Chapter 261 - 258: Factory Area Construction

Chapter 261: Chapter 258: Factory Area Construction

Chen Xing was a little sad to leave this place.

The high floor, the ocean view right when she opened her eyes... life couldn’t get any better.

She planned to just make a quick trip this time, see if they were short on anything, and help them get organized.

She still had a batch of Crystal Cores in her storage space and planned to give them all to them.

She would give them these Crystal Cores as a gift, with no expectation of payment.

She had grown accustomed to a life of leisure recently and didn’t want to get involved in any more conflicts.

But as fate would have it, the heavens didn’t want her to live so comfortably.

After a day and a night, Chen Xing arrived in Hualai City.

In the past two months, the factory district had changed drastically.

Several perimeter walls, each over two stories high, had been built outside. After passing through one gate, there was another line of defense six or seven hundred meters away, creating the best possible security.

And that was just the exterior. As for what was inside, she had no idea.

So, she announced her name at the gate.

Before long, Brother Xiao and Captain Lu drove out to greet her.

Brother Xiao hadn’t changed much, but Captain Lu’s abilities seemed to have improved significantly.

On the way, Brother Xiao gave her a detailed update on the factory district.

To shelter more refugees and give them a place to live, they had continued to expand outside the original factory area.

However, this new area was kept separate from the original base. Absolutely no outsiders were allowed inside the core area, as a precaution.

If anyone found out the internal layout, it would create a security risk.

The entire compound now had five defensive lines, and they were still expanding.

The refugees were housed outside the third defensive line. This kept them from being in immediate danger, but also prevented them from snooping around the original factory area.

This meant Captain Lu’s responsibilities had grown, as he now had more people to protect.

But Captain Lu wasn’t afraid of the hard work. He was a true soldier of the people, willing to do anything to protect their lives.

They also selected capable individuals from among the refugees to join their team, though their duties were confined to the outer defense lines.

The refugees couldn’t just sit around, either. If they wanted to survive, they had to contribute through labor.

For example, as soon as summer arrived, they immediately planted vegetable seeds—things like lettuce and spinach that would grow quickly.

This was also related to the mutated weather patterns.

They could eat what they grew or trade it for rice and other grains.

Those without seeds could receive an advance, as long as they had a good reputation.

This area of operations was managed by the meticulous Sister Feng.

Furthermore, people in the residential area outside the third defensive line could also work for food.

For example, by digging underground disaster shelters.

The main factory district was safe, and this new area couldn’t be too shabby either.

If danger suddenly struck, they needed a place to take cover.

So, Xiao Wu had organized the survivors in the refugee area to dig an underground shelter. In another month, part of it would be ready for use.

The survivors were naturally willing to put in the effort.

For one, it was for their own safety. For another, they were compensated for it.

The men dug the tunnels while the women handled logistics.

Life was pretty decent, all things considered. It was much better than wandering outside.

So... since the refugee area opened, several hundred people had already moved in.

Housing was still under construction, and to combat the cold, they were all being built with heated brick beds.

As for the heat, after nearly a year, everyone’s heat tolerance had improved. After all, not many people could afford to use air conditioning now.

Chen Xing had to admire Brother Xiao’s methods.

On one hand, he was helping people; on the other, he was strengthening his own group.

The refugees were not to be underestimated; there were many capable people among them.

After she had greeted everyone, Brother Xiao led Chen Xing into the factory’s underground shelter.

Captain Lu didn’t stay long before leading a team out to a nearby area to collect Crystal Cores.

With more people here, their Crystal Core business couldn’t stop.

They didn’t have to worry about food or clothing, but who knew what uncertainties the future held?

Their livestock farm had also expanded.

It was populated by the descendants of the poultry and livestock Chen Xing had given them before.

Whenever the weather turned warm, a lot of wild grass grew between the first and second defensive lines of the factory.

They took this opportunity to let the animals graze, which saved a lot of feed.

Only when winter approached were the animals penned up and fed with stored fodder.

Over time, the animals seemed to adapt to the apocalypse. Aside from the chickens, ducks, and geese, the rest would basically hibernate through the winter, sleeping together and not consuming much energy.

Brother Xiao had been worried that the meat from animals raised this way might be problematic, so he had someone study it. They found that the meat had no adverse effects on the human body at all.

Now, their farm had reached a very large scale.

They would have to gradually expand it outward. Or, they could simply delegate it to the refugees, loaning them breeding pairs and having them pay it back with interest after the animals multiplied.

This was something Chen Xing had never even considered.

She was the type to only look after herself; she didn’t really concern herself with others.

Brother Xiao, on the other hand, was a man with a big heart.

But he wasn’t some brainless altruist who would sacrifice everything for others; he knew to protect his own first.

The underground shelter had changed so much that Chen Xing could no longer recognize its original layout. It was now divided into several zones.

Each zone was sealed by a heavy, floor-to-ceiling iron gate.

First, he took her to the storeroom that was hidden inside the main warehouse.

It was even more hidden than before. If Brother Xiao hadn’t led her in, she doubted even she could have found it, despite having been here once.

"Only I, Yiyu, Captain Lu, Xiao Wu, and Sister Feng know about this place!" Although it was exhausting to move so many supplies, they kept the location a secret from everyone else to guarantee the group’s safety and long-term security.

Every time supplies were brought into the main warehouse up front, the few of them would select a portion of the non-perishable goods and move them here.

The huge storeroom was already filled to the brim.

The outer warehouse was also divided into several sections and naturally held more goods than this one, but this place was reserved for emergencies.

’He really didn’t need to tell me this,’ Chen Xing thought.

But Brother Xiao didn’t see it that way.

He had always considered Chen Xing one of their own. Without her, they wouldn’t have the life they had now.

After leaving the storeroom, he took Chen Xing to the emergency shelter.

The shelter had been expanded and could now accommodate everyone in the factory district.

Beds and other furniture were slowly being added so that everyone could rest inside when danger arrived.

Deeper inside the shelter was a large parking garage, where numerous buses and trucks were parked.

Brother Xiao pointed to a long tunnel wide enough for trucks and buses to enter and said, "This is the long tunnel we dug. Vehicles can pass through it. In an emergency, we can all evacuate together."

The tunnel was three kilometers long, fully excavated, and built to be extremely sturdy.

"But I won’t use this route unless it’s a last resort!" At the junction between the tunnel and the garage, there was another large iron gate.

Brother Xiao led Chen Xing through the large iron gate and into the tunnel.

The tunnel ended at a small hill, and a small road was about ten-odd meters beyond that.

From the outside, the hill provided excellent cover. There was an iron gate, further concealed by branches, making it completely invisible.

Ahead were some grassy mounds, which buses and trucks could easily drive over.

After the general tour, Brother Xiao smiled at Chen Xing. "We’re all worried about you being out there on your own. Why don’t you stay?"