Still hoarding supplies in the apocalypse? I'll just go on a killing spree and looting!

Mu Xue remained silent for a few seconds before turning her gaze back to the skull.

I couldn't help but ask myself, can I really become that shield person?

You should know that no matter what, those who stand at the front are always the bravest, without exception.

However, Mu Xue didn't think she was that kind of person.

A qualified shield bearer needs to have accurate judgment of the battle situation and know when to advance or retreat.

She didn't think she was capable of doing it.

With Lin You's analysis echoing in my ears, Lin You continued talking non-stop this time, seemingly very excited.

"Your spatial abilities allow you to instantly retract and extend your equipment. The biggest fear for shield users is having their shield bitten by a monster or entangled in vines—ordinary people can only try to pull it off, and if they can't, they'll be dragged away along with their shield. You can retract your shield directly, causing the monster to miss its target, and then retaliate with a shotgun the instant it loses its balance. No one can switch like that faster than you."

Lin You picked up the skull from the coffee table, flipped it over to reveal the inner bone surface, and said, "But you're not just good at spatial manipulation. You fought your way here with me from the police station. Do you remember that riot shield you had in the police station? You used it very well."

Mu Xue recalled what had happened a few days ago, as if it had been a very long time ago.

Mu Xue reached out, her fingertips pressing against the inner surface of her skull, slowly tracing the lines of the bone sutures. "If I were to wield a shield, how would you arrange your formation?"

"You and I will take the front line. You on the left, I on the right, this shield can protect both of us. You are responsible for drawing fire and blocking from the front, while I am responsible for flanking and delivering the fatal blow. In the back line, Team Leader Song will lead two riflemen to provide suppressive fire. Your spatial ability can also do one thing at a critical moment—when the shield gets stuck, you can instantly retract it and then re-release it, using the gap between retraction and release to create a counterattack window."

Mu Xue raised her head and looked at Lin You intently.

"Today at the entrance of the community, you used your knife to block this monstrous beast, and your arm was severed after just one block." Mu Xue's fingertip stopped on a rough bone surface on the inside of her skull.

Lin You smiled and said, "Are you worried that your strength isn't enough? That's not a problem. I have some potions here that can temporarily increase your strength. However, you still need to do strength training, at least to be able to easily..."

Looking at Lin You, Mu Xue thought of something unpleasant and hesitantly asked, "Potion?"

"Yes, you can consider it one of my abilities. You see."

As she spoke, Lin You pulled her arm out of the bandage hanging around her neck, opened her palm, and then clenched it into a fist.

Mu Xue looked at Lin You's arm in surprise, and said with doubt, "Your hand...? It's healed!"

"Yes, it's almost healed. So you don't need to worry. You should also prepare some medicine for treating injuries, as well as medicine to strengthen your body and increase your defense."

Mu Xue withdrew her hand from the coffee table, sat up straight, and looked into Lin You's eyes. "This... it sounds unbelievable, like a prop in a game."

Lin You thought about it and found that Mu Xue's description was very apt.

This cutting-edge technology product looks just like a prop in a game.

"So, Muxue, are you willing to be the one wielding the shield?"

This time, Mu Xue didn't hesitate and readily nodded.

To use this shield, it naturally needs some modifications. The first is to have someone make a handle for the shield, so that it can be used conveniently.

However, given the hardness of the skull, this project was extremely difficult.

Another option is to utilize the reforging function in Lin You's reforging system. To be honest, Lin You hasn't tried out what this function actually is yet.

Lin You raised her right hand.

Pale golden lines emerged from under the skin, and blue light spread along the arm to the fingertips, illuminating the dim room.

She placed her hand on the top of her skull, and the system interface popped up.

A blue scanning beam swept across the skull.

A few seconds later, a line of text popped up in the center of the screen: [Unknown material structure detected. Please select the operation you wish to perform?]

Lin You clicked on the reforging function.

The Blueprint Library window on the right side of the interface pops up automatically.

A blank icon has appeared under the Weapons Workshop branch, labeled "Unnamed Blueprint".

She clicked on the icon, and an empty editing interface unfolded, with a 3D model of the skull floating in the center, slowly rotating.

She stared at the model for a moment.

There are no grips, no straps, and no weights.

The system can analyze the material and structure of the bone, but it doesn't know what a shield is; she needs to design it herself.

She enlarged the model and drew a circle inside the skull with her fingertip.

Circle the jagged bone spurs around the foramen magnum.

"These should be kept."

The system marks the bone-spiked area as reserved. The bone spikes face outwards, allowing them to pierce directly into the beast's body during close-range impact.

Next, we treated the row of irregular osteomas at the top of the frontal bone.

She selected the four largest ones, dragged them to the front of the skull, and arranged them in a diamond pattern.

These bone nodules are as hard as iron. After being recast, they will become the main load-bearing structure of the shield, deflecting the impact force when subjected to slashing or impact.

Then there's the grip.

She drew two parallel lines inside the skull, extending from the inside of the parietal bone to the inside of the frontal bone.

The spacing should be about two palm widths, which makes it more suitable for holding with both hands.

The system automatically calculates the stress points and marks the areas that need reinforcement at the handle position.

Finally, there's the overall shape of the shield.

She preserved the original triangular outline of the skull, only smoothing the edges.

This makes it less likely for the beast's hook to snag on the edge.

In some cases, these sharp edges can even be used as heavy cold weapons like crescent shovels.

The shield retains the bony ridge running from the nasal bone to the top of the head, which functions like a bone tumor.

She instructed the system to sharpen the spine, making it not only a decoration but also a blade that could be used for counterattacks.

After all the designs are completed, the system message pops up again: "Requires the consumption of alien beast bones. Please select which material to use."

There are three types of materials: metal grips, ordinary beast bones, or strong beast bones.

Lin You calculated the powerful alien beast skeleton without much thought.

This thing comes from the same source as the skull, so the fit should be even better.

She clicked "confirm".

A sudden flash of blue light.

The entire room was illuminated, and the skull on the coffee table began to appear ethereal, transforming into streaks of blue dotted lines.

Blue dots of light shuttle back and forth along the dotted line, just like those high-tech scenes from a science fiction movie.

The light points converged into a sphere and rearranged along the path outlined by the system.

The osteophytes around the foramen magnum are compressed, straightened, and reshaped.

They transform into grips, with anti-slip spiral patterns automatically etched onto their surfaces.

The four bone tumors were moved within the dotted lines and embedded into the shield surface, enveloped by the blue orb of light.

The bone plates along the edge of the shield are stacked layer by layer, forming a slightly raised arc-shaped protective edge from the inside out.

Then the sphere of light suddenly contracted.

All the light spots were absorbed into the bone at the same instant.

Recasting complete.

A bone shield landed on the coffee table with a dull thud.

The shield is the original triangular outline of the skull, with the edges polished smooth as a mirror.

Four osteomas protrude from the front, forming a diamond-shaped reinforcing ridge, with a sharp bony ridge running from the top to the bottom in the center.

The back has a bone-like grip.

It is not like the standard equipment stamped out in a factory.

It retains the skull's original, fierce outline—anyone who sees this shield will recognize it immediately.

It is a weapon, and so is the person who wields it.

Lin You thought for a moment and said, "Shields require practice. I don't know much about this. I only know some basic techniques for controlling a shield."

As she spoke, Lin You picked up the bone shield from the coffee table and handed it to Mu Xue.

Mu Xue reached out and caught it. The shield was much heavier than she had imagined. Her arms were pressed down, and she had to adjust her posture to regain her balance.