The pitch-black night fell again, and the laborers returned to their nests like ants, ending a day's work. At the same time, Chen Chong set off from his residence and arrived at the power plant.
Holding a package in his hand, Chen Chong stood at the gate of the power plant fence and took a deep breath.
Today is already the fourth day of his night shift at the power plant. During these four days, he didn't have enough nutrition and energy replenishment, so the progress of his practice in the "Ultimate Infinite Qi Gong" was very slow. The two meals provided by the territory every day were not enough to support his intense training. He spent almost half of the day in a state of hunger. Without sufficient nutrition and energy replenishment, the process of refining essence and transforming qi would yield only half the result with double the effort.
The implementation of the "Electric Therapy" was imminent!
After three days of interaction, Chen Chong found that Old Xu was relatively honest and straightforward, without any cunning thoughts. He decided to proceed with the next step of his plan.
Using the streetlights at the power plant gate, Chen Chong casually glanced at the vague figure that passed by in the darkness.
Naturally, it was Wei De, the lackey of the chief supervisor Yin Hu. Chen Chong had known all along that Wei De and Lu Kai were taking turns monitoring him. However, this surveillance seemed to be just to prevent him from escaping the territory at night, and their surveillance skills were quite poor. Chen Chong was highly perceptive, and it was difficult for them to go unnoticed.
With a sneer in his heart, Chen Chong held the package and walked into the power plant gate.
Entering the boiler room filled with hot air and mechanical roaring, Chen Chong saw that Old Xu was still wandering around untidily, checking something from time to time.
"Kid, why are you here?" Old Xu was wearing insulation gloves and tinkering with the wires. When he heard the noise, he turned around and saw Chen Chong, his face filled with surprise.
"There's still a couple of hours before your night shift," Old Xu said strangely.
"I've had enough sleep in the room. I feel rusty all over," Chen Chong said, lifting the package in his hand and taking out a small bottle, shaking it in front of Old Xu mysteriously.
"I have something good. Do you want to try it?"
Naturally, what he took out was the small bottle of alcohol that he received as part of his material quota. It was no secret that Old Xu, despite not being an Awakener and lacking combat power, enjoyed half the quota of a captain-level material because of his skills in electrical engineering. Except for the absence of Spirit-Fruit, there was not much difference in his material quota. It naturally included a small bottle of alcohol.
But for Old Xu, alcohol was not for disinfecting wounds but for drinking.
Old Xu had no other hobbies. His only obsession was alcohol. This small bottle of alcohol could not be consumed directly, but after diluting it with a lot of water, it would become a drink. Although it was the worst kind of alcohol, being able to get drunk and indulge in this era was already rare.
Seeing the alcohol in Chen Chong's hand, Old Xu's muddy eyes instantly brightened, clearly recognizing it.
"Alcohol?"
Don't be fooled by Old Xu not being an Awakener; he didn't have much fighting power. In fact, because of his skills in electrical engineering, he enjoyed half the quota of a captain-level material. Besides the absence of Spirit-Fruit, there wasn't much difference. Naturally, his material quota also included a small bottle of alcohol.
However, for Old Xu, alcohol was not for disinfection but for drinking.
Old Xu had no other hobbies except his obsession with alcohol. This small bottle of alcohol, which was only 100 milliliters, could not last long even if he diluted it with a lot of water and tried to save it. He would drink it all up in just a few days. Now, seeing the alcohol in Chen Chong's hand, the wine bug in his belly was instantly aroused. How could he not be excited?
"Hehe... you kid..."
Old Xu showed his true colors, rubbing his hands back and forth, laughing, "How am I supposed to accept this?"
Seeing Old Xu pretending, Chen Chong couldn't help but laugh and curse, "Old Xu, what are you pretending for? Don't you have water to dilute it here?"
Knowing that Old Xu liked alcohol was also Chen Chong's guess. When Yin Hu took him to Old Xu's room a few days ago, he vaguely smelled the scent of alcohol, so he tried it today and unexpectedly hit the spot.
"Wait for me, kid. I'll go fetch some water!"
Old Xu exclaimed, abandoning his usual sluggishness and disappearing into the boiler room in three strides. After a while, he rushed out in a flurry, holding a plastic bottle with a capacity of about one liter, which seemed to contain half a bottle of water.
Old Xu proudly said to Chen Chong, "This is distilled water that I secretly saved when boiling the boiler. It's absolutely clean!"
