The two stayed on the extinct volcano for three days, collecting countless rocks, volcanic mud, silver sword chrysanthemums, and gems. The gems, in particular, were like those from a blasted gem mine, and their quality was exceptionally good.

They collected almost all the supplies on the mountain. The reason they were so efficient was because the smog covering the mountain was so heavy that it was impossible to see inside from the outside, which made it easy for Xu Lin to take out all kinds of mining tools.

Zhou Pin digs, Xu Lin collects directly, wouldn't that increase efficiency immediately!

The dogs also have their tasks: patrolling the foot of the mountain to prevent anyone from getting close and discovering their secrets.

Three days later, Xu Lin prepared to go to the mountain where Sun Wei and the others had gone, and the fruit trees that Li Jingjing had mentioned attracted her.

Following Sun Wei's directions, the two rowed forward. About 10 meters from the mountain, the haze here was better than that over the extinct volcano. Xu Lin took out her binoculars to observe if there were any people on the mountain.

It was just a routine check, but we didn't expect to actually find someone on the mountain.

They were almost at shore, and Xu Lin was reluctant to turn back now. Seeing Xu Lin's thoughts, Zhou Pin didn't stop rowing and kept rowing until they reached the shore.

The two rowed the boat to a secluded spot and hid it, then took the dogs ashore.

The standard equipment the two now use when going out is one carrying a bamboo basket (Zhou Pin) and the other carrying a backpack (Xu Lin), and each carrying a Tang sword.

After landing, Xu Lin did not go to the populated area, but went to the deserted side to collect supplies first.

There were many fruit trees on the mountain. As usual, once they found a fruit tree, they had the dogs patrol the area while the two men began to collect the supplies.

Xu Lin took out the tree-digging tool and started digging with Zhou Pin. After they finished, they piled the saplings together and stored them in their space later. This was also to prevent them from being seen by others when they were storing them. It's always better to be cautious.

More than an hour later, the two had just dug up 25 saplings when Shuke and Beta arrived. It must be someone else. Xu Lin immediately put away the dug-up saplings and the sapling-digging tool.

The two hid in the bushes and took out binoculars to observe. They spotted three people carrying axes and machetes walking towards them from the direction Shuke and Beta had come from. They were talking as they walked, but they couldn't hear them clearly from a distance.

As they got closer, I could finally hear them clearly.

"Just collect the supplies, why make us patrol? We could collect so many more supplies in that time!"

"Brother Qiang must have a reason for making these arrangements. We should just listen to him."

"You opportunist! When Brother Gang was leading us, you were sucking up to him, and now you're sucking up to Brother Qiang!"

"You have the nerve to talk back to me? Didn't you flatter him yourself? Who was it that said after the meeting that entrusting this western area to me would guarantee no problems!"

"What do you mean? You want to fight?" The man was enraged by what he was said.

"Fine, I'll fight you! I'm not afraid of you, you're a coward!"

"Alright, you two stop arguing. We need to follow orders, but we also need to have our own plans. We'll patrol and find some supplies ourselves." The person who hadn't spoken until now spoke up.

"Isn't there a special team to collect supplies? We just need to do our job well."

"It's the apocalypse now, we don't know where our next meal will come from, we have to plan for the future. Are we going to rely on others to collect supplies for us forever?" This person clearly has some sense.

“Brother Wen is right. We need to leave ourselves a way out. Brother Qiang is not a very honest person. He took all the supplies after occupying a hill and had no intention of sustainable development. If this continues, something bad will happen sooner or later.”