CHAPTER 338: CHAPTER 5: BASIC LABOR FORCE

The sun had just risen, and a new day began.

The buzzing came from far to near, an ugly-looking electric "Warthog" roared in like the messenger of dawn from the direction of the refuge, hovering steadily beside the house where the exploration team took shelter.

The gale whipped up by the propellers stirred the surrounding debris, leaving the dozen or so newly joined survivors from the town quite shaken. They had almost forgotten that industrial civilization still existed in this world.

Thanks to the short flight, the "Warthog" arrived fully loaded.

In the open cargo hold, dozens of barrels of heavy fresh water were neatly stacked, interspersed with baskets of fresh fruits, vegetables, and bread.

After potatoes, the bright red tomatoes were the second-largest crop planted by the refuge. They were easy to grow and process, and could be made into long-lasting jam.

Most of the fruit baskets were filled with tomatoes, weighing a good twenty to thirty kilograms. Grab one casually, take a bite, and your mouth would be full of sweet and sour juice—absolute organically grown, with no pesticides or fertilizers used at all.

Apart from fruits and vegetables, each member of the team could get a basin of clean water to wash their face and hands—ample clean water ensuring the most basic hygiene.

In the apocalypse, this was no trivial matter as it could effectively reduce the incidence of skin and gastrointestinal diseases, which were often deadly in harsh conditions.

When Jennifer handed over a small bottle of hand sanitizer, Lela felt happiness and delight. She had almost forgotten the feeling of freshness and cleanliness, to the point of being moved to tears.

Having a constant stream of logistical supplies and an electric aircraft for transport indicated that Zhou Qingfeng and the others were not a small faction; there must be a larger force backing them.

The dozen or so surviving newcomers, as if reassured, would surely gravitate positively in the short term, willing to coexist peacefully with the exploration team.

After unloading, the "Warthog" started again, making a low rumbling noise.

A few frail young children were sent into the spacious cargo hold, to be taken back to the safe refuge, receiving proper care, thus alleviating the exploration team’s worries.

The refuge had already started building a rudimentary school, specifically for children under twelve years old. Helen, who used to be a history teacher, would take on the dual roles of principal and caregiver.

As for those older than twelve, they could not enjoy this preferential treatment and had to use their hands to earn their chance of survival.

Of course, there were exceptions.

Lela’s child was already thirteen, still allowed to board the "Warthog’s" cargo hold.

Handing over her ’weakness’ was a win-win for both her and the exploration team, and was why Zhou Qingfeng had chosen her to rise in position.

"Alright, everyone, let’s get to know each other. My name is Lela, and I am your team leader. I hope we can get along well in the time to come."

After enjoying a breakfast of bread and jam, the dozen newly joined survivors introduced themselves and got acquainted.

Lela, as the temporary leader, led this newborn scavenging team, dealing with picking up garbage amidst the ruins. But shortly after they set out, they encountered gunfire and expulsion.

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"Get away, keep far from my territory. I have the freedom to do so!"

At noon, Nedved hid in his ’Doomsday Fortress’, shouting threats through a loudspeaker, accompanied by the occasional sound of gunfire.

This guy had turned the hundred meters around his ’fortress’ into his own domain, mercilessly expelling anyone who dared to come near.

Lela’s scavenging team searched a few houses, found a few push carts as transportation tools, and easily collected many recyclable plastic items, gradually nearing Nedved’s ’territory’.

The latter had installed many monitoring devices around the ’fortress’, equipped with dynamic alarm functions. Whenever someone appeared, Nedved could spot them and react instantly.

This guy didn’t care who came, as long as someone appeared, he would shoot a warning. If they didn’t leave, he would aim and shoot directly.

Bullets whistled and landed among the rubble around the scavenging team, kicking up clouds of dust as they ruthlessly drove them away.

The piercing loudspeaker echoed like a ghost through the empty town, "I don’t need your charity, and don’t even think about cooperating with me! I know you folks are up to no good, keep away from me!"

Lela and the others fled back in a panic, leaving behind the recyclable materials they had collected, wasting almost half a day’s effort.

In the safe rear, Zhou Qingfeng watched the real-time feed from mechanical dogs and drones with a dark expression. On the screen, the solitary "fortress" was like a tough bone.

Nedved had used abandoned vehicles to set up heavy barricades around the "fortress", among which there were faintly visible some simple yet dangerous traps.

Lela fled very miserably, saying with a pale face: "Victor, we should avoid that lunatic’s territory.

He has paranoia and is completely unreasonable. Despite hoarding a large amount of supplies, he acts like a miser, never sharing or trading with anyone.

I once tried to exchange food with him for some urgently needed medications, but he not only refused outright but also viciously accused me of trying to poison him!"

Zhou Qingfeng, however, had no intention of retreating; after showing kindness, he needed to establish his might. He didn’t know who Nedved was, but he had decided to make an example of him.

After confirming that there was only Nedved inside the bizarrely shaped makeshift "fortress", he decisively gave the order to blow it up: