After the explanation, Yan Ruyu also felt that Lin Yuan's words made sense, and in the end, not everyone could seize the opportunity and prepare in advance.
"Then Brother Lin Yuan, I want to go south with you," Yan Ruyu no longer hesitated after thinking it through and chose to join directly.
"Me too, me too," Liu Mengmeng and Liu Ziyi, the siblings, raised their hands high, not wanting to stay here for another moment.
Lin Yuan readily agreed, asking Zhao Anjing to take Yan Ruyu to change clothes, then called Mu Qingtian over and said a few words: "Test her temperament later, be careful not to be too deliberate."
"Understood."
New members must be evaluated.
Turning to the remaining three survivors: "Haven't you made up your minds yet?"
This shouldn't be the case. It's understandable for these two women, but it's a bit strange that Liu Zirong is still considering. His younger brother and sister are all here.
Finally, Fan Yunyi, one of the three, couldn't stand Lin Yuan's questioning gaze and stepped forward to explain: "Captain Lin, actually, we also want to go with you, but we feel very guilty. Before, Xue Yi and I, to survive, told those people about Mengmeng and the others still being in the service area."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's eyes narrowed. He was about to ask why, but then he relaxed.
Their reason was irrefutable. To survive, Lin Yuan wouldn't say much.
He asked in a flat tone, "How did you know about Mengmeng and the others being here, and why do you want to tell us now?"
Fan Yunyi raised her head and replied, "Because Yan Ruyu will definitely tell you. She knows this news, and those people confirmed this news to us before."
Confirmed?
What does that mean?
He cast a questioning glance at Fan Yunyi.
She didn't speak, just looked at Liu Zirong.
Feeling all eyes on him, Liu Zirong also gave a bitter smile: "It was a bargaining chip. Those people are depraved. As long as my sister is still alive in the service area, it is my bargaining chip to survive in that place. Before those people asked the two of them, they had already gone to look once and didn't find them."
"Then why didn't they kill you when they didn't find your sister, and aren't they your younger brother and sister? Blood is thicker than water, how can you be so heartless?"
"Because there must have been signs of life, confirming that someone was living, and I would be fine. My sister is smart. As long as they hide well, there will be no problem. Moreover, they are not my biological siblings; they were adopted by my parents."
When he said the last sentence, Liu Zirong mustered great courage, because by saying this, his bargaining chip to survive with Lin Yuan was gone.
However, unexpectedly, Lin Yuan didn't show any displeasure. He just walked to Liu Mengmeng and Liu Ziyi and asked, "What do you think of your brother?"
Liu Mengmeng was a bit at a loss when Lin Yuan asked her, twisting her fingers, very conflicted.
"Brother Lin Yuan, I'm fine. He was quite good to us before."
Receiving the reply, Lin Yuan stood up and returned to Liu Zirong, saying, "I personally don't like what you did, but it seems there was no other way."
It was impossible for them to join the team, so Lin Yuan simply did a favor, at least not to become enemies.
"Since you've decided not to come with us, when we separate tomorrow, I'll give you some weapons and medicine, not too much. As for other supplies, you can find them yourselves. What do you think?"
Fan Yunyi and the others nodded gratefully. It was already good enough that they weren't killed by Lin Yuan and the others, and they hadn't expected so much, so they agreed immediately.
Moreover, the zombies in the vicinity had been cleared. As long as they didn't go to the county town on the other side, they could find a secluded place in this large area to farm and wait for rescue.
If all else failed, they could survive in the houses left by Lin Yun's group. What's more, some of their houses had water towers or water pools on the roof for water storage.
Since there was no animosity between them, it was naturally a happy occasion for everyone. They were let to sit by the fire to warm themselves and wait for a bath.
After washing up, he took Wu Tian, moved two stools, and sat in a clean spot.
Wu Tian's eyes were still a little red, and she didn't speak, just looked at him.
Lin Yuan felt a little flustered. He was originally planning to ask how many guns were captured today, but in this situation, he had to hold back his words and comfort her gently, telling a few more dad jokes to make Wu Tian smile again.
"Hehehe, Mengyue, you're smiling."
