Chapter 43

"I should have thought of it!"

"The richest resource of Lake Henghu is not just the fish in the lake, but the abundant nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium along the lakeshore! We're almost there, it's just ahead!"

Leading the way to the lakeside, Kuangfeng excitedly spoke as they walked.

The two stopped at a shallow part of the lake.

This area was lush with vegetation, easy to hide in, and an excellent water source for both humans and animals.

Just as Kuangfeng was about to point, Mosquito stepped forward and squatted in front of a relatively flat rock.

He extended his index finger, lightly touched the rock wall, then leaned in to smell it and tried to taste it.

Kuangfeng, unable to bear the stinging in his eyes, quickly asked, "How is it?"

Mosquito spat on the ground, his face half joyful and half worried.

"Damn, how can it still be fresh..."

Kuangfeng: "..."

Although he accidentally tasted some fresh bird droppings, one thing was certain: there was indeed a large amount of guano here.

This mineral, primarily composed of Mg(NH4)[PO4]·6H2O, has a monoclinic crystal structure. From its chemical composition, it's not hard to see how versatile this substance is.

Moreover, when guano forms in significant quantities, the ammonia content gradually oxidizes into nitric acid through the action of nitrifying bacteria, eventually accumulating in the soil as potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrate, and magnesium nitrate, forming what is known as nitrate soil.

This "by-product" nitrate soil can be extracted as saltpeter with a small amount of impurities by simply mixing it with wood ash that hasn't been filtered of potassium alkali and boiling it to precipitate the calcium and magnesium ions!

In short, finding guano basically means finding saltpeter.

And having saltpeter basically means having gunpowder!

Actually, it's not just bird droppings; the lakeshore of Lake Henghu is also covered with a large amount of excrement from various species. Over time, this excrement gradually weathered, deposited, and solidified, eventually forming guano deposits.

As for why there are so many guano deposits by the lake, it's not hard to understand.

In the early years of the Wasteland Era, this planet experienced a nearly half-century-long cold period.

During this period, Lake Henghu Wetland Park, as the area with the richest water resources, was home to a large number of wild animals and livestock that had escaped from farms.

These droppings were likely left behind during that time.

After the cold period ended, the abandoned city formed a more prosperous ecosystem, and this area gradually became quiet.

"With this nitrate soil, making black powder shouldn't be a problem!" Mosquito stood up from the ground, excitedly looking at Kuangfeng, "Help me, let's get more of it back."

Kuangfeng asked in confusion.

"We have the nitrate soil and charcoal, but I remember the black powder formula also includes sulfur? Where do you plan to find sulfur?"

If he remembered correctly, sulfur is usually found near volcanoes or hot springs.

However, this area clearly doesn't have either.

Mosquito was taken aback.

Clearly, he hadn't considered this yet.

"Uh, if there's no sulfur, sulfur salts can also work, it's just a bit more complicated... but they should still be easy to find, right?"

Kuangfeng looked around, shrugged helplessly.

"Let's just look around for now."

...

Unfortunately, there was no sulfur in the forest, nor did they see anything that looked like sulfur by the lake.

Of course, how could such a thing appear in a wetland park?

However, fortunately, just as they were about to give up, they found some gypsum deposits by a small river extending from Lake Henghu.

This substance, composed of calcium sulfate, can be heated with carbon to produce calcium sulfide and carbon dioxide, which is exactly the sulfur salt they were looking for!

"How could I forget this!" Mosquito slapped the back of his head in frustration, "The other day, I saw Lao Bai and the others making cement, and they seemed to have added this gypsum powder! Isn't this stuff calcium sulfate?"

Kuangfeng smiled wryly.

"This is what they call 'the light under the lamp.'"

"Anyway, the result is good," Mosquito picked up some gypsum and put it in a plastic bucket, washed his hands, and stood up, looking at Kuangfeng, "Let's go, we've got the materials, let's head back."

Kuangfeng nodded and followed him.

The two returned to the survivor settlement and were about to head to their cabin when they noticed a commotion at the entrance.

The players who were working on the construction site had already come down from the scaffolding, each holding a tool, surrounding a two-headed cow.

Next to the two-headed cow stood a stranger.

He wore a leather jacket, had a flattering smile, and was making strange gestures, mumbling something incomprehensible.

Mosquito, curious, stopped in his tracks.

"Who is that guy? A new NPC?"

I haven't heard of any updates today.

"I don't know, I'll go ask..."

Kuangfeng, being a man of action, put down the plastic bucket and walked over to Fried Egg, who was watching the commotion by the smoking rack, and pulled him aside to ask.

"What's going on there? Who is that guy?"

Fried Egg crossed his arms and shook his head.

"I'm not sure, but from what others say, it seems our people encountered this guy while transporting stones back from the construction site. He didn't say anything, just followed them all the way here."

Kuangfeng walked closer and heard the players' discussions.

"How did this cow end up with two heads?"

"Is it a tamed mutant?"

"This guy has been following us all the way! I bet he's no good, probably a spy for raiders!"

"Not necessarily, what if he's an NPC?"

"That doesn't make sense, if he were an NPC, he wouldn't be unable to communicate, right?"

"Maybe the conditions haven't been triggered?"

"Should we lock him up and wait for the manager to come back?"

Feeling the increasingly unfriendly gazes of the surrounding people, Sun Shiqi felt immense pressure.

Although he had a revolver hidden under his leather jacket and the safety was off, he only had six bullets in the magazine.

