I'd like to thank our new Patreon Diamond member, "melonpan," for recommending this novel for translation. I've read up to chapter 50, and it's a truly engaging read. It boasts a 4.4 rating on NovelUpdates. So you know it's going to be good.
Thank you again, Melonpan, for the sponsorship
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Fu Shiwu's sorrow was hard for Tang Xuhai to understand.
Though they had left their secluded life behind, the days that followed only seemed to tighten the tension.
Tang Xuhai's sleeping bag was outside, surrounded by walls made of thin boards and walls forming an opening on one side as an entrance.
With his back against one side and his long legs stretched to the door's other side, it was practically a makeshift door, entirely blocking others' views.
"Are you done?" Tang Xuhai turned his head towards the inside, holding his stomach and calling out. After experiencing intense activity and doing physical labor for half the day, his stomach had been growling for food for a while.
Though he had emergency rations in his backpack, he preferred a proper meal if conditions allowed!
Fu Shiwu stood by the alcohol stove, carefully tending to the boiling pot of soup.
He said, "The dried noodles are almost finished."
Fu Shiwu was a bit worried. All three of them were healthy, strong men, but even with their frugal habits, the dried noodles he brought were nearly finished.
Tang Xuhai tilted his head, looking at the simmering pot of soup, and casually said, "Don't worry, this campsite might provide some food. If we're still concerned, I'll go out and find some."
Fu Shiwu glanced at Wen Zhaoming, who spoke, "The situation in the city isn't good. Are you planning to take risks alone?"
Tang Xuhai's gaze sharpened, stating, "Of course not."
Glancing at nearby individuals, he stood up and walked closer to the two, speaking in a low voice, "As I mentioned earlier, due to water contamination, there's now water rationing in the camp. One bottle per person per day. How long do you think we can endure?"
Wen Zhaoming's brows furrowed tightly. He softly replied, "Even with the government's ability, guaranteeing a week's supply of drinking water is already challenging. With transportation and production cut off now, providing tens of thousands of people with one bottle a day won't last long."
Fu Shiwu blinked, feeling unable to contribute to this discussion, so he continued cooking noodles while listening to their conversation.
Wen Zhaoming continued in a hushed tone, "So, if we want to prevent chaos in the camp, we must come up with a solution."
Tang Xuhai nodded approvingly.
Encouraged, Wen Zhaoming took a deep breath, engaging his mind and synthesizing various information.
He said, "The water from the main plant has been contaminated. The only drinkable source left is groundwater. However, the underground water resources in Cloud City have long dried up, making it challenging to access."
"What else?" Tang Xuhai, hands on hips, looked interested, clearly eager to see what Wen Zhaoming could think of.
"There's another method," Wen Zhaoming said, looking at Tang Xuhai's intrigued yet slightly mocking expression, and solemnly continued, "Large-scale water purifiers."
Tang Xuhai snapped his fingers, impressed. "You hit the nail on the head."
Fu Shiwu brought out two smaller containers, starting to serve rice. Lowering his voice, he also said, "I thought of returning to the urban area to find those barrels of bottled water that haven't been taken yet. There are many water stations in the city; there must be plenty of bottled water left."
Tang Xuhai took a large container of noodle soup and said to him, "The yield would be minimal. After the water situation changed in the city, it was looted once. The central transfer hub for large water stations is here. If there were reserves, they would have been used by now."
Fu Shiwu served a second bowl, handing it to Wen Zhaoming, who thanked him and began eating with a fork.
After distributing the meals, Fu Shiwu grabbed the pot handle and brought it closer to himself.
"To supply water to so many people, bottled water, mineral water, and drinks aren't a long-term solution. Although the water from the plant has been contaminated at the molecular level, it can be filtered out. With enough large water purifiers connected to the tap water pipes, it would easily solve the drinking water problem for so many people," Wen Zhaoming said after a few bites.
"But how many large water purifiers would so many people need?" Fu Shiwu hesitated.
"The large water purifiers are transported by the purifier companies themselves. We don't have any purifier manufacturing companies in Cloud City, so even if we found a company's inventory, it might not be enough. However, in reality, the number of purifiers in Cloud City is more than enough!" Wen Zhaoming asserted confidently.
"Are you referring to those purifiers in the residential areas?" Fu Shiwu pondered.
Tang Xuhai ate quickly; by now, only the soup remained. He boldly raised the bottom of the container and finished the soup. Taking a breath, he said, "Yes, those! If I'm not mistaken, troops will soon be sent to the city to seize these large water purifiers to alleviate the urgent need for drinking water!"
