Build a safe house in a bizarre world

The setting sun struggled to peek out its last few dark red rays from behind thick, dark clouds, staining the sky with an ominous hue.

The yin energy seeping from the mountains grew increasingly dense, seeping into the very bones.

Jiang Ning parted a patch of withered vines, his gaze passing over the twisted woods ahead, and he could see the outline of the village in the distance.

The two bone arrow towers he built stood silently like giants at the village entrance, bathed in the fading light of dawn.

He exhaled a long, heavy breath of white air, carrying a chill.

This afternoon, he wandered alone deep into the dead forest for nearly three hours. The tension he felt, as if he were constantly on guard against unknown dangers lurking in the shadows, only gradually dissipated as he approached the village.

The total distance they advanced was not far, about a mile, but they were very careful with every step, as if walking on thin ice.

The harvest was barely considerable. Although no trace of "exotic treasures" was found, a few dull low-grade spirit stones lay quietly in his arms.

We're still a long way from the 100 needed to upgrade the altar, but every little bit counts.

in addition......

Jiang Ning took out an object from his pocket, a palm-sized ancient black compass. It had no special engravings or pointers, and at first glance, it was just an unremarkable old object.

It wasn't found in the rare treasure bead, but rather Jiang Ning discovered and pulled it out from beside a strange corpse that had long since decayed and was almost integrated with the withered leaves.

【Pulse-Tracing Compass: ???】

[Note: This may require a special method of spiritual awakening.]

The panel only provided such vague information, and Jiang Ning guessed that it might be a small treasure, but it couldn't be opened for the time being. He would keep it for now and perhaps use it later.

He put away his compass and strode towards the village.

As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, they saw a noisy crowd gathered in the open space. It was Xiong Meng and Yu Niu's team that had returned from cutting down the Yin Wood. More than twenty thick logs were piled up to the side.

The villagers looked exhausted, but they stood there dumbfounded, looking up at the two arrow towers in the village, their eyes filled with incredible shock.

Wang Fu stood to the side, seemingly explaining something to them. The crowd listened intently, nodding and occasionally letting out low gasps of amazement.

Even when Jiang Ning walked up close, no one noticed him immediately.

"All the hard work and effort everyone has put in before, including today, has not been in vain."

Jiang Ning cleared his throat and raised his voice, "Instead, they've become defensive towers protecting the village. With these two arrow towers, we're no longer just passively taking hits; we can resist and even fight back against those monstrous things!"

Xiong Meng was the first to react, clapping enthusiastically and looking at Jiang Ning with heartfelt admiration.

Yu Niu's eyes lit up with excitement, and he rubbed his hands together, eager to test the power of the arrow tower immediately.

Other villagers also showed faint smiles, their fatigue seemingly lessened.

She secretly rejoiced at her choice that morning; following this young master Jiang, it seemed there really was... hope.

Jiang Ning waved his hand, "It's getting late. Everyone has had a long day, so let's all get some rest."

"If the sun rises as usual tomorrow and dawn breaks, we must continue to fight together!"

Surprisingly, the villagers did not appear gloomy or dejected. Instead, they uttered a few words of agreement and support, their voices low but full of life.

Subsequently, Jiang Ning instructed Wang Fuqing to count the batch of yin wood and move it to the open space behind the warehouse to free up space in the village.

Xiong Meng and Yu Niu immediately took the lead, carrying the heavy Yin wood one after the other.

Other strong men naturally joined in, and the team sprang into action, chanting low work songs as they transported the timber to the back of the village.

The women, elderly people, and children nearby watched this scene, and for the first time, genuine smiles appeared on their faces.

The village seems to be getting better little by little under the leadership of this young master Jiang.

Jiang Ning also had a smile on his face, but when he turned around and looked at the increasingly oppressive sky with rolling dark clouds, his eyes darkened slightly.

After thinking for a moment, he walked to a section of collapsed fence and opened the [Heavenly Craftsman] interface.

[Repairing each meter requires: 10 jin of Tai Sui (a type of rare fungus) and 1 piece of dead wood]

Upgrading to a "Level 1 Simple Wooden Wall" requires: 50 catties of Tai Sui (a type of rare fungus) and 5 pieces of Yin wood per meter.

Jiang Ning thought about it for a while, and finally decided to implement the rough plan he had in mind and upgrade!

Resources were quickly depleted again. A distance of three meters was selected, and 150 kilograms of Tai Sui and 15 pieces of Yin wood were placed in.

The familiar swirling black smoke, the silent construction.

