The shelter was too large, and completely concealing it would be too difficult, so Zhang Shi had to make preparations from other aspects. His first thought was the underground river in the ruins.
With this thought in mind, Zhang Shi immediately led two soldiers to check the ruins. After several days, there was no change inside, the water level of the underground river had not dropped, and the remaining spiritual energy in the ruins had not completely dissipated, making people feel very comfortable.
"I come here to patrol every day to prevent other wild animals from wandering in. If there is any unusual activity, I will be notified immediately."
Zhang Shi issued the order, preparing to use this place as a strategic water source.
...
Zhang Shi spent another half day wandering around the ruins, and by the time he returned to the shelter, it was almost sunset. As soon as he entered the gate, Zhang Shi saw Zhao Feng leading a squad of soldiers preparing to go out on patrol. Zhang Shi glanced at the time and specifically instructed him to be careful in the direction of the mine, not to disturb the White Tiger family, and to go and return quickly.
Zhao Feng, looking completely confident, waved his hand dismissively.
It must be said that Gong Yi was very efficient; he manufactured a revolver according to the blueprints in just one afternoon.
Zhang Shi took the sample and examined it. He found that the gun's level of precision far exceeded his expectations. It was lightweight, had a simple structure, and seemed very reliable.
[Flintlock Revolver (Blue): Forged entirely of high-quality steel, it ignites the internal ammunition with sparks from flint upon firing, resulting in immense power. The revolver mechanism compensates for its low firing rate.]
Zhang Shi immediately took out gunpowder and steel balls and filled all six magazines. Then he led everyone to the training ground to conduct experiments.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Three loud bangs followed, and the three thick wooden stakes were reduced to dust. Zhang Shi smiled, clearly admiring the revolver.
"If it's done well, then mass-produce it according to this specification, ideally enough to provide one for each person in the shelter!"
Gong Yi bowed his head and agreed, then made a production plan for Zhang Shi based on the daily output of refined steel.
"Reporting to the lord, based on the current production of refined steel, we can produce approximately three muskets per day."
Zhang Shi nodded and decided to recruit some more engineers to assist Gong Yi. Basic types of ammunition and explosives could be made by ordinary engineers, freeing Gong Yi up to teach Gong Er and Gong San the craft of making muskets. This would greatly improve the overall work efficiency.
Just as Zhang Shi was busy recruiting soldiers, a noisy shouting came from outside the shelter.
Zhang Shi frowned, thinking that the Eagle Regiment had come to harass him again.
"Someone, come quickly with reinforcements! Something's happened!"
Zhang Shi recognized the voice as Zhao Feng's. Recalling that Zhao Feng had led a squad of soldiers on patrol not long ago, Zhang Shi's heart sank. He quickly put down his work and rushed to the door to check the situation.
A number of soldiers had already gathered in front of the gate. Zhao Feng looked anxious. A commando was lying on the ground, his body wrapped in gauze, seemingly injured by a wild animal. He had his eyes closed and was unconscious.
Wu Qing arrived first and was checking on the soldiers' condition.
As soon as Zhang Shi arrived, Zhao Feng recounted the whole story with a guilty expression.
It turned out that when Zhao Feng and his men were patrolling the area near the shelter, they encountered a rabid wolf in a forest. The wolf was incredibly fast and strong, and before the soldiers could react, it dragged the assault soldier Zhang Yiling away. Fortunately, Zhao Feng intervened and saved him.
Even so, Zhang Yiling's exposed torso outside the armor was also injured by the wild wolves, leaving several bloody marks.
At first, Zhao Feng didn't pay much attention and simply took out some gauze he carried to bandage her wound. But on the patrol, Zhang Yiling suddenly started trembling all over, as if she were having an epileptic seizure. Then her eyes turned bloodshot and she started biting anything she saw.
Zhao Feng, suspecting he had contracted rabies, ordered his men to tie him up and restrain him. Moments later, Zhang Yiling, as if having exhausted all his strength, collapsed to the ground. Realizing something was wrong, Zhao Feng rushed back for help.
