Rotting Land: Survive

The two teams each found a room, kicked the door open, and went in. Due to the large number of people and the simple structure of the self-built houses, there weren’t many rooms inside, so the search wasn’t complicated.

Soon, the two rooms were fully checked.

After walking out, Old Xu called over Wei Dazhuang and asked, "Old Wei, how’s the situation?"

"Nothing much, everything’s normal."

"Hmm, is it okay for people to stay here overnight?"

"Of course, why can’t people stay in a perfectly good house?" Faced with Xu Renjie’s question, Wei Dazhuang felt quite puzzled.

Just as he finished saying this, Wu Chao immediately interjected, "Brother Dazhuang, what nonsense are you talking about? Look at that roof, a huge chunk of it is missing. You want people to freeze to death staying there overnight?"

Wei Dazhuang dismissively pursed his lips. "If you ask me, it’s not the house that’s the problem; you city folks are just too picky. What’s wrong with this house? The owner had no issues."

"Alright, alright!" Seeing the two about to argue, Xu Renjie quickly spoke out to stop them.

"Okay, everyone, listen up. When doing the check, also make a note of the houses suitable for living in. Tonight, we’ll arrange for people to stay in the houses we find. The requirements are windproof, rainproof, with beds and basic living facilities. Got it?"

"Understood!"

"Okay! Let’s keep moving!"

With Xu Renjie’s orders given, the two teams immediately moved into new "battlefields."

"Hey, Qiang, don’t take what Xiao Wen said to heart. He meant well for you. I know this isn’t the time you want to hear me ramble. I’ll just say this: what’s meant to come will come, and what’s meant to go will go. What’s yours is yours, and there’s no point in forcing what’s not. Some things you need to let go of decisively. Life has to go on, and the brothers are waiting for you to come back!"

Though brief, these words were thought-provoking in their underlying meaning.

As for whether Wang Qiang could understand, Tang Xiaoquan didn’t know.

He only hoped Wang Qiang could quickly pull himself out of the mire. After all, everyone worked so hard to win this relatively safe shelter.

The upcoming time was a period of great development and a time when manpower was urgently needed.

Tang Xiaoquan needed Wang Qiang’s help, and the entire team needed his skills.

But how things would ultimately turn out depended on Wang Qiang himself.

The entire inspection took an hour. When Old Xu led the team back, the sky outside had already darkened, and the long-missed moonlight hung high.

This was a good omen! Old Lin parked the car.

After getting out of the car, he met up with Old Xu and the others in one place.

Soon, everyone walked into the courtyard together.

Due to limited room space, the survivors had to move a table into the yard.

Considering the possible shortage of chairs, during the inspection, Old Xu had already instructed team members to load all collected chairs and stools into the small truck.

Once all the chairs and stools were moved out, everyone sat around the table.

Old Xu glanced at the number of people, except for Wei Yang and Old Zhao, who were busy cooking inside.

And Zhang Zhicai, who was taking care of He Jing and Fangfang, the remaining survivors were all present.

"Alright! I called everyone over mainly to talk about one thing. Everyone has seen the shelter. It’s remote enough that it’s hard to discover this village from the main road outside, and the surroundings are all farmland. So barring any incidents, I think we’ll be staying here for a long time. Does anyone have any objections to that?"

Home has always been a timeless topic among humans. Old Xu knew the brothers longed for a stable place to live; everyone was tired of the wandering lifestyle.

So he wanted to leave the decision to everyone. Though he was quite satisfied with the place, it involved everyone’s life, and he couldn’t selfishly decide for all.

"I have no problem with it; I quite like it here." Surprisingly, Wei Dazhuang, who usually wasn’t one for words, was the first to speak up this time.

Perhaps the place was a bit poor, but to someone like Wei Dazhuang, born from a farming background, this place felt familiar and kindred.

"I agree with setting up here as well!" Bi Dahu was also a farming man, and their attachment to farmland was something city folks couldn’t understand.

"Me too!" Hu Xiaodong wasn’t particular about things; purely from a practical angle, he thought the village was very suitable.

Following them, everyone gradually voiced their opinions. Although their reasons varied, the result was unexpectedly consistent.

In the end, Old Xu’s proposal was unanimously passed, and the second shelter was officially designated as the Survivor Team’s settlement for future days.

"Great!" Old Xu was very pleased with the final decision. He paused briefly and then continued, "Since everyone agrees to make this our settlement, then there are some issues we must address. From the inspection just now, everyone likely noticed that the houses here are too dilapidated, and the facilities are lacking. If we want to live here, we must build it up. So everyone, share your thoughts on how we should renovate our home."

"Let me go first." Yue Guishan raised his hand.

"Okay, Old Yue, go ahead." Xu Renjie signaled Yue Guishan to speak directly.

"I just counted, there are a total of 15 houses here, and the furniture inside is quite old, many of them have cockroaches and whatnot. I was thinking of getting some wood back so I can make some furniture. Haha, I’m a carpenter, so this is one thing I can do."

Scratching his head in embarrassment, Yue Guishan laughed awkwardly.

"Oh come on! Old Yue, stop being modest. I was just worried about the bed situation. Now that’s handled; since you brought it up, I’ll leave the beds, tables, and chairs entirely to you."

"Haha, no problem, I can handle these things."

"Then I’ll be responsible for the electricity." Seeing his old friend Yue Guishan finish speaking, Bi Dahu also volunteered eagerly.

"Hmm, alright. Power is fundamental; Dahu, we hope you can make electricity available everywhere." Old Xu ambitiously requested, as having electricity was a luxury in these times, and he even hoped for universal electricity availability.

But Bi Dahu wasn’t daunted; if Old Xu dared to ask, he dared to fulfill, though with one premise: "Haha, Old Xu, making electricity available everywhere isn’t something I can do alone; you’ll need to assign me some technical support."

Old Xu burst into laughter. Sure, he knew exactly whom Bi Dahu was referring to, but he still pretended not to know: "Tell me, whom do you want to help you?"

"Li Zhong and Li Guo brothers!"

"Haha, Li Zhong, Li Guo, Dahu requested you two by name; do you have any objections?" Old Xu turned his head with a smile, his eyes landing on the "Zhong" and "Guo" brothers. He had high hopes for the two, knowing they would play a crucial role in the base’s future development.

"Happy to help!" Li Zhong answered decisively.

Li Guo immediately chimed in, "Apart from this, we can’t be much help to the team. Of course, we’ll do this job." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please come to qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)