Chapter 119

As the off-road vehicle rolled over the last stretch of muddy road, the cabin swayed. Jiang Shu peered out the window, and the outline of the Qiling Mountains gradually appeared in the morning mist—the grayish-blue mountain shadows stretched out, and at the foot of the mountains, a group of people were vaguely gathered.

There are at least several hundred people.

There were already quite a few base staff members who had set up canvas tents over there. Figures in green military coats and blue work clothes were moving around in front of the tents. Some were squatting next to the spread-out maps and talking, with pens in their hands marking red marks.

Some carried thick hemp ropes and tied them to their backs, the knots looking very tight.

Jiang Shu: "Uncle Luo, what are these staff members doing?"

Luo Yonghui got out of the car and gestured with his chin: "Those who came early, we need to go up and mark the boundary first. Just like we said before, measure out a hundred-meter boundary, clearly mark it for the people, and indicate that once you get there, you can't go any further, so that no one carelessly steps over the boundary."

Jiang Shu asked curiously, "What do you plan to use as a warning system, in case someone doesn't notice and runs upstairs?"

With so many people at that time, it's easy to run into situations where people don't even know if they've returned.

Ordinary people are not like mutants; they probably wouldn't be able to withstand the miasma for more than half a day.

Luo Yonghui said, "We plan to clear them one mountain at a time. Today, we'll start with Yangkui Mountain. We'll send several hundred patrol members and mutants to guard the designated boundaries on the mountain."

He gave a wry smile: "At this critical juncture, there really is no other way but to hold on with this clumsy method."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a woman wearing an apron stood up by the shed, holding a soup ladle, and called out, "Team Leader Luo is here? We just finished cooking barley porridge here! Come and have some hot porridge!"

Jiang Zhi followed her gaze and saw a stack of military green gloves piled up in the corner of the shed, and some first-aid supplies stuffed into a bamboo basket next to it. A young man was stuffing a water bottle into the basket. When he saw them looking over, he grinned and then tugged at the safety rope at his feet.

They must be staff members preparing to go up the mountain.

Luo Yonghui responded, "I'm not hungry yet, you guys eat first."

Then he turned to Jiang Zhi and said, "Based on what you said, we plan to start from the bottom of the mountain and go up to a hundred meters up first. We'll clear out the dead trees from top to bottom. When the base residents arrive, they can then work their way up from the bottom. This will reduce the risk of accidents."

"If anyone does get lost, we'll have to trouble you two siblings to help lead them out."

Jiang Zhi nodded: "No problem."

Then, she lowered her eyes and remained silent for a moment.

He mentally sent the thought of calling out to Chirp Chirp.

Before long, there was movement in the forest of the Qiling Mountains.

Before long, a dark shadow swept across the sky above Ming'an Mountain in the distance, moving so fast that it created gusts of wind.

The white eagle's wingspan was a full ten feet, its feathers gleaming faintly in the morning light, and the wind it stirred up as it swooped down caused the grass on the ground to bend to both sides.

Immediately afterwards, everyone saw the ridgeline on the side of Min'an Mountain sway, and then a yellow figure suddenly darted out of the woods—it was Er Shun.

The eagle and the dog swiftly approached the group.

The base staff at the foot of the mountain, who were busy tying ropes, stopped working. Several of them dropped the ropes in their hands with a "thud," their eyes wide open, all startled by the eagle and the dog's posture and took a half step back.

Luo Yonghui quickly said, "Don't panic! These are Jiang Zhi and Jiang Shu's helpers. They are both intelligent and won't do anything reckless."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man swallowed hard and muttered, "These white eagles and golden retrievers... aren't they the two we heard about before?"

"It definitely is!" The man who was squatting on the ground picking up the rope straightened up, his eyes shining. "Look, the white eagle still has a chair tied to it!"

The few people who had shrank back earlier slowly came back, their previously wide eyes no longer showing fear.

