Chapter 32: Set Bonus

Little Black Stone had already fallen into a deep sleep. She hadn’t rested properly for quite some time; every time she tried to sleep, she would be disturbed.

So now, even if the time was brief, she seized every precious moment to rest. Perhaps it was because she finally felt a sense of security, knowing her protector would keep her safe, that she slept so soundly.

In this sleep, she dreamed—though she wasn’t sure if it was a good dream or a nightmare.

In the dream, a starving little girl found a strange stone and tried to eat it to fill her empty stomach.

But the stone was too hard; she couldn’t bite through it.

Before she starved to death, she made a wish upon that strange stone.

……

A one-minute countdown wasn’t long, but because Liu Hen was counting every second, it felt somewhat prolonged.

Finally, the minute passed, and the thermal headgear was created.

He immediately claimed it and glanced at the description in his spatial backpack—

【Thermal Headgear (Air Expansion): Like bark protecting a tree, this thermal headgear retains the warmth of the head, significantly reducing the loss of body heat despite the cold wind. It automatically fits the head within a certain size range, links with the head’s neurons, and features sweat filtration and strong absorption. Wearing this thermal headgear allows the wearer to consume body heat to generate air expansion.】

“Air expansion?”

This ability left Liu Hen puzzled; he couldn’t quite grasp its use.

Still, it was a special ability, so he was pleased.

He didn’t waste time pondering further; he would test it soon enough.

With this in mind, he willed the thermal headgear out.

The headgear resembled Spider-Man’s mask but without the web patterns, bearing a dark brownish-black hue.

Without further inspection, he put it on, covering his eyes, nose, ears, and more.

Miraculously, as a slight tingling sensation spread across his skin, the neuron link succeeded, and he could feel the wind’s touch through the headgear. His eyes could see through it, perceiving the scene ahead clearly.

Rather than obstructing his vision, the headgear enhanced it considerably; he could now see clearly into dark corners nearby.

Once the headgear was worn, something even more wondrous occurred.

His thermal jacket, thermal pants, thermal boots, and even thermal gloves began to shift and merge at the edges.

The original five-piece set slowly fused into a single, unified suit.

As the five pieces merged into one, a tremendous power surged within.

Liu Hen was stunned to find his physical abilities and strength suddenly increased significantly.

“No, it’s not my physical strength that has improved—it’s this complete thermal suit becoming something akin to an exoskeleton, its power augmenting me.”

Thanks to the neuron link, he could fully harness this newfound strength.

At that moment, upgrade data appeared on the complete thermal suit:

【Thermal Suit (Decayed Wood): The wearer gains an additional 100 kilograms of strength beyond their base power, alongside physical attribute boosts sufficient to withstand tenfold the force of 100 kilograms of strength, and sensory enhancements capable of enduring the same level; Suit ability: Air Cannon (consumes body heat to instantly expand air, with greater heat consumption yielding greater power. Upgrade materials: 100 iron ores, 100 magic crystals)】

“Air Cannon?!”

This suit ability thrilled Liu Hen.

He clenched his fists fiercely, feeling as if he had finally stood up.

Previously, his golden finger only enhanced his survival abilities, offering no combat improvement.

But now, with the thermal suit complete, its ability finally granted him tangible fighting power.

“That’s right—it can be upgraded!”

The thermal suit didn’t seem to have numerical levels like one, two, or three but started at the “Decayed Wood” tier, unlike the campfire or workbench.

Since he had no small iron ores left, Liu Hen moved a little farther away and took out a large iron ore, swinging his all-purpose pickaxe to mine small iron ores.

After two or three minutes, the small iron ores were collected.

He immediately began the upgrade.

Within his spatial backpack, the freshly gathered 100 iron ores were consumed, along with 100 magic crystals from his account.

The upgrade commenced at once.

Indeed, the thermal suit could be upgraded while worn.

The countdown was one hour.

Liu Hen was unhurried; the suit ability remained usable even during the upgrade.

“Now the clothes are fused into one piece—what if I need to relieve myself?”

He continued to study the suit and soon discovered a new feature.

With a thought, the headgear suddenly shrank rapidly, merging into the high collar of the thermal jacket, seemingly vanishing altogether.

Amazingly, in this state, his head still felt protected.

Although it only preserved heat and didn’t defend against attacks, it was much more convenient.

Because the suit ability could still be used in this form.

Moreover, with just a thought, he could separate the jacket and pants, so he didn’t have to worry about removing his pants when needed.

Liu Hen tested this several times, confirming there were no issues, then relaxed, keeping the headgear concealed to avoid drawing attention.

He decided he would only reveal the headgear if he had something he didn’t want others to know about.

Also, he wouldn’t sell the headgear with the thermal suit to outsiders, to avoid aiding enemies.

In this night-fog world, anyone could be an enemy; caution was never too much.

Just as he was feeling pleased, he noticed Little Black Stone’s face twisted in a grimace in her sleep. His expression changed immediately, recalling his earlier nightmare.

“Black Stone, wake up.”

He hurriedly called her awake.

Fortunately, nothing untoward happened; she woke up successfully.

But unlike usual, she seemed dazed for a moment, taking a long while to regain her wits.

“Master…”

She quickly got up.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Liu Hen asked.

Perhaps not wanting to worry him, Little Black Stone instinctively shook her head.

But seeing the concern in his eyes warmed her heart, and she slowly nodded.

“It seems we can’t stay here. Let’s go.”

Liu Hen promptly packed up the campfire and workbench, ensuring nothing was left behind, then led Little Black Stone out of the cave shelter.

This time, he chose an exit 500 meters away to avoid encountering that horseback man again.

Once outside, Liu Hen felt completely different.

First, visibility had greatly improved; he could now see up to a hundred meters away.

Second, warmth—the extreme cold outside seemed to have no effect on him anymore.

The complete thermal suit seemed to retain his body heat entirely, with not a trace lost.

Lastly, his perception felt heightened; he sensed all movements within tens of meters.

Even without using his eyes, he could detect possible nearby enemies unless they completely concealed their presence and sound.

Not far from where he stepped out, Liu Hen suddenly spotted a man on horseback again, holding a weapon resembling a firearm, seemingly hunting them.

“Still that guy—why am I so unlucky? Or does he have a special way to track us?”

Liu Hen cursed inwardly and quickly dug a hole on the spot, pulling Little Black Stone in to hide.

He could now dig two cubic meters per second; in an instant, both had disappeared beneath the surface.

After hiding, he sealed the entrance with large iron ores using his free-build mode.

Just as he was about to finish completely sealing it, he paused, leaving a gap that could be closed at any moment.

Soon, the sound of galloping hooves grew near, and the rider slowed, clearly coming for them.

“Damn ground rats, they ought to be exterminated!”

A cold voice rang out, as if the man had been humiliated elsewhere.

“Taking it out on us?” Liu Hen’s fury burned brighter—did they really think he was easy prey?

As the tall horse and rider came into view, he unhesitatingly slammed his palm out, nearly exhausting his entire heat reserve in an instant.

“Boom—”

The Air Cannon blasted from the burrow’s entrance.

With a tremendous explosion, the horse shattered into pieces, and the rider was hurled backward.