The selection of the site for the second camp went much smoother once it was decided.
Lin Yuan first led the team in clearing out the caves. These caves, having weathered countless years, were teeming with all sorts of venomous insects and snakes.
The team members employed various methods, including smoke fumigation, flooding, and even releasing chickens and ducks to feed on the pests.
After two days and one night, they finally managed to clear out the three connected caves. Fortunately, the caves were not too high, only about 5 meters. If they had been taller, there might have been many bats, making the cleanup even more difficult.
The cave cleaning was not an all-hands operation. The team members stationed at the first camp took advantage of this time to construct the watchtower.
They built it adjacent to the collapsed watchtower of the former mountain stronghold. The previous occupants had already identified the most suitable location, saving them any extra work. Every little bit of saved effort counted.
The new watchtower was constructed with reinforced concrete. The groundwork, however, proved a bit troublesome. Lacking a pile driver, the team members had to excavate the foundation pit bit by bit using shovels and large stone chisels.
It was fortunate that cement was not yet widespread at that time, making the ground relatively easy to dig. They then inserted numerous steel bars, poured concrete, and gradually built upwards, using wooden boards for support.
While bricks would have been ideal, the abundance of cement made the concrete option appealing. By adjusting the mix ratio, they could achieve the required concrete strength.
After the watchtower and the second camp were completed, Lin Yuan and his team began to enjoy a more comfortable life. Aside from routine patrols and hunting, their days were filled with strategic planning and cultivation, essentially battling nature to grow vegetables and fruits.
The abandoned fields outside the first camp were fully reclaimed. After being sterilized with a solution of plant ash and fertilized, they were planted with vegetables suitable for August.
Seeds were abundant in the rural setting. Long beans, Chinese cabbage, spinach, and pumpkins had already begun to sprout.
Potatoes that were outwardly sound and free of deformities were carefully preserved to serve as seeds for September.
After all, rescue would take at least five months. By then, it would be the dead of winter. Even if rescue arrived on time, they would still need to cultivate crops, and they needed to do it well, avoiding any major issues.
...
More than a month passed in this leisurely fashion, with no significant events occurring. Even the situation Lin Yuan had previously worried about—girls in the team who had suffered persecution becoming pregnant—did not materialize.
While relieved, he also felt a sense of melancholy. Even in their current circumstances, they were not yet equipped to care for a new life. They couldn't be certain they wouldn't make mistakes throughout the entire process.
Therefore, even when relationships formed within the team, Lin Yuan would remind them to take precautions. Condoms and contraceptive drugs were also collected in sufficient quantities during a trip to town.
By now, Lin Yuan's survivor survival team could be considered to be living very well in the post-apocalyptic world.
They had ample supplies, abundant weapons and equipment, a watchtower, land for farming, a backup camp, psychologically healthy personnel, sufficient recreational activities, a disciplined team structure, and a rapid transition into combat readiness.
They were arguably among the top-tier teams, second only to those within safety zones.
Initially, Lin Yuan thought they would continue living this stable life of farming and waiting for rescue.
However, life is unpredictable and often does not go as planned.
...
September 29, 2023, Mid-Autumn Festival.
On this festival, people across China would typically gather with family, watch the Mid-Autumn Festival gala, eat mooncakes, and enjoy a reunion dinner. Even those working away from home would arrange to meet friends for meals and drinks, or play games online, to celebrate their reunion.
Those celebrating alone might grab some barbecue on the streets, raise a glass to the moon, and find companionship in their own shadow.
Even if the mooncakes weren't as delicious as before, even if the Mid-Autumn Festival gala had lost its charm, even if the wine tasted awful and life was truly hard.
Still, the streets would be bustling with people and traffic, filled with the vibrancy of human life.
But now, the city streets were deserted. Besides scattered debris and the mournful whistle of the wind, only darkness and silence remained.
The remaining survivors kept their curtains tightly drawn. Even though the weather was oppressively hot, making sleep impossible, they dared not reveal even a sliver of light for fear of being discovered.
Only survivors like Lin Yuan, living in the countryside, had the opportunity to light lamps and hang a calligraphy piece wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, penned by Lin Qingshan.
On the table were steamed buns shaped like mooncakes, made using a general mold. Beside them, wild rabbit and partridge were being roasted over a fire. Jiang Ziqi, alone, was happily roasting them, occasionally sneaking a taste.
Lin Yuan and Wu Tian were busy arranging the tables. Once everyone was seated, the Mid-Autumn Festival began to regain a semblance of its former atmosphere.
Lin Yuan stood up and raised a glass. "Everyone, today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Our chance encounter and gathering here is fate. We are comrades who have faced life and death together. I'll drink this first. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!"
He then drained his cup and inverted it, signaling he had finished. Others also raised their glasses and said, "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!!!"
The wine was good, but Lin Yuan did not refill his cup. Getting drunk in the apocalypse was not a wise idea.
The other team members followed suit, drinking a small cup to mark the occasion and then stopping. The children, however, drank honey water, harvested from the mountains just a few days prior – pure wild honey.
For this, Lin Yuan was stung by a bee and teased by Wu Tian for quite some time, who called him a terrible captain for being stung while raiding a beehive. Lin Yuan couldn't help it; who knew the bees would target only him? Wu Tian, standing right beside him, was completely unharmed.
"Comrades, our potatoes have started to sprout and are growing well. We need to take good care of them. Don't slack off just because rescue is coming."
Lin Yuan had said this many times before, but no one complained. He wasn't nagging; he was ensuring their food reserves for the winter.
Potatoes mature in 60 to 100 days, so the earliest harvest would be in mid-November. During this time, they would need to build simple greenhouses to maintain humidity and temperature, preventing a large-scale crop failure.
"Captain, we understand. We value our lives very much."
"Alright, let's eat, let's eat! Try the cabbage and egg mooncake buns my mom made!"
"Sure thing."
Just as Lin Yuan and the others were enjoying their meal, Sun Haiping, on duty in the radio room, ran over. He was still catching his breath, with oily rice grains clinging to his mouth, and blurted out, "Cap, Captain, something's happened!"
Seeing Sun Haiping's state, Lin Yuan knew something serious had likely occurred. However, he maintained his composure and pulled Sun Haiping aside. "You all continue eating. I'll go with Brother Sun to see what's happening."
"Understood!"
"Go ahead and tell me. What is it? No matter how big a problem it is, there's someone taller to bear it. What are you panicking about?"
"Captain, it's not me panicking. The whole world is panicking!"
??????
Huh?