A girl clung to her companion's arm, her voice low but filled with excitement: "It really is! That white eagle is huge! With them around, are we safe today? And that golden retriever, it looks so fluffy and cute!"

"No wonder the base dared to clear the mountain so easily. With these two helpers around, what could possibly go wrong?" Someone sighed, and everyone around nodded in agreement. The fear in their eyes had long since vanished, replaced by genuine admiration.

Even the way they looked at Jiang Zhi and her brother had become more eager.

Jiang Shu, who was helping to hold up the wooden poles of the shed, straightened his back and puffed out his chest slightly when he heard this.

In the blink of an eye, Ershun had already rushed over.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu's heart skipped a beat. Before he could even back away, he was startled by Er Shun's fierce energy. He instinctively shrank back, thinking to himself: What if I accidentally hurt some friendly fire!

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the ball of blond fur pounced on him with a "thud."

Jiang Shu felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, and then he was slammed to the ground with a heavy thud as his back hit the earthen slope. Luckily, he had worn a thick fur coat that morning, otherwise, the impact would have left his bones aching for a long time.

Seeing Ershun like this, Hu Yang was very pleased. "Ershun is in great spirits! It seems you're doing well up there."

Luo Yonghui was also very happy, but business was more important, so he said, "Alright, alright, it's time to get down to business."

"Young Jiang, if you don't have anything else to do, could you please go up the mountain with Ershun and help out?"

Jiang Shu struggled a few times before standing up, then pressed Er Shun down to stop him from moving: "Leave it to me."

Once all the staff have completed their preparations.

As soon as the whistle blew at the foot of the mountain, everyone carried axes and saws and walked up the slope of Yangkui Mountain.

The fog is at its lowest in the morning.

Leading the way were two experienced foresters. Once they reached the designated location, the foresters and the staff behind them began to mark the boundaries by drawing circles on the tree trunks.

Other workers responsible for logging took out hemp ropes and wrapped them around the tree trunks. They chose dead trees that were as thick as a man's waist. One person held the tree trunk to stabilize it, while another person tied the end of the rope to a sturdy living tree next to it, tightening it tightly. They also put a layer of old cloth in the middle of the rope to prevent it from breaking.

"Hold on tight!" someone shouted, and the person holding the axe stood to the side, the axe blade pointing diagonally downwards at the tree trunk, and with a "hey!" exerted force.

With each strike, a dull thud echoed through the forest, and bits of wood fell from the dead branches.

Once the axe marks are deep enough to almost penetrate, switch to a saw.

When only a little bit of wood was left to saw, the person pulling the rope would pull in the opposite direction, shouting "Down!" and the dead wood would then "crack" and slowly tilt in the direction the rope was pulled.

Someone nearby had already grabbed a machete and was squatting beside the fallen tree trunk, trimming the branches. The dry branches were brittle and broke with a single cut. The cleanly trimmed trunk was then lifted by several people to the side of the slope and slid down the previously cleared path—there were already people waiting below, using crowbars to move the trunks into a pile. Once a small pile was formed, they were bundled together with hemp rope so that it could be transported down the mountain later.

Jiang Zhi followed and walked up the slope for a while, then stood on a protruding rock and looked down.

The staff on the slope were divided into several groups: some were marking trees, some were tying ropes, and some were wielding axes and saws. Each group had their own task, but the work was not chaotic at all.

She watched for less than fifteen minutes, and two small bundles of cleaned deadwood piled up at the bottom of the slope.

In no time, they cleared away nearly half of the dead trees.

As the number of dead trees decreased, the miasma in that area also gradually dissipated, and the surrounding white fog also dissipated considerably.

Seeing this, many staff members became bolder.

One of the men, who looked fat and had big ears, was overjoyed with his harvest. "Oh my, it really was these dead trees that were behind it all! The rumors were quite frightening! If we had known this, we could have done it ourselves. We wouldn't have needed those ordinary people. Now all these dead trees are ours."