Wu Qing removed the gauze and found that Zhang Yiling's wound had turned black, with bulging veins nearby, making it look like he had been poisoned.
Wu Qing looked serious and asked Zhao Feng.
"Did you bring back the wolf carcass?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Feng quickly retrieved the wolf carcass, which had been split in two, from his system inventory and explained.
“I was wondering why, normally when hunting, the carcasses of wild animals would be directly decomposed into meat by the system, but this time they were still preserved as carcasses. There must be something fishy about this wolf.”
Before Wu Qing could examine it, Zhang Shi had already used his diagnostic skills to identify the wolf carcass.
[Zombie Wolf Corpse (White): A wolf corpse infected with the zombie virus, it has lost its mind and is extremely aggressive. The corpse is covered in the zombie virus. My suggestion is to incinerate it directly; don't even think about making use of it.]
Zhang Shi was startled, not understanding how zombies could appear in the wilderness, and quickly shared the information in the group chat of the four people.
Wu Qing was also a bit overwhelmed after reading it. She could handle ordinary infections and poisonings, but she was really powerless against this kind of zombie virus that only appeared in movies and TV shows.
Upon seeing the information about the zombie wolf, Zhao Feng quickly took out a bottle of water to wash his hands. He then put on his Dingzhen amulet, examined all the soldiers in the group, and instructed his men to immediately wash their bodies.
Wu Qing glanced at Zhang Yiling, who was tightly bound, and then at the row of guards behind him, each with worry in their eyes. She then stood up and slowly walked to Zhang Shi's side, whispering something to him.
"We need to find a way to deal with this, otherwise it will be a huge blow to morale."
Zhang Shi understood the deeper meaning in Wu Qing's words, but he didn't want to give up so easily, so he asked in a low voice as well.
Is there really no other way?
Wu Qing shook her head.
"This is a wilderness world with limited medical resources. Infections and injuries are troublesome, and poisoning can be fatal, let alone this mysterious zombie virus."
When Zhang Shi heard the word "poisoned" in her words, he suddenly remembered that when he was a newbie, he had been bitten by a venomous snake and had subsequently obtained two potent antidotes from a treasure chest, of which he had only used one.
Zhang Shi immediately returned to the warehouse and searched through it. Sure enough, he found it in a corner. After Lao Bai sorted and organized it, the antidote was found to be well preserved and undamaged.
Zhang Shi hurriedly returned to the main gate with the antidote, and everyone looked at him with confusion.
"Quick, lift his head up and open his mouth."
Seeing this, Zhao Feng, relying on the protection of his heavy armor gloves, directly pried open Zhang Yiling's mouth, while Zhang Shi carefully poured the antidote into his mouth.
Strangely enough, Zhang Yiling, who had been completely unconscious, seemed to know that this was something that could save his life, and he swallowed the medicine naturally as soon as it entered his mouth. In just an instant, his complexion changed noticeably, and the black bruises at his wounds melted away. A few seconds later, under the expectant gazes of everyone, Zhang Yiling slowly opened his eyes.
Seeing a group of people surrounding him and staring at him, Zhang Yiling felt a little embarrassed. When he realized that Zhang Shi was holding the back of his head and looking at him, Zhang Yiling remembered that he had been bitten by a wild beast and then fainted. He guessed that the lord had saved him, so he quickly got up and bowed to Zhang Shi.
"Greetings, Lord! Thank you for saving my life!"
Zhang Shi smiled and was about to help him up when the surrounding guards, as if they had rehearsed beforehand, knelt down on one knee in unison and clasped their hands in salute to Zhang Shi.
"Thank you so much, Lord, for saving my life!"
Seeing this, Zhang Shi thought it was a good opportunity to win people's hearts, so he stood up straight, raised his hand and said loudly.
"Get up, all of you. You are my men, Zhang Shi's men. As long as you are loyal to me and willing to serve me, I will do everything in my power to save you."
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