"But how does that relate to the food we're eating?" Fu Shiwu asked, puzzled.
Tang Xuhai glared at him annoyed. "You're so clueless!"
Fu Shiwu frowned, feeling indignant and calling him stupid!
Wen Zhaoming intervened, saying, "I believe Tang Xuhai means he can act alongside the troops. His combat prowess this morning was evident to all those soldiers. If he participates in the mission to search for water purifiers, he will surely not be refused. While assisting the military, he can also gather some food."
Fu Shiwu finally understood and, feeling embarrassed, looked at Tang Xuhai, saying, "I'll go with you."
"No, you stay. Stay with Wen Zhaoming," Tang Xuhai wiped his mouth, saying, "We still need someone to watch over our things. With so many refugees, there might be some who act recklessly. With just Wen Zhaoming alone, it might not be enough to deter them."
In terms of combat strength, Wen Zhaoming, with his fire-based ability, could definitely guard their belongings. However, Wen Zhaoming's appearance lacked persuasiveness.
Fu Shiwu agreed deeply, nodding seriously, "I'll make sure to watch over our belongings with Wen Zhaoming."
Tang Xuhai found Fu Shiwu's solemn demeanor amusing but didn't show it.
After a night of rest, the mutated, physically robust warriors formed a special task force, specifically responsible for scouring Cloud City for supplies.
They weren't just looking for large water purifiers; they also sought other items such as medical equipment and especially antibiotics, which had become the most scarce after the latest scientific research findings. No one wanted these future mutants to become intellectually impaired due to lack of treatment.
Learning from the attack by mutants in the high-rise building area, this team avoided the higher buildings in the secondary circle area.
While the mutant density near the eastern side was lower compared to other areas, many mutants still lingered here, not joining the fight.
After a night, another wave
of mutants was unleashed into the city.
Several soldiers with sniper rifles targeted distant mutants, while Tang Xuhai and other mutated soldiers were responsible for dealing with the closer ones. The team moved intermittently; if not for the time spent dismantling the water purifiers, their yield would have been much greater.
Taking advantage of the soldiers' pause while dismantling the water purifiers, Tang Xuhai searched nearby stores for food. These purifiers were generally installed in residential areas surrounded by various shops.
Tang Xuhai visited several small supermarkets. They had been completely emptied of food and drinks, except for a few packets of hot pot seasoning left behind. It was meager, but Tang Xuhai packed these packets into his backpack.
Tang Xuhai had previously agreed with the team leader to search for food alone. Their food and water were prioritized for the military, so the soldiers didn't object to his actions.
The captain even told him it was alright to take more; they could use the vehicle to transport it back.
Tang Xuhai gladly accepted the captain's offer, but unfortunately, he couldn't find enough food to fill even his backpack.
On the first day, Tang Xuhai had managed to find some gasoline.
That was only because he didn't want to return empty-handed.
The team passed by a gas station where most of the fuel from the tanks had been stolen. The remaining amount was taken by the team along with their vehicles. Only seeing the soldiers taking the fuel reminded Tang Xuhai to get some for himself.
Rather than obtaining it from the soldiers, he fetched two empty gas canisters from nearby abandoned vehicles.
Seeing Tang Xuhai struggling to siphon fuel from vehicle to vehicle, the captain wanted to share some with him but was solemnly refused by Tang Xuhai.
Gasoline was scarce at this time, and he definitely wouldn't take advantage of the troops.
In the end, his behavior unexpectedly yielded a pleasant surprise.
Excitedly, Tang Xuhai returned to their small space and pulled Fu Shiwu aside mysteriously, "I got something good!"
"What?" Fu Shiwu looked at him bewilderedly.
Tang Xuhai, eager, said, "Guess."
Fu Shiwu stared at him for a moment and guessed, "Could it be the brand of cigarettes you like?"
Tang Xuhai was speechless. If he found cigarettes, he wouldn't show off like this!
Tang Xuhai's reaction made Fu Shiwu guess again, "Chocolate?!"
At the mention of chocolate, Fu Shiwu's eyes lit up. Now that his box of chocolate was shared property, it couldn't be eaten as a snack until it was dire. He had been thinking about it for days.
Being visible but not edible was quite distressing!
Tang Xuhai was once again rendered speechless. He sighed, giving up.
"It's bullets! Look!" Tang Xuhai revealed his hands full of two ammo clips and some loose bullets!
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