What made Li Ke even more devastated was that neither of the two women seemed to care much about the bed or the room—one was heartbroken, and the other had just returned from the battlefield.
Expecting them to care about things like beds was a luxury, so Li Ke pitifully covered his ears with his tattered blanket, trying his best to sleep.
And then, he really couldn't sleep.
Moonlight streamed in through the specially left window, allowing Li Ke to clearly see the snow-white skin of the female ninja named Tsunade—skin whiter than moonlight itself. The graceful curves and smooth skin were captivating, drawing Li Ke's complete attention.
But…
"There are no female merchants here to relieve the pressure now."
Li Ke lay on his soft blanket, on the verge of tears. He feared that continuing to watch would lead to his mental breakdown, causing him to suddenly attack Tsunade, only to be instantly killed by her punch.
So, naturally, he suffered from insomnia again.
The reason for his insomnia wasn't hard to spot, so when Kiri woke up, she couldn't help but burst into laughter at Li Ke's embarrassed expression, causing him to flee rather awkwardly to the female merchant's room. He went straight to her shop to look at the steel frame, without even eating.
However, the steel frame still gave him a considerable surprise. Using the system directly resulted in a system block with only 10,000 health points, but once he chose to materialize it, it became a one-cubic-meter steel block.
Furthermore, before materializing it, Li Ke can select the shape of a steel block in the system interface. After trying it again, he found a deformed pure steel casting in front of him!
This immediately sparked countless ideas in Li Ke's mind about how to build it.
"I should be able to use a steel frame as a foundation, and then use these steel castings to form a real steel wall on the outside."
Li Ke watched the steel blocks constantly transforming into various shapes under his control, and couldn't help but show an excited expression. It was just a pity that there weren't any iron plates with screw holes among them; otherwise, he would definitely have filled the system steel blocks, which only had the most basic framework, with two or three layers of steel plates.
After all, the durability of things in system mode is not like that in reality. While digitization brings convenience, it also means that the durability of this thing is destined to be lower than that of non-system mode things.
Therefore, using system castings as the skeleton inside and non-system castings on the outside is the most reasonable thing to do.
"Let me see what shapes can be modified..."
Li Ke quickly searched among the deformable castings for components that could fit into the steel frame and become the system mode frame, and found quite a few suitable things.
One type of component, with a cylindrical lower half and a steel plate upper half, caught his attention. These components could perfectly fit into another type of steel block that had transformed into a cube, but unfortunately, there was nowhere to secure ropes or similar items, making it unsuitable as a final choice.
Therefore, Li Ke had to search for more components and eventually chose a model.
He found some cylindrical transformations within the frame and placed them on the invincible wall. Then, he transformed the steel frame again into a hollow cylinder, preparing to materialize it and fit it onto this cylinder.
If the plan went smoothly, when zombies attacked, the steel cylinder, not the steel frame inside, would bear the brunt of the attack.
"It should work..."
Li Ke licked his lips, separated a hollow steel cylinder, and materialized it in the world.
In an instant, a steel pillar, one meter long and one meter in diameter, appeared before Li Ke. Although it materialized into a cylinder made of two thick steel plates, even those plates were a full ten centimeters thick!
The sheer thickness provided an absolute sense of security. Li Ke patted the steel pillar in front of him, his smile gradually turning into a distorted expression.
"I refuse to believe these zombies can dig this thing through with their bare hands..."
The memory of being dug through in the RV was still vivid in his mind. He really didn't want to experience that feeling again. However, he discovered something very embarrassing...
"This thing is so heavy..."
Li Ke used all his strength, but he couldn't lift it.
Looking at the steel pillar at his feet, Li Ke was dumbfounded. Then he silently calculated its approximate weight.
Because the circumference and height were both one meter, and the thickness was ten centimeters, Li Ke's estimation was relatively quick, and he swiftly calculated the thing's weight.
"Damn, two and a half tons. If I remember correctly, even a human strongman can only lift a little over five hundred kilograms, less than six hundred kilograms..."
Looking at the wall in front of him, Li Ke felt a bit dumbfounded.
This was a very awkward situation. He had found something that could protect him, and even found a perfect method, but because of this, the plan could not be completed.
Just as he was worrying, Tsunade and Kiri, carrying pickaxes, walked over. Tsunade saw Li Ke's helpless expression and walked over curiously.
"What's wrong?"