In the blink of an eye, the dilapidated fence has been transformed into a thick, log wall over a meter high.

Next, Jiang Ning manipulated the three-meter-long wooden wall to walk to the foot of a bone arrow tower. After a brief visual assessment, he carefully surrounded the tower base, blocking the lower half, about one-third of the tower's height.

"This is all we can do for now, try and hold them off..."

He sighed softly. This method was crude and could only be considered a form of protection that was better than nothing.

Hopefully, those wretches aren't that smart, and won't be clever enough to climb over this low wall and directly attack the arrow tower...

Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow. Probably not.

The same method was then used to protect another bone arrow tower, which also received the same "wooden skirt".

At this point, the two towers' rudimentary defenses were temporarily achieved.

Another 300 jin of black jujube are gone, leaving only the last 100 jin in the warehouse.

There's no other way; we have to invest what we need to invest. Staying put and protecting our lives is the most important thing.

Jiang Ning had already planned for the last 100 jin.

Open the [Building Blueprint] again, select the "Demon-Eating Flower" with its menacing icon, and choose the quantity: two plants.

Accompanied by that nauseating, rotten, sweet fragrance, two enormous man-eating flowers covered with fang-like serrations burst forth from the ground, their hideous petals slightly opening and closing.

Jiang Ning placed them in front of the wooden walls surrounding the two bone arrow towers. In this way, the bait was in front and the arrow towers were behind. When the monsters were attracted by the Devouring Flower and launched an attack, they would enter the range of the bone arrow towers and play a greater role.

This is the best possible combination that Jiangning can think of with its limited resources: luring the enemy, protecting, and counterattacking, forming a rudimentary defensive chain.

Hopefully, it will achieve results far exceeding expectations, at the very least breaking even.

Last night, those two Devouring Flowers were traded for 100 catties of Tai Sui in exchange for the "Bone Arrow Tower" blueprint, which was definitely a profitable deal.

Hopefully, the good luck will continue tonight.

After finishing all this, Jiang Ning patted the dust off his hands, and then heard light footsteps behind him.

Turning around, she saw the little girl with pigtails, carefully holding a chipped ceramic bowl filled with water. She walked up to Jiang Ning, tilted her head back, and looked up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

"Brother Jiangning, you've worked hard. Have some water."

Jiang Ning's heart softened, and he smiled as he took the gift, ruffling her hair. "Thank you, little girl. What's your name?"

"My name is Xiong Qiuqiu, and my dad is Xiong Meng. He's just as amazing as Brother Jiang Ning!" The little girl puffed out her chest.

"Proud and spirited?" Jiang Ning joked.

The little girl scratched her head in confusion, not understanding, but seeing Jiang Ning smile, she smiled shyly as well.

At this moment, a woman walked briskly over from the side. She appeared very reserved when facing Jiang Ning, with her head lowered and her waist slightly bent. It was Xiong Meng's wife, Madam Du.

She greeted Jiang Ning cautiously, her demeanor completely respectful of a refugee facing a "superior," even somewhat fearful.

The habits that had formed in the village over time could not be changed in a short period of time, and Jiang Ning did not try to correct them deliberately. He simply said:

"It's getting dark, let's take Qiuqiu back to rest."

Madam Du bowed slightly in response and took her daughter's hand.

Xiong Qiuqiu took two steps, then turned back, blinked, and asked, "Brother Jiang Ning, can we drive away those monsters tonight?"

Jiang Ning smiled. "We can't drive them away for now, but everyone should be able to get a good night's sleep tonight."

The little girl nodded blankly, then asked, "Will Brother Jiang Ning be able to sleep well too?"

Jiang Ning's smile faltered slightly, then he simply waved his hand without replying.

Du hurriedly pulled her daughter away. Watching them walk into the house, the gentle smile on Jiang Ning's face disappeared, replaced by a heavy weariness. He let out a long, silent sigh.

How can I possibly get a good night's sleep?

Wang Fu had appeared beside him unnoticed, his old face full of worry, hesitant to speak, "Young Master, you..."

"It's nothing," Jiang Ning interrupted him, her voice slightly hoarse.

He turned around and faced the horizon.

The last rays of the setting sun were finally swallowed up by the rolling clouds, and darkness, as black as ink, quickly spread from the depths of the mountains and forests and from every corner of the sky.

The wind stopped, and even the sound of the wind seemed to fall silent instantly.

An even stronger, more chilling aura began to permeate and gather in the mountains and forests.

It's getting dark again.

They're coming again.