This plan not only applies to him but also to the others among the explorers.
"Even if itâs not used regularly, it must be always ready," Xu Xin said as he looked out the window at his treehouse, "Fortunately, my treehouse is quite large. Placing all the weapons in it isnât a tough task. However... materials should still be sufficient, right?"
Ma Hongwei immediately agreed, "Thatâs definitely right. There shouldnât be any issues with materials, and adding some regular heavy crossbows wonât consume much material. Of course, this also depends on Li Wenxiâs side."
"But if Brother Xin needs them, they wonât refuse on that side, right?" Ma Hongwei teased with a smile, "You better go ask for materials yourself, Brother Xin. I talked my mouth dry yesterday, and eventually had to bring you up to get just one set of materials."
"... Haha, alright then. You probably donât know the power of this crossbow bolt either, do you?"
"Indeed, Iâve never actually tested it since I havenât installed a crossbow that can fire such bolts. But Iâm quite confident the power is immense," Ma Hongwei said with a confident face, "There are three of these crossbow bolts in the backpack; if youâre not reassured, you can test their power."
"Okay, I understand, Iâll go back first then."
"Brother Xin, if you try it, donât let it blow up near me!"
Picking up Keke, who was running around pushing a metal ball on the floor, Xu Xin left Ma Hongweiâs treehouse.
Since Ma Hongwei gave his word, he decided not to test these custom-made crossbow bolts for the time being.
Besides being too valuable, heâs also a bit afraid that the power of these crossbow bolts might be too great that the noise will draw attention from the Lake Giant Python, or even mysterious giant beasts in the Hilly Resource Zone, causing trouble.
There was no danger initially, but creating it needlessly would be bad.
So itâs better to wait until they can be used effectively.
He didnât return to the treehouse; instead, he came below the treehouse and pulled out the super crossbow.
"Bang!" A heavy crossbow directly smashed onto the ground.
"Yikes!" Keke exclaimed in surprise on his shoulder.
Xu Xin was startled too.
This is indeed...
Quite big!
Bigger than the already gigantic super crossbow before, itâs even larger!
Almost reaching the size of those massive insects he saw underground!
Considering its power...
This is practically a giant cannon!
No wonder he just tried to take this crossbow out inside the house, and he disagreed.
This is too big!
Xu Xin thought a bit and installed this crossbow facing the lake, which is also the direction toward the Hilly Resource Zone.
Lou FeiâEr and the others arenât in that direction; protection there is more needed.
However... one such crossbow seems unable to cover all surrounding directions.
But, entering the treehouse to operate the control panel, he realized he had overthought.
This special crossbow can shoot directly and also lob upward!
This allows it to cover all directions around the treehouse, covering a range of five kilometers!
Of course, lobbed shots take much longer to hit than direct ones, so choosing to face the lake isnât a problem.
Nice.
After adjusting this super crossbow, he removed those low-grade crossbows from his treehouse and installed new blue-grade and purple-grade metal crossbows.
Repeaters, regular crossbows, and super crossbows were installed in all directions.
In his backpack, there are also three new control panels; Ma Hongwei knew he had many crossbows, so he added three more control panels.
On each floor, he installed one control panel.
Swinging down from the treehouse and looking at his newly fortified treehouse, Xu Xin smiled with satisfaction.
This truly feels like a completely secure fortress!
Itâs just a pity these crossbows can only be used from the treehouse; leaving the treehouse means losing this deep sense of security.
Speaking of, he remembers Zeng Tao has a crafting ability, which is creating heavy weapons.
Could she make portable heavy weapons?
At this moment, the sound of a portal forming came from behind.
Turning around, Xu Xin saw Li Wenxi hop out from the portal.
"Ah, youâre down here! I came to get the new metal materi... wow!" Li Wenxiâs eyes widened at the sight of Xu Xinâs treehouse, "What is this! Is this the super crossbow Ma Hongwei mentioned, the one made for you?! Itâs so... so cool!"
Because this crossbow is so large, the treehouseâs canopy canât hide it, and the whole crossbow is exposed, like a giant artillery piece.
Indeed, looking at this, it certainly gives an imposing vibe.
"Yes, itâs this one," Xu Xin nodded with a smile, "Once resources are plentiful, letâs get one for everyone."
"Your crossbow uses way too much material!" Li Wenxiâs eyes sparkled as she looked at the crossbow, then turned to Xu Xin, "If not for the Lake Giant Python here posing such a massive threat, I wouldnât give him so many resources to make this for you!"
"Haha, indeed."
This crossbow consumes substantial resources, and currently, only he can equip it.
The crossbow and bolts together require nearly fifty purple-grade resources!
One crossbow would drain half of their explorersâ assets!
"Letâs not make another one for now; none of us need it just yet," Li Wenxi shook her head.
Indeed, for now, no giant beasts have attacked the treehouse from the ground. Even if giant beasts do come in the future, they likely wonât be on the level of the Lake Giant Python, as even underground beasts canât reach that level.
Thus, for the others, regular super crossbows should suffice.
"Alright, give me the meteoric iron you mentioned. I need to try it out, and I must hurry back now; without me, their efficiency is too low!"
"Alright, Wenxi, do your best! Weâre relying on you for resources!"
"Humph," Li Wenxi gave him a sidelong glance, "Youâre the one who eats the most!"
After collecting the meteoric iron resources, she didnât linger and directly walked back into the portal.
Before Xu Xin could return to the treehouse, his watch began vibrating.
Itâs Ji Chaoyang calling.
"Xu Xin, I found out why Shi Wanyun from Zone 1 has been trying to establish ties with us repeatedly."
"Weâve dragged winter out too long, and now thereâs really trouble on their end!"