binnovel Chapter 24 Returning with a Full Load
Chapter 24 Returning with a Full Load
As soon as Li Chenglong and his men entered, they found the warehouses filled with wheat, each holding at least 20 tons. Zheng Aiguo immediately led a few men to inspect the warehouses and returned three minutes later to report: "All seven warehouses are almost full. They contain wheat, corn, and some rice. There are also 4,000 50kg bags of flour and rice, and a lot of cooking oil—conservatively estimated, 1000 5L barrels." Li Chenglong said with satisfaction, "Based on our daily ration of 1.5 jin (750g) for ordinary people and 3 jin (1.5kg) for those with superpowers, this amount of grain and oil should last us a long time. Zheng Aiguo, you immediately organize people to load the bags onto the trucks. Since we need a truck to carry people, and we can only fit three, loading the bagged flour, rice, and some cooking oil shouldn't be a problem. I'll handle the large warehouses and the rest."
At this moment, Li Chenglong turned to Zhao Rui and said, "Hurry up and get someone to load the truck, but it can only fill the van you brought. We have too many people, and our daily demand is huge, so we can't give you too much." Zhao Rui nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I understand. We only have about 70 survivors in total. One truck is enough for us to get through the winter, and in a few months, the wheat in our village should be ready for harvest." Li Chenglong thought for a moment and then said, "Our base is currently recruiting. You can discuss it when you get back. If you're willing to come here, we welcome you." Zhao Rui thought for a moment before saying, "That depends on everyone's wishes. To be honest, apart from the dozen or so of us who are relatively strong men, the survivors in our village are mostly the elderly, women, and children, and many of them don't want to leave their village."
Hearing this, Li Chenglong knew he couldn't force the issue, so he didn't say anything more. At this moment, Yun Lan walked in from outside: "We've found the sources of those three energies. Follow me." Li Chenglong followed Yun Lan to a damaged house in the back, where they found three piglets eating sorghum that had spilled from a bag. Although called piglets, they were slightly larger than calves. Yun Lan smiled and said, "I think we can take them back, raise them, and eat them when they're grown. We can also notify the search team if they see any other mutated pigs while they're on missions elsewhere, so we can breed them." Li Chenglong hugged Yun Lan and said, "You're so smart! But it's not easy to carry them in the car. Let's put them in our storage ring first. I also plan to take those six granaries directly with the ring; that way we don't have to bother bagging them and it saves space." Yun Lan smiled sweetly: "There are 140 or 150 tons of grain in total, and with so much grain, plus a few mutated pigs, we've really had a huge harvest this time."
An hour later, thanks to the help of the superhumans, four thousand bags of grain and several hundred barrels of cooking oil had been loaded onto the truck. After loading a small truckload of grain and oil, Zhao Rui thanked Li Chenglong repeatedly before leaving. Once everyone had left, Li Chenglong moved his mind, and the seven grain depots were directly stored in his ring. Now, his and Yun Lan's storage rings were as large as a football field, making it easy to store these things. Moreover, since their reawakening, the storage space had actually come alive; it not only had light but had even sprouted some flowers and plants they didn't recognize. After everything was done, several superhumans also loaded the dead mutated pig onto the truck.
Wu Gang shouted, "Everyone assemble! Please give instructions, Captain Li!" The sixty men immediately lined up. Li Chenglong walked to the front, smiling, and said, "Relax, everyone. Don't be so reserved. This time, we've harvested a lot of food and several mutated pigs. It's been quite a successful mission, but I hope you won't be complacent. The incident at the hospital recently has reminded us that the zombies are slowly getting stronger. So I hope you can continue to work hard. Okay, get on the bus now and try to get back to the base before 3:30 this afternoon. We'll have pork for dinner tonight." Everyone cheered. After all, no one would want to eat mutated beast meat. Ordinary people could eat it to strengthen their bodies and prevent diseases, while those with superpowers could eat it to gain experience and speed up their leveling up.
