Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 257: Upgrading to Tier 4

In the first part of the night, Nanzhi stood watch while Weihao absorbed the energy from the Tier 3 spars. The three others were not idle either—they sat in meditative positions and began absorbing Tier 2 spars as well.

Uncle Wang and the others were already fast asleep.

Hei Qian remained silent. It was evident he was frustrated at his lack of power.

Nanzhi saw her past self in him—that same feeling of powerlessness, slowly gnawing at her from the inside, breeding insecurity. She could relate.

"Hei Qian, is this the drone you made?" Nanzhi took the broken drone from her inventory.

Hei Qian blinked and bobbed his head.

"You made this on your own? It’s amazing. I don’t even know how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. I’ve always been curious about how a drone is made. Can you show me?" For once, the taciturn Nanzhi found herself unusually talkative.

The young man’s ears turned red. He scratched his head and couldn’t meet Nanzhi’s eyes, embarrassed by her praise. Still, he nodded, grabbed his bag, and took out the tools and parts he needed. In a small, shy voice, he murmured, "S—Sister-in-law, you’re exaggerating... my skills aren’t that great..."

Hei Qian assembled a drone from scratch in less than an hour. For someone who claimed his skills weren’t great, Nanzhi was left speechless. He was genuinely humble.

The young man twiddled his fingers, then mustered the courage to say, "S—Sister-in-law, if you want... I—I can also teach you... how to solve a Rubik’s Cube..."

That night, Hei Qian’s insecurities seemed to vanish, and he slept well. It turned out that his sister-in-law wasn’t perfect—there were things even she didn’t know.

Watching the young man smile in his sleep, Nanzhi exhaled in relief.

Not long after, one by one, the others finished their meditation.

Baoyin, Feng Ran, and Bingwen each upgraded one stage. It wouldn’t be long before they reached Tier 3. Clenching their fists, they felt the surge of power in their bodies and immediately excused themselves to take the night patrol duty, eager to spend their excess energy.

Nanzhi looked at them all, full of vitality. It was a pity—the Guild Function was not yet open; otherwise, she could have used their surplus energy to stock up on packaged products.

Meanwhile, Weihao upgraded to Tier 3 Late Stage. The aura around him became even more oppressive.

"Congratulations," she said, beaming.

Lin Weihao’s sharp features softened under her gaze. But the expression was fleeting, replaced by seriousness and concern. He parted his lips and said, "Zhi Zhi, be careful when absorbing the Tier 4 spar. If you feel something’s wrong, stop immediately and come to me."

Nanzhi knew exactly what he meant. Before she died in her past life, she had heard about the dangers of absorbing Tier 4 spars. Back then, while others were still Tier 2, Lin Weihao was already Tier 4.

Unaware of the risks, he had nearly suffered a backlash. He hadn’t kept the knowledge to himself, sharing it with other bases to minimize future casualties. Lin Weihao had been a superstar in his time—any information about him, even romantic gossip, became hot topics among survivors.

Although Nanzhi already knew much of this, some details were still unclear. Weihao had told her everything he knew, including what she herself had shared with him in the past.

She walked to the next empty room and entered her Game Lobby.

The azure-blue spar pulsed in her palm like a living heart.

The energy was dozens of times denser than the Tier 3 spars she had absorbed before.

She sat cross-legged and closed her eyes.

The moment her mental energy touched the spar, a terrifying surge rushed through her. Her once-stable mental sea exploded into violent waves, crashing against invisible boundaries.

The Parasitic Vine Frog’s residual will still lingered within the spar—wild, ferocious, instinct-driven.

A massive phantom frog formed above her Mind Palace, its eyes bulging, its body cracking silently as it attempted to devour the space.

Nanzhi’s brows furrowed. So this was what Lin Weihao had been warning her about. In her past life, she would have likely succumbed to this intimidation. But after her rebirth, she knew the Parasitic Vine Frog was less threatening than humans without morals.

"You’re dead. Behave."

Her mental power shot out like spears, wrapping around the phantom. Her Mind Palace responded instantly, pressure descending like a collapsing sky.

The frog struggled, trying to break free.

"Still struggling?" Nanzhi smiled coldly.

More mental spears shot from her body toward the frog. The waves stopped rioting and began to spin, forming a vortex.

The frog could not withstand the suction. It was dragged in, crushed, refined, and absorbed into Nanzhi’s spar.

Inside the Game Lobby, a shockwave burst from her body.

The mental pressure radiating from her made the air feel thick and heavy.

If Weihao had been present, he would have known instantly that she had successfully upgraded to Tier 4.

What was surprising was that it hadn’t even been half an hour, and she had already finished absorbing the energy.

Nanzhi could feel her mental reserves had multiplied several times. It was true—after every three ranks, the energy underwent a qualitative transformation.

Zhao Lin, the Gale Team, and the father and son, Luo Gang and Tao’er, returned to the base after a fruitless night of searching for Elder Meng.

Because the night was deep and the mosquitoes had grown more aggressive, they had no choice but to wait until morning.

"Damn these bloodsuckers! There were only one or two mosquitoes a week ago. Why are there so many now?" Dao Yin muttered irritably as she stared at the angry red spots on her hands and wrists.

Everyone had the same red spots, none were spared.

Zhao Lin lowered her head, her expression heavy with guilt and frustration. "This is all my fault. If only I had stepped in earlier..." Ever since what happened with Helen, she had hesitated to involve herself in similar situations, afraid of being repaid with hostility in the end.

Dao Yin gently patted her best friend’s back. "Don’t carry everything on yourself."

Tao’er sniffled, his small voice trembling. "Dad... I miss Grandpa Meng..."

Luo Gang lifted his son into his arms and carefully wiped the boy’s tears with his sleeve. His voice was low but firm. "Don’t worry. We’ll find them. Dad promised you. Miss Zhao has seen their faces. Tomorrow, we’ll find them."

Tao’er buried his face into his father’s chest.