Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

She lifted a corner of the tent flap, revealing a swirling cloud of smoke from burning mugwort and other herbs. The camp had taken drastic measures to prevent the grasshoppers from returning.

She coughed twice, about to complain, when suddenly the space in her mind started flashing wildly!

This is... a reward for saving so many people?

She perked up and immediately focused her mind, as a series of messages popped up:

[You have successfully rescued everyone in the camp from a deadly crisis. Merit +2000!]

Su Wanqing's eyes widened in disbelief—2000 merit points! She had never received so many at once before! This was enough for not only the next level of space, but even the level after that!

That's awesome, so incredibly awesome!

[You have received a special infusion: a random critical hit of 666-1999 times! (Saved)]

hiss--!

The highest random critical hit before was only 999 times, but this time it's doubled, with the lowest being 666 times! If this were used on good stuff... wouldn't that be a huge profit?

[You have obtained the Craftsmanship Grid - Perfect Upgrade (Saved): Allows you to perfectly upgrade any number of items (limited to one inventory slot).]

Su Wanqing's breathing became rapid.

This is even more amazing! Last time, she wanted to upgrade dozens of tractors, which required spending tens of kilograms of precious energy. This one spot will save her at least several hundred kilograms! She's always been reluctant to use precious energy for a perfect upgrade, but now she can get it for free!

Her mind raced—what would be a good choice? Food? Too wasteful. Household goods? How much could they be upgraded to? Like a camera, the next upgrade would just be a slightly better resolution, which wouldn't do justice to a perfect upgrade, and would be too wasteful!

If it could be applied to a technology that the country desperately needs... such as aerospace materials, radar equipment, or even fighter jets and tanks... a random critical hit followed by a perfect upgrade, wouldn't the country take off?

It's just that the source is not easy to explain.

Never mind, I'll save it for now. I'll find the right one eventually.

Although there were only three rewards this time, and no physical items, each one was substantial. All she gave up were some enhanced spiritual springs, but in return, she got these—a huge win!

……

Just as he finished looking at the rewards, the tent flap was lifted, and Zhou Yanshen crawled inside.

"Awake?" He held up a lunchbox. "Hungry? I've been keeping the chestnuts and wolf meat warm for you. You've had a hard day." He paused, somewhat apologetically. "It's smoky outside, bear with it. Why don't you find your mask and wear it? Everyone's worried that the bastard will come back, it's a bit too smoky."

Su Wanqing rummaged through her luggage and pulled out a mask, putting it on: "Okay, bring the food in. Take out what we brought and eat it too. The smoke from this place is really too strong."

Zhou Yanshen put down his lunchbox, his expression grave: "There's nothing we can do now. A lot of people died in the fire today, but Commander Zhao said this place is too eerie, with insects constantly emerging. We plan to move camp tomorrow, otherwise we might all be wiped out again if we're not careful."

Su Wanqing's expression changed, and she immediately activated her Eye of Insight.

Within thirty meters, the grasshoppers were indeed gone, but other insects—ants, centipedes, and unidentified small beetles—were swarming out of the cracks in the ground, densely packed and restless, as if disturbed by something.

She suddenly stood up: "Zhou Yanshen, come with me to the river!"

After saying that, he ran outside.

Zhou Yanshen grabbed his clothes and chased after her, draping them over her shoulders: "It's chilly at night! Don't rush, be careful not to catch a cold!" He followed helplessly, wishing he could hold her in his arms.

The campsite was not far from the river, making it easy to fetch water. The two of them came to the riverbank with flashlights, and Su Wanqing squatted down to take a closer look—on the riverbank, thin streams were bubbling out from the cracks in the ground, gurgling like boiling water.

"This..." Zhou Yanshen frowned, "How can river water be gushing out of the ground? I've never seen this phenomenon before."

Su Wanqing took a deep breath, her heart pounding: "Zhou Yanshen, quickly wake everyone up! This could very well be a sign of an impending earthquake!"

She pointed to the restless insects: "Look at these insects, they're all scrambling out from underground, so agitated. The large-scale appearance of these grasshoppers isn't necessarily because they're attracted by the smell of blood, but more likely—something is happening underground that's forcing them out."

She then pointed to the surging water on the riverbank: "This is called an anomaly in the water table. Before an earthquake, crustal movement compresses the aquifer, causing groundwater to gush out along cracks. Also, have you heard any strange noises from the ground today? Or seen any unusual small animals?"

Zhou Yanshen's expression instantly turned serious: "This afternoon, several horses kept neighing, and we couldn't stop them. I thought they were frightened by a pack of wolves..."

"That's it." Su Wanqing spoke quickly. "Before an earthquake, animals are more sensitive than humans. Horses will be startled, insects will flee, and water will surge. We must evacuate immediately and leave this dangerous area!"

Zhou Yan took a deep breath. This sounded unbelievable, but he believed Su Wanqing.

He confirmed again, "Wanqing, are you sure it's an earthquake precursor? And in our area?"

Su Wanqing nodded emphatically: "Go quickly and call for help! Tell everyone to evacuate the camp immediately. Don't worry about valuables, survival is the priority! This camp is set up in a mountain valley, surrounded by mountains on two sides. If an earthquake occurs, landslides and rockfalls could bury us all. I'll go get the baskets and first-aid kit. Now we'll find a safe place. You tell everyone to gather and evacuate to the east!"

"Okay!" Zhou Yanshen took off his coat and wrapped it around her, squeezing her hand tightly. "Don't go get it. I'll notify them and they'll get these things. Find a flat spot first, we'll be right there!"

"Okay." Anyway, she has her own space, so she's not worried about running out of supplies. At worst, she can secretly find a way to take some out.

Zhou Yanshen turned and ran, pulling out his whistle as he ran and blowing it with all his might—the sharp, urgent whistle pierced the night sky, signaling the highest-level emergency assembly order in the camp!

"Sh-sh-sh-!"

The entire camp erupted in chaos.

Regiment Commander Zhao rushed out, still limping, his leg wound not yet healed, his body wrapped in bandages, looking like a wounded soldier just off the battlefield. His face was ashen, his eyes wide: "What the hell happened? Who the hell blew the whistle? What's going on now? The highest alert level is on!"

"Could it be that the grasshoppers are back again?" Someone frantically patted himself, the shadow of those insects burrowing into his flesh during the day still lingering.

"Are the wolves coming?" Another grabbed his gun and looked around.

Within thirty seconds, everyone rushed out of the tent, disheveled and with their hair in a mess, but they were all wearing clothes and pants—after all, when camping in the wild, no one dares to take off their clothes to sleep; this was experience gained at the cost of their lives.

The patrol team was stunned, looking around, their hands trembling as they held their guns: "I wasn't bragging! It's safe here!"

"It wasn't me! My whistle is right here!"

Who blew that?