"I remember..."
Following Wei De and Lu Kai, Chen Chong quickly searched his memories. Then he remembered that besides the systematic cultivation in the "Ultimate Infinite Qi Gong," there seemed to be another method to assist in reaching the stage of "Electric Current Propulsion" quickly:
Electrotherapy!
Electrotherapy is the use of electrical devices to generate a certain intensity of electric current. Practitioners can absorb and transform this electric current through the practice of Ultimate Qi Gong after connecting to the current, rapidly strengthening their ultimate true qi, and achieving twice or even multiple times the effect of normal cultivation.
However, this electrotherapy is extremely dangerous. Practitioners must have strong willpower and a certain level of qigong foundation. Otherwise, they will lose control of the circulation of true qi in their bodies under the stimulation of electric current, leading to demonic possession. Once possessed, they may suffer from severe injuries and paralysis, or even die on the spot.
At the same time, this method requires relatively precise equipment and personnel to strictly control the voltage, current intensity, and output time. If the voltage is too high or the duration of current flow exceeds the practitioner's tolerance, the practitioner's nerves will be damaged, their heart will stop, and their brain may die. It can be said that it is extremely dangerous!
When practicing yesterday, Chen Chong focused all his attention on sensing qi and condensing true qi, almost ignoring this miraculous and dangerous electrotherapy. It was only Wei De's mention of the power plant that made Chen Chong have a sudden realization.
"To seek wealth and honor in danger!"
Walking on the road, Chen Chong's heart surged with uncontrollable excitement:
"Although electrotherapy is dangerous, it can allow practitioners to make rapid progress in a short period of time, and what I lack the most is time! The power plant...this is an opportunity, worth a try!"
Chen Chong has always had a spirit of adventure in his bones. Coupled with his current lack of time, if he follows the normal process of cultivation, it is unlikely that he will achieve any breakthroughs in a short period of time without any miracles.
However, now there is a power plant in the territory, along with the magical and dangerous electrotherapy, as well as his own strong willpower. The combination of these three factors undoubtedly gives him the possibility of rapid progress!
Moreover, apart from electrotherapy, when Chen Chong was forced to undergo painful bioelectric stimulation experiments in the base, he found that the main god in his mind seemed to be able to absorb the current circulating in his body and transform it into a miraculous energy of manifestation. In other words, if Chen Chong can replicate the condition of connecting his body to a power source, he will have another way to actively increase his manifestation capability!
By accelerating cultivation through electrotherapy and absorbing current to enhance manifestation capability, he would kill two birds with one stone! The three seemingly ordinary words "power plant" now have extraordinary significance to Chen Chong.
Although he wanted to go to the power plant in the Red City Territory immediately, Chen Chong quickly controlled his excitement. He subtly collected information about the power plant from Wei De and Lu Kai while conversing.
First of all, the power plant in the territory is a thermal power plant with only five generators. It operates by burning coal. Most of the generators are assembled from remnants found in the ruins of the city. The entire power plant is small in size, and the electricity generated is not much. The majority of the electricity is supplied to other factories in the territory and the Blood General's Manor. Other survivors hardly have access to this luxurious energy source outside of the factories.
Then there is the situation within the territory. Chen Chong learned that the Red City Territory, though small, is well-equipped. It has fields for growing crops, an iron smelter, a factory for producing guns and blades, a salt and rubber factory, a chemical factory for manufacturing explosives, underground mines, a power plant, and greenhouses for cultivating spiritual fruits... everything one could imagine.
However, all of this belongs to General Blood alone. All the survivors in the Red City Territory work for him, even the awakened ones.
...
With his next plan already in mind, Chen Chong, led by Wei De and Lu Kai, had arrived in front of a low-rise building guarded by other lackeys.
"The bone captain in charge of distributing supplies is inside."
Wei De and Lu Kai gestured from afar, and Chen Chong took a quick look before walking towards them alone.
The two tall and thin lackeys guarding the entrance of the building noticed Chen Chong approaching them in their boredom. They carefully identified the tattered prisoner uniform he was wearing, realizing that they had never seen this unfamiliar face before. Immediately, they shouted:
"Kid, stop!"
"Who are you with? What are you doing here? Do you want to be whipped? Get lost!"
