Chapter 24

When they were almost at the bungalow, Feng Xiangming saw groups of people carrying buckets of water walking back. He couldn't help but frown: "Does the gathering place still need to carry water manually?"

Liang Luan placed one hand on the steering wheel, a slight smile on his lips that didn't reach his eyes: "Major General Feng has been fighting outside for many years, he must have seen many scenes like this."

He turned the steering wheel and entered the clearing. "This is a place of exile. We live one day at a time."

Feng Xiangming pursed his lips. After all, it was a forgotten deserted island, so he had taken it for granted.

As soon as the car stopped, two crisp chirping sounds were heard. Jiang Zihan happened to be returning from the bamboo forest with two goshawks.

Liang Luan got out of the car to greet them, and circled around Da Cang and Xiao Cang affectionately. After not seeing them for a few days, the feathers of the two war beasts had become shinier, but his master looked more haggard.

"You've finally made up your mind to show up?" Jiang Zihan, carrying a bamboo basket with fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms still covered in morning dew, joked with a smile, "You've come at the right time. We've got a good harvest today, and the mountain springs have accumulated quite a bit. I guess we'll be able to bring in running water in a few days. You don't have to worry about your babies having no clean water to drink anymore."

Liang Luan's ears turned slightly red, thinking of Jiang Zihan's half-smile when he brought over the truck of purified water. Most of the water resources in the gathering place were filtered before. His original intention was not to dislike it, but he was just worried that it would not be enough.

He was about to explain when he caught a glimpse of Lu Chenyuan approaching and immediately fell silent.

A tall figure stood against the light, his jacket loosely draped over him, making him appear even taller and more erect. He took the bamboo basket from Jiang Zihan's hand, and Da Cang skillfully flapped its nearly two-meter-long wings and landed on his shoulder, looking as if he didn't want to walk anymore.

Jiang Zihan: "Then you guys chat first, I'll go wash my hands first."

After the people walked away, Lu Chenyuan glanced at the car next to him and suddenly raised his hand to touch it. Liang Luan immediately felt like he was facing a great enemy: "I can give you other things, but not this car."

Gaota could turn a blind eye to the rest of the resources, but there was a military emblem on the car. What if the livestreamer saw it? Wouldn't that clearly indicate Gaota and the streamer were having a private relationship?

Lu Chenyuan didn't insist, but turned to look at the other person present. Feng Xiangming walked a few steps closer and asked in a low voice, "My superiors asked me to ask if you have any plans to go back. This time, it won't be to the Anbu."

Lu Chenyuan shook his head: "Since I have chosen to retire, I will not go back. Life here is quite interesting."

After returning to the bungalow, Jiang Zihan was about to wash the mud off his hands. As soon as his fingertips touched the water, he was stunned. The water was still warm.

Not long after, Lu Chenyuan followed in. Jiang Zihan didn't even look up when he heard the familiar footsteps: "Are you done talking?"

Lu Chenyuan scooped a spoonful of hot water into the wash basin and said, "The military is considering sending war beasts here for treatment, but the blockade of the Exile Land was agreed upon by all military regions at the time, so it's not that easy to cancel it now. I guess they'll just quietly send some people in for exchange and learning."

Jiang Zihan: "I don't have any objections to these. It doesn't matter if I raise a few, as long as the benefits are adequate."

Although she currently has a medical manual, the military might be able to provide different research directions.

"Oh, by the way, spring is coming soon, and the gathering place needs to consider spring planting. Ren Shuang found some rice seeds, and the original planting fields are not enough."

Lu Chenyuan: "Don't worry, I'll call someone."

The fur rubbed against his feet, so Jiang Zihan wet a towel and wiped the fur of the little guys one by one before carrying them into the house.

…

As night fell, a rich aroma filled the entire house. Several large pots were boiling jams and sauces at the same time. Several little kitties accidentally bumped into each other while chasing and playing. The kitten fell into a pile of chili peppers and was choked and sneezed continuously.

It buried its head, rubbed its nose with its two short hands, and stumbled to Lina's feet.

The boy met the big watery eyes, paused in picking vegetables, looked around, and seeing that no one was paying attention, he quietly condensed a ball of water and applied it to Didi's nose.

Didi was stunned for a moment, then seemed to feel relieved, and followed suit by sticking out her belly and trying hard.

Lina tilted his head to look at the kittens. The next second, he saw small water droplets floating in the air around them, and he stopped in his tracks. These kittens had been running around all day. They were originally just pets raised by this doctor, but he didn't expect them to be war beasts.

He couldn't help but look around. Could it be that all the small animals here are like this? This is too scary.

This dinner was much more lively than usual. The unfamiliar faces were a little reserved at first, with their hands hunched in a corner, and even picked up the food with great care.

But as the steaming hot broth was served, the aroma aroused their appetite and they unknowingly drew closer to each other. Someone told a joke first, but the atmosphere at the table suddenly relaxed and the tense state of the newlyweds suddenly relaxed.

Lin Na's fingers holding the soup bowl trembled slightly. He stared at the oil floating in the bowl in a daze. In the previous base, one would have to save up points for half a month to get a small bowl of shepherd's purse dumplings like this.