"Old Pan, what are you saying? Don't you know what time it is?" The middle-aged woman who looked only forty years old next to him was very dissatisfied upon hearing this.

The base leadership has already informed the staff about what they are about to face.

This is clearly a matter of life and death, yet Old Pan still tries to take advantage of the situation for personal gain. He simply doesn't take the Great Cataclysm seriously at all.

The woman said, "Bringing ordinary people in is to reduce the burden on the base staff and speed up the process. If everyone thought like you, how could this work possibly be implemented?"

The man called Lao Pan snorted, "Zhao Hong, you know what time it is now. Do you really think we can escape another cataclysm? When the time comes, we will still die. We might as well enjoy ourselves now."

Zhao Hong's face flushed red with anger, "You—"

But it cannot be denied that Lao Pan was right.

Four years ago, how many people died in that catastrophe? Even if they are prepared this time, can human power really withstand the power of nature?

Someone advised Zhao Hong, "Forget it, Sister Zhao, Old Pan is right. I think we should take some of this firewood, no matter if we survive or not. It won't hurt. If we don't die in this disaster, we'll have something to rely on. If we don't survive—we can enjoy our last days. That way, our lives won't be too miserable!"

Zhao Hong said sternly, "If you want to take it, you can take it yourselves. The higher-ups have said that this firewood is a reserve resource for the people after the great catastrophe. We have already taken one from the base, and I will not take these."

Seeing how stubborn Zhao Hong was, the man shook his head and left.

Zhao Hong maintained her stern expression, but the strength she had been holding on seemed to have been taken away by the footsteps of that person and Lao Pan, leaving her rooted to the spot, unable to move.

A cold wind blew by, making her cheeks stiff.

She gazed at the neatly stacked pile of firewood below the slope, each piece exuding a chill.

She didn't even know what would happen to herself, let alone protect anything.

Jiang Zhi stood not far away, watching Zhao Hong's back as she squatted there. Zhao Hong's spine exuded a sense of despair that seemed to collapse, and Jiang Zhi felt as if something was pulling at her heart, making her feel both sore and bitter.

She desperately wanted to tell Zhao Hong that they had a force to rely on. With proper preparation and everyone working together, they might be able to survive this natural disaster.

But the image of vines supporting this land only exists in her dreams.

If only... if only the other person could see that scene too.

Perhaps her thoughts were too strong.

Suddenly, the chirp let out a long cry.

Jiangzhi could sense the supernatural energy fluctuations emanating from it.

She was taken aback.

Is he about to unleash his supernatural powers?

Then, Zhao Hong, who was not far away, suddenly shuddered as if she had been hit by something. She abruptly raised her head, her eyes blank.

His face was full of shock, and his pupils were slightly constricted.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Jiang Zhi's heart skipped a beat, and she vaguely guessed what was going on, her heart leaping into her throat.

The next moment, the confusion in Zhao Hong's eyes quickly faded, replaced by an incredulous gleam—she seemed to have truly seen something. Her tense face gradually relaxed, her eyes and brows trembled, first her lips parted into a stiff smile, then her eyes reddened, and finally she revealed a wildly joyful smile.

She suddenly looked up at Jiang Zhi, her eyes shining brightly.

"You're the one who showed me this, aren't you? Those vines can save us all, right?"

Jiang Zhi hesitated for a moment.

Although she didn't know exactly what Zhao Hong was seeing, she still met her gaze and nodded emphatically.

"Yes, the vines can save us."

As soon as she finished speaking, the light that had just ignited in Zhao Hong's eyes suddenly exploded, shining as brightly as a spark long awaited in a drought, and even the lines on her face softened.

She opened her mouth, first wiping her face vigorously to dry the tears from the corners of her eyes, then looking at Jiang Zhi, her voice trembling slightly, but her smile genuine: "Thank you for letting me see all this, I... I will definitely persevere!"

Without waiting for Jiang Zhi's reply, Zhao Hong turned around and left to continue her work.