The convoy headed home when they encountered a huge boulder blocking their path. Several superhumans and soldiers got out of their vehicles to move it. Li Chenglong, preoccupied with upgrading his skills, paid no attention. Suddenly, another boulder fell, striking a newly recruited soldier who couldn't dodge in time, leaving him with mangled flesh. Li Chenglong and Yun Lan, realizing something was wrong, immediately jumped out of the vehicle. They saw a group of people on a high vantage point by the roadside, preparing to throw a boulder. The leader was a burly man with a pockmarked face, standing beside him were the same skinny man and his group who had just fled. Zheng Aiguo gritted his teeth and cursed, "We just showed you mercy and spared your life, and now you repay kindness with enmity? Who gave you the guts?" At this moment, the giant said, "So it was you who injured my men? If you know what's good for you, leave the things in the car, or you'll never leave alive." The skinny man then said with a sly smile, "You may not know, but my brother is already a Level 4 expert. None of you in this car are a match for him. Quickly hand over everything."
Suddenly, the skinny man noticed Yun Lan standing next to Li Chenglong and shouted, "Wow, I didn't expect there to be such a beauty among you! Those legs, that figure, that face...tsk tsk tsk, even movie stars can't compare! She has to stay and be our boss's bed warmer, hahaha." Yun Lan was furious and wanted to go over and kill the skinny man, whose head had already been beaten into a pig's head. Zheng Aiguo, seeing the soldiers being carried away for emergency treatment and hearing the skinny man's foul language towards Yun Lan, yelled, "Watch me kill you all!" Li Chenglong waved his hand to stop him expressionlessly, then crossed his hands into a claw shape. Four transparent spheres appeared in his palms, emitting a dazzling light, and there seemed to be swirling patterns of the Milky Way inside. "Galaxy Explosion!" Li Chenglong roared, and with a wave of his crossed hands forward, the four spheres instantly flew out, gradually increasing in size as they flew. Those standing on the small hill had no time to dodge and were hit by the rapidly approaching Galaxy Explosion, causing a huge explosion that created a rolling shockwave and a deafening sound.
As the dust settled, everyone was astonished to find that the small hill where the group had stood had become a crater about two meters deep, and the group had long since vanished. Li Chenglong turned to everyone and said, "Let me reiterate a rule: We will not attack unless attacked; if attacked, we will eliminate them completely!" After saying this, Li Chenglong first examined the soldier's injuries: "It's alright, just a simple fracture, not a comminuted fracture. Although the external injury looks serious, once we get to the base, a healing-type ability user can treat it, and he'll be fine. Hang in there a little longer."
After speaking, Li Chenglong walked to the boulder ahead, kicked it away, and then got into the SUV and started it. The convoy followed behind Li Chenglong's SUV, accelerating forward. As he drove, Li Chenglong said to Yunlan, "Was I a bit too ruthless? Not all of them might be bad people; some might have just followed those two out of necessity." Yunlan, sitting in the back, massaged Li Chenglong's shoulders and said, "Not at all. It's only been a month since the apocalypse began, and these people are already so unscrupulous. They acted like this today; who knows how many people they've harmed in this time. I think it was good to kill them. In chaotic times, harsh measures are necessary." Li Chenglong smiled calmly and sped up a little.
At this moment, on the last troop transport truck, Zheng Aiguo, the company commander of the Second Company, and Wan Dahai, the deputy company commander and a level three water-based ability user, who was also a former member of the Second Company, had already boarded the truck. Zheng Aiguo and Wan Dahai exchanged a glance and began, "Just now, Captain Li killed that group of people with a single blow. Does anyone feel that the captain is cruel? You can stand up and say so. I guarantee with my personal reputation and the company commander of the Second Company that I will absolutely not tell anyone." More than half of the people present were former members of the hospital garrison. One of them stood up and said, "Even if the captain didn't kill them, we would still kill them. They injured our brothers and insulted our deputy captain. This is intolerable!" Zheng Aiguo said, "Those of you in the hospital should know that Captain Li is a very easy-going person. No matter who is in trouble, he will do his best to help if he knows of it. Now there are many people and many things to do, so it's impossible for him to take care of everyone. Those of you who came later, you can observe with your own eyes and feel with your own hearts what kind of person Captain Li is. I followed Captain Li for five years, and my evaluation of him is that he is upright, selfless, loves his soldiers like his own children, and hates evil like poison. Okay, you can think about it yourselves."