The surrounding shelter residents wouldn't give him the chance to fire all six shots.

One blow from each of them, and he'd be on the ground.

"I'll say it again, I have no ill intentions. I'm a merchant, do you understand? Damn, even 200 years ago, it wasn't so bad that there were no merchants, or have you all forgotten?"

"Alright, calm down, let me rephrase. I want to trade the things on this cow's back for something you have in excess and I need... anything will do! Of course, if you don't want to trade, I'll leave and promise not to bother you again!"

Seeing that communication was impossible, Sun Shiqi was already considering leaving.

However, the shelter residents didn't show any signs of letting him go; instead, they moved closer and even took out ropes.

Sun Shiqi felt despair.

Just as he was considering whether to fight to the death, the blue-coated people suddenly parted to make a path.

A man, carrying the corpse of a mutated reindeer on his shoulder, walked over.

The mutated reindeer weighed at least a hundred kilograms and was almost as big as a horse, but the man carried it as if it were nothing.

Although he wore a harmless blue coat, Sun Shiqi could sense an extremely dangerous aura from him.

This guy...

is definitely not an ordinary shelter resident!

The man dropped the prey heavily on the ground, spoke to his companions, and they obediently dispersed.

As the man approached, Sun Shiqi felt nervous, his nerves on edge.

In an instant, a thought flashed through his mind: if he could take this man hostage, he might be able to leave safely.

However, his intuition told him that if he really did that, he would be dead the moment he made a move...

"Who are you?" Chu Guang asked, looking at him.

Hearing the man speak, Sun Shiqi was slightly taken aback, his face instantly showing surprise.

"You can speak? No, I mean, do you understand the language here?"

The language here refers to the Human Union language.

Before the war, this area was part of the Human Union's territory, and the unified language was used. Logically, the shelter residents should also use the Human Union language, but for some reason, these people were a bit different.

Chu Guang frowned slightly, looking at him and continued.

"Now it's my turn to ask you."

"Answer me, who are you?"

Hearing the unfriendly tone, Sun Shiqi quickly explained.

"My name is Sun Shiqi, from the neighboring Red River Town! I'm a merchant!"

Red River Town?

Hearing this unfamiliar name, Chu Guang's eyebrows raised slightly.

He only knew that this was Qingquan City, located in the River Valley Province of the Human Union. He wasn't very familiar with the other cities in the River Valley Province.

"What are you doing in Qingquan City?"

Sun Shiqi answered cautiously.

"I'm a merchant... of course, I'm here to do business."

Chu Guang's expression didn't change.

"Merchant? Then why did my companions say you were following them?"

"Misunderstanding, this is definitely a misunderstanding!"

Sun Shiqi waved his hands, explaining with a bitter smile.

"I was originally heading to Giant Rock City. On the way, I saw them wearing blue coats and thought there might be a shelter nearby, so I wanted to trade with you... I'm just a merchant, I really have no intention of offending anyone!"

He didn't expect these people to be so sensitive.

If it were a regular survivor settlement, he wouldn't dare approach alone, but shelters were different.

These blue-coated cuties were known for being naive and gullible on the wasteland, often pre-war elites or their descendants, who prided themselves as the descendants of civilization, arrogant and condescending.

He thought that following them would be fine, at worst he'd be chased away like a beggar, with no loss.

But he didn't expect that after they led him in, they immediately surrounded him without listening to him or planning to leave.

Totally lacking in martial virtue!

Chu Guang's expression didn't relax, and he continued to look at him expressionlessly.

"Regardless of your intentions, you have indeed offended us. I believe that in any corner of this wasteland, following someone is not a friendly act, do you agree?"

Sun Shiqi, sweating profusely, nodded stiffly.

"…You're right."

"Good, it seems you've realized your mistake," Chu Guang nodded, "But don't worry, we are reasonable people. I've already convinced my companions that you are willing to apologize for your offense."

Sun Shiqi quickly nodded.

"Right, right, I'm willing!"

Hearing this, Chu Guang's face finally showed a hint of a smile.

"Alright. By the way, you don't suggest we pick for ourselves, do you?"

Sun Shiqi was taken aback, looking at the man in confusion.

"Wait, what do you mean by 'pick for ourselves'?"

Chu Guang said matter-of-factly.

"An apology can't be empty, right? To make it sincere, we should pick something from the things on the cow's back. We won't extort you, just one item."

As he said this, the smile on Chu Guang's face gradually faded.

"You wouldn't... be reluctant, would you?"

Sun Shiqi's face was more miserable than crying, but he still nodded stiffly.

"Not at all! Everything is on the cart... you pick."

These bandits!

What about the dignity and pride of civilized people?

Robbing a ragged wasteland traveler!

It's like a wealthy person robbing a beggar on the street. Don't these people feel ashamed of their actions?

Chilled to the bone!

Sun Shiqi cursed in his heart, but his face still showed a smile, not daring to show any negative emotions.

He was gradually beginning to realize that this shelter was fundamentally different from the others he had encountered.

As for Chu Guang, he didn't care what the merchant was thinking.

Because it didn't matter.

Seeing how cooperative this guy was, a pleasant smile reappeared on his face.

"Then I won't be polite."

---

(Two chapters, almost 8,000 words. To be honest, although I'm still me, I'm much stronger than the two-chapter beast I used to be, right? Asking for recommendations and monthly votes isn't too much, is it?

If everything goes well, we should go live next Friday!

Currently, the collection is at 78,000, amazing! Love you all! Gotta go write now.)