Jiang Zhi watched Zhao Hong's hurried departure, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The light in her eyes was so bright; it was the hope she was extending, but the foundation of that hope still hung in the air of her dreams.

Jiang Zhi sighed softly, hoping that this time everyone would be prepared and could get through it safely.

Zhao Hong's matter actually helped her figure out the situation of Qiuqiu's third superpower, "consciousness imprint".

Judging from her behavior just now.

It is estimated that it can transmit certain consciousness to the target's mind.

This also explains why Qiuqiu was able to command Ershun to lead them out on Ming'an Mountain before.

Watching Zhao Hong and the other staff walk away and continue their work in an orderly manner, Jiang Zhi gradually felt at ease.

She knew that people are prone to having all sorts of thoughts when faced with disaster—like Lao Pan, like the young man who had advised Zhao Hong earlier, their calculations were the ones that best reflected the thoughts of ordinary people.

On the contrary, those like Zhao Hong, who know it's difficult but still choose to persevere, are the most precious.

For some reason, the renewed hope in Zhao Hong's eyes just now was like a flame that instantly burned away any hesitation in her heart.

Jiang Zhi lifted her foot and walked resolutely toward the crowd.

Three hours later, the first group of base residents arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Before long, everyone was carrying their tools up the mountain. There were old and young people, a huge group of them. Although their axes and saws were not as handy as those of the staff, they were all gleaming.

At first, everyone rushed into the mountains, afraid of sawing less than others.

Many people ran to the edge of the marked area, and the leading staff member shouted, "It's dangerous above the red line. Don't be greedy, cut down."

Upon hearing the danger, no one dared to risk their lives, so they scattered into small groups.

The young man was strong, and he swung the axe and chopped at the tree trunk with a "thud".

The women squatted on the ground picking up dead branches. The branches were thin and would break easily if broken. They cleaned them up, bundled them into small bundles, and put them under the tree, while calling out to each other, "Third Aunt, the slope is steep over there, move slowly."

"I know! I saw some seedlings over there, so I quickly picked them. We can make some vegetable soup tonight."

When a large, dead tree fell, it tilted slightly and was about to brush against the people next to it. Several men nearby quickly dropped what they were doing and ran over. Some pulled on the rope, while others used their shoulders to push it up. They worked together to straighten the tree before they could breathe a sigh of relief.

At this point, the advantages of having a large family become apparent.

Some groups work together and are very efficient.

No one cared who did more or less work; whoever finished their work first would voluntarily move on to other tasks.

The Jiang family was also among them. Although they had been divided into different areas when they gathered, Han Lei and the others still found the Jiang family's group when they arrived at Qiling Mountain Range and worked together.

"Aunt Ye, do you need me to pass you a saw?"

Ye Qingyun: "You guys go about your business, we can manage."

Ah Song said, "I'm almost done here, I'll go help you tie the tree trunks!"

Throughout the entire foot of the mountain, no one stood still to rest. Even the children were busy, either helping the adults hand them tools or squatting on the ground to pick up wood chips. Once they had filled a basket, they would carry it to the designated pile.

Jiang Shu rode Er Shun to patrol the entire mountain's boundary. When he saw someone sawing a tree and the saw got stuck in a crevice, or when the bundled logs slipped on the slope, he would call Er Shun over to help.

They would either help pry open the saw or help prop up the wood. Whenever this happened, Ershun would grab a loose piece of rope and hand it over, or use his body to steadily brace against the sliding logs. The man and the dog would work together to help.

Meanwhile, the chirping chirps and ginger vines hovering overhead will eliminate any mutated creatures that threaten ordinary people in advance.

The two people, the eagle, and the dog acted like a stabilizing force, so there was almost no need to worry about their safety.

Even a mountain as big as this can't withstand a large number of people.

Before long, a lot of felled dead wood had piled up on the slope.

Many people had sweat on their faces and their clothes were covered in dirt, but most of them had smiles on their faces.