After speaking, Zheng Aiguo gave the wounded soldier the level-three orange crystal that Li Chenglong had given him beforehand: "This is from the captain in his personal capacity. Li Xue will treat you when you get back. She's a level-four awakened one with advanced healing abilities, so your injury is nothing. You can then use the level-three orange crystal to exchange for points. With these points, even if you leave our Dawn Army, you'll be able to live comfortably on the minimum daily allowance." Because most ability users are still at level two, generally no one hands in level-three crystals that are very helpful for leveling up. Moreover, the base has a rule that each person's crystal belongs to them alone, and no one is allowed to steal it. The wounded soldier's eyes were filled with tears: "I won't leave. I will never leave the Dawn Army, never leave the Second Company. Company Commander, don't worry, I'll rejoin the team as soon as I recover!" Zheng Aiguo nodded: "Good job, but you should still be more careful in the future to avoid unnecessary injuries."
The group arrived at the base at four in the afternoon. Many were thrilled to see the several truckloads of grain they had brought back, and even a pig larger than a small car. Li Xue, Yun Lan, Zheng Yong, and others were already waiting to greet them in the office courtyard. As soon as Li Chenglong opened the car door, Li Xue rushed over and said, "Brothers, you guys are amazing! You brought back so much grain, and such a big, fat pig!" Li Xue gestured the size of the pig with her hands as she spoke, looking quite adorable. Li Chenglong whispered a few words to Li Xue, who nodded and went to check on the wounded soldier in the back.
At this moment, Zheng Yong and Yun Qian walked over: "Welcome back in triumph! Did the trip go smoothly?" Li Chenglong nodded: "We really got a lot of grain this time, but most of it is wheat, corn, rice, and sorghum. Yun Qian, you need to find a processing plant to handle it, but there's no rush, we can take our time. There are 20 tons of bagged flour and rice, enough for us to eat for a while. Also, there's that pig we brought back, a level three mutated beast. I estimate it weighs at least 3,000 jin. Yun Qian, tell the kitchen to process it this afternoon, then make it into braised pork, half a jin for everyone, and the rest into cured meat or sausages, as a weekly reward for points." Yun Qian nodded and immediately organized people to unload the grain. She also asked several ability users to help move the fat pig, and they began to work busily.
Zheng Yong laughed and said, "I have nothing to do now, I'm so bored I'm going to get sick." Li Chenglong waved his hand, "Not at all. When Yunlan and I are not around, you are the backbone of the base. We still need you." Zheng Yong nervously pulled Li Chenglong aside, "Team Leader Li, I heard you have some wine. How about I use my points to buy a bottle on credit? When we reconcile the accounts, you can deduct part of the supplies issued this week." Li Chenglong immediately took out a bottle of Kongfujia wine from his storage ring and handed it to Zheng Yong, "Why do you need points for a bottle of wine? I got this from my sister's small supermarket. Here, have a bottle." Zheng Yong smiled and took it, hiding it in his clothes. He was busy with logistics matters with Yunlan.
A moment later, Yunlan and Li Xue came over. Li Chenglong asked, "How is that soldier?" Li Xue proudly replied, "I can easily take him down with my help. The soldier is fine now and will be able to move freely tomorrow. He can participate in missions in a couple of days." Li Chenglong nodded, "We have more and more support-type ability users now, which is really good news for our soldiers on the front lines."
