Chapter 82: At This Point, Shi Yuebai Has Given Up

Fortunately, Shi Yuebai had once filled these arrays with rich spiritual energy in her past efforts to lose weight.

Arrays can function as long as they have spiritual energy.

But arrays are usually powered by soul force, which is like plugging an electronic device into an outlet.

It’s like using your phone while it’s charging.

This way, you don’t have to worry about running out of power.

Spiritual energy is like a power bank, stored inside the arrays. Once it’s depleted, the arrays become completely useless.

So for now, Shi Yuebai wasn’t too anxious. At least the spiritual energy she’d stored in the arrays would last them a month or two.

A day passed.

Pang Zhenggong still hadn’t opened his eyes, but he was still breathing.

At noon, after everyone finished their boiled potato slices,

Ah Hong fed Pang Zhenggong a couple of spoonfuls of potato soup.

He didn’t swallow a single mouthful.

But seeing that Shi Yuebai didn’t say anything, Ah Hong didn’t dare show her worry.

She could only get up quickly and drag Pang Ziyuan off to work.

Shi Yuebai saw all of this, but she wasn’t kind-hearted enough to comfort Ah Hong.

The fact that she could keep Pang Zhenggong alive was better than any words of comfort.

She had more important things to do now.

After a whole day of continuous practice, Shi Yuebai’s right hand could now channel soul force smoothly.

Like water trickling into a stream.

Her output speed had improved, and it had become muscle memory.

She no longer had to consciously force energy into her new meridians.

The chaotic energy inside her had finally calmed down under her guidance, like a tsunami settling.

Now, Shi Yuebai’s whole body felt like a vast ocean.

There were no rivers or tributaries—just a mass of calm, settled flesh.

As long as she kept her emotions stable, her body wouldn’t rebel.

At this point, Shi Yuebai had given up.

She was satisfied just to be able to channel soul force through one hand.

Hoping to regain sensation in her whole body was already impossible.

Other than being slumped in her wheelchair, she didn’t really feel anything.

After all, she used to be so fat she couldn’t move anyway.

Accepting this reality, Shi Yuebai’s mood became even more stable.

She was even optimistic enough to think: as long as she didn’t recklessly output energy to the point of damaging her new meridians, her body could handle it.

And because her meridians were shattered, she couldn’t feel pain at all.

Losing her sense of pain actually solved a big problem for her.

She kept channeling soul force, and even had enough energy to pour a bit of spiritual energy into the healing technique.

Since it didn’t hurt, why not go for it?

In this way, the balance of energy in Shi Yuebai’s body reached a strange equilibrium.

Her weight stayed stuck at 702 jin (about 350 kg), not budging.

By evening, after a whole day of digging ditches, Captain Qiao followed behind Ah Hong into the Shi family compound.

He saw everyone gathered around a stone stove, eating boiled potatoes.

Captain Qiao cheerfully found himself a set of disposable chopsticks and bowl, and squeezed in next to Pang Ziyuan.

Everyone looked over at Shi Yuebai.

Shi Yuebai didn’t say a word, just kept a cold face while continuously infusing spiritual energy into all the arrays and healing techniques.

The whole Shi family courtyard was filled with an ethereal, otherworldly aura.

This took all her energy and time.

So no one minded Captain Qiao inviting himself over.

“I’m so full,”

Captain Qiao squatted by the frying pan, looking at the half pot of boiled potatoes left, his eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

He’d noticed at noon that the Pang and Shi families, along with the “weirdos,” would stop whatever they were doing,

and all head into the Shi family compound together.

They’d stay inside for about 20 minutes.

When they came out, everyone looked energized and satisfied, as if they’d just eaten and drunk their fill.

Captain Qiao guessed that Shi Yuebai was feeding everyone.

He secretly decided to sneak into the Shi family compound at noon tomorrow too.

But he hadn’t expected Shi Yuebai to also provide dinner.

So why wait? Captain Qiao decisively joined in.

After everyone finished eating and dispersed, Captain Qiao helped tidy up and was just about to leave,

when Shi Yaoyao handed him a plastic bag.

“Here, this is your payment for working.”

Captain Qiao looked down, eyes wide in shock—it contained two potatoes and a bottle of water.

He hadn’t expected that, after inviting himself to help, Shi Yuebai would actually give him food.

And so much at once!

Captain Qiao looked at Ah Hong, and couldn’t help but ask Shi Yaoyao,

“Do they get some too? Why aren’t they leaving?”

Ah Hong and Guai Guai still seemed to be working.

No one from the Shi or Pang families looked like they were taking a break.

Shi Yaoyao replied matter-of-factly, “We all do double the work.”

“Aunt Hong gets four potatoes and two bottles of water a day.”

Captain Qiao froze in place.

His knees went weak—he almost wanted to kneel before Shi Yuebai and worship her as an ability user.

This is the good life you get by following an ability user.

Look, the legendary ability user—her whole team is practically glowing with good fortune.

Shi Yuebai looked at his pathetic expression, face blank.

“Yuebai, I can do double the work too! I’ll work from morning till night,”

Captain Qiao promised eagerly.

Shi Yuebai, annoyed, raised her only movable hand.

Captain Qiao immediately got the message, grabbed his potatoes and water, and rushed out to dig ditches.

The ragtag bunch who’d helped look for people yesterday stood curiously by the ditch, watching Captain Qiao dig.

“Captain, are you trying to move mountains like Yu Gong?”

“What are you doing? Captain Qiao, have you caught the Shi family’s weirdness?”

“Digging ditches at night—are you crazy?”

Captain Qiao stood at the bottom of the pit, leaning on his shovel, and looked up at them.

“Go, go, go! I don’t have time to mess around with you. Did you go scavenging today?”

“Anyway, my family’s all gone. As long as I’m fed, I’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Someone laughed and simply sat by the ditch, chatting with Captain Qiao as he worked.

“Didn’t the Pang family share some food and water yesterday? Didn’t you get any, Captain?”

“You were too slow. We each grabbed several packs of instant noodles and bottles of water.”

These seven or eight misfits had no real attachments left.

Some had lost their whole families, some had family missing since the apocalypse and never found, some had been abandoned by their wives and daughters because they couldn’t provide a better life.

Naturally, they couldn’t stop their loved ones from leaving.

They were all the type to live for the moment, and joining other teams would only make them a burden.

After a while, Captain Qiao frowned at the men by the pit and sighed.

Eventually, the men got bored and left.

Shi Yuebai’s paper airplane landed by the ditch and spoke to Captain Qiao inside.

“I thought you’d tell them I have food here.”

“I was going to,”

Captain Qiao stopped digging.

Standing at the bottom, he looked up at the paper airplane.

“But look at them—they can’t help themselves. Telling them about your food would only bring trouble to all of us, not a single benefit.”

(Cutting out my gallbladder really messed me up—my digestion is all over the place. Took some probiotics today to help my gut.)"