Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 260 The Upside-Down Tree
There's still a lot of time left in winter break, but the Spring Festival holiday is already over for adults.

On February 1st, the first day of official construction, a construction sign was erected at an intersection in the Dongyang Industrial Zone.

Excavators, cranes, trucks, and quite a few workers.

This intersection, along with its 100-meter extensions in all four directions, will undergo optimization and renovation. They won't be responsible for the road construction, but they will be in charge of the sidewalks, green belts, flower beds, and landscape walls along the roadside. It's a lucrative project.

However, there are still some small tasks to complete before starting work.

A huge elm tree was dug up and transplanted.

No one knows how old this elm tree is, but its size, requiring two people to encircle it, means it must be at least several decades old.

With no provenance, no ancient tree certification, and not a rare species, and located in a county industrial zone—a place with no tourism value—it would most likely have been disposed of haphazardly. Perhaps after being sawed down, the workers would even count the tree rings as a source of amusement.

Li Dongdong said the extra cost was only one or two thousand yuan, that was the amount after it came to him. In reality, transplanting a tree of this size is very troublesome.

Two days ago, someone had been intermittently watering the roots to ensure that the soil was moist enough to form a ball when the tree was dug up. Today, a support was erected, but even so, only 30% or less of the roots can be preserved, and most of them will be cut off and left in the soil.

Under the tree canopy, workers chatting as they worked to secure the supports.

"What a hassle, why not just cut them down? Elm trees aren't worth much anyway."

"You know what, this tree is kind of strange. It's so warm today, but as soon as you step under its canopy, you start to shiver from the cold."

“I heard from my grandfather that there used to be a prison in this industrial area where Chiang Kai-shek’s troops executed countless people, and there was even a cemetery attached to it.”

"Ugh~ Stop talking, it's giving me goosebumps."

At this point, a technician wearing a safety helmet, who was also there specifically to direct the transplant, appeared.

"It's okay, it's okay. The coolness under the tree is due to a combination of factors, including transpiration, light blocking, and the high specific heat capacity of the roots. Don't scare yourself."

The worker, who had been chatting idly, pointed upwards and asked, "What's the deal with these birds?"

The technician looked up and was stunned.

A dozen or so crows perched high above them, their scarlet eyes fixed on them, neither flying away nor cawing.

It felt incredibly creepy.

The technician wiped away his cold sweat: "Uh, it's okay, it's okay. Crows are the most intelligent birds. We can't threaten them from under the tree, so naturally they don't fly or caw."

Finally, with all preparations complete, the excavator began its banging work, digging out the roots and soil ball from under the elm tree. Of course, this process inevitably damaged the root system, or it would be more accurate to say that it was "digging soil out of the roots".

The root system below has already extended for more than ten meters.

The technicians who were guiding the transplantation looked on with a sense of regret, as so many roots had been cut down and it was uncertain whether they could survive. However, transplanting them was a good thing, since they would have been cut down and turned into timber anyway.

Hopefully it's lucky enough; the survival rate of transplanting in winter is actually higher than in summer, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Suddenly, the excavator stopped, and the driver rubbed his eyes: "The tree... the tree is bleeding?"

Everyone was stunned and immediately crowded around. Sure enough, they saw that the old tree roots in the pit were tangled and twisted, like limbs, with dark red liquid seeping out.

The technician, with a grave expression, signaled for the excavator to move away, then jumped into the pit, smeared some red liquid through his gloves, and smelled it.
After a moment, his brow relaxed: "It's alright, it's alright! This is resin. Many trees experience discoloration due to changes in soil elements, or it could be due to oxidation after exposure. This is definitely an elm tree; it's probably a soil issue."

See, I told you science can explain everything!
------

On the other side, at No. 99 Luochuan Road, there was also an excavator working.

Fortunately, the large iron gate here is a double gate, otherwise the excavator wouldn't be able to get in.

The reason Zhai Da didn't go over there to oversee the tree digging was because a large pit also needed to be dug here. The yard had enough space, but some of the paving stones needed to be removed, so it was a big project in itself.

It took from morning until afternoon to finally clear enough space. Zhai Da handed two drinks to the excavator operator and waited at the door for his blue equipment.

The winter break is already halfway over, with about ten days left.

These past few days, Zhai Da has spent most of his time with his mother. Although they no longer have any relatives in Dongyang, his mother has always needed to visit and exchange New Year's greetings with old colleagues, former leaders, and old friends throughout her life in Dongyang.

In the past, when the family was not well-off, they would usually only visit one or two people. Back then, the things they carried when they entered the house were a burden, like a luggage carousel. If someone brought something to them, they would not eat it and would send it back. A cured pig's head would go around in a big circle and might eventually end up back at their own home.

He might even be missing an ear.

This year is different. The economic situation is one aspect, but having a son like Zhai Da makes one feel incredibly proud when taking him out. And if you bring along your "daughter-in-law," who is also a top scorer, the prestige is doubled.

Ms. Yu doesn't need to say anything; just taking the two "handsome men and beautiful women" around is enough.

Every generation has its own way of showing off; we should understand that.

So Zhai Da traveled to different places every day, wandering through streets and alleys, becoming more familiar with Dongyang County than he had in his previous life.

Well, all in all, I received a few thousand yuan in red envelopes, which is a small gain. Today is the first day back to work after the holiday, but factories don't start operating that way. The wool mill workers haven't returned yet, so Yu Xiaoli's holiday is still going on. Zhai Da asked Lu Wei to accompany his mother to register for driving school, while he waited at Utopia for the equipment.

