Chapter 307: Mortality and Morbidity Rates
A vast expanse of rubble was cleared, the ground leveled anew, and rows of simple temporary shelters rose under the coordinated efforts of numerous Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Zhang Yu was assigned to a six-person room. As he carried his luggage inside, he saw Che Yufei, an elderly student with snow-white hair, and a monsterfolk student with a face covered in bristly fur.
Seeing Zhang Yu, Che Yufei smiled. “First-year? I’m Che Yufei, a sixth-year student.” He gestured to the monsterfolk beside him. “This is Shi Yunxiang, a fourth-year student.”
With that, Che Yufei thrust a handful of Dao Heart Buffer Capsules toward Zhang Yu. “Want some?”
Zhang Yu shook his head, smiling. “They’re too addictive. I don’t really take them.”
Though Zhang Yu possessed an exceptionally high tolerance for medications, he had always avoided Dao Heart Buffer Capsules.
Che Yufei blinked in surprise, giving Zhang Yu a peculiar look. He seemed genuinely puzzled that a university student, especially one from the Civil Engineering Department, would refuse them.
Shi Yunxiang, standing nearby, snatched the Dao Heart Buffer Capsule from Che Yufei’s hand and swallowed it. Speaking with the air of an experienced senior, he lectured, “Kid, when I was a freshman, I was just like you — thinking that after all the hardships I endured in high school, nothing could scare me anymore.”
“Heh…” he chuckled dryly, feeling the capsule’s stimulant surge through his brain. “But once the project officially kicks off, you’ll realize that all those high school ‘hardships’ and ‘exhaustion’ are nothing compared to what university life throws at you.”
“Without this stuff, you really can’t survive.”
Zhang Yu offered no rebuttal, nor did he argue. After all, Shi Yunxiang meant well. He simply disliked relying on Dao Heart Buffer Capsules.
Seeing Zhang Yu’s attitude, Che Yufei and Shi Yunxiang refrained from pressing the issue. In their minds, it wouldn’t be long before the newcomer was driven half to death by the workload. By then, he’d likely be popping more capsules than even they did.
One by one, the remaining students in the six-person dorm arrived. Zhang Yu observed that Che Yufei, a sixth-year student, was the oldest among them.
Among them, four were Second Layer people, with Zhang Yu as the sole First Layer Person and another student from the Third Layer.
After brief introductions, the group settled into their own routines: studying, practicing breathing techniques, or cultivating their cultivation arts outdoors.
After taking a stroll outside, Zhang Yu asked, somewhat puzzled, “Are there no restrooms here?”
Che Yufei glanced at him with amusement, thinking to himself, “Just as I thought, a delicate freshman. You haven’t undergone augmentation? Nor installed Bionics? No matter…”
He pointed outside. “Isn’t the whole construction site your toilet? Just find a secluded spot outside and relieve yourself wherever you need to.”
After a period of rest, the group gathered for their first dinner on the construction site.
Zhang Yu examined the rows of medication lists that appeared in his Bionic Eye, each entry detailing its effects and side effects. On the adjacent holographic human model, areas affected by side effects glowed red.
One such example was the Heart-Burning Pill, designed to accelerate vital energy accumulation and enhance muscle training. However, its side effects included increased cardiac strain, which could lead to cardiovascular disease with long-term use, as indicated by a large red area highlighting the heart on the holographic model.
The Yin Fiend Marrow-Corroding Pill, which increases the coldness of Magic Power but erodes bone and marrow, can easily cause anemia, fever, or even leukemia with long-term use.
Then there’s the Tendon-Corroding Liver Meridian Powder, which tears and reshapes meridians to accelerate Magic Power flow, but strains the liver and increases susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections.
Zhang Yu also noticed that with each medication he selected, the numerical values displayed on the adjacent human figure would change.
Sudden Death Probability: 0.06% Leukemia Probability: 0.012% Septicemia Probability: 0.034%
Zhang Yu realized this system calculated the risks associated with his medication choices, predicting the likelihood of adverse effects.
Over the following days, as he added more medications to his regimen, the probabilities of various illnesses and death steadily increased.
Fu Ji, observing the medication selection interface through Zhang Yu’s Bionic, remarked, “They’ve thought this through quite well. Instead of letting you focus your abuse on one part of your body, they encourage you to distribute the strain evenly, so you can live a bit longer.”
“The Civil Engineering Department is surprisingly humane. This single service has significantly extended the lifespans of its students.”
After Zhang Yu selected a five-drug combo meal, his order arrived shortly.
Che Yufei, who was sitting nearby, couldn’t help but remark as he watched Zhang Yu consume such a large quantity: “Freshman, take it easy.”
Zhang Yu smiled faintly. “It’s fine,” he replied. “My drug tolerance is quite high.”
Che Yufei shook his head dismissively. “Every student who gets into Myriad Laws University must have a decent drug tolerance, right?” he thought. “Once Zhang Yu visits the infirmary after overdoing it, he’ll learn his lesson.”
Zhang Yu first switched his Chain Formation Diagram set to the University Sacred Body configuration, then swallowed the drugs. He immediately felt waves of scalding medicinal power erupt from his abdomen, surging through his limbs and bones like a raging tide, assaulting his internal organs, muscles, and skeleton.
Feeling his entire body burning, Zhang Yu felt as if a volcano was about to erupt from his chest.
“Such ferocious medicinal power,” he thought inwardly.
