Scientific Travel

Deng Yin had previously made everyday items, and this was the first time he had ever made a weapon as offensive as a musket.

If you're going to do something, do it the best. Deng Yin used the throat of a mutated beast directly.

Because the materials were scarce and there was only one set available, Deng Yin cut the throat into three sections when making it. Although this shortened the length of the musket, it also increased the margin for error.

Deng Yin carefully polished the cut throat tube, making each section extremely smooth. Next, he began searching for suitable wood to make the gun handle. After searching the warehouse for a long time, he finally found a piece of old elm wood that was hard and comfortable to the touch.

He carefully shaped the elm wood into the appropriate form, then used a special glue to attach the throat to the gun handle. After the musket was initially completed, Deng Yin began to work on the trigger mechanism. He pieced together various scrap metal parts, and after repeated adjustments, ensured that the trigger was sensitive and would not jam.

The final step was decoration and maintenance. Deng Yin gently rubbed the surface of the musket with sandpaper to make it smoother. Then he applied a thin layer of protective oil. Looking at the musket he had made himself, Deng Yin nodded in satisfaction. Although it was relatively short, its three-section throat design gave it unique performance. Deng Yin decided to take the musket to the woods outside the village to test its power and see if it could successfully defend against the occasional attacks of small mutated beasts.

Deng Yin, carrying his musket, left the village and entered the woods. The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for the rustling of his footsteps on the fallen leaves. He hadn't gone far when a small, sharp-toothed rabbit darted out. Though small, its teeth were sharp; it was a type of small mutant beast. Deng Yin quickly raised his musket, aimed, and with a soft pop, the gun spewed out a stream of air, the bullet accurately striking the rabbit. The rabbit nimbly leaped aside. Deng Yin was startled; he hadn't expected this mutant rabbit to be so agile. He adjusted his breathing, aimed again, and fired. This time, the bullet struck the rabbit's hind leg. The wounded rabbit went berserk, lunging at Deng Yin. Deng Yin calmly dodged, then pulled the trigger a third time, this time hitting the rabbit squarely in a vital spot. Deng Yin breathed a sigh of relief; the musket's power seemed quite good. Just then, a low growl echoed from the depths of the woods, sounding like a large mutant beast. Deng Yin gripped his musket tightly, his eyes widening with alertness, considering whether to continue exploring deeper or return to the village first. Ultimately, out of caution, he chose to return to the village. After all, he had only come today to test the effectiveness of the musket against small mutated beasts, and it was better to avoid this unknown danger for the time being.

Deng Yin turned and strode towards the village, the low growls behind him echoing intermittently, as if urging him to hurry. But he hadn't gone far when he found his path blocked by a fallen tree. Deng Yin inwardly groaned; this must have been caused by that large mutated beast, its purpose being to cut off his retreat.

The roars grew closer, and Deng Yin knew he couldn't just sit and wait to die. He looked around and saw a tall pine tree nearby, its trunk thick and its branches lush. Gritting his teeth, Deng Yin used his musket for support and struggled to climb the pine tree.

Not long after climbing up, a huge bear-like mutated beast came into view. It had sharp claws and fangs, and was angrily sniffing the ground. Deng Yin clung tightly to the tree trunk, not daring to breathe. Unable to find its target, the mutated beast lingered under the tree for a while before gradually walking away.

Deng Yin breathed a sigh of relief and carefully climbed down the tree only after confirming it was safe. He bypassed the large tree blocking his path and quickened his pace towards the village. This experience made him realize that the woods outside the village were more dangerous than he had imagined, and he needed to be more careful in the future. However, it also proved that his homemade musket was indeed useful.

As soon as Deng Yin entered the village, he was surrounded by a group of children. The children looked at the musket in his hand with curiosity and envy. "Uncle Deng, is this the new musket you made? It's amazing!" a little boy exclaimed. Deng Yin smiled, patted the boy's head, and briefly explained the musket's functions.

Back home, Deng Yin began to ponder how to improve the musket. He thought that if he could increase the musket's range, he could better deal with danger in the future. So he took out paper and pen and began to sketch. Just then, the village chief came to visit. It turned out that the village chief had heard that he had made a very practical musket and hoped that he could make several more to defend the village. Deng Yin hesitated, after all, the materials were limited. The village chief saw his concerns and offered to mobilize the villagers to help collect the materials.

After careful consideration, Deng Yin agreed. In the days that followed, the entire village was bustling with activity. Everyone worked together to find suitable materials for making muskets, while Deng Yin busied himself teaching several skillful young men the craft. Despite facing numerous difficulties, everyone's face was filled with hope, believing that with these muskets, the village would be much safer when facing the mutated beasts in the forest.