We should be able to gather a good amount of firewood today, which will allow us to get a good night's sleep.

At the foot of the mountain, the base staff had already packed their things and were preparing to head to the next mountain.

After a whole day, they managed to clear out two mountains, despite having only a small number of ordinary people at the base.

At this rate, we can reach the center of the ore vein in five or seven days.

Not only in the Qiling Mountains, but every department in the base is proceeding with preparations step by step according to the plan finalized last night.

The vines also grow according to their own rhythm.

Everything seemed to be falling smoothly into the predetermined track.

The days passed just like that.

Two things happened in the past few days.

One was that Jiangzhi tried to use a spirit-type ore to make Jiangshu and Ershun connect.

This is half the battle won.

Because only Er Shun can sense Jiang Shu, but Jiang Shu cannot sense Er Shun.

But Professor Shen found out about this, and they had been using mutated sea fish for experiments recently.

I don't know if it will be successful in the end.

The second thing is that Ma Yanhong, who lives next door to the Jiang family, is gone.

When this incident came to light, Ma Yanhong had already been dead for several days.

This happened on the day Jiang Shu and his friends went to Haishi.

Ma Yanhong's nephew said she fell into the pit on her own, but someone saw that it was Ma Yanhong's nephew who pushed her in.

Yuan Ying and the others loved gossip, and after inquiring, they learned that Ma Yanhong's son had died during a mission. The base had provided a lot of food as a subsidy, but Ma Yanhong's family wanted to seize the food and the house, so they pushed him into the sea.

Whether this claim is unfounded or not is unknown, but it's a complicated and unclear matter. However, since the house belongs to the Ma family, the staff of the real estate department at the base simply took the house back.

In other words, the house next to the Jiang family's house became vacant.

Although the other members of the Jiang family had considered buying the house next door, they didn't bring it up because they didn't have many points left.

Finally, on the ninth day, thanks to the efforts of many residents, the clearing of dead trees in the Qiling Mountains was completed.

On the same day, Jiang Zhi received a notification from Huang Xianming asking her to attend a reporting meeting.

Inside the base's administrative building, several long tables were put together, covered with environmental maps of the Ancheng base's surroundings. Various work summary reports were also neatly arranged by region, with densely packed sticky notes attached to the corners.

The table was filled with heads of various departments. Someone stood up and pointed to a mark on the map, reporting clearly throughout the small space: "...The city wall's defensive reinforcement is 80% complete, and the reserves of special ore are almost depleted. More earth-type special ore will be needed as supporting materials..."

Others either nodded to take notes or occasionally interjected to ask for details, and the entire reporting process proceeded smoothly.

Jiang Zhi sat in the corner, listening to the report mentioning the core aspects of pre-disaster preparation, such as strengthening defensive fortifications, stockpiling emergency supplies, and surveying the surrounding terrain. All of these had already achieved the first-phase goals, and even the small project of collecting supplies had been completed according to schedule.

I couldn't help but feel a little shocked.

I used to only hear about the weight of the word "official," but now I'm witnessing it firsthand—from finalizing the fortification blueprints to mobilizing personnel overnight, from drafting the material list to accurately collecting data at various points, and then to summarizing and analyzing the terrain data, so many trivial yet crucial things were actually implemented one by one.

Several high-ranking officials stood around, looking at the "completed" areas marked on the map. After listening to the report on the final stages of clearing the dead trees, they immediately lowered their voices and said, "Now that the clearing work is done, the next step is to move into the heart of the mountain range. We need to produce the first draft of the plan by tomorrow morning."

“I remember Lin Yuan’s second superpower is related to magnetic fields. If he were here, he might be able to lend a hand.” Someone suddenly spoke up. “Speaking of which, how is his injury now?”

The group looked at each other in bewilderment.

"this……"

Someone said, forcing a smile, "I heard that he hasn't shown up since the last mission."