She looked at the steel pillar that Li Ke had built on the wall with some curiosity, after all, what was mentioned before was not this kind of thing, but those small steel boxes.
"Um, Tsunade, you've come at the perfect time. I need your help with something. We need to figure out a way to fit this onto this, and then test if my idea will work..."
Before Li Ke could finish speaking, Tsunade rolled her eyes, grabbed the steel pillar that Li Ke could only partially lift, easily raised it, and then slipped it onto the system cylinder.
The whole process was fluid and effortless, as if she were lifting a piece of plastic rather than a steel pillar.
But seeing how effortlessly she did it, Li Ke couldn't help but swallow hard, involuntarily looking at Tsunade's fair hands and her soft, seemingly muscle-less arms.
"..."
Thank goodness I'm rational enough!
Li Ke was very grateful for this, and also grateful that he had the presence of a female merchant to help him release his excessive energy. Otherwise, if he were to attempt to control Tsunade using hemophobia due to his boundless energy, she wouldn't even need to be serious; a single punch would likely pierce through his body.
"Is this okay? But won't that system component inside lose durability by doing this?"
Tsunade tapped the steel pillar she had placed there, understanding Li Ke's thoughts.
"Yes, so we need to test it with an attack."
Li Ke nodded. If the system component still lost durability after being attacked even with a shell, then the problem remained.
"Then let me do it."
Just as Li Ke was thinking, Tsunade raised her hand again and punched the steel pillar.
In an instant, a shockwave and a piercing sound erupted where her fist struck, and the hollow steel pillar, which had merely rested on the cylinder, shifted its position.
As Tsunade withdrew her arm, Li Ke clearly saw that the steel pillar, theoretically indestructible by flesh and blood, now bore a deep fist-shaped mark.
"I didn't use much strength, but it should be much stronger than those zombies. If it can withstand this, it should be fine."
Tsunade said, removing the hollow steel pillar from the system cylinder.
The next moment, the full durability bar made Tsunade raise an eyebrow.
"Looks like the world's setting is quite interesting."
Li Ke also breathed a sigh of relief. If that was the case, then there was no problem. As long as two layers of such defensive walls were built, everything should be alright.
Thinking this, Li Ke planned to hand over all the steel blocks to Tsunade to build the steel house. But the next moment, he saw Tsunade reinsert the hollow steel pillars and raise her fist again.
Li Ke froze for a moment, then quickly covered his ears with Kiri and avoided the direction from which he might be attacked. The next moment, Tsunade punched again, but this time the punch was clearly much more serious.
The sound was still ear-piercing, but the next moment, Li Ke clearly saw that the steel pillar he had placed his hopes on not only flew out but also landed directly in the crater, its original shape unrecognizable; only the part that Tsunade had struck was visible, pierced through.
Li Ke stiffly turned his neck to look at Tsunade, who was stretching her arm.
"You old lady, one punch has 10,000 durability points??"
"Hmm, I used a bit more force this time. I had to punch through it to take care of it. That should be enough to defend against the zombie horde you mentioned."
Tsunade spoke calmly, stretching her arms and letting the cute white rabbit jump around.
Although it was just a normal movement, in this situation, she exuded incredible dominance.
"My god… are you really human? You really haven't undergone any modifications…"
Kiri stared at Tsunade in astonishment. The strongest people she'd ever seen were only capable of smashing people with concrete pipes; more strength required physical modifications or wearing exoskeletons.
And even with mechanical exoskeletons, she'd never heard of a human that could punch through steel—of course, it was possible she was just unfamiliar with the world.
After all, she was just a roaming gunslinger in a lawless zone.
"This is the power of chakra, but there aren't many ninjas who can reach my level."
Tsunade shrugged, preparing to continue mining, but Li Ke once again stood firmly in front of her, earnestly taking out all the steel frames from his body and extending them to Tsunade.
"Please, can you also do some construction work too?"
Undoubtedly, Tsunade was the most suitable person to be a construction worker!
"Hey... don't always assign me strange jobs... oh well, it seems only I can do it anyway, and my only use is my strength."
Tsunade's eye twitched as she took the bag Li Ke offered, removing all the steel frames from his body, but just to be on the safe side, she still said something beforehand.
"Then I'll see how it goes, but don't expect me to do it perfectly."
"Of course!"
Li Ke naturally had no objections.
"Then leave it to me, Kiri, You help out too. Oh, and by the way, since you've asked me, could you get me some alcohol, cards, mahjong, and dice? It's getting a bit boring doing this every day."
