Chapter 128: Luo Jinyou: Did You Plan to Solo From the Start? (Revised)

"Fortunately there's glowing firefly stone nearby."

Luo Jinyou, while giving Ying Duo a brief explanation, injected a faint amount of energy into it.

"When this kind of ore is infused with energy, it glows, and its brightness changes with the strength of the injected energy…"

As his words fell, the glowing firefly stone in his hand just began to emit a hazy white light, barely illuminating Ying Duo's mud‑splattered, slightly disheveled face.

Ying Duo's head is certainly practical, but a normal light truly puts one at ease.

But in the next second, he saw Ying Duo's hollow golden eyes flash once in the dim light.

Before he could react, Ying Duo already reached out, moving faster than a flash, and snatched the glowing firefly stone from his hand.

Luo Jinyou: "???"

He still held the posture of presenting the glowing firefly stone, his face blank.

Ying Duo took the stone, flipped it over twice as if conducting a rapid scan, and then— with a flick of his wrist— the stone vanished into thin air.

Clearly it was stored in his mysterious pocket space, and the surroundings reverted to a swath of Ying Guang Lu.

Then, with another flick of his wrist, a simple‑styled lamp—appearing to be carved from some gray‑white stone—appeared in his hand.

A gentle, steady white light radiated from the lamp, far brighter and more stable than the glowing firefly stone he had just energized.

Luo Jinyou: "!!!"

He stared at the mineral lamp in Ying Duo's hand, his breath nearly caught.

The mineral lamp is crafted from a specially stable "Bright Light Stone"; it doesn't require continuous energy infusion—just a firm rub on a specific part of the lamp activates it, providing steady, lasting illumination.

It's a common lighting tool used by ordinary people without energy when mining.

"…You have a lamp?" Luo Jinyou was utterly disheartened; it wasn't a question but a tone tinged with faint resignation.

He had even gone out of his way to find luminous ore and used energy to "dig" it out.

Upon hearing that, Ying Duo tilted his head while holding the lamp; his golden eyes still lacked any sparkle under the light.

He nodded and raised the lamp.

"Yes, I have."

Then why do you still insist on bumping your head, all green, into walls for fun?

Ying Duo usually doesn't need lighting gear; his fluorescent green is bright enough that even in dim settings he only needs to adjust his phone's brightness.

However, that green does strain the eyes a bit, so he also kept a few mineral lamps scavenged from the Slum in his backpack.

In critical moments, he can even dismantle them for manufacturing material.

Luo Jinyou no longer wanted to talk with Ying Duo.

With enough light, Luo Jinyou could finally observe this makeshift shelter properly.

Around him were rough rock walls, the ceiling pressed low, the air a bit stale; he leaned against a wall, sat down, massaged his still slightly limp legs, his brows furrowed.

"I didn't expect we'd become a scattered bunch so quickly…"

That seemed almost foreseen; Luo Jinyou's voice carried fatigue and bitterness—individual strength is limited, so what good is more fighting? They're the Security Team, not the Assault Team.

"How long has the assessment been underway? We're already without a chance."

He counted on his fingers while trying to make sense of the current situation.

"Senior Shen Zexi's side is unclear, but with no news for so long, the odds look grim."

"Many Manufacturing Department classmates were 'killed' during the breakout; the few who escaped are scattered, making it impossible to complete the manufacturing tasks, and the Security Team suffered heavy losses…"

He sighed, feeling the future was a darkness.

The Assault Team held numerical superiority, with main forces Qi Hengyu and Chen Mo Zhi present; they lacked high‑end combat power here, the manufacturing system collapsed—how can they even play this?

Just as his mood grew heavy, nearly giving up on treatment, a corner of his eye caught Ying Duo beside him.

He saw that guy, at some unknown time, already sitting cross‑legged on the ground, the mineral lamp placed beside him.

In front of him, those Ying Guang Lu lines were stitching together various materials at a dizzying speed.

Around him, piles of small hills made from assorted components had already formed.

Why does this scene look so familiar?

Perhaps the space is too cramped; after stacking the materials, Ying Duo barely has room to move.

"Ying Duo, what are you doing?"

Seeing this familiar scene, Luo Jinyou's first thought was: Ying Duo is refilling his inventory again?

Ying Duo didn't even lift his head, guiding energy to etch precise energy circuits onto an iron plate.

"Complete the Manufacturing Department's task."

Luo Jinyou was stunned and reflexively objected.

"B-but the Manufacturing Department folks are all scattered; we lack enough manpower and materials here…"

He initially built this small shelter so they could catch their breath and contemplate a plan.

But Ying Duo's stance was clearly to turn this tiny space into their second base.

However, his words trailed off as soon as he saw Ying Duo's actions.

Because Ying Duo had just finished a step, freeing his left hand, he casually made a sweeping motion nearby.

In an instant, a huge heap of assorted materials and parts cascaded, filling half the space and completely burying his side.

The variety and quantity were almost comparable to the school's small workshop.

"I can build it alone; it just takes time."

The required manufacturing time listed beneath the blueprint was his first time seeing it—apparently fifteen minutes.

He casually pointed at the suddenly appearing 'small hills' and said, "I've packed all the materials too; it's enough."

Luo Jinyou felt his recent setback was downright laughable.

Together with this guy, he never counted on teamwork from the start, having long decided to solo the instance.

At that moment, Ying Duo failed a modification while assembling a component, and a blast sounded.

In this silent underground space, the sound was especially clear.

Luo Jinyou's heart tightened, and he subconsciously lowered his voice.

"If the noise is too loud, the searchers outside will notice."

Ying Duo paused, as if only then considering the problem.

After his modification level rose, his success rate for making these exceeded ninety percent, but his proficiency in crafting them was still low, perhaps because the blueprint level hadn't caught up.

Primarily, he can only forge weapons within his own level cap, so the urgent task is to raise his character level first.

Ying Duo blinked, then seemed to recall something; a few seconds later, he produced a palm‑sized metal disc resembling a flat speaker, its edge etched with intricate Ying Guang Lu runes.

"This."

He placed the disc on the ground, and his finger injected a faint thread of energy into a certain node; the patterns on the disc instantly glowed faintly, forming an invisible force field that enveloped the two of them.

"After you inject energy, it can block internal sounds from escaping; just feed it energy and it will work."

Ying Duo even added a slightly regretful remark, though it sounded more like self‑talk than speaking to Luo Jinyou.

"What a pity, it's only a game item."