Monsters Are Coming

Chapter 1380 - 359: Test Run, Brainstorming_3

He tightly protected the things in his arms as he rushed towards his little granddaughter.When the little girl leapt into his embrace, he immediately stuffed the bottle of water and cookies into her hands, while he turned his back to outsiders. His hunched body was like a crude wall, wary of anyone coming to snatch from behind.

"Eat quickly, dear, eat quickly."

He trembled as he tore open the cookie wrapper, instantly releasing a scent mixed with grains and fats.

The aroma was amplified in a hungry nose, making even the air seem sweet.

The little girl, already famished, bit into the cookie with tears in her eyes, crumbs fell on her collar, which the old man quickly picked up with his withered fingers and stuffed into his mouth.

He let his granddaughter drink 500 ml of purified water, while he only drank two sips before screwing the cap tight.

As the water slid down his parched throat, carrying a hint of sweet coolness, it made him squint his eyes in pleasure.

For the first time in three months, he tasted water not mixed with sand and rust.

The neighbor woman holding her child hid not far away, the child was so hungry he kept biting his fingers, his eyes fixed intently on the cookies in the old man’s arms.

The old man hesitated for a moment, then broke the remaining half cookie in two and handed over a piece:

"For the child to fill up a bit."

The woman froze for a bit, her hand trembling as she took the cookie, thanked repeatedly, and turned around to stuff it into her child’s mouth.

The sound of small chewing constantly echoed, like stones thrown into a lake, stirring up layers of ripples among the surrounding crowd.

Someone instinctively swallowed, the sound of their adam’s apple rolling was particularly clear in the silence.

Someone stared fixatedly at the small half bottle of purified water, the yearning in their eyes nearly overflowing.

The old man stuffed the last bite of cookie into his mouth and wiped the crumbs from his granddaughter’s mouth, then turned to display to everyone that the cookies in the wrapper had all been consumed, only then daring to lead the child deeper into the ruins.

His silhouette remained hunched, yet because of the energy from the food, his steps were noticeably more steady.

And the crowd left behind erupted like ignited dry wood.

"He really obtained it."

"That water looks so clean, I really want to drink."

"If a First Rank challenge can fill us up, should we give it a try."

The hushed whispers grew louder and louder, the previous fear and doubt, in the face of tangible food, were slowly melting away like snow under the sun.

Yet still, at this moment, no one dared to continue attempting.

They feared the old man was merely bait, those villains wanting to use temporary benefits as a lure to trick more people into this eerie building.

How could the beasts managing the city genuinely distribute resources to everyone?

They couldn’t think of a reasonable explanation.

Many curious people started heading towards where the old man lived, wanting to ask in detail what he experienced inside.

...

At this moment, Wei Shan behind the scenes was also observing the reaction of the city residents.

These beasts that had already been recruited previously didn’t do any human-like activities, causing his plan to progress slowly in the initial stages.

But this issue should be solved once participation numbers increase.

Earlier, when the old man participated in the challenge, the shock value awarded was not much, exchanging it for sacrificial power was less than 0.01.

After all, obtaining shock value is related to the target’s Life Strength.

But as long as the numbers go up, the accumulated benefits would be quite considerable.

As for the problem of reward supply, there is no need to worry.

Even though the city is in decline, its technological foundation still exists.

The End of Dharma Clan’s invasion destroyed the surface buildings but didn’t completely obliterate the energy stations buried deep underground.

And those purified water factories and weapon workshops fought over by gangs could be operational again with some repairs.

Previously, resource scarcity was due to the Eight Great Gangs splitting and fighting.

No one wanted to spend effort fixing facilities since grabbing ready-made ones was less laborious and they feared repaired facilities being snatched by other gangs.

Now it’s different, the gang members he recruited are all labor force.

Anyone who dares to slack off would be made to experience fates worse than death.

He had already ordered the Eight Great Gangs to repair the second pipeline of the East District purified water station within a week.

He also commanded the Wild Wolf Gang to fully restore the abandoned breeding farm in South City.

It used to be the city’s protein supply center, though mostly destroyed during the End of Dharma Clan’s invasion, it can resume operation after repair, kick-starting the breeding project again.

As for that piece of land in North City overturned by artillery fire, he allocated it to the Scorpion Gang for cultivation.

To replant crops to supplement subsequent reward resources distribution.

He instructed Scorpion Gang members to plow the land, clearing out all the stones and Metallic Remains from the ground.

To ensure the soil can rapidly produce crops, he even spent sacrificial power at the Trading House to purchase half a ton of Spirit Soil, which he instructed the Scorpion Gang to evenly spread over the fields.

Just not clear how long the Spirit Soil can be used in this world with scarce Spiritual Energy.

It may not be able to cycle infinitely like in Monster World and likely become a consumable.

Food production is one of Wei Shan’s top concerns.

Only by showing residents a stable food source will they rely more on challenge rewards and be willing to enter the Nightmare Illusion Realm, providing him with an endless stream of shock value.

Now that the initial investments are in place, should Scorpion Gang’s members fail to produce grain, they’d all be refined into sacrificial power.

Sacrificing even their bones to Brother Di Zhao, erasing them completely.

The city’s operations are already back on track.

He believes, once order is established, productivity will naturally gain momentum.

Resource shortages will continue to exist in the future, but city residents can meet daily needs through challenges in the Nightmare Trial.