"Besides water, strange shadows are constantly causing trouble. You need to create a safe environment with glowstone. And then there’s food. Mushrooms, cockroaches, and lizards all need to be produced steadily. Hope City still has those who specialize in farming, raising livestock. The conditions here are far too lacking," Li Runshan shook his head and said.
"Conditions are far too lacking."
His daughter, Aisenna, appeared behind him and repeated, nodding along.
"So," Yu Hong took a glance at the girl before turning back to Li Runshan.
"So you can only look for those who can't stay in Hope City," Li Runshan pointed out with a smile.
"Start with them to establish a small stronghold. Once you secure a stable source of water and food, then you can think about attracting skilled people to settle down long-term."
"That makes sense," Yu Hong sighed.
"In a few days, a group of refugees will pass nearby. They’re on solar-powered vehicles that charge only from the sun, moving rather slowly. Along the way, they will definitely have people running out of food. This group is headed towards Tianyue, scouring for trading posts to exchange for food. You can give it a try and see if you can bring a few people in."
Yu Hong nodded, but when he thought of his own safe house, he shook his head inwardly.
His safe house was nowhere near enough to accommodate anyone.
Would they have to share a space with him in a cave? He had too many secrets to feel at ease.
So there was no way.
Now was still too early; he could only take one step at a time.
He couldn’t even provide for himself yet, so bringing in others was far too premature.
After discussing with Li Runshan, Yu Hong parted ways and on his way back, he decided to check on Doctor Xu.
However, he found her cave completely empty, quiet as a grave.
Knock knock knock.
He stood before the cave entrance and knocked.
No response.
Letting his hand down, he sighed softly and turned to look elsewhere.
Everything was silent around him, except for the distant flames still burning, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The once tranquil forest was now illuminated in red light, as if it were midday, even as evening approached.
Just as he was about to leave and head back to his safe house, he suddenly heard a knock coming from inside Doctor Xu's cave.
“Who’s knocking?” Doctor Xu’s cautious voice came from within.
Yu Hong checked the red value detector integrated into his collar; the reading had shot up to over eighty.
“Who’s there?” Doctor Xu asked again from inside, her tone cautious.
Looking at the reading once more, Yu Hong sighed and chose to ignore her voice, walking away instead.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back, bent to pick up a stone, and forcefully carved a line into the ground in front of the wooden door: “The owner has left; there are strange shadows inside.”
Once that was done, he stood up.
At that moment, he caught sight of a woman in white standing by the half-drawn white curtain at the window of the cave.
The woman stared blankly at him, her eyes dull, standing there silently.
Her face was entirely that of Doctor Xu, but with skin much whiter, giving off an unsettling sense of decay, like peeling white walls.
Yu Hong glanced at her and quickly walked away.
*
*
*
In Baihe City.
Inside an abandoned auditorium.
Rows of dark red chairs were covered in knitted upholstery.
Some chairs had collapsed, while others remained intact but were coated in dust.
The large red seats formed a fan shape, half encircling a rectangular podium at the front.
At this moment, more than twenty soldiers in tactical vests and camouflage were scattered throughout the auditorium.
In front of all the soldiers stood three officers in the same camouflage, but with silver crescent insignias on their shoulders.
The three officers, two men and one woman, were each holding paper and pen, recording names.
“Xu Zhengqiu.”
"Wang Xuan."
“Zhang Jiawei.”
“Liu Yu.”
One by one, names were called, and the soldiers whose names were called stepped forward to form their assigned teams.
As names were announced, the three squads became clearer, and more soldiers gathered, while the number of remaining soldiers dwindled.
After about ten minutes.
“Ma Randong.”
“Xu Dawei.”
As time passed, the pace of calling names slowed further.
Finally.
"Ding Chao."
Once this name was called, the three officers stopped announcing names.
But there were still two women and one man left unassigned.
“Is it over? Why are there still three people left?” Officer Xu Fei frowned at the other two officers of the same rank. “I’m already at full capacity here.”
“Same here,” another officer replied coldly.
“...” The only female officer, Xue Ningning, glanced at the two men helplessly.
She understood the need for task teams to be composed of elite individuals, but if they didn't select these remaining elites, they would have to group them into an independent team for the mission area.
Teams without a captain entering danger zones faced a high risk of encountering strange shadows or rushing monsters.
So typically, preceding a task, captains try to assign as many people as possible.
But now...
Xue Ningning looked down at the information in her hands.
The remaining three were Ou Li, Chen Qiaosheng, and Lin Yiyi.
Each had their own significant flaws.
Despite being elites recommended from their localities, they had their strengths, but in this team composed entirely of elites, they looked somewhat lacking.
“Team Leader Liu, we still have three people left… what do you think?” Xue Ningning frowned as she looked at the tallest male officer.
“Form your own team,” Team Leader Liu said without even glancing at the three, taking his own team and leaving the auditorium.