With everyone's efforts, the materials were gradually gathered. Deng Yin led the young men to work overtime to rush the production of the muskets. One day, the team that had gone out to search for materials excitedly ran back to the village, bringing back a special ore. This ore was light yet exceptionally tough, and could be used to reinforce key parts of the muskets. Deng Yin was overjoyed and immediately began to study how to incorporate it into the manufacture of the muskets.

After numerous trials, a musket with reinforced ore components was developed. Not only was its range greatly increased, but its stability was also significantly improved. Deng Yin selected several villagers with good marksmanship to form a guard team, training them daily in the use of the musket.

Before long, the mutated beasts in the forest seemed to sense the change in the village's defenses and began approaching in droves. The guards were on high alert, and when the beasts entered firing range, Deng Yin gave the order, and the muskets roared open. The mutated beasts were routed; they had never encountered such a fierce attack. This victory brought long-awaited peace to the village. The villagers were extremely grateful to Deng Yin, who was already planning to further improve the muskets to deal with any greater threats that might arise in the future.

Deng Yin began surveying the terrain near the village, thinking that if he could set up some fortifications based on the topography, coupled with muskets, he would be invincible. He led several villagers to survey the area around the village, marking several locations that were easy to defend and difficult to attack.

However, a few days later, villagers who had gone out to gather herbs returned in a panic, saying that they had discovered a large number of mutated beasts gathered in a valley, far exceeding the number that had attacked before. Deng Yin frowned, knowing that although the existing firearms were powerful, they would probably be unable to withstand such a large number of mutated beasts.

Just as they were worrying, an old man in the village mentioned that he had heard of an ancient formation many years ago that could trap enemies. Deng Yin's eyes lit up, and he quickly gathered everyone to set up the formation according to the ancient records.

When the mutated beasts attacked again, they lost their way after rushing into the formation and fell into chaos. The guards seized the opportunity to launch a fierce attack with muskets. After a fierce battle, countless mutated beasts were killed or wounded, and the rest fled in disarray. This battle made the village famous, and other villages sent people to learn musket manufacturing techniques and formation knowledge. Deng Yin imparted his knowledge without reservation, and from then on, the villages in this area lived a peaceful life.

The peaceful days continued for a while, but Deng Yin remained vigilant. One day, while fishing by the river, his fishing rod suddenly shook violently. He pulled it up with all his might and discovered a strange scale on the hook, emitting a faint glow. Puzzled, he took the scale to the most knowledgeable elder in the village. The elder was astonished upon seeing it, claiming that the scale came from an extremely rare mutated king fish, and that if caught, its oil could greatly enhance the power of a firearm.

Deng Yin was intrigued. He organized a team of strong villagers, armed with fine muskets, and set out to find the Fish King. They arrived at the edge of a deep pool, where the Fish King was believed to be located. Deng Yin directed his men to set up a defensive formation to prevent the Fish King from escaping, and then began their attempt to capture it. After much struggle, the Fish King finally appeared, enormous and incredibly ferocious. Deng Yin and his men relentlessly attacked with their muskets, and the Fish King repeatedly broke through the formation and charged at them, creating a perilous situation. Fortunately, the Fish King was eventually wounded and captured.

Deng extracted fish oil and applied it to the muskets. After testing, the muskets' power was indeed greatly increased. From then on, their village, with its increased strength, became the safest and most prosperous village in the area.

However, the village's prosperity attracted the attention of a band of robbers from afar. This band of robbers had been plundering various villages for years, committing all sorts of atrocities. They had heard that this village was wealthy and militarily powerful, but their greed remained insatiable, and they plotted to seize the village's wealth and firearms technology.

One night, the bandits stealthily approached the edge of the village. But the village was prepared; Deng Yin led his guards, relying on the fortifications they had previously set up, and stood ready. The bandits launched their attack, and the guards' muskets roared in unison, instantly felling many of the bandits at the front. But the bandits outnumbered them, and it seemed they were about to break through the defenses.

At this moment, Deng Yin came up with an idea. He had several large pots brought over, set them up on both sides of the road at the village entrance, and set them on fire. The fire raged fiercely, billowing thick smoke. The bandits' vision was obscured by the smoke, and their formation was thrown into chaos. The guards seized the opportunity and fired their muskets again.

Seeing the situation was dire, the bandit leader attempted to take hostages and retreat. However, the villagers united and protected each other. In the end, the bandits fled in disarray, leaving behind many corpses. This battle enhanced the village's prestige, and neighboring villages requested to join the alliance to resist the invaders. Deng Yin became a core figure in the alliance, continuing to lead everyone in protecting the peace and prosperity of this land.

