Translator: AnubisTL
Immediately afterward, Scar Dog pulled over six hundred energy blocks from his chest and tossed them into the phantom gate inside the iron bucket.
Activating the phantom gate required his manual initiation.
The gate would dissipate when its energy was depleted or when he deliberately shut it down.
However, if he opened a phantom gate and immediately fed it over six hundred energy blocks, all the blocks would be used to fully charge the gate.
This would allow the phantom gate to remain open continuously until the energy was exhausted, eliminating the need for him to stand by and manually maintain it.
But this method had a significant drawback:
If you wanted to stop charging a phantom gate midway, the energy blocks wouldn't be refunded.
In other words:
If you spent 600 energy blocks to charge a phantom gate and then closed it after only two minutes, congratulations! All 600 energy blocks would be wasted—gone without a trace.
Despite this glaring disadvantage, the advantages were equally clear: it freed up his hands, and if left undisturbed, the gate could remain open until the energy was completely drained.
Currently, the energy blocks in the iron bucket were sufficient to keep the gate running for over six hundred minutes.
As the groundwater surged through the pipes, spreading throughout the underground network, the fans evenly distributed among the 108 iron barrels began to slowly rotate.
Soon—
A cool breeze instantly swept across Scar Dog's face and the faces of his companions.
Whoosh!
Scar Dog spread his arms wide, a satisfied expression on his face as he stood before one of the iron barrels, feeling the refreshing air wash over him. Grinning excitedly, he exclaimed, "Finally, we can escape this damn sweltering heat!"
Recently, the scorching weather had nearly driven him and Brother Jiang mad in the wilderness.
Temperatures had soared to nearly 44 or 45 degrees Celsius.
It was a true test of their willpower.
To put it bluntly, in this kind of heat, if you killed someone and left their body on the ground during the day, it would be cooked by nightfall.
Then, as night fell and the mutated beasts emerged, they would crawl out from their hiding places to feast on the still-warm, roasted human flesh.
Afterward, these creatures would drape white cloths around their necks, sprinkle pepper on the remains, take a bite, and exclaim with satisfaction, "Medium-rare, just perfect!"
"I love it."
In this hellish environment, having such a massive air conditioner was the greatest blessing imaginable!
A while later...
The sweltering air had been nearly banished, replaced by the cool, subterranean air drawn up by groundwater and circulated by the fan.
The effect was immediate and striking.
Within moments, Scar Dog and the others felt the sweat evaporating from their bodies, leaving only a refreshing chill that filled the air.
"This is amazing," Scar Dog said, his voice a mix of excitement and exhaustion as he plopped down on the ground. "Let's call it a day. We can finish the rest tomorrow. Time for a break."
"Brother Jiang should be awake by now."
"I'll go get him. You guys wait here."
"Alright."
"Brother Jiang?"
Chen Jiang frowned slightly, opened his eyes, and glanced at Scar Dog, who was leaning against the car window. He sighed wearily. "What is it now?"
"Uh, nothing urgent. Just wanted to show you the perpetual motion machine version of the water-cooled air conditioner I built. Want to come take a look?"
"Sigh."
Chen Jiang paused, then slowly pushed open the car door and stepped outside.
The moment the door swung open, a wave of cool air washed over him.
Unlike the armored vehicle's built-in air conditioning, this felt like the natural coolness of an autumn breeze—purely natural, without a hint of industrial chill.
"What's this?" Chen Jiang's eyes flickered with surprise as he savored the refreshing air. "This is the perpetual motion machine water-cooled air conditioner you mentioned?"
"Mhm, mhm."
Scar Dog nodded vigorously, like a chicken pecking at rice, as he stood before Chen Jiang, his eyes brimming with anticipation. "What do you think?"
Chen Jiang paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile. "Not bad," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "It's really cool. It actually feels like I'm back on Blue Star."
"For a moment, I forgot all about the sweltering heat—even the burning intensity of the war."
"Heh heh."
Scar Dog, thrilled by Brother Jiang's praise, couldn't contain his excitement. "Then let's go eat, Brother Jiang! Zhao Ritian and the others made a ton of food."
"Oh?" Chen Jiang asked, mildly surprised. "What did they make?"
"Slime sashimi."
"..."
Chen Jiang turned to Scar Dog with a completely expressionless face.
"Ahem."
Noticing Brother Jiang's gaze, Scar Dog's face flushed with embarrassment. He chuckled awkwardly. "Just kidding, just kidding! They made meat patties."
Soon, Chen Jiang and Scar Dog arrived at Li Hao and Zhao Ritian's camp.
After they sat down, Scar Dog pulled a large, flat stone from his chest and placed it in front of them.
Chen Jiang pulled several meat patties from his pocket, salvaged from the Living Supplies Warehouse, and arranged them on the stone.
He grabbed the flamethrower and unleashed a torrent of flames, roasting the patties.
Within minutes, the meat sizzled, dripping with oil, and the savory aroma filled the air.
Next, he retrieved a can of chili powder and a container of salt from his pocket.
Holding one in each hand, he liberally sprinkled both over the meat.
Soon, a delicious plate of grilled meat was ready.
"Honestly," Chen Jiang said, glancing at the slightly charred patties, a chuckle escaping him, "the presentation leaves much to be desired."
But he didn't dwell on it. Instead, he pulled out a pair of chopsticks and began to eat.
Though the meat was somewhat undercooked, half-raw and half-cooked, in the wilderness, having anything to eat at all was a luxury.
For the truly raw parts, a quick blast with the flamethrower did the trick.
Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded:
Four people each held a steak in their chopsticks.
They took a bite, then roasted it with the flamethrower.
Take a bite, roast it with the flamethrower.
The scene resembled an extremely refined dining etiquette from a developed nation.
Midway through the meal, Scar Dog casually waved his hand, activating a phantom gate. He reached inside, pulled out a crate of ice-cold cola, and set it beside him. "Brother Jiang, want a can?"
"It's been chilling in the groundwater all day—absolutely refreshing and invigorating."
"Tsk."
Chen Jiang shook his head in admiration. "You're living the high life these days, huh?"
"Heh heh."
Scar Dog scratched the back of his head with a grin. After distributing ice-cold colas to everyone present, he said, "Even if we're stuck in this godforsaken world, we can't just live like savages."
"Besides," he continued, "coming to this world isn't all bad."
"At least on Blue Star, we'd never have this much land to mess around with."
"On Blue Star, a piece of land this size would cost an astronomical fortune."
"But now, it's all ours!"
(End of the Chapter)
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