Chen Chong's eyes narrowed, unceremoniously pulling out the tiger skin: "I have the General's permission to come and collect my supply quota. Are you two looking for trouble?"
Upon hearing the name of the Blood General, the two lackeys shrank their necks, instantly becoming scared. Then, a man with a skeletal figure and a pale face emerged from the main entrance. He looked at Chen Chong, scanning him briefly, and spoke in a hoarse voice:
"You must be Chen Chong. I am Bone Jun, the supply manager. The General has already informed me about you. Come in."
This person...is also an awakened one.
As soon as this person appeared, waves of fluctuations rose in Chen Chong's heart. He quickly sensed the difference between him and ordinary people, realizing that he should also be an awakened one. However, Chen Chong's sensing ability was still vague, making it difficult for him to judge the other's strength at the moment.
However, since the other party could occupy such an important position as the supply manager under the Blood General, he must be an absolute confidant of the Blood General, and might even be controlled by the Blood General's bloodline gu.
"Iron Mountain, Shadow Tiger, and this Bone Jun...how many awakened ones are there in the Red City Territory?"
This thought flashed through Chen Chong's mind as he calmly replied, "Thank you, Captain Bone."
Ignoring the dissatisfied gazes of the two guards at the door, Chen Chong followed Bone Jun into the building.
...
A moment later, Chen Chong emerged from the building with a large leather package in his hand, looking pensive.
He didn't encounter any trouble. It seemed that Bone Jun didn't want to talk to him too much. After imprinting his handprint on the list and waiting for a while, he successfully obtained the so-called captain-level supply quota promised by the Blood General.
Inside the package were a bunch of fist-sized light red fruits, which could enhance the life field of awakened ones, a large piece of dried meat weighing about ten jin, a few pieces of dried flatbread, four liang of salt, a small bottle of alcohol, and a few packets of powder for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation. There was also a pair of leather boots and a set of clothing made from unknown animal fur.
Among them, what Chen Chong considered most important were the dozen or so fist-sized fruits, the spiritual fruits that could enhance the life field of awakened ones!
These supplies are considered luxury for any other survivor in the territory. Jerky, dry rations, medicine, and the ability to change out of the stinking prisoner's clothes. Chen Chong was quite satisfied with all of this.
But what he was most looking forward to was the spiritual fruit that could enhance the life field of awakeners.
"This fruit should be similar to treasures from heaven and earth, like centenary ginseng. However, its effectiveness is definitely not comparable. The Ultimate Infinite Qi Gong refines essence into energy. These fruits should help me cultivate faster."
Chen Chong quickly pondered in his mind:
"According to the rules in the territory, awakeners at the captain level can receive supplies every half month. There are fifteen spiritual fruits in the package, one per day?"
Chen Chong now knew that a small portion of spiritual fruits could be artificially cultivated, but their effectiveness would be slightly inferior to those found in the wild. In Blood General's luxurious mansion, there must be a place where spiritual plants are artificially cultivated, and the production of spiritual fruits should be considerable. Otherwise, the general wouldn't be so generous as to provide one fruit per day.
Temporarily suppressing the urge to immediately eat a spiritual fruit and test its effects, Chen Chong put the package on his back and walked towards Wei De and Lu Kai, who were waiting nearby, and asked, "Where is the power plant? Can you take me there?"
Seeing the bulging package on Chen Chong's back, Wei De and Lu Kai couldn't help but envy him. They knew very well how abundant the supplies were for captain-level recipients. Even if Chen Chong received the lowest-grade supplies at the captain level, it would be enough for him to live a comfortable life in the territory. Not to mention anything else, just clothes and shoes alone could only be replaced once every six months for people like them!
However, despite their envy, they surprisingly didn't harbor any greed. This was because the image of Chen Chong standing tall in the darkness last night had left a deep impression on them. The silent ferocity and cruelty had suppressed any thoughts of taking advantage of him. Moreover, Chen Chong seemed to have a relationship with Blood General. Unless they wanted to die, the thought of greed never arose in their minds and was quickly extinguished.
"What a pity!" Wei De and Lu Kai cursed privately a few times, considering the instructions from Yin Huo, and led Chen Chong towards the direction of the power plant.
The power plant was located at the westernmost part of the territory. The three of them passed through clusters of shanties and factories along the way and arrived outside the power plant after ten minutes.
