14: The Water of Civilization

The horizon was tinged with the first pale light of dawn.

At their makeshift camp, everyone gradually began to wake up.

At that moment, Qin Xiaofan and Xiaoyan also emerged from the woods.

Everyone looked at them in surprise.

Xiaoyan set down the bamboo bucket with the utmost care, as if terrified that the liquid inside might splash onto him.

When the others caught sight of the strange liquid in the bucket, they all frowned.

What on earth was that?

The liquid looked odd—unsettling, even.

And the smell was... peculiarly distinctive.

Qin Xiaofan grinned.

He stood with hands on his hips, radiating smug confidence.

Then he gave a grand wave, his face alight with pride as he called out to the group:

“All right, stop guessing.”

“That’s right—this is the liquid that can revive the statues!”

“It still only works on the statues with a single stripe on the back of their heads, but I’ve upgraded the formula—not only is it more stable now, but it can also be stored for a long time.”

At these words, everyone was stunned.

Good heavens...

Could it be true?

Had Qin Xiaofan really mastered the recipe for that mysterious liquid?

This was tantamount to holding the key to reviving humanity itself!

They had doubted his claims at first, but they hadn’t expected him to act so swiftly—he’d announced his plan just yesterday, and today he’d already produced this miraculous liquid.

The two short, chubby men were thrilled.

Yet Dai Li, the long-haired woman, still frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

The liquid in the bucket looked nothing like what Xiaoyan had brought in his metal flask.

Could it be...

Had Qin Xiaofan really improved the formula?

The girl with the antennae bounced excitedly. “This is great! With this liquid, we can add more people to our team today!”

Qin Xiaofan burst out laughing:

“Exactly! With this liquid, human civilization will blossom once more in our hands! Therefore, I name this liquid: the Water of Civilization!”

The Water of Civilization...

It sounded grand and magnificent!

At once, everyone gazed at the liquid in the bucket as if it were a priceless treasure.

Even the bald boy lying on the ground let out a series of excited noises...

As for Xiaoyan, watching Qin Xiaofan and the others play their roles so seriously, he quickly lowered his head, clenching his teeth to keep from laughing.

He had to admire Qin Xiaofan.

His tall tales came one after another, each more convincing than the last—he could talk anyone into believing anything.

Qin Xiaofan distributed the bamboo containers.

“Now, divide the Water of Civilization evenly among yourselves. I have only one requirement—before nightfall, each of you must revive at least one statue!”

The group nodded enthusiastically.

Over the past few days, as they searched for the metal flask, they had also figured out roughly where some of the statues were, so the task wasn’t too difficult.

Qin Xiaofan raised his voice again:

“Go!”

“Bring more people back!”

“I’ll go find food and prepare a feast for lunch.”

The “Water of Civilization” in the bamboo bucket was quickly divided into four portions.

Four people carried their containers with utmost care, holding them like precious treasures, afraid to spill even a drop.

Qin Xiaofan and Xiaoyan watched as they departed.

After a pause, Xiaoyan hesitated. “Fan, how long do you plan to keep them in the dark?”

Qin Xiaofan patted Xiaoyan’s shoulder, flashing a wry smile.

“For as long as I can. It’s better for everyone this way. Let’s hope they never find out the truth, because... the truth is often cruel.”

Xiaoyan wanted to say more but stopped.

Adding foot-washing water and urine to the “Water of Civilization” was like hiding filth in food, and poison in filth—how could that not be cruel...

“Come on, Huohuo, it’s time to go find food,” Qin Xiaofan called from ahead, and Xiaoyan hurried after him.

Now, all their food came from the lakes.

The giant eels in the first lake had long since been caught, and the other lake yielded big fish—the ones they’d eaten yesterday had come from there.

But when Qin Xiaofan dove into the lake, he was disappointed.

The lake wasn’t large, and only tiny fish remained—the bigger ones had been fished out.

After working for ages, he managed to catch only four fish of a decent size.

That was nowhere near enough.

With the group set to double in size today, and so many mouths to feed, where could he find more food?

Qin Xiaofan felt a headache coming on.

He checked the points shop in the system—food was still locked and would only be unlocked at 3000 points; he was still 150 points short.

After some hesitation, Xiaoyan said, “I know a place where there’s food, but it’s dangerous—before, even Baldy and the long-haired woman didn’t dare go there.”

Qin Xiaofan’s eyes lit up. “Lead the way!”

Xiaoyan guided him around a patch of thorns and through a tangle of grass. There, before them, yawned a dark cave.

The entrance was as tall as a single-story building.

A heavy snoring echoed from within, audible even from a distance.

Xiaoyan whispered, “There’s a huge wild boar in that cave. But it’s extremely strong—even Baldy and the long-haired woman couldn’t take it down together...”

Qin Xiaofan grinned, flashing his pig-slaughtering knife.

“That’s because they’re too weak. It’s just a wild boar—no big deal. Get ready for roast pork.”

With that, he stood up and strode forward.

Xiaoyan tried to stop him, but it was too late; he could only watch Qin Xiaofan’s retreating figure, words dying in his throat.

Outside the cave.

Qin Xiaofan kicked a stone into the darkness. Instantly, the thunderous snoring ceased—the wild boar was clearly awake.

Qin Xiaofan was full of confidence.

Ha!

It’s just a big wild boar. I have the ultimate pig-slaying tool—how could I be afraid of a mere boar?

Moments later.

A scream of agony burst forth from outside the cave.

Not far away, Xiaoyan was dumbfounded as he watched Qin Xiaofan get sent flying by the massive boar.

Then—

With a thud, Qin Xiaofan landed right in front of him.

“Ugh...” Qin Xiaofan scrambled up, looking embarrassed as he said to Xiaoyan, “Huohuo, this wild boar you mentioned... it’s a bit too big, isn’t it?”

In the distance, the ground trembled.

The boar, bigger than an elephant, pawed at the earth with its forehooves. Its bristly, black hair looked coarse and menacing, and two tusks several times larger than an elephant’s curled menacingly from its mouth—a terrifying sight.

The next instant, it charged straight at Qin Xiaofan.

Xiaoyan was so scared he nearly lost his soul, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.

Qin Xiaofan took a deep breath.

At that moment, he grew serious. He slowly raised the pig-slaughtering knife.

And shouted, “I am the pig!”

Boom!

A forty-meter battle blade flashed into existence.

It came crashing down.

But the wild boar was far more agile than Qin Xiaofan had anticipated. With a leap, it dodged the deadly strike.

Qin Xiaofan swept the blade sideways, smashing the boar to the ground.

Dust billowed everywhere.

Xiaoyan watched in astonishment—Qin Xiaofan’s strength was simply unbelievable.

Just then, in the midst of the swirling dust, the wild boar suddenly leapt forward. Qin Xiaofan had no time to raise his blade again, so he simply tossed the blade aside.

Lightning flashed in his eyes.

His palm crackled with electricity.

Boom!

Like a wave of Turtle School Energy, the lightning from both hands merged into one, and a terrifying silver arc shot toward the wild boar.

A deafening howl tore through the air.

The wild boar’s hair stood on end, smoke curling from its body as it collapsed to the ground, snorting and groaning.

Xiaoyan was utterly dumbstruck.

In his mind, he marveled—this was far too powerful...

Qin Xiaofan leaped onto the boar’s back.

Looking down at the colossal, awe-inspiring beast beneath his feet, he thought for a moment. A smile flickered on his lips, and suddenly, roast pork seemed far less appealing.

A bolder idea was taking shape in his mind.

...