“Ouyang,” Xue Ningning turned to look at another officer of the same rank.
“Ningning, don’t look at me. I have to get my team’s safety sorted. In a few days, the newly evolved monsters will spread to this area, and the blood tide concentration nearby is rising. Having more people doesn’t necessarily mean safety; you know this as well,” the other officer responded, distressed, as he departed with his team.
As they left, gazes fell on the remaining three, clearly indicating that everyone could see they were the least desirable.
None of the higher-ups wanted them.
Xue Ningning watched her departing colleagues, her expression equally troubled.
She raised her hand and issued a command for all team members to line up, preparing to leave as well.
But halfway through the departure order, she saw the expectant yet anxious looks on the last three's faces.
Her heart softened.
"Alright, you three come join the team," she called out to them.
After all, the route her team was to scout was the shortest and safest, so having three more people shouldn't pose much of a problem if they stayed cautious.
“Understood!”
The last three stood at attention and replied loudly.
The little stutterer and Ou Li stood together, their worried expressions from being left out now turning joyful.
“Got... got selected!” she joyfully shook Ou Li’s hand.
“Alright, alright, I get it, don’t touch me,” Ou Li said impatiently, shaking off her hand.
She didn’t care which team she was placed in, as long as she could join.
After all, she enlisted for food; if danger approached, she’d run first, not foolishly charge forward for some order.
The third person, Chen Qiaosheng, looked pale and dispirited, but he let out a slight sigh of relief upon hearing the joining order.
Observing the different reactions of the three, Xue Ningning, as the captain, couldn't help but shake her head internally.
One was selfish, another had trouble understanding machinery, and the last was physically weak with poor stamina.
Though each had their strengths, their shortcomings were too glaring.
Whether bringing these three on was the right choice was uncertain.
*
*
*
“How do we solve the water issue?”
As the sun set, the flames still burned but were considerably smaller than before.
Perhaps it was halted by the natural barrier surrounding it, or maybe some other unknown reason, but the forest fire began to slowly extinguish.
Inside his safe house, Yu Hong was still pondering how to secure a water supply.
He sat on a wooden stool, holding a charcoal pencil and sketching on a wooden board, his face reflecting deep thought.
"I've mostly adapted to this environment. If I move to the stream's edge, everything will have to be redone. It's too troublesome to carry everything over; I'll have to give that up as it would take too long."
Thinking this, he lifted his cup to take a sip, moistening his throat.
Setting the cup down, he stared at the beads of water clinging to the inside, sighed, and placed it on the table.
Continuing to hold the charcoal pencil, a sudden thought flashed across his mind.
Just now, those beads of water seemed to spark a revelation.
"What if I extract water from the air to create a water source?"
There was water in the air, derived from evaporated moisture.
“If the air is too humid, it leads to mildew and the proliferation of microorganisms. If I can directly draw moisture from the air, not only would this ensure a basic water supply, but it would also keep the living environment from easily developing mold that could affect our health!”
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it became.
“Then, how do I make a dehumidifier?”
After considering, he decided to approach the supply team led by Li Runshan.
They traveled between various city strongholds; as long as it existed, they could generally procure it.
But of course, the price would be steep, and he would also need to pay Old Li, the shrewd merchant, a cut for the facilitation.
Thankfully, this time he had gathered a huge haul of spoils that significantly benefited Yu Hong.
More than twenty sets of basic protective gear, over twenty unloaded handguns, more than thirty silver dollars scavenged item by item, over twenty knives, and an assortment of random items like glasses, pencils, keys, pocket watches, magnesium sticks, glowstone blankets, and assorted car keys.
For Xu Fan, these spoils meant nothing but meant that the value of upgrading the Blue Whale set far exceeded these materials and coins.
Coming back to his senses, Yu Hong suddenly remembered the car keys.
"That group drove in; according to our previous agreement, these vehicles should also belong to me!" he felt exhilarated.
The parts and items on the vehicles could provide plenty.
He was excited to see just how much he could enhance a car.
With this thought in mind, he decided first thing tomorrow to go find a vehicle.
Then, he’d approach Li Runshan to order a dehumidifier.
"Speaking of the dehumidifier, I should also prepare for the energy source in advance," Yu Hong sighed.
Back and forth, he returned to the starting point, which was energy; the solar panel he had was insufficient.
“Well, tomorrow I’ll check out the cars. If I can directly enhance them and turn them into mobile safe houses, the water issue might just be resolved, and it could significantly expand my exploratory range.”
He casually enhanced a large piece of glowstone and then started today’s exercise.
The next morning,
Yu Hong got up early; just as dawn broke, he donned his gear and set out to search for the vehicles that Zhao Zhenghong’s group had arrived with.
In the crunching sound of his footsteps, he walked at a steady pace through the recently extinguished coal-black forest,
The surrounding temperature was still high.
It was undeniably the coldest morning, yet he felt as if he were in the middle of summer, burning hot all over.
(End of Chapter)