Hearing this, Wu Tian's face stiffened again, and she snorted: "I didn't smile. What kind of jokes were you telling? Were any of them proper? It's one thing to talk about a small knife cutting a butt to open its eyes, but a sow wearing what, it's a whole set. What is this, and also..."
Seeing that she was about to loudly announce what he had said in a gentle voice, Lin Yuan quickly covered her mouth: "Alright, alright, I'm just whispering to you, aren't you going to chat with others? kanδん."
(What, you want to chat with others? That's what it means (｢･w･)｢ Hey)
Only then did Wu Tian give up, glared at Lin Yuan, and then started to talk business: "For today's operation, we collected 7 Type 95-1 assault rifles, 4 old hunting rifles, 30 Type 92 modified pistols, 4 homemade pistols, two boxes of 5.8mm ammunition, and two boxes of 9mm ammunition.
There was also some ammunition in the guns, all collected. Pistol ammunition is about 73 rounds, and all rifle ammunition has been put into the boxes. Suppressors were equipped on all guns except their original ones. That's all. Tactical glasses and other accessories, and even spare magazines were missing. It seems only survivor groups like ours that carry out assisted bombing missions have other equipment and accessories."
Lin Yuan wasn't surprised. The reason they had so many pistols should be due to their large numbers.
It must have been given out with great difficulty from above. Sigh.
"Tomorrow, I plan to give them 3 pistols, and those few homemade guns. 90 rounds of pistol ammunition, and a hand-cranked radio. What do you think?" Lin Yuan expressed his thoughts.
"Isn't that too much? After all, they almost harmed Liu Mengmeng and Liu Ziyi."
If Wu Tian were giving them, she would feel reluctant to even give them a knife.
"I'm not giving it to them out of consideration for them being humans," he said, turning his head to look at Liu Mengmeng, who was helping Qin Xia make dinner with Wu Mengyao and the others, and Liu Ziyi, who wanted to help with something. He gave them a thumbs-up.
"It's for these two siblings who did their best to survive. They still have some feelings for Liu Zirong in their eyes. Mengmeng is a smart child. She probably knew it was her brother who leaked the news the last time those people came before us."
In 10 days, two children, cleared the flower beds, planted vegetables, and built their own small safe house. Lin Yuan and the others almost couldn't find them. They even found supplies from the places left by the bandits and from the wrecks of cars outside, bit by bit.
Very little, but enough to keep them alive.
Lin Yuan was quite impressed. Since Liu Mengmeng had spoken, he might as well be a good person and help these two children integrate more quickly.
"By the way, Mengyue, after dinner, let the remaining team members also be equipped with the Type 95-1, but don't give them ammunition for now. Give it to them after they get familiar with the gun.
Also, training will resume today, especially Jiang Ziqi. You and Brother Wang need to teach her seriously how to use a gun and train her in combat. I'm just afraid that she's not proficient with her pistol and doesn't know combat. Relying solely on her semi-mutated body is not enough for missions."
"Yes, I know this. What are your plans for tomorrow? After all, the team still needs gas masks, and these things are hard to find."
"I've already found the route last night. Once we get on the national highway, there's a large shopping mall selling various protective equipment in an industrial park near Yue County. There should be comprehensive gas masks with a filtering level of P3."
(A comprehensive gas mask filter can protect against smoke and dust, as well as filter gases, bacteria, and viruses. The higher the filtering level, the better the protection. P3 is the highest, meaning a filtering level of ≥99.99%.)
Regular gas masks can protect against viruses, while comprehensive ones can protect against deadly spores expelled by mutated creatures.
"Then I'll follow your arrangements. You were injured today, so rest well after dinner," Wu Tian said, getting up to arrange training matters with Wang Zhihai.
Suddenly she thought of something, then turned back, and before Lin Yuan could react, she kissed him on the cheek.
"This is a reward for you. As for the rest, it depends on whether you can avoid Sister Ziqi's ears."
Lin Yuan: ㄟ(▔,▔)ㄏ
What can I do? I can't let that girl listen to sweet nothings all night.
He then went to move a lounge chair from the service area and lay down in a comfortable position.
With his legs crossed and his toes swaying, he hummed an unknown little tune.
It was time to rest.