As the village's prestige grew and the alliance expanded, Deng Yin realized that relying solely on muskets and existing defenses was insufficient. He began attempting to tame some of the more docile mutant beasts. After months of effort, he finally succeeded in taming a group of mutant beasts with special abilities to assist in the defense.

That day, a scout reported that a mysterious, well-equipped army had appeared in the distance, seemingly heading towards the alliance. Deng Yin immediately convened a meeting of the villages to discuss countermeasures. Some suggested taking the initiative to attack, while others advised holding their ground. After a moment's thought, Deng Yin decided to send a small elite team to investigate the situation.

A few days after the elite squad set off, news came back that the army was composed of exiled criminals who came to seize resources. Deng Yin devised a strategy, setting up numerous traps along the only route and arranging for tamed mutant beasts to hide among them.

When the enemy arrived, they were first caught in a trap and thrown into chaos, then mutated beasts emerged, and the guards opened fire with muskets. The enemy was thrown into disarray; they had thought victory was assured, but had not expected such a blow. Deng Yin pressed his advantage, completely defeating the enemy army. After that, no force dared to covet this prosperous land again, and Deng Yin led everyone to continue living happily and peacefully.

Several years later, one spring, the fields surrounding the village were filled with golden wheat, promising a bountiful harvest. Deng Yin stood on the edge of the field, gazing at this prosperous scene, his heart filled with satisfaction.

Suddenly, a child came running up and shouted, "Uncle Deng, something bad has happened! Some strange insects have appeared in the fields to the east, and they're destroying all the crops wherever they go!" Deng rushed to the fields to the east and saw large swathes of wheat flattened and some black beetles feasting on them.

Deng Yin frowned, knowing he had to resolve the matter quickly. He remembered reading about pest control methods in an ancient book, so he returned to the village, gathered everyone, and prepared a special potion according to the instructions in the book.

The villagers sprayed the pesticide on the affected fields. At first, the beetles showed no reaction, but soon they began to stagger and sway as if they were drunk. The villagers cheered and began to clean up the beetles.

This incident made Deng Yin realize that although the village was currently stable, many potential crises still existed. He decided to establish a special team to study various difficult problems, whether it was crop disasters or new threats. He believed that as long as everyone worked together, the village would surely continue to prosper.

Deng Yin began selecting members from the village to form a team. He chose Li Bo, an experienced old farmer, because he was familiar with the habits of various crops; he also selected A Fu, a clever and quick-witted boy who was quick to learn new things; and Mei Sao, a meticulous and careful woman who was good at taking care of crops. After the team was formed, Deng Yin led everyone to start organizing all the books and materials in the village about difficult and complicated diseases.

One day, Afu discovered a type of vine he had never seen before at the edge of the forest, rapidly twining around the trees. Deng Yin judged that this might be a new threat, and the team immediately began research. Uncle Li examined the soil, Sister Mei observed the vine's growth rate, and Deng Yin analyzed its similarities and differences with known plants.

After several days of effort, they discovered that the vine thrived in shady, damp conditions and had fragile roots. Deng Yin then directed the villagers to dig drainage ditches around the area and expose the roots to direct sunlight. Sure enough, the vine quickly withered. The villagers were full of praise for the team, which greatly boosted the team members' confidence. They continued their in-depth research, constantly accumulating experience in dealing with various situations, and the village thus became increasingly prosperous, truly fearless of any potential crisis.

However, the peaceful days didn't last long. One day, a flock of unknown mutated birds suddenly flew over the village. Their feathers were corrosive, corroding things wherever they landed. Deng Yin quickly convened his research team to discuss countermeasures. After searching through numerous books without success, they decided to personally explore the birds' habitat.

After a difficult trek, they discovered a flock of birds in a secluded cave. The cave was dark, damp, and filled with a pungent odor. Deng Yin noticed a special type of moss on the cave walls; the birds frequently rubbed themselves against it, getting their bodies sap on the moss, seemingly to protect their feathers from decay. A bright idea struck Deng Yin, and he collected a large amount of moss to take back with him.

Through experiments, they successfully extracted the active ingredients from the moss to create a protective agent. Villagers applied the agent around their houses and fields. When flocks of birds flew by again, their feathers fell and caused no further damage.

After this incident, Deng Yin's research team was even more respected. The villagers also increasingly understood that no matter what difficulties they encountered, as long as they united and actively explored solutions, they could always overcome obstacles, and they continued to move towards a better life.