Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat.

He had to eat every last Activity Pearl.

Shen Cong raged at himself internally, already fantasizing about growing to two meters tall. Or taller. If it meant more power, he had no objection to becoming a giant.

Though, he conceded, there were practical downsides to getting too large. Equipment sizing became a problem.

The sun crested the eastern hillside and spilled light across Great Vajra's roof and across Shen Cong's newly 180cm frame. He made a few quick adjustments to the Half-Activated Armor until it fit properly again, then suited up fully and set out to continue the work: turning the Huanglishu Mini-Oasis inside out.

Find the meteorite fragment.

"Looking at the ring distribution pattern, the lake sitting highest and most central in the Huanglishu reservoir cluster is almost certainly the Mini-Oasis's core. That's where any meteorite fragment is most likely buried."

"I just need to drain four more of the barrier lakes in sequence before I can start on the central one."

"Explosives are running a bit lean. To be safe, I'll dig more and blast less — can't afford to run short."

Plan settled. He got moving.

To give himself a clean operating environment, he widened the village road connecting Machang Town to Fuxing Township, then drove Great Vajra up to Wolong Village in Fuxing. Good position — relatively safe, and from the hillside he could keep Great Vajra in sight at all times while he worked.

That gave him something to work with. A foundation.

Properly equipped, he made his way to the second barrier lake. Breaching it required cutting a channel at least fifty meters long and ten meters deep. Shen Cong didn't consider this difficult. He started digging and didn't stop. One hour later, he reached the lakeside.

Cracks at the base of the accumulated sand and stone began seeping water.

Time for explosives.

The detonator fired. Seconds later, a thunderclap of an explosion — and the second barrier lake gave way. Water roared downhill into the first drained lake bed, then continued into the valley below.

Countless fish and…