, I still think it would be a good idea to send Lin Yue's team to investigate the city center."

"Understanding our enemies will help us anticipate their moves. We can't make policies without knowing the situation there," she continued.

Yi Bai took a deep breath, then said, "No, we'll wait a little longer."

He lifted the ice slush again, took a sip, and added with a sudden gravity in his voice, "Today's the last day."

"Tomorrow... it's the second round of the apocalypse."