Chen Chong generously handed the entire bottle of alcohol to Old Xu, saying, "Come on, mix it all!"
Old Xu eagerly took it over, unscrewed the cap, and poured all the alcohol into the plastic bottle filled with distilled water, then shook it vigorously.
After shaking it for a while, Old Xu opened the bottle again and took a deep sniff, revealing a satisfied look on his face.
This small bottle of alcohol was only 100 milliliters, while the distilled water in the bottle had about half a liter. After mixing the two, it was at most equivalent to a 20-degree liquor. Judging by Old Xu's expression, someone who didn't know would think that the bottle contained some kind of precious liquid.
"Alright, alright."
Chen Chong couldn't help but feel helpless. He took out a big piece of dried meat from the package and said, "It's not enough to just have alcohol. Old Xu, find a place for us!"
"Kid, you're so generous?"
Seeing Chen Chong take out another piece of dried meat, Old Xu widened his eyes and asked vigilantly, "When offering kindness without ulterior motives, one must be a thief. Kid, tell me, did you poke a hole in the territory and want me, an old man, to help you solve it? Let me tell you, once we leave this power plant, I'm useless. If there's any trouble, I can't help you!"
Chen Chong grinned and said, "Old Xu, you're overthinking. What trouble could I cause? I just arrived and wanted to chat with someone about the situation in the territory, and also ask you a few questions about electricians to learn some skills."
So that's how it is.
Old Xu suddenly breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "That's not a problem. Come to my room, let's drink and chat!"
Old Xu didn't have the idea of clinging to his possessions. In fact, the operation of the entire power plant and electrical grid was extremely complex and required profound knowledge and experience in electrical engineering to handle. No one in the entire Red Territory could replace his current position. Even if he taught everything, things that were not learned through long-term study by non-professionals were limited.
Following behind Old Xu, Chen Chong entered a small room in the corner of the warehouse.
In addition to a bed and a desk, the room was scattered with wires and miscellaneous parts. Old Xu pulled the desk to the bedside and somehow found two cups with twisted mouths, pouring the diluted alcohol into them.
Old Xu couldn't wait and raised his cup to Chen Chong, saying, "Kid, fate brought us together. Cheers!"
Chen Chong also raised his cup, his eyes flickering, and smiled, "Cheers."
Outside is a quiet and dark night, while in Mr. Xu's room, a bright desk lamp casts two overlapping shadows on the wall.
"Hey, eighteen years ago, our county was a well-known prosperous place. I was a senior engineer at the national power grid back then. People who wanted to introduce me for matchmaking lined up for a long time..."
"At that time, my company's leader introduced a distant relative to me. Reluctantly, I went to meet him. Unexpectedly, this distant relative was so lively and gave me a pleasant surprise despite my leader's rough appearance."
"Then we fell in love, got married, and had children. Those days were..."
Half an hour later, while drinking and chatting, Chen Chong could see that Mr. Xu's face turned red and his neck thickened again. He quickly gulped down the wine, looking slightly tipsy, and continued to talk about his past:
"Disasters came, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions. Animals turned into monsters, countless people died inexplicably. In just a few days, the world changed completely."
"The cities disappeared, the government collapsed, my parents passed away, and my wife and children were gone. Everything was gone, and I was left alone. If it weren't for the fear of death, I would have joined them long ago."
"Tell me... why did things turn out like this?"
Chen Chong silently listened, occasionally pouring more wine for Mr. Xu and shaking his head:
"Perhaps you can consider from another perspective. Compared to struggling to survive in this dangerous wasteland, they are actually luckier than us, the living."
"Yeah... I can only console myself in this way."
Mr. Xu wiped his eyes discreetly and laughed at himself:
"Hey, why am I talking about all this? You were probably just a young lad back then. It should have been more difficult for you to survive than for an old man like me. At least now, you are an awakened person, with some rights to choose in this world. You are already luckier than most survivors."
Chen Chong blinked and smiled faintly, "We are all living under the rule of the Blood General, without control over life and death. We are more or less the same."
Mr. Xu's eyes widened, and he quickly lowered his voice, "Kid, don't say such things, especially not in front of others. People are unpredictable, some would love to devour each other!"
"Of course, it's just casual chatting."
Chen Chong poured another glass of wine for Mr. Xu, changed the topic, and continued to talk implicitly and casually.
