The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Lu Yuan put the USB drive in his pocket, then looked at the wall with Zhou Tong.

"When did we finish building this wall? The bugs should be arriving soon. The troops at the front report that more than two billion bugs have already gathered at the Blue Star base. The Blue Star base has now become a sea of ​​bugs, with tens of millions of bugs hatching every day."

Hearing these enormous numbers, Lu Yuan felt a chill run down his spine: "Damn it, it looks like we're in for a tough battle. I wonder when we'll be able to drive these bugs away."

"Well, I feel that the people in the military are quite happy, because according to their research, these insects, after some processing, can become a substitute food. However, apart from the poor taste, they can still improve people's physical fitness."

After hearing this, Lu Yuan couldn't help but think of something.

Insects are naturally composed of various proteins, fats, and minerals, making their bodies the best source of energy.

Lu Yuan suddenly realized that the military personnel wanted to use these insects to produce more food, but he had killed the mother insect in advance, thus interrupting their plan.

Fortunately, Lu Yuan had already explained the dangers of these insects to them; otherwise, if these people had acted according to their own ideas, they might have brought about their own demise.

Lu Yuan then sighed and glanced at the distant horizon.

The midday sun was still high in the sky, and the distance was shrouded in mist, a fog that seemed to linger year-round.

"Let's go. The New Year's Day meal for 2023 has been postponed to today. We're just waiting for you. Everything should be ready by now. Let's eat first, and then we'll seal the gate!"

Zhou Tong nodded, and the two of them finished the last bit of their cigarettes before returning to the restaurant.

The restaurant was already packed with people, all three tables were full. Everyone had a smile on their face.

When they saw Lu Yuan enter, everyone lowered their voices.

Lu Yuan was also quite helpless. Everyone had gradually come to regard him as the highest leader, and his every move would affect everyone's thoughts. However, Lu Yuan had already gotten used to it.

So he looked at the food on the table and said softly, "Come on, let's raise our first glass to celebrate. We've made it through another year. It hasn't been easy!"

Splash!

Everyone stood up and raised their glasses.

Qiqi also stood on a stool, holding her small juice cup high with everyone, and then drank it all in one gulp.

A sumptuous lunch officially began, and everyone chatted and talked in a relaxed mood, as if they had returned to the world before the apocalypse.

Seeing everyone like this, Lu Yuan felt a surge of excitement.

Xiao Shan kept glaring at Qi Qi from the side. Qi Qi really didn't like to eat, and she always liked to make up all sorts of excuses.

"Daddy, my tummy hurts, I'm full!"

Qiqi pitifully begged Lu Yuan for help, while Xiaoshan glared fiercely at Lu Yuan: "No matter what your dad says this time, don't go to him for help, Lu Yuan, you're not allowed to help either, understand?"

Lu Yuan could only make a helpless gesture to Qi Qi.

Qiqi immediately pouted and was about to pretend to cry; Lu Yuan and Xiao Shan were already very familiar with this trick.

That's just how little girl is; she always manages to touch the softest spot in her parents' hearts.

"Forget it, the child is still young, don't bother with him, let it go."

In the end, Lu Yuan couldn't resist the little girl's crying, so he held her in his arms and started to coax her to play with him.

The parents, grandparents, and others burst into laughter.

No one in the family wants to be harsh with their little darling, except for Xiaoshan, who, as his mother, can be so unrestrained.

Just then, the phone downstairs suddenly rang.

Wang Mingming stood up to answer the phone, but Lu Yuan stopped her: "Alright, Mingming, you eat. I'll take Qiqi to answer the phone. Anyway, the little girl doesn't really like to eat!"

After saying that, Lu Yuan hugged Qi Qi and pointed downstairs: "Let's go!"

Qiqi stopped crying and started laughing, her little face resting on Lu Yuan's shoulder as she giggled.

So the father and daughter went downstairs, and Lu Yuan picked up the phone and pressed the answer button.

"Hello, I am Lu Yuan. May I ask who you are?"

"This is from the military! A city-wide notice is hereby given: everyone is strictly prohibited from leaving their homes after midnight tonight. Make sure to lock all doors and windows. Remember, the insect swarm is about to erupt!"

After the other party hung up the phone, Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback.

Before they could react, Xiao Shan walked over.

Seeing that Lu Yuan's expression was off, she leaned over and asked, "What's wrong? You don't look quite right!"

"The military just sent a message saying that the insect swarm may break out after midnight tonight, and we are all required to stay indoors and prepare for insect prevention!"

After hearing this, Xiao Shan's face immediately turned serious: "It seems they really are coming! Really!"

"Yes, I've been looking forward to his arrival, but I'm also worried about him coming. Now that he's here, I feel really uncomfortable. Okay, let everyone know and make sure they're ready. Tonight, I'll go with Lao Zhou and a few others to do some checks outside!"

Xiao Shan nodded and took Qi Qi from Lu Yuan's arms.

After discussing their decision further, the two returned to the restaurant. Lu Yuan then announced the matter to everyone, and all of them wore solemn expressions after hearing it.

"Everyone, get ready and prepare your food. We'll collect it from the warehouse later. Let's prepare two months' worth of food, and also prepare all kinds of water. If something goes wrong, we might not even be able to leave our homes. Oh, and make sure you check your own doors carefully to make sure they're safe!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, and after lunch, they cleaned up the dishes and immediately returned to their respective lodgings for a final check.

After a series of checks, everything was ready.

The sun was setting. The sky was a blood-red afterglow. Although the Earth and the Fire Crystal had swapped positions, the Earth was now closer to the sun, and the temperature near the Earth's surface did not rise too high.

After a while, the sun finally set completely.

Lu Yuan felt much more at ease as he watched the last wall being completely completed.

So everyone returned to their residences. The inspection team, consisting of Lu Yuan, Zhou Tong, Wang Mingming, and Hei Zi, checked the doors of each room and the people inside.

After ensuring everyone's safety, they returned to their respective rooms.

And just after they entered the house, a police siren suddenly sounded from the besieged city in the distance.