Chapter 72

Zhang Tie held the multi-purpose engineer's shovel and dug vigorously into the tree hollow. After folding the shovel blade ninety degrees, it became a small hoe. One edge of the blade was very sharp, functioning as a small axe, while the other side had saw teeth, making it a saw. This multi-purpose engineer's shovel truly lived up to its name. Zhang Tie hummed a tune as he dug out the rotten wood from the tree hollow piece by piece. The novelty of living in a tree house made everyone work with great enthusiasm.

Bali and Savage set up a stove with stones under the tree and started a fire to cook dinner. Doug and Sista were responsible for patrolling within a fifty-meter radius, while Zhang Tie, Baghdad, and Wright focused on renovating the tree house.

After the first floor of the tree house was basically renovated, the three of them spent the entire afternoon working on the second floor. Compared to the first floor, the second floor required more work and space was limited. Only one person could enter at a time initially, and only after the first person expanded the space could the second person enter, making the process slower. Zhang Tie was the first to enter the second floor. After an hour, Wright took over, and after another hour, Baghdad took over. After Baghdad worked for an hour, the space was just enough for two people. Then Zhang Tie and Wright worked together for about an hour, and finally, Baghdad could barely squeeze in. The renovation of the second floor then sped up.

Around noon, several groups of students from No. 2 High School and No. 7 High School discovered Zhang Tie's group's tree house. Two groups from No. 2 High School, relying on their greater numbers, eyed the tree house of the Airplane Brotherhood with covetous intent. However, when Doug took out the "Iron Gate T21" crossbow and aimed it at those with ill intentions, their eyes twitched, and they reluctantly retreated. They hadn't expected the Airplane Brotherhood to be so extreme, bringing such a weapon. The "Iron Gate T21" was a double-string crossbow that could be loaded with two strings and fired twice in succession. At fifty meters, its arrows could penetrate even light leather armor. To seize the tree house, Zhang Tie's group only needed to pull the trigger twice to make anyone with bad intentions pay a heavy price. No one was willing to risk their life for a mere foothold.

After working all afternoon, by evening, the second floor of the tree house was just large enough for two people to lie down and three to stand. Everyone was exhausted, and Wright, who was responsible for digging, was the first to give out. Sista took over. Seeing that Zhang Tie's stamina matched Baghdad's, everyone in the Brotherhood was quite surprised. They had thought Zhang Tie wouldn't last, but he worked until the end with Baghdad. Everyone began to look at Zhang Tie, who wasn't particularly muscular, with new respect. Through this afternoon's work with Baghdad, Zhang Tie confirmed his current strength as a first-stage warrior. His strength was just slightly above Baghdad's. The activation of the Divine Palace Bright Point had rapidly improved his physical and athletic abilities, narrowing the gap between the Huazhu people and others. Of course, if Baghdad also activated the Divine Palace Bright Point, Zhang Tie wouldn't be his match, but could Baghdad activate it as quickly as he did?

Understanding this, Zhang Tie became even more determined about his purpose in this trial.

By evening, the fragrant hot soup that Bali and Savage cooked under the tree made everyone feel hungry. After Bali called out that it was time to eat, everyone gathered around the pot with their bowls, eagerly waiting. The compressed rations from Black Flame City were a necessity, but having a bowl of hot meat soup with them was perfect.

The soup contained beef jerky brought by Bali and wild ferns found by Savage. No complicated cooking was needed; just a bit of salt, and the two ingredients mixed together made a supreme delicacy.

Everyone was very satisfied with this dinner. After eating, they washed their dishes in a nearby stream and then sat by the fire, resting and discussing the next steps.

"To make this tree house base fully operational and complete the second phase of renovation, I think we need another day. The supplies we brought will last only a week, but we have two months left. We must find a way to get more food. Since we are eating together, each person must contribute one kilogram of food daily, whether it's wild vegetables, fruits, or meat. This is the minimum requirement," Bali said seriously, looking at everyone. "This trial is real, and getting food can be dangerous. We must take it seriously. We are brothers, a collective, but we each have our own interests. We need to find a way to balance collective and individual interests. We won't force anyone to blindly follow the group. This is our Brotherhood's principle. I have a food distribution plan that I thought of before we came. I'll share it now, and I hope everyone will discuss it."

Bali then explained his plan. Any food obtained through collective action would be owned and managed by the participating Brotherhood members, with equal distribution among all participants. Food obtained individually would be divided into three parts: food weighing one kilogram or less would belong to the collective, and any shortfall would need to be made up by the individual. Food weighing between one and three kilograms would be a mandatory personal reserve, stored in a common place and not to be used elsewhere, as everyone needed to eat. Food weighing more than three kilograms could be disposed of freely, whether given away, used for favors, or traded at the Black Flame City market for contribution points to the Brotherhood, which could be converted into voting rights.

After Bali's proposal, everyone discussed it briefly and agreed. The plan indeed balanced individual and collective interests.

"If I contribute more than one kilogram of food daily, can I arrange my other time freely?" Zhang Tie asked Bali.

"You can arrange your time freely, but our tree house base needs someone to stand guard and cook from 8 AM to 6 PM, and we need to take turns on night watch. As long as you contribute enough food and don't affect the schedule, you can do whatever you want with your free time," Bali said, looking at Zhang Tie curiously. "Big Head, acting alone here can be dangerous. We are brothers. Whatever you want to do, it's safer to do it together."

"I think what I want to do, you guys won't want to do," Zhang Tie said with a smile.

Baghdad patted his chest. "What are you afraid of? Even if you want to settle scores with Gris, we'll back you up!"