From the drastic changes in the world when Mr. Xu was young, to the appearance of the awakened, the encounters with the Blood General, and witnessing how the Blood General gradually transformed a survivor gathering place into his brutal red territory, a bloody history unfolded in Mr. Xu's ramblings before Chen Chong.
"The Blood General is indeed terrifying..."
With each glass of wine consumed, Mr. Xu's face reddened, and he seemed slightly tipsy:
"So, here, the Blood General is like a god. As long as you obey him and show your value, you can live a good life."
Chen Chong chuckled and, seeing that it was almost time, glanced at the desk lamp in Mr. Xu's room and casually asked:
"Mr. Xu, how do you get electricity here? Is it directly connected from the distribution box? How do you control the current and voltage freely?"
Mr. Xu didn't suspect anything and laughed, "You really are an outsider. I thought you would ask some profound questions. These things are too simple. Let me tell you..."
Finally, the conversation turned to the power station. Chen Chong's eyes were focused, and he engraved every word Mr. Xu said in his mind.
It must be said that when it came to Mr. Xu's field of expertise, even if alcohol had dulled his brain, he spoke clearly and systematically, allowing Chen Chong to quickly absorb the basic knowledge.
The voltage generated by the entire power station is around tens of thousands of volts. After adjusting and stabilizing the voltage through the distribution box, it is transmitted to the Blood General's manor and various factories. To connect his own body to the electricity for training, Chen Chong needs a separate device to regulate the voltage and suitable wires to bring the electric energy from the distribution box to a safe level.
"That's roughly how it works, and there's also..."
As Mr. Xu continued explaining, he suddenly stood up and rummaged through boxes and cabinets, pulling out a device the size of a briefcase, saying:
"This is the voltage regulator I made myself. The electricity for my desk lamp is connected through... Hey, it's hard to explain in words, let me demonstrate it to you!"
Whether it was due to the rising alcohol or his natural inclination to teach, Mr. Xu suddenly stood up and picked up a broken fan from the ground, along with insulated gloves and a bundle of wires of varying thickness. He confidently proclaimed:
"Kid, come with me!"
Chen Chong felt delighted, but then he remembered something and furrowed his brow, "Mr. Xu, haven't you had a bit too much to drink? Don't electrocute yourself while tinkering with these things."
Mr. Xu widened his eyes and blew his mustache, "What a joke! I've been dealing with electricity my whole life. Even if I connect the wires with my eyes closed, it won't be a problem!"
With that, he stepped steadily and walked out of the room towards the direction of the distribution box. Chen Chong observed that despite Mr. Xu's flushed face and thick neck, his steps were steady, unlike someone who was not sober. Thinking about his own training plan, he followed along.
Arriving at the distribution box, Mr. Xu, although smelling of alcohol, suddenly became extremely clear-minded. Wearing insulated gloves, he unlocked the box door and began teaching Chen Chong like a teacher instructing a student:
"Watch closely, voltage, also known as potential difference or electric potential difference, is defined to be the work done per unit charge against an electric field to move the charge from one point to another..."
As Mr. Xu explained in detail, he selected a thin wire with a diameter of a millimeter, connected it to the distribution box, and then brought the other end of the wire out from the voltage regulator before finally connecting it to the broken fan.
Mr. Xu clapped his hands and pressed the switch of the fan.
Whoosh...
The fan blades started spinning, bringing a cool breeze to the hot space.
Chen Chong engraved every step of Mr. Xu's actions in his mind. He saw Mr. Xu quickly dismantling the circuit and handing him the insulated gloves.
Mr. Xu chuckled, "Did you remember everything? If you did, give it a try. If you can't even remember these simple steps, then you're a fool and not suitable for learning this. Let's go back and drink, no need to waste time."
Chen Chong took the gloves and reassured him, his learning ability and memory enhanced long ago by the Super God Water, surpassing that of an average person. He quickly and neatly repeated Mr. Xu's actions, then pressed the switch, making the fan rotate.
Mr. Xu's eyes lit up, "Kid, you've got it!"
Chen Chong already had some basic knowledge about circuits, plus Mr. Xu's explanation and demonstration. It was not difficult for him to repeat the process.
Moreover, the operating principle of the [Electrotherapy] was not complex. Now, after Mr. Xu's explanation and demonstration about voltage and current control, Chen Chong felt enlightened and eager to give it a try!