Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies Chapter 1242: The Supervisor Sent to the Qinling Mountains

To assist Zhang Yi in studying the sacrificial spirit, Lu Keran ended up taking in a bit of it herself without realizing.

She had no idea that this caused certain understated changes within her.

Moreover, Zhang Yi never held back when it came to Lu Keran, viewing her as a vital Tech Tree that needed nurturing with care.

Consequently, Lu Keran's superhuman ability index surged upward nonstop, finally halting at 9,500 points.

This rapid advancement even startled Zhang Yi greatly.

For it showed that Lu Keran's personal capacity had shifted again; one might say her potential ceiling had been lifted higher.

Upon hitting their personal ceiling, a superhuman is akin to a full kettle of water. Taking in extra origin energy beyond that yields no further gains, or only the tiniest increments.

Before, without Zhang Yi sharing portions of the Divine Source among the group, breaking through to the 9,000-point mark would have proven far tougher for them today.

For Lu Keran, her encounter stemmed from a mishap involving the enigmatic sacrificial spirit.

Zhang Yi pondered this aspect, yet if even a small dose of the sacrificial spirit brought such clear transformation to Lu Keran, what did that mean for himself?

Thinking back on the odd shifts in his body lately, Zhang Yi sank into profound contemplation.

Setting those matters aside momentarily.

The boost to Lu Keran's power brought fantastic news to Zhang Yi.

Aided by the duo of helpers, Old You and Fatty Xu, she constructed a huge furnace down in the basement.

This device could swiftly process the elemental ore, pulling out the purest form of [Yuan] substance.

The material resembled coal in some ways and metal in others, though it didn't unleash energy via burning.

Luckily, the Shengjing Region had already explored it and handed over the usage technique to Zhang Yi.

Thus, Lu Keran quickly managed to draw out the power from the Elemental Stones and put it to work in industry.

Full of assurance, she told Zhang Yi, "Brother, just wait two months at most, and I'll have the enhanced second-generation exoskeleton armor ready."

"By then, it'll boost your fighting strength to new heights!"

The girl's cheeks glowed with excitement as she gazed at Zhang Yi, envisioning him already in the armor, flying high and roaming the lands.

Zhang Yi had checked out the initial battle armor crafted by Lu Keran; only Old You had used it.

All in all, the outer design was already impressive.

It relied mainly on titanium alloy, tipping the scales at around twenty kilograms. Still, factoring in the compressed fuel and weaponry, a complete outfit exceeded sixty kilograms.

This setup clearly wouldn't have fit the old Zhang Yi.

Yet these days, with Zhou Ke'er's body enhancements, donning over sixty kilograms of gear wouldn't burden Zhang Yi much.

That said, lighter weight, greater durability, and smoother joint actions were always preferable, of course.

Thanks to Lu Keran's elevated skills and the new energy resource, the second-generation armor was on the verge of creation.

"Brother, I'll pour all my effort into making the finest battle armor just for you. Should it use top-grade Yi Metal throughout and integrate fresh weapon tech, even a regular person could gain power matching a high-tier Delta superhuman."

"For you to wear it would turn you into an unstoppable force."

Zhang Yi's gaze lit up with enthusiasm as he heard this.

"That sounds perfect."

Males often feel drawn to armor.

Particularly Zhang Yi, who, though fond of weapons, preferred comprehensive body protection even more.

This solved his main worry about defense in hand-to-hand fights.

Except against elite fighters proficient in close combat, such as a superhuman like Liang Yue.

Regular superhumans would struggle to pierce his safeguards.

Remember, even the finest combat gear from leading regions barely endured strikes from Epsilon-level superhumans.

With Lu Keran's present talents, the exoskeleton armor she built advanced toward that level.

Someday, she might craft gear rivaling Epsilon-level superhuman defenses!

Zhang Yi regarded Lu Keran like an endless repository of treasures brimming with possibilities.

In his mind, he vowed to secure some Divine Source for Lu Keran down the line.

As for the sacrificial spirit, it appeared to boost potential too. He wondered how it stacked against the Divine Source and what links they shared.

...

Within under a month, word came from Shengjing to Zhang Yi.

Work on digging up the elemental ore had restarted.

The odd presence deep underground stayed dormant, allowing Shengjing to deploy numerous disposable miners to clean the abyss zone and test digs.

They aimed to confirm safety before ramping up to full mining operations.

And with the Ground Centipede horde wiped out, extraction efforts could speed up dramatically.

The Jiangnan Region claimed thirty percent of the haul and needed to provide staff, both to monitor ore shares and to contribute laborers below.

After careful deliberation, Zhang Yi summoned Gao Tianwu, who'd been drilling at the Dawn Rain Base.

At present, Gao Tianwu's superhuman ability index lingered under 5,000 points, making him solid among the average folk.

Truthfully, though, he barely qualified for an exploration squad.

Still, one quality earned Zhang Yi's respect for him.

His young age, drive, and duty-bound nature.

Zhang Yi saw himself as average, not outstanding in virtue or vice.

But Gao Tianwu had once put aside self-gain to aid his villagers, marking him as decent.

Indeed, folks tend to favor good souls and place faith in them.

Yet few step up to embody that goodness, a touch of paradox.

Gao Tianwu thrived at the Dawn Rain Base, showing steady performance. He pushed his growth, built a small team, executed Zhang Yi's directives smoothly, and meshed well with Lu Dahai and Chen Jingguan's efforts.

Zhang Yi chose to offer him a shot at leading a venture solo.

Hence, he tasked Gao Tianwu with heading to the Qinling Mountains alongside a handful of trusted allies to supervise the elemental ore gathering.

Zhang Yi questioned Gao Tianwu, "Heading to Shengjing won't be a tough post; you might snag a few benefits even. But once there, it's distant from central oversight. You'll have to forge ties with local groups, and Blizzard City will dispatch their own too."

"You represent me. Working in my shadow, they won't hassle you overly. Still, as an outsider, you could face slights or isolation."

With a grin, Zhang Yi added, "Deal with petty issues on your own. Skip reporting every little thing to me. I'm placing you there to shine independently; ideally, you avoid dragging me into messes."

"Naturally, we steer clear of fights, but we won't shy from them. If someone threatens my stakes, alert me right away. Whoever it is, I'll ensure they rue the day!"

Author's Note