Because processing the mutated pork takes a relatively long time, dinner time will be delayed tonight. However, no one complained, since Captain Li had said everyone would get a share. Li Chenglong told Yunlan to rest first, then he and Li Xue went to the grain warehouse. Inside, the grain was neatly piled high, and two soldiers were standing guard. The two soldiers saluted when they saw Li Chenglong, who returned the salute and said, "Li Xue and I will go in and take a look. You've worked hard." Yun Qian, Chen Xiaoke, and two accountants were writing and calculating in their notebooks, tallying all the grain reserves. Seeing Li Chenglong arrive, Yun Qian smiled and said, "Welcome, Captain Li, on your inspection." Li Chenglong replied, "I'm flattered. You're the real leader here in logistics. How's the statistic?" Yun Qian glanced at her notebook: "I asked a few strength-type ability users to help move all this stuff. Currently, our base has 25.7 tons of bagged rice and flour, 1250 barrels of cooking oil, a slight shortage of vegetables, but still within acceptable limits, and over 500 boxes of various canned goods..." After listening to Yun Qian's report, Li Chenglong nodded in satisfaction: "Sending you to logistics was definitely the right choice. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, just come to me, and I'll do my best to solve them."
At this moment, Li Xue walked over and said mysteriously to Yun Qian, "Brother also caught three mutated piglets. He said he wants us to make arrangements to see if we can raise them." Yun Qian looked at Li Chenglong with surprise and said, "Is what Xue'er said true?" Li Chenglong nodded, "Yes, there are three in total. But although they are called piglets, they are a little bigger than calves, so you need to find a suitable place to raise them, and they need to be fed by specific professionals. I will also have someone keep an eye out for more. As long as they grow up, our meat supply will be guaranteed." Yun Qian wrote this down in her notebook and said, "I'm too busy today. I'll handle this matter tomorrow morning and let you know then." Seeing that he didn't have much to do, Li Chenglong said goodbye to Yun Qian and Li Xue and left the warehouse.
Although meals at the base are still picked up from the kitchen on the first floor of the town office building, the increasing number of people means it's no longer possible for everyone to eat together like in the hospital. Furthermore, with the growing number of people at the base, Yun Qian is also planning to open a large kitchen in the neighboring residential area. Li Chenglong was looking at documents in his room when Yun Lan came in with the food: "Xue'er said she wanted to eat with Yun Qian and Xiao Ke, so we'll just eat together." Li Chenglong put down his documents: "Okay, let me see what we have today." Yun Lan placed four lunchboxes on the table: "Two servings of braised pork, two servings of green beans, two apples, two eggs, and two servings of rice." Li Chenglong nodded in satisfaction: "To be able to eat this in these zombie-infested conditions is already quite good." He then took out two bottles of drinks from his ring, and the two of them ate, chatting and laughing.
“Let’s stay together tonight,” Yun Lan said softly, her face slightly flushed. Li Chenglong was surprised: “Why? Haven’t you been staying with Xue’er these past few days?” Yun Lan retorted angrily: “What, can’t I stay with you? Because Li Xue has been transferred to logistics, she said she’s moving in with Yun Qian and Chen Xiaoke for work. Our old room has been converted into a temporary logistics office for the Dawn Army, because Yun Qian said she wanted to separate the logistics for ordinary survivors from the logistics for the Dawn Army for easier management.” Li Chenglong nodded: “Separating them is good, since there are more people now. How about this, I’ll sleep on the sofa, and you sleep on the bed.” Yun Lan said: “The sofa is too cold, let’s sleep together!” Li Chenglong couldn’t persuade her otherwise, and since the girl had already put it that way, it wouldn’t be right for him, a man, to say anything more.
The two lay in bed and began to chat about their past experiences in the army and what they planned to do in the future. As they talked, Yunlan fell asleep, and Li Chenglong hugged her from behind, smelling the fragrance of her hair, and also fell into a deep sleep.