In front of Chen Chong appeared a dilapidated factory building of about four to five hundred square meters, separated by a fence. A large chimney on the roof was belching thick black smoke into the sky, with a pungent smell in the air and black dust particles floating everywhere.
After taking a brief look, even before he entered the gate, Chen Chong heard the roar of a car engine. He turned around and saw an old, beat-up small truck spewing exhaust fumes driving towards him, carrying a load of coal.
Chen Chong immediately stepped aside as the truck stopped at the entrance of the power plant. Yin Huo, the supervising captain, jumped down from the passenger seat and frowned at Chen Chong, "What are you doing here?"
Unexpectedly encountering Yin Huo here, Chen Chong remained calm and patted the package on his back, chuckling, "Captain Yin Huo, what a coincidence! General treated me so well, how could I be idle? I came here to see if there's any work suitable for me."
Waving his hand to direct the truck into the power plant, Yin Huo's smile was somewhat mocking as he said, neither friendly nor hostile, "You certainly know how to pick. Amongst the vast territory, both the easiest and most laborious jobs are in the power plant. The easiest one is being an attendant, which doesn't require much physical labor. Basically, all you have to do is add coal to the boiler from time to time. And the most laborious job is undoubtedly the part where workers mine underground in the dark with no sunlight."
In his opinion, Chen Chong undoubtedly wanted to choose the easiest job as an attendant, just pretending to be lazy. But easy was relative. Compared to other jobs in factories, it was long-term exposure to coal ash while working in the power plant, and one would inevitably contract a lung disease if they stayed for a long time. In this era of limited medical resources, having such a disease meant not living for long.
"The power plant is originally small and doesn't need many people. Moreover, the work is relatively easy, done by brothers who have made contributions. Whether they need more people or not, you'll have to ask the foreman at the power plant."
Without reminding Chen Chong of his plan, Yin Huo calmly said, "Follow me."
Chen Chong didn't know the situation inside the power plant, so he didn't pay much attention to Yin Huo's subtle sarcasm. He followed behind him and entered the factory building.
As soon as they entered the factory building, a scorching feeling hit them. Chen Chong saw that the spacious space was divided by walls, and there were five boilers emitting a scorching heat, occasionally spewing flames when the coal chute was opened. Behind the walls, five generators were lined up, emitting a humming sound.
In front of the five boilers, five men of different appearances were leisurely chatting. They shoveled coal from the front into the boilers, and when they saw Yin Huo suddenly enter, they quickly pretended to look busy.
Ignoring these people, Yin Huo led Chen Chong past the complex pipeline and walked along a narrow passage to a room at the deepest part of the factory building, pushing the door open directly.
Inside the room was in a mess, with a foul smell, and filled with wires, parts, and a pile of miscellaneous items. In the pile of items was a foldable bed, where a skinny old man curled up, tangled hair, and dirty appearance, sound asleep.
Yin Huo frowned, and the short whip in his hand crackled in the air, as he bluntly said, "Old Xu! Sleeping in broad daylight, what are you doing?"
Chen Chong immediately noticed that although Yin Huo was impolite in his words, he didn't use the whip as a supervising captain, indicating that this old man's identity was somewhat different.
The crisp crack of the whip was like thunder. The old man lying on the bed jolted awake and when he saw Yin Huo at the door, he paused for a moment, seemingly slow-witted. Then he hurriedly sat up and started coughing.
"Oh, Captain Yin Huo, I'm sorry. I'm not feeling well today..."
"Stop pretending to be old! If you're not dying, then work honestly for the General! Just watching the generators work won't tire you out!"
Yin Huo's expression was cold as he cursed, "I'm asking you if there are any vacancies here. Find a job for the guy behind me!"
"Yes, yes, perfect timing..."
Old Xu sneakily glanced at Chen Chong behind Yin Huo and quickly rubbed his hands with an apologetic smile, "Two nights ago, that kid Blackie had a coughing fit and died. Now we're short of staff for night shifts. I haven't had a chance to report to the captain yet. But night shifts at the power plant are not as easy as during the day. There's no slacking off at all. This young man and you..."
Night shift?
Behind Yin Huo, Chen Chong's eyelids drooped, feeling like a pillow was delivered right in front of him. He was overjoyed!