Natural Disasters Strikes: I stockpiled like crazy!-Chapter 270: Apprentice Bio-Artificer

She and Weihao exchanged glances. So, it really was mosquito eggs! Smart as they were, it didn’t take them long to figure out that those frogs must havw been feeding on the mosquito eggs all this time.

Somehow, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, back then, they would have faced not only the mutant frogs but also the hordes of mosquitoes. The fight would have been infinitely harder—and far more dangerous.

But aside from the Crystal Water Facility, were there other places harboring mosquito eggs? Would Jade City itself face a similar tide of mosquitoes? The thought unsettled Nanzhi.

She asked Weihao for a favor. She sent along some parasitic algae, wintergreen flesh-caps, and a small section of the dead mangrove’s tree roots. Her goal was simple: she wanted the researchers to investigate and see if there was anything particularly interesting in the specimens.

Because this request came from a mysterious, esteemed person, Colonel Tang was more than accommodating. "Lin Boy," he said, "tell him he can leave it to me. I’ll make sure the researchers do their best to study these specimens. By the way, the research facility has almost completed developing an enhanced type of cotton fabric and a generator that runs on spars. I’ll report the good news once it’s finished."

Lin Weihao hummed in acknowledgment and ended the call.

A generator that runs on spars? Nanzhi’s eyes widened in surprise. Truly, as expected from a National Treasure—coming up with such an invention in just a month!

During the heat wave, power equipment had repeatedly overheated. Transmission lines sagged dangerously, causing short circuits and even massive fires. With water in short supply, fire departments struggled to extinguish the flames. Entire neighborhoods were lost. Crowds fled to evacuation centers, overcrowding them and spiking the number of casualties from heatstroke.

To prepare for the possibility of a mosquito tide, Nanzhi didn’t ride the bus with the others. Instead, she rode her KnightXV alongside Weihao, following behind the bus. This way, she could enter her Game Lobby anytime to continuously concoct serums, maximizing their production.

Baoyin had wanted to ride with her, but Nanzhi had specifically assigned her to watch over the children. Baoyin was reluctant, her face full of grievance, but Nanzhi promised her a feast and a dessert of her choice once the mission was complete. Only then did Baoyin board the bus with a smile, her earlier disappointment dissipating.

While repairing the bus, Bingwen and Hei Qian thought about Wang Ziqing and the children. Thanks to Nanzhi providing cribs, foam, and pillows, they converted a small section of the bus into a safe and comfortable space for the mothers and children. The remaining seats were also cushioned, ensuring a relatively smooth journey.

Now, the Wang Family—two uncles and the children—no longer expressed surprise or hesitation. They had become quietly grateful, knowing better than to question the generosity of those with real power. After all, they had witnessed, during winter, how neighbors who fell ill with the fever sometimes awakened elemental powers like fire or wind. Two days ago, they had seen Baoyin, Feng Ran, Hei Qian, and Bingwen fight monsters using their abilities. Their fear had been replaced with cautious admiration and trust.

Vroom!

The moment they set off, Nanzhi began concocting serums again. She only paused for meal times—or when hordes of alien beasts appeared to attack them.

Two days later, the temperature soared to 47 degrees Celsius. It would have been hot to travel in this weather even with the layer of insulation paint on the bus but because Nanzhi had been slipping Sunflare Fruits into their food, their heat resistance increase without them noticing.

For forty-eight hours straight, Nanzhi tirelessly concocted serums, eventually producing a total of 623 vials and gaining 311,500 EXP.

She was no longer a Novice Bio-Artificer; she had been promoted to Apprentice Bio-Artificer.

It should have been a cause for celebration, but the massive EXP bar dampened her enthusiasm.

[Apprentice Bio-Artificer – (264,000 / 2,000,000 EXP)]

[You managed to reach 100,000 EXP. Two million EXP should be just a piece of cake for you!]

Her lips twitched at the system’s teasing words.

Still, the promotion came with tangible benefits. At the Apprentice Bio-Artificer stage, she could reduce materials needed per serum by 10%. There was a 5% chance of recycling the materials from failed attempts. Most importantly, her mental energy increased by a staggering 100 points—the largest gain she had ever received. She could hardly wait to see how much energy the next stage would grant.

While waiting for the Buzzbane plants to mature, she used her exploration chances. On her third run, fortune favored her: she found the heat resistance serum, cleverly hidden in the fissures of a cliff wall.

[3-Star Heat Resistance Serum]

[-10 Sunflare fruits, 2 grams of crushed winter plum blossom leaves, 10 ml aloe juice, 5 ml honey (special honey preferred), 1 tsp electrolyte mineral mix]

[Effects: Temporarily increases tolerance to environmental heat by 50%–60%, reduces dehydration, improves sweating efficiency, and protects internal organs from heat stress. Duration: 12–15 hours]

Nanzhi’s eyes lit up reading its effects. Though temporary, this serum could save lives. Heatstroke was the leading cause of death during heat waves, followed by dehydration, exacerbation of pre-existing conditions, heat exhaustion, respiratory complications, and secondary factors. She shuddered recalling the casualty numbers in Jade City alone—it had been horrifying.

After consuming twenty Sunflare fruits, she could spend more time under the punishing sun in the resource dungeon. This allowed her to harvest even more: roughly twenty kilograms of Sunflare fruits and twenty-five additional plants, which she carefully planted in her Virtual Farm.

Despite her eagerness to produce the heat resistance serum, she focused first on the insect repellant serums.

Initially, the two uncles and Uncle Wang had been nervous facing alien beasts. But after two days of coordinated combat, they could handle Tier 0 monsters on their own. By working together, they could even take down a Tier 1 beast. The children, too, became more proficient, helping Baoyin and boosting her production efficiency by 20%.

Meanwhile, Wang Ziqing, unable to leave her child’s side, spent her free moments knitting clothes—outfits for her child, her father-in-law, and each of the children. The gesture was small, but it meant comfort and safety in an unforgiving world.

At night, they parked near a flea market and set up camp. Tomorrow, they would finally reach Longmen Base.

A kilometer away from the flea market, five cars could be seen driving down the road and killing alien beasts. Inside one of the cars was Lu Chenyu.