"Exactly..." everyone chimed in.

"I want to go mining. Do you guys want to come with me?" Zhang Tie looked at them, and everyone was stunned.

"Mining? You want to go mining?" Bali's mouth dropped open.

"I know what you think of those who can't find food and end up doing hard labor for rations, but I really think mining is fun!" Zhang Tie blinked, looking innocent. "I've always found mining interesting. This is my chance to try it out."

"Brother, you'll regret it," Sista said sincerely. "This trial is a test and an opportunity for us to meet and pair up with the girls. No girl will look at someone who can't hunt and spends all day in a cave, looking dirty. Every year, those who go mining end up as old bachelors."

"This is a childhood dream. I'll try it out, and if it's not fun, I'll come back."

Hearing this, everyone's faces twitched, and even Bali couldn't understand why a smart guy like Zhang Tie would have such a strange childhood dream. But he couldn't say much; his own childhood dream was to be a gatekeeper.

Zhang Tie looked at everyone's varied expressions and silently said, "Sorry, brothers. This trial means different things to me and you. Your biggest goal is to get food and maybe the girls' attention, but my biggest goal is to help Black Iron Castle accumulate enough basic energy. Apart from the deep, unexplored mines, I can't think of a better place to help Black Iron Castle replenish its energy. If I return to Black Flame City or go elsewhere, I won't have such an opportunity again."

Before coming, Zhang Tie had set his main goal for this trial: to help Black Iron Castle grow and become stronger. After experiencing the effects of the first flawless fruit and surviving a life-threatening crisis, Zhang Tie deeply felt the changes and hope that Black Iron Castle brought him. Black Iron Castle and the small tree were his biggest trump cards, inseparable from his fate. Because of Black Iron Castle and the magical tree, Zhang Tie had already embarked on a path different from anyone else. The food and the cold eyes and ridicule of the ignorant were nothing compared to his path.

As Zhang Tie and the others were chatting under the tree, Doug, who had just gone to the bushes to relieve himself, suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream. Everyone from the Airplane Brotherhood jumped up, weapons in hand, and rushed to where Doug was screaming. Baghdad and Zhang Tie were the first to arrive, and this made Baghdad look at Zhang Tie again. When they saw Doug, everyone's eyes widened.

Doug, bare-bottomed, was screaming in the bushes, holding his buttocks and jumping. "Ah, my butt... Bastards... Can't I even take a shit in peace..."

Seeing everyone run over, Doug, tears streaming down his face, ran toward them like he had seen a savior. "Help me... Quick, look at my butt... I think I was bitten by something... It feels poisonous... I'm going to die... Help me!"

As Doug ran, his pants got tangled, and he fell face-first to the ground. Zhang Tie saw that there was a blood mark on Doug's left buttock, which was already swollen.

Baghdad quickly helped Doug up, and Zhang Tie rushed to where Doug had been jumping. Doug had left a "landmine" in the grass, and the smell almost made Zhang Tie vomit. But compared to his brother's life, the smell was nothing. Identifying what had bitten Doug would help treat him and buy time.

Zhang Tie broke a branch from a nearby tree and, holding his breath, carefully searched the grass where Doug had been. He quickly found a gray scorpion, about the length of a finger, with its tail raised, ready to attack. Seeing the scorpion, Zhang Tie breathed a sigh of relief, but the smell almost made him fall over. He quickly broke the branch in half and used it like chopsticks to pick up the scorpion and return.

"Ah... It hurts... I'm going to die... Quick, brothers, suck out the poison... If you don't, I'll die... I feel half my body going numb... I'm getting colder... Quick... Ah..." Doug screamed, looking pitifully at the Airplane Brotherhood members, who were standing with pale faces and serious expressions, like they were making a life-or-death decision. The atmosphere was strange, and no one dared to speak—sucking out poison was one thing, but sucking it from Doug's buttock was another.

Just as everyone was about to draw straws, they saw Zhang Tie approaching with the scorpion. They rushed over like they had seen a savior.

"It's nothing serious. Just a common gray scorpion. It's poisonous, but not very. The person bitten will be fine after resting for a day," Zhang Tie showed the scorpion to everyone. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief, and their faces returned to normal. Doug, who had been lying on the ground, complaining about the poison reaching his heart and his body going numb, finally shut up.

It was just a common gray scorpion with mild toxicity. Being bitten would only cause some pain and temporarily affect movement, but it wasn't life-threatening. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but then they remembered something and glared at Doug, who had lied about his symptoms. The thought of being deceived by Doug made everyone angry.

Bali walked over with a smile. "You said half your body was numb?"

Baghdad, cracking his knuckles, walked over with a frown. "And you said you were getting cold..."

"The poison was almost to your heart..." Wright asked, arms crossed and face cold.

"You really wanted someone to suck out the poison, didn't you?" Sista sneered.

"You liar!" Savage pouted.

Realizing the situation, Doug quickly pulled up his pants and stood up. Even Zhang Tie's eyebrows twitched; this guy hadn't even wiped himself. It was... too... strong. Zhang Tie was speechless.

"Just... I was too nervous... Yes, too nervous... My body felt wrong!" Doug stammered.

"Wrong? We need to correct that. I just thought, instead of sucking out the poison, hitting the wound hard can also help the poison flow out. It's an Eastern secret technique..." Bali said, and without warning, kicked Doug's wounded buttock, making Doug scream. Doug tried to run but was caught by Baghdad. Then, except for Zhang Tie, everyone pounced on Doug. For the next three minutes, Doug, who had just been stung by the scorpion, experienced the "beating therapy" to the fullest...