He immediately stepped outside his room and began practicing Spring and Autumn Endless Zen to digest the medicinal power.
He also noticed that many students from the Poor Class had started cultivating shortly after finishing their meals.
As Zhang Yu practiced the Spring and Autumn Endless Zen, he felt the medicinal power surge through his body. Under its catalytic force, his muscles and bones showed signs of growth and development.
Simultaneously, Zhang Yu noticed his heart pounding violently, and minute injuries appeared in various organs.
He immediately channeled the Crippled Ox Body-Sacrifice Heart Art with all his might, continuously stimulating his body’s regenerative abilities to counteract the medicinal power’s side effects.
While Zhang Yu and Che Yufei were struggling to digest their evening meal…
Gongshu Jin was also partaking in his first dinner at the construction site.
Unlike the potent, side-effect-laden drugs Zhang Yu and his companions had ingested to forcibly unlock their potential, the medications Gongshu Jin and his seniors were taking had undergone multiple layers of human filtration, resulting in minimal side effects. Moreover, each formula was custom-tailored to their individual physiques and cultivation arts, meticulously safeguarding their bodies like precious treasures while accumulating their potential for a future breakthrough.
Naturally, such personalized pharmaceutical services came at an exorbitant price.
Gongshu Jin glanced out the window at Zhang Yu and the others engaged in body refinement exercises. They reminded him of a bottle being relentlessly squeezed for water that wasn’t there, as if trying to force out every last drop.
“Insufficient potential requires such extreme stimulation, expending every effort to squeeze out even the slightest improvement,” he thought.
Feeling his own body naturally strengthening under the drug’s effects, Gongshu Jin mused inwardly, “With sufficient potential, even doing nothing… one’s potential will slowly overflow on its own.”
After finishing their post-dinner digestion, a wave of divine power mixed with spiritual energy swept across the entire construction site.
Fu Ji’s heart stirred. “The Spirit Realm Network is fully operational,” she announced.
Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye flashed as he received a network access notification from Tu Lishan.
Following the construction site’s schedule, everyone began their designated online study session for the day.
As the Spirit Realm Network connected, Zhang Yu’s heart lifted with joy. “So the construction site really does have internet access after all!” he thought.
But the next moment, seeing the tenfold network charges, he cursed inwardly, “This is highway robbery!”
Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Yu first sent messages to Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Pianpian to reassure them of his safety. Then he requested lecture notes and online study materials from Yu Xinghan before immediately disconnecting from the Spirit Realm Network.
The so-called “online study materials” were simply video recordings of the day’s lectures.
The workers were required to watch an entire day’s worth of lectures at ten times the speed to maximize their time for construction work and personal cultivation.
As Zhang Yu watched the teachers speak at breakneck pace and their figures flicker rapidly across the screen, he studied the content while thinking, “Actually… this isn’t so bad. It’s saving me a lot of time on lectures.”
“But did Yu Xinghan send me the wrong file? This looks like his own recording of the lecture.”
Watching Yu Xinghan’s Bionic Eye-recorded lecture video, Zhang Yu couldn’t help but curse, “That idiot… why is he always filming Ying Xin? I want to see the teacher!”
Yu Xinghan was watching the view count of his short videos, thinking to himself, “Does Ying Xin’s footage always get the most views?”
He mused, “Maybe I should try filming a massage parlor visit next time?”
Just as Zhang Yu, Che Yufei, and the others had quickly finished their online classes and were preparing to start work, Gongshu Jin’s classes were just beginning.
Because Gongshu Jin’s daily workload wasn’t as heavy as Zhang Yu’s group, he had more time to dedicate to studying.
At that moment, Gongshu Jin’s consciousness had already ventured deep into the Spirit Realm, receiving guidance from his teachers.
After paying extra, he not only received one-on-one instruction, but the Spirit Realm classroom had achieved over 99% realism, making it feel as if he were receiving face-to-face guidance from his teachers in the real world.
As Gongshu Jin continued to pay more, the entire learning space began to accelerate. First at 2x speed, then 4x, and finally, after his consciousness gradually adapted to the accelerated flow, it reached 10x speed.
This meant that within the Spirit Realm’s consciousness space, he could study for ten times longer than he could in the Material World.
Gongshu Jin was accustomed to this. As long as he had money, time could be accelerated — time itself could be bought.
Amidst the ruins, the students of the Poor Class had already begun their first night’s work — continuing to clear the debris.
According to the plan, they were to completely clear the entire factory area’s ruins within half a month, preparing the site for the subsequent construction of a new factory.
Tu Lishan’s warnings resurfaced in Zhang Yu’s Bionic Eye: “This used to be the Puppet Factory established by Mountains and Rivers College. After an attack by several Golden Core Realm criminals, all production lines were completely destroyed.”
Tu Lishan: “Though some time has passed, residual Golden Core Realm Magic Power may still linger within the area.”
Tu Lishan: “Additionally, fragments of the Puppet Factory’s original Factory Protection Formation and Feng Shui Formation might still be partially active.”
Tu Lishan: “Furthermore, the puppet manufacturing process used highly polluting materials. Handling them requires extreme caution…”
Zhang Yu took a deep breath, circulating his Magic Power throughout his body, activating the Mountain True Form Manual, causing his body to subtly expand.
He cautiously moved through the ruins, channeling his Gang Qi to pulverize sections of crumbling walls and shattered structures before clearing them away.