Commander Wang saw this and his brows furrowed tightly. His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction: "A talent like Lin Yuan is capable of handling things. Why don't you pay more attention to him? How is his injury healing? Is someone specifically monitoring him?"

The relevant person in charge quickly replied, "We inquired about it some time ago, but Comrade Lin seems to dislike us bothering him, so..."

Commander Wang glanced at the person in charge and said, "After the meeting, have someone go and check what medicine is needed and what personnel are required. The base should prioritize those needs. At times like this, we can't afford to be without someone who can handle things."

"Yes, yes!" The person in charge quickly agreed, no longer bothered by his awkwardness, and hurriedly wrote down instructions in his notebook, afraid of missing anything.

Commander Wang then looked at the middle-aged man sitting in the front row: "Director Hu, how's the notification going to the small base outside and the southern base?"

Hu Hanmin looked rather unwell.

"Commander, there are indeed fewer mutated creatures outside. We've been broadcasting about the situation here on the radio for the past few days, but we simply can't spare any manpower. Everyone in every department is busy with their own tasks, and we simply can't spare any extra people to go out and search."

"As for those smaller bases and the southern base..." he said with a hint of helplessness, "there's still no sign of anyone coming. I guess they haven't received the message, or... they're still hesitating and don't dare to make a move."

Commander Wang frowned slightly: "No movement? Director Hu, did you not fully explain the seriousness of the current situation?"

Upon hearing this, Director Hu quickly sat up straight and said urgently, "Commander, please don't wrong me! Our people are absolutely right! It was on the broadcast—"

Before he could finish speaking, Commander Wang reached out and interrupted him.

He rubbed his temples. "I believe you."

The meeting room fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke again—in fact, everyone present knew perfectly well that the silence from those outside meant they still didn't trust them.

At this moment, a young man in military uniform in the corner couldn't help but speak up. His voice was hesitant but straightforward: "Commander, how about... we just give up?" He paused, glanced around, and forced himself to continue, "Since no one is willing to come, how about we cancel this docking mission? Our base only has so many resources right now. We're already stretched thin just trying to keep the existing people in place, strengthen defenses, and stockpile food and firewood. If another batch of people comes, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we won't be able to feed them, and we might not even be able to protect them."

Commander Wang's gaze fell on the young man's face. He didn't say anything, just stared at him quietly for a few seconds.

There was no intense emotion in his eyes, but they were filled with the authority of someone who had led troops for many years, which made the young man's neck stiffen.

“I only have one question,” Commander Wang’s voice was not loud, but it struck people’s hearts like a hammer, “If this great catastrophe really comes, and we die first, leaving only one or two relatives at home—do you want them to be all alone, without anyone to help them, to get through the rest of their days?”

No one spoke.

They all knew this. Only if more people survived could humanity have an easier time later on.

Jiang Zhi hesitated for a second, then stood up and said, "Commander Wang, perhaps I can help in this regard."

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously stagnant air in the conference room seemed to be suddenly stirred.

The people who had been either lost in thought or frowning in silence turned around at almost the same time, their gazes all falling on her.

There was surprise, doubt, and a hint of scrutiny. Even the young man who had suggested withdrawing the mission earlier forgot to wipe the sweat from his brow and stared blankly at her.

Commander Wang looked at her, his expression softening.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, do you have any ideas?"

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, then continued, "My companion, Qiu Qiu, has a special ability: it can implant consciousness into people's minds. If we can use it to directly imprint the severity of the disaster and the situation of our base into the minds of the people in those smaller bases, perhaps we can make them believe what we say."

Jiang Zhi's words surprised everyone.

After listening, Commander Wang pondered for a moment, then looked up at Jiang Zhi with a determined look in his eyes: "In that case, Comrade Jiang, I'll trouble you and your companions to give it a try."

“Whether it succeeds or not, let’s give it a try,” he said, glancing at the people present. “If it still doesn’t work, then it’s fate. We’ve done our best, and there’s nothing to regret.”