Surviving the Long Night: Starting from the Gas Station and Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 8: Waking Up, Hydraulic Pliers and the Boss Are Approaching

Lu Sheng was shaken awake, feeling a hand pushing him. He jolted awake and drew his gun.

Seeing Lin Ran standing frozen in front of him, at a loss, and then seeing the sunlight streaming into the room through the skylight, he finally came to his senses.

Its daybreak.

After sitting up, Lu Sheng patted his head, still feeling a bit dizzy. His body felt sore and tired, as if he had been beaten up, but he felt much better than he had been last night.

Now he understood why Lin Ran slept so soundly yesterday.

Lack of sleep, high stress, and heavy physical labor combined to cause me to black out as soon as I relaxed last night. Lin Ran was even injured compared to me.

"How long has it been daylight?"

"Not long, about fifteen minutes."

"What happened in the second half of the night?"

"There were two waves of attacks, but they found they couldn't break through and quickly withdrew."

After understanding the situation, Lu Sheng stood up and walked to the cashier to place an order for corpse recycling.

"Did you notice anything different about the beast of the night last night compared to the one the day before?"

He asked Lin Ran while selecting items that could be exchanged.

"There is indeed a difference. Their actions are perfectly synchronized, which suggests that a leader has emerged within the beast horde."

"A leader? Here? Are the resources around here enough for a beast horde to have a leader?"

Lu Sheng found it unbelievable, as his predecessor's memories contained information about the leader.

Once a ferocious beast clan grows to a certain size, a special individual will emerge that is stronger than its peers. This special individual will quickly unify the entire clan and become the beast king, or leader.

However, this is contingent on the ethnic group growing to a certain size.

Even ferocious beasts need nutrition to reproduce, and the desolate surrounding area clearly cannot provide enough food.

"Isn't the nearest side road under construction?"

Lin Ran mentioned information that Lu Sheng had previously learned:

"Before the road was built, the habitats of the ferocious beasts in the surrounding area had to be driven away. It's possible that the leaders there led their tribes to migrate here and devour the local beast populations."

Lu Sheng first heard about the roadworks on the nearby side road from the deliveryman, and then Lin Ran told him about it again.

She had to take a detour because that road was blocked, and ended up breaking down here.

"The herd of beasts that was driven over here has swallowed up the local herd of night beasts. No wonder those man-eating rats seemed to be under the command of something last night."

The situation had worsened, but the tasks remained the same. After lamenting this, Lu Sheng began to arrange today's tasks.

"Lin Ran, you stay in the warehouse and continue repairing the gaps in the wall. I'll go to the ruins to collect materials."

Sun Zhiyuan will come to collect the remains in a little while. Call him over; he'll bring a box of twenty bullets and help me put it in the cabinet under the cash register.

"Um."

Lin Ran didn't ask a single question; she had witnessed the entire process of Lu Sheng upgrading the battery box.

A little while later, Lu Sheng took a couple of bites of compressed biscuits, patted his stomach, and then went out with the stroller.

He had a general idea of ​​how to upgrade the ability. If something was damaged, the first upgrade would be repair and reinforcement. If it was intact, the upgrade would be an upgrade or a choice of one of three enhancements.

Lu Sheng planned to take a shortcut and have Lin Ran fix all the gaps first before upgrading.

Before that, the efficiency of material collection must be improved.

Perhaps it's a matter of practice makes perfect, or perhaps he was in better condition after getting plenty of rest. When he gathered a unit of steel today, he looked up at the sky and saw the sun just beginning to set from its highest point.

"If we maintain this efficiency, we can collect half again as much as yesterday today, but it's still too slow."

Lu Sheng wiped his sweat and placed the steel bar pliers in his hand on the pile of steel bars.

If a workman wants to be good, he must first sharpen his weapon.

"Rebar pliers, which consume one unit of steel, can be upgraded to: electric hydraulic pliers."

Upon seeing the familiar prompt, he decisively chose to upgrade.

After he made his decision, the piled-up steel bars transformed into streams of light, all converging into the steel bar clamp, and the interface offering three choices appeared.

"The rebar cutters are about to be upgraded to electric hydraulic cutters, with all attributes improved. They will be able to cut thick metals. Now that the battery is fully charged, please select the enhancement attribute:"

1. Battery life: Battery capacity increased by 50%.

2. Cutting Iron: Sharpness increased by 30%, and wear caused by each cut is reduced.

3. Fast Charging: Charging speed increased by 50%.

Lu Sheng didn't waste a second and immediately chose option two.

In an instant, he heard the sound of a heavy object crashing onto the cart. The previously accumulated steel bars disappeared, leaving behind only a black electric hydraulic shears.

The clamp arms disappeared, replaced by a cylindrical body with a handle for easy carrying. The jaws at the top were enlarged and thickened, as if they could easily cut through rocks.

Lu Sheng picked it up and found that the operation was very simple: just put the object into the jaws of the clamps and press the button on the handle.

He looked around and came to a steel bar as thick as a sugarcane.

The original rebar cutter could only handle rebar with a diameter of 12mm, about the thickness of a little finger, and was powerless against high-quality steel with a diameter of 20mm or more.

With anticipation, Lu Sheng attached the electric hydraulic clamps and pressed the button.

Click.

The jaws snapped shut instantly, severing the thick steel bar.

"This is exactly what I wanted!"

Looking at the precious tool in his hand that could cut iron like mud, Lu Sheng felt more confident about the future. He put the hydraulic shears on a trolley and pulled it into an abandoned shop.

As the sun set that day, Lu Sheng returned home laden with his load. His cart was piled high with metal sheets, including metal door and window frames, as well as cut shelves and cabinet panels.

In his eyes, there were three units of steel.

Back at the gas station, Lu Sheng saw that the gap behind the shelf had been repaired and Lin Ran was doing the final reinforcement. During his absence, she hadn't been idle at all.

Hearing footsteps and the sound of wheels, Lin Ran knew that Lu Sheng had returned. When she turned around, she was still startled by Lu Sheng's achievements.

"So many?"

"I upgraded the tools."

Lu Sheng gestured to the electric hydraulic shears slung over his shoulder.

"The Awakened Ones are truly amazing."

Lin Ran was surprised for a moment, then reported the results:

"I've basically fixed this gap. There are two more large gaps, three medium gaps, and six smaller gaps left. Give me another four or five days, and I'll be able to fix them all."

However, this repair method is only a last resort. If possible, it's best to use quick-drying concrete for repairs. I can do the steel structure inside the wall, ensuring that the repaired wall has the same strength as a new one.

"Okay, I'll think about it. Thank you for your hard work today. The shift change tonight will be the same as yesterday."

"How about I keep watch with you tonight?"

Lu Sheng arranged the stroller and turned around to look at Lin Ran with curiosity.

"The leader tested us last night, and tonight's offensive might be even more intense than before. I'm worried about you."

"It's alright, I have a plan. Even if we kill all the ferocious beasts that attack tonight, we might not be safe tomorrow night. Get some rest and don't let your body break down, that's how you live longer."

"oh."

Seeing that Lin Ran accepted his arrangement, Lu Sheng reached for the gun at his waist. He knew that Lin Ran was right, and he really did have a way to deal with it.