This was a bit abstract, so he didn't tell anyone and just secretly planted the tree.

Just then, he heard the sound of a large truck. Zhai Da looked outside and saw a semi-trailer carefully driving into the alley, with only a few centimeters of space between it and the other side.

On the truck lay a large tree wrapped in tarpaulin. Even though the canopy was restricted by the covering, it was still much wider than the truck itself. There was also a crane behind it.

A blue zigzag line appeared in Zhai Da's field of vision, pointing to the exposed tree trunk, but the information still indicated that it was "not owned".

The truck stopped in front of the door, and Li Dongdong jumped out: "Zhai Da! The trees have arrived!"

Zhai Da looked at the enormous object wrapped in tarpaulin and nodded, saying, "Thank you for your hard work. What's next? The car can't get into the yard, can it?"

"If the crane falls in, just put it in the pit and fill it with soil. Just follow instructions. There's a Mr. Liu over there who knows how to transplant."

Zhai Da went around to the back of the car to check the condition of the tree roots. The survival rate of transplanted trees depends mainly on the roots. It's impossible to bring back the entire root system of such a large tree. He could only hope that the damage wasn't too serious.

There was no other way but to transplant it. It wasn't just about getting equipment. If he hadn't "asked" for it, the tree would most likely have died anyway while the road was being repaired. By intervening, he actually increased the tree's chances of survival.

As a result, with a gentle tug on the tarpaulin, thick, dark red "blood" gushed out, about the amount in a whole bucket. Zhai Da quickly stepped back, but it still splashed onto his shoes.

Holy crap! What's going on?

Were there corpses under the tree that were dug up along with the body?

Master Liu came over and said, "It's alright, it's alright, it's just resin, don't be afraid!"

"Gah~gah~"

Just then, a dozen or so crows appeared overhead. Looking up, Mr. Liu remarked, "These birds are really clever; they've been chasing the trees all the way."

Zhai Da touched his lips, but ultimately said nothing.

This tree is a bit eerie.
The rest of the process went smoothly. The crane was deployed to lift the tree, and the tarpaulin covering the roots was removed. Inside, the soil ball was filled with bright red resin, which was occasionally dripping out.

After being placed in the large pit, the tree was covered with soil, secured, and nutrient solution was applied. Once the tarpaulin covering the canopy was removed, the tree appeared even more expansive, with a canopy over ten meters in diameter, which was not apparent before it was bound.

Many branches also show signs of being sawed off; otherwise, they would be even larger. This transplant has caused a lot of damage, and hopefully, they will survive.

After everything was finished, Mr. Liu left behind more than a dozen buckets of nutrient solution and some maintenance instructions. Zhai Da planned to hand them over to the sanitation workers who cleaned Utopia, but he still carefully wrote them down.

Finally, everyone gradually left, even Li Dongdong left after reminiscing in the classroom, leaving only Zhai Da in the courtyard.

The once tidy courtyard was now a mess, transformed into a "wasteland" scene. With the sun already at the edge of dusk, and the eerie atmosphere created by the trees, the ambiance was palpable.

"Gaga~ Gaga~"

The dozen or so crows seemed finally at ease, landing on the branches of the big tree as if they were making it their new home, and perched on the branches, watching Zhai Da one by one.

As the crows landed, the transplant was completely finished, and Zhai Da finally saw the changes in the system information, gaining ownership of the blue equipment.

For the first time, I saw all the equipment information for this strange old elm tree.

"Found a special item with blue rarity, [Execution of Old Elm]: There was once an old prison where every execution took place under a tree. Many people's last glimpse was of the old elm's canopy."

Status: Owned, activated.

“装备效果1：范围内意外事故概率+50%、致死率+100%，树身下方尸身腐烂速度加快300%，当前有效范围50米”

"Equipment Effect 2: Greatly increases the probability that creatures within range will have their 'thoughts' distorted into negative mental states, including but not limited to: despair, emptiness, anger, regret, which may drive them insane in severe cases. The current effective range is 50 meters."

"Equipment Effect 3: This [equipment] is a special living entity. After it is transformed into equipment, it has broken through the racial restrictions and enhanced its growth and absorption speed. If it receives proper care and nutrients, its equipment effect may be enhanced and refreshed. The specific situation depends on the nutrient situation. This effect cannot be turned off."

"Note: Breaking racial restrictions does not mean it is invincible; it will still die if it tries to do things recklessly."

"Special Effect → Upside-down Tree: Immune to the negative ecological effects of upside-down planting. If planted upside down, all its effects will be reversed, but will be 'weakened'."

"Current reversal effect: Slightly increases luck within range, increases vitality under the tree trunk by 15%, and increases immunity by 5%. Slightly increases the probability of intelligent beings within range having their 'thoughts' transformed into positive mental states, including but not limited to: inspiration, happiness, satisfaction, and stability."

"Unsealing task: Provide the carcass of a large, warm-blooded animal weighing no less than 50KG as nourishment. The carcass must be basically intact. Quantity requirement (0/5), human bodies are calculated at five times."

Note 1: This tree can continue to grow, depending on what you provide for it, or it can kill nearby life to obtain nutrients.

"Note 2: It does not have the ability to inherit special traits. Seeds, flowers, leaves, and sap do not have any special effects and are only related to the main body. At least for now."

"Note 3: You may have noticed that the value of 'upside down' is much lower than that of 'right-side up', so please reconsider?"

(End of this chapter)