The hot soup went down my throat, the fresh and fragrant soup was filled with the fragrance of shepherd's purse, and the heat seemed to burn all the way into my stomach, causing my heart to tremble.

This gathering place was so strange. There was no hierarchy, no penny-wise transactions. Everyone could gather around a table with relaxed smiles on their faces, as if they were not on a deserted island. It reminded him of the family and friends dinner he had in his hometown before he came to the island.

A drop of salty liquid splashed into the soup, causing the bowl to tremble slightly. Those deliberately forgotten memories suddenly flooded back. He had been a laborer with the transport team. He had contracted a mutation while helping to transport experimental samples. After being sent to the island, he could only eke out a living by running errands for the anchors.

In the last sneak attack, he was pushed out as cannon fodder.

After everyone had their fill of soup and food, half of the group left and Lin Na suddenly rushed to Jiang Zihan.

"I... I have something to say!" He spoke so fast that he almost bit his tongue. Perhaps the delicious smell of the dumplings had clouded his brain, and he blurted out all those shady plans.

After saying that, he closed his eyes tightly. Even if he was kicked out now, it would be worth it.

"You mean, many anchor teams have set their sights on this place?" Liang Luan paused with his chopsticks, frowning as he looked over. Lin Na didn't even dare to breathe and nodded rapidly.

He originally thought that it was just a change of the person in charge of the gathering place, and it was not a big deal. But after drinking the hot soup and looking at the defenseless smiling faces of the people around him, he suddenly realized that how could it be the same no matter who was in charge?

Jiang Zihan scratched her head. She had anticipated this day since the first day the show started. She even secretly planned to stuff all her belongings into the system warehouse so that she could just walk away.

But after arriving at the gathering place, there were more and more things, and it was not convenient to move them around.

Feeling that she was a little uneasy, Lu Chenyuan's palm gently fell on her shoulder, and the warm touch came along with the voice: "Don't worry."

Jiang Zihan was silent. She had war beasts by her side, so she would have no problem protecting herself. But if the other side had a lot of people, this gathering place might not be able to be preserved.

The bowls were cleared away, and the dining table became a meeting place. After a night of deliberation, everyone decided to remain calm and wait for the opportunity to emerge. As the old saying goes, a thief can only steal for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days.

They acted separately according to the original plan. Kui Feng stayed behind in the base with a few people, while Lu Chenyuan took his team to "requisition" Liang Luan's off-road vehicle to go out and search for supplies. The two also staged a car-stealing scene in the live broadcast room. Liang Luan chased for a kilometer but failed to catch up, and cursed in front of the camera for half an hour.

Jiang Zihan and Lu Renshuang had been busy in the clinic for several days, and finally decided to take a walk around the area with their backpacks on their backs, as they still lacked some plant samples.

Lu Renshuang said worriedly, "How about we go talk to Minister Liang and ask them to bring some medicine back from outside? Da Cang and Xiao Cang are still in our hands anyway."

Jiang Zihan laughed and said, "Isn't their money money? You are treating Goshawk as a hostage."

Lu Renshuang curled her lips. The man surnamed Liang had eaten a lot in the gathering place. In her opinion, he was half a member of the gathering place, so it was only natural for him to contribute a little.

"I'm not going to talk anymore. I have to leave." Jiang Zihan buttoned up his clothes and was about to leave.

"Wait a minute." Lu Renshuang grabbed the shovel. "I know more plants than you do. I'll come with you."

…

In the back mountain, Lu Renshuang pressed her whole body against the rock wall, with her outstretched fingertips close to the rare herbs, but they were always just a little bit off.

Just when she was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead, a green vine turned over silently and wrapped up the plant accurately. The two turned their heads and happened to see Ye Sheng's figure.

He stood under the tree and waved to them, but before he could even smile proudly, his face was covered with small flying insects all around. He hurriedly took out the air freshener and sprayed it everywhere.

I don’t know what’s going on recently, but my scalp always feels itchy. A few leaves have sprouted on the melon vine, which not only makes me feel restless, but also attracts insects.

Jiang Zihan walked over and asked, "Why are you here?"

Ye Sheng: "I was weeding the small herb garden in the back hills. I saw you from a distance and thought I'd come over to see if I could help."

He glanced at the bamboo basket and suddenly realized, "You're looking for this? I saw it on the mountain behind. If you want, I can pick some for you."

Lu Renshuang was surprised: "Some? There are still a lot there?"

"It's okay. If you look carefully, there should be quite a few."

Ye Sheng pointed in a direction, about one or two kilometers away. Jiang Zihan estimated and suggested, "Let's go together and see if there are any other samples."

After stepping onto the back mountain, the signal was reconnected and the live broadcast room opened automatically. The screen was blank for a few seconds, and then the barrage of comments suddenly exploded.

Jiang Zihan noticed that the bracelet was vibrating. Before he had time to check the interface, he saw a dark shadow flash among the bushes in the distance.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quietly clenched the bamboo basket, her fingertips turning white from the effort. She lowered her voice and warned, "Be careful, someone is following us."

People really laugh when they are speechless. We really shouldn't look down on them. Looking at the tents that are barely visible, these people must have been guarding there for quite some time.

These days, people are coming in and out of the gathering place, but they only dare to pick on their team of "soft persimmons". They really deserve to be called "big anchors".