In fact, Xu Lin had eaten snake meat before. In her previous life, she had even eaten Guanyin clay, so snake meat was nothing to her. Not only snake meat, but she had also eaten rats, cockroaches, tree insects, tree bark, and grass roots, as long as she could survive. The most terrifying thing was that even these things were no longer available to her.
“We are still very lucky. Although the food is poor, at least we have something to eat. We don’t need to eat tree bark, grass roots, or clay,” Zeiss said.
"Although we have supplies for now, I still suggest that everyone catch snakes and rats and make them into jerky. Having food now doesn't mean we'll have it in the future. If we ever go hungry, this will be our rations."
“That’s right. It’s the end of the world now. Nobody knows what disasters might happen in the future. The more supplies we have, the safer we are,” said Grandma Wu.
The group now trusted Xu Lin quite a bit, and generally listened to what she said. So they got to work: the men caught snakes and rats and killed them, the women made dried meat, and the snake skins were collected.
Xu Lin had a phobia of eating rats in her past life, so she only asked Zhou Pin to catch a few snakes and take their gallbladders and skins. The dogs were incredibly efficient; they caught all the rats in the building in no time and lined them up at the stairwell. Xu Lin found it disgusting and asked Zhou Pin to deliver them to the families downstairs.
They did nothing but eliminate pests all morning. After lunch, the two went into the space to plant crops. Xu Lin's goal was 20 mu of land, which had to be planted before they set off.
In the evening, the two went out for dinner and heard the sound of cars downstairs; there seemed to be quite a few. Xu Lin and Zhou Pin took out their night-vision binoculars and peered out the window.
There was a long line at the entrance of the residential area, with pickup trucks and vans in front, motorcycles in the middle, and pedestrians behind.
"They're probably going to the base. We can try to contact them and see where they're headed," Zhou Pin said.
"I'll have Lao Liu go later; he's more easygoing."
Xu Lin brought four vacuum-packed ears of corn downstairs to Lao Liu and asked him to help her find out about these people. Lao Liu refused to accept the corn, but Xu Lin insisted on giving it to him, saying it was for Xiao Zhi, and only then did he accept it.
An hour later, Lao Liu returned.
"I've found out that some people driving ahead came from Jiang Province and are heading to the base in Beijing. They've been robbing survivors along the way and also taking in capable refugees. There are probably five or six hundred of them now. The person I'm talking about is from the neighboring city of Du."
What are the requirements for joining them?
"You guessed it already. This group has scouts, roadblock clearers, and accurate maps. They are very professional and can save you a lot of trouble. But to join them, you have to pay 20 jin of grain and follow their instructions."
What if you don't pay?
“If you don’t pay, they will loot everything and drive you away. The refugees they take in are also their henchmen.”
Are they leaving tomorrow?
"They might stay for a few days. Apparently, they're looking for something, and they won't leave until they find it."
Where have they settled down now?
"The sports stadium, the one inside HKU, is the only one that can accommodate so many of them."
After seeing Lao Liu off, the two exchanged a glance.
"Let's set off a few days later and follow behind them. They have maps and are clearing roadblocks ahead, which will make things easier for us."
"Yes, the floodwaters have just receded, and there will definitely be many obstacles on the road. Let's tentatively set off in a week."
After discussing it, the two went downstairs to tell Zheng Ming, Wang Jing, and Dai Qin about the situation, and none of them had any objections. Over the next few days, they continued preparing their luggage and supplies for departure.
Originally, Xu Lin had dismantled 802 into a bare shell before leaving these past two days. Now that she's staying, it's impossible to restore it and move back in, so she can only continue living at Zhou Pin's place. Fortunately, his house is spacious, and all her belongings have been stored in her spatial storage.
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