As for the four kongling crystals, following the principle of first come, first served, three were given to Xiao Chu Niang, the young married woman, and Xiao Nv Pu.
The remaining one was decided by rock-paper-scissors between Xiao Lingxian and Little Maid, with Little Maid ultimately winning it.
This result made Xiao Lingxian pout and act spoiled by Zuo Feng's side for a long time.
At this point, within the entire Firefly Squad, only Zuo Feng and Xiao Lingxian had yet to acquire a kongling crystal.
On the other side, Master Duan meticulously forged the last weapon, and the entire Firefly Base erupted in excitement.
Obtaining their much-anticipated custom a-grade metal weapons, the Firefly girls were incredibly thrilled, their eyes sparkling with excitement as they held their exclusive weapons. Everyone's weapons were as follows:
Da Bai Tu's weapon: a-grade metal phoenix-patterned long spear.
Da Mi Tao's weapon: 9 a-grade metal arrows.
Da Yuanyuan's weapon: a-grade metal longsword.
Xiao Mi Tao's weapon: Two a-grade metal double-edged daggers.
Xiao She Jing's weapon: 99 a-grade metal Long Xu Needles, plus 9 a-grade metal long needles, each 20 centimeters long.
Xiao Chu Niang's weapon: a-grade metal claw knife, incredibly sharp, suitable for close combat.
The young married woman's weapon: 99 a-grade metal acupoint-piercing needles.
Xiao Nv Pu's weapon: Two a-grade metal moon wheels.
Xiao Lingxian's weapon: Three a-grade metal flying swords.
Little Maid's weapon: a-grade metal dragon-patterned long spear.
Zuo Feng's weapon: a-grade metal gauntlets.
Each weapon was meticulously crafted by Duan Wuye; while their appearance seemed unremarkable, they were incredibly hard, and their sharpness was even more terrifying—thanks to the a-grade metal material and Duan Wuye's awakened ability, these weapons could easily penetrate the defenses of a five-bar Tank Zombie, even without using abilities!
The Firefly girls, holding their new weapons, felt a surge of confidence; now they could all solo a five-bar Tank Zombie, with the exception of Shui Rou. Shui Rou's longsword was still primarily for self-defense, and offense remained her weakness.
"Master Duan, your skill is truly extraordinary; these weapons far exceed our expectations!"
Zuo Feng looked at the gauntlets in his hand and praised them with satisfaction.
"Haha, it's also thanks to the a-grade metal you provided, and the help of Hotuntun and Hotutu; only then could such excellent weapons be forged. I can barely say I didn't disappoint everyone's expectations."
Duan Wuye responded with a laugh, humble in words but with a glimmer of pride in his eyes, and a smug smile that he couldn't suppress.
He occasionally stroked the two small, delicate, and unadorned curved knives hanging from his waist—that was his reward this time: two curved knives forged from a-grade metal!
According to his pricing for forging weapons at the Sunshine Base, the labor cost for forging these weapons for Firefly would at most be one five-line loss crystal. But he never expected the Firefly Team to be so generous, with the reward being that he could forge his own desired weapons from a-grade metal!
Although Duan Wuye didn't know where the Firefly Team obtained the a-grade metal, he had no doubt that these two curved knives in his arms, let alone a five-line loss crystal, couldn't be exchanged for even ten six-line zombie crystals!
This generosity filled him with respect for the Firefly Team, and he secretly vowed to do his utmost to help them if they ever needed it in the future.
Of course, he wasn't going to use these two curved knives himself; he planned to give them to his two wives. He had already envisioned their surprise and happiness when they received these two curved knives.
His wives were a pair of twin Mutants. Duan Wuye's own Mutant ability was forging-related, not attack-related. His wives were both his confidantes and his protectors.
They possessed powerful offensive abilities, and with these two curved knives, their combat power would significantly increase.
"Master Duan, thank you so much this time. Tonight, let's have a good drink to celebrate the birth of these divine weapons!"
Zuo Feng laughed heartily, his eyes full of gratitude.
"Haha! You're welcome! Tonight, we drink until we drop!"
Duan Wuye responded cheerfully, a sense of anticipation rising in his heart. Tomorrow, he could personally give these two curved knives to his wives and witness their joyful smiles. It had been half a month since he last saw them; he truly missed them.
As night fell, the Firefly Squad's base was brightly lit, filled with laughter and chatter, and a large round table was laden with all sorts of delicious food and wine.
Everyone gathered around, raising their glasses and drinking, sharing interesting stories and experiences from the apocalypse.
After a hearty drink, Duan Wuye, slightly tipsy, returned to the temporary residence Firefly had arranged for him on the Second Floor underground. He dared not stay on the first floor; besides Zuo Feng, everyone else was a girl.
After washing up, Zuo Feng and the Firefly girls also gradually went to sleep. Zuo Feng held Da Bai Tu and Xiao Mi Tao, watching the girls slowly fall asleep, a gentle curve on his lips.
Tomorrow, they would leave the base for the Sunshine Base.
First, to gain experience.
Second, they needed to customize a batch of special equipment to equip the female students in the base, and Da Mi Tao's consumable arrows also needed to be replenished.
Third, they needed to trade for some firearms; the mistresses and students in the base also needed firearms.
The next day, Duan Wuye drove ahead to lead the way, with Zuo Feng and his group following closely behind. Their SUV had been replaced by two commercial vans scavenged from a villa area; they contained little in the way of supplies, making them exceptionally spacious.
Along the way, they passed through desolate ruins, witnessing the bleakness amidst shattered walls, a sense of melancholy for the apocalyptic world rising in their hearts.
Once prosperous cities now lay in ruins, overgrown with weeds, as if narrating their past glory and present desolation.
The Sunshine Base was approximately five hundred kilometers from the Firefly Base, and the group drove for a full five hours before arriving.
As they entered the Sunshine Base, they encountered armed guards on patrol. The guards eyed them vigilantly, but then Duan Wuye stepped forward and revealed his identity. After verification, the guards' demeanor softened, and they immediately allowed them to pass.
Through Duan Wuye's introduction, Zuo Feng gained a Preliminary understanding of the Sunshine Base. It was well-equipped, currently housing over ten thousand survivors, and the Sunshine Base was continuously expanding, attracting many survivors seeking refuge.
Zuo Feng did not continue driving into the base but parked the vehicles in the outer parking lot, then walked with Duan Wuye into the base area.
"Brother Zuo, please don't mind. The base has strict rules; any vehicle coming from outside must undergo thorough inspection. This is for everyone's safety. No one knows if people returning from the outside are carrying viruses or harbor ill intentions. We are also protecting everyone in the base, after all, in the apocalypse, human hearts are unpredictable."
Zuo Feng nodded in understanding. Indeed, in the apocalypse, the most unpredictable thing was the human heart. Zuo Feng looked out and saw people moving about in the outer areas of the Sunshine Base. Zuo Feng couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are those people doing?"
Duan Wuye looked in the direction Zuo Feng pointed and explained, "Most of them are ordinary survivors. As you know, resources are scarce in the apocalypse. We have specialized Mutant squads that collect supplies, but ordinary people cannot just sit back and do nothing. They need to earn necessities through labor.
Over there, they are building a city wall. Although the wall cannot withstand high-level mutated zombies, it can still block ordinary zombies. This is also to provide everyone with a relatively safe environment."