Tsunade took the opportunity to make a few small requests, which Li Ke readily agreed to without hesitation.
"Of course!"
"Can you say it another way?"
"Of course!"
"..."
Looking at the inexplicably excited Li Ke, Tsunade couldn't help but cover her forehead. She felt that Li Ke was getting a little too excited.
And indeed, that was the case.
Li Ke was indeed extremely excited. After realizing that Tsunade could build a perfect fortress to defend against zombies, he isn't just excited; he was practically ecstatic.
Because it meant he could relax and no longer worry about the zombie horde!
Although he had accepted Tsunade's task, Li Ke still watched as Tsunade first experimented with a wooden frame and then built it with a steel frame. He couldn't help but praise her; Tsunade was indeed reliable.
And so was Kiri. With the help of these two, a seemingly reliable defensive barrier was being built rapidly.
Li Ke went to do his own tasks halfway through, and within an hour, he had completed all four tasks.
As always, the loot wasn't plentiful. The best item he found was twenty bullets, leaving Li Ke speechless and unsure how to even begin to describe it.
However, the mission rewards were quite good. He obtained twenty Molotov cocktails, a revolver (perfect for Kiri), and some valuable medical supplies.
This time, Li Ke allocated all four points he earned to his Strength stat, instantly raising his Strength level to level five!
Level five Strength allowed Li Ke to perform his usual actions with only one-fifth of his normal strength! And when using his full power, he could unleash five times the power!
Level five Strength!
Five times the strength!
Five times the power!
He, Li Ke, had instantly transformed from a weakling into someone five times stronger!
This wasn't just a random increase in strength, with each level adding a fixed amount; it amplified Li Ke's own strength by five hundred percent!
In an instant, Li Ke's confidence soared. He took a steel frame from his workbench, which was constantly being used to create steel frames, and materialized a hollow steel pillar that he had just been unable to lift no matter what he did. Then, with a monstrous smile, he solidified it, letting the heavy steel pillar fall to the ground.
Then, with a confident expression, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed both ends, and then—
He got up.
But not completely.
"..."
Looking at the hollow steel pillar that he could only lift a little before wanting to let go, unable to lift it like Tsunade, Li Ke fell silent.
Tsunade, who had come over to retrieve a steel frame, looked at Li Ke and almost laughed.
"You must have gained a strength boost through some skill points, but if your original strength wasn't strong, even a huge boost wouldn't help, right?"
Tsunade's precise finishing touch made Li Ke silently release the hollow steel pillar in his hand. Like a wooden prisoner, he walked away quietly, much to the amusement of Kiri and Tsunade.
Indeed, if those hard-working strongmen, those who constantly train their physical abilities, combined with a proper diet and rigorous training, could lift over five hundred kilograms, how could Li Ke, an office worker, possibly think his strength could be compared to theirs...?
However, the three of them still encountered some accidents during the construction process.
When Tsunade had built the steel pillar to fifteen meters and was preparing to turn, she had just placed a system-built steel pillar on top when everything she had constructed collapsed in an instant!
Caught off guard, Tsunade, along with the system pillars they had built on the invincible wall, plummeted downwards!
Li Ke instinctively tried to lunge forward, but before he could do anything, Tsunade threw a kunai with threads attached, pinning it to a remaining earthen pillar. Then, with a single punch, she cleared all the steel pillars blocking her path, swinging steadily to the other side of the stairs, escaping danger.
However, a large number of solidified steel pillars tumbled directly into the excavated pit, including the ones Tsunade had solidified for convenience. They were all knocked down by the sudden fall and rolled into the deep hole.
The system pillars deformed instantly in mid-air, turning into chunks of H-beams.
Looking at the mess on the ground, the three of them looked grim, as the distance between them and the ground below was approximately thirty meters.
"Damn it… I didn't expect there to be such a setting."
Li Ke cursed, looking at the steel pillars below. He had told Tsunade that the system blocks had limits, but he never imagined that just a corner would cause them to lose everything.
"It's alright, I'll go down and get it after I finish eating. It'll only take about an hour. It's just a shame about those systematic steel pillars... And don't worry too much about me, I won't die from this height."
Tsunade, slowly walking up, was also a little shaken. If she hadn't carried a roll of steel wire and kunai as a precaution, she really would have fallen!
Although...
Although she wouldn't die from the fall anyway.
Li Ke: "..."
I...
I really unable to comprehend ninjas.