After a long trek, Lin Feng and his companions finally saw the shelter in the wasteland.
"I'm home."
Lin Feng looked at the black wall in the distance and softly uttered three words.
A look of relief and exhaustion finally appeared on his face.
The twenty-two women behind him all stopped in their tracks, staring blankly at the magnificent and sturdy building that stood out against the snow-covered landscape.
The towering walls, the faintly visible figures of patrolling people on the walls, and the flashing lights on the watchtowers that symbolize "civilization".
All of this felt like the most unreal fantasy that only exists in dreams.
"This...this is...the shelter?" Li Luoshen's voice trembled violently with excitement.
"Yes." Lin Feng nodded, and a faint, genuine smile finally appeared on his lips.
Welcome home.
When Lin Feng and Li Xiangbin appeared at the entrance of the shelter with a large group of twenty-two women, the entire shelter was thrown into an unprecedented commotion.
Qin Lan and Pang Dahai rushed to the wall immediately. When they saw the composition of the group through their binoculars, the expression on their faces was one of utter shock that was hard to describe.
"My God... Boss... brought back the Kingdom of Women?" Pang Dahai's mouth was agape, wide enough to fit an egg. He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating.
After the initial shock, Qin Lan's brows immediately furrowed tightly.
Her first reaction was not joy, but vigilance.
Twenty-two strangers—for a shelter with a total population of less than twenty, this was an enormous variable and shock.
"Open the door!" Lin Feng's loud but slightly weary voice came from below.
Qin Lan took a deep breath, suppressing all her doubts and worries, and gave the order to Tang Bao beside her: "Open the door! The medical team and the logistics team, assemble in the square immediately!"
The heavy door, made of thick metal, slowly opened with a creaking sound.
Lin Feng and Li Xiangbin were the first to walk in.
The residents who remained in the shelter all gathered around.
They looked at the ragged, anxious women following behind them with curious eyes.
Li Luoshen and her sisters were so shocked by the sight before them the moment they stepped into the shelter that they were speechless.
The clean and tidy stone-paved road, and the rows of simple but well-planned wooden houses.
In the distance, a windmill rumbled and operated automatically. Along the roadside, rows of electric lights shone brightly. They even saw a huge public bathhouse, billowing with steam, and a lush, green greenhouse covered by a transparent dome!
This is not a makeshift survivor camp.
This is a civilized society with basic industries, stable energy, and a high degree of order.
Tears welled up uncontrollably in their eyes. If being rescued by Lin Feng was like crawling from hell to earth, then at this moment, they felt as if they had stepped into heaven.
"Qin Lan, Pang Dahai." Lin Feng dismounted and tossed the reins to a woman who came to greet him.
The two immediately stepped forward.
"Let me briefly explain the situation," Lin Feng said in an unquestionable tone. "They are from Earth, just like us. They are our compatriots who were accidentally stranded in this world. Their camp was destroyed by alien beasts, and these are all the survivors. There are twenty-two of them in total, all of them women."
He looked at Qin Lan and gave a clear instruction: "From today onwards, they are the new members of the shelter. Qin Lan, your task is very important."
"First, immediately initiate the highest level of isolation and testing procedures. Arrange for doctors to give them the most comprehensive physical examinations."
"Second, arrange for them to take a bath and change into clean clothes. Third, temporarily house them in the spare warehouse in the East District, with partitions to ensure they have independent and safe resting space."
"Yes!" Qin Lan immediately accepted the order.
Then, Lin Feng looked at Pang Dahai: "Dahai, the leather workshop and the tailoring team, immediately rush to make a batch of new clothes, shoes and bedding. As for food, it should be provided by the canteen, and the standard should be high. They need to replenish their nutrition."
"Understood, sir! Just you wait and see!" Pang Dahai assured him, patting his chest.
Finally, Lin Feng turned to the group of women who were still somewhat at a loss, especially looking at Li Luoshen.
"Li Luoshen, from now on, you will be their temporary leader. Cooperate with Qin Lan and Dr. Chen Jing to implement everything."
“I welcome you to join us. But I must also tell you in advance that shelters do not support idlers. We have saved you and given you the opportunity to live and a warm home. In return, you need to use your labor, knowledge and skills to exchange for food and shelter, and to make your due contribution to this common home.”
“Here, there is no such thing as something for nothing. But here, every effort you make will be respected and rewarded. You are no longer displaced refugees, but proud ‘residents’ of this shelter. You are part of this family!”
"Tomorrow morning, I will hold a general meeting of all residents. At that time, I will explain to you, and to everyone, the rules and regulations of the shelter, as well as your rights and obligations. Now, go wash up, rest, and have a good meal."
After saying that, he handed over all the remaining work to Qin Lan, and then walked towards his residence, exhausted.
He has opened the door for these suffering compatriots. The road ahead is for them to walk on their own.
His words, however, acted like a powerful reassurance, completely allaying the last trace of apprehension and anxiety in all the new women.
Labor? Work? Contribution?
These words, which sound incredibly luxurious in the wilderness, have now become the things they most yearn to embrace.
Because it represents dignity, value, and that they are not domesticated pets, but recognized and equal "people".
Li Luoshen, along with all her sisters, bowed deeply once again to Lin Feng's departing figure.
Under Qin Lan's efficient yet humane command, the shelter, this sophisticated "machine," began to operate at high speed.
The women were taken for thorough physical examinations and then entered the steaming hot bathhouse they had been dreaming of.
As the warm water washed away the grime that had accumulated on their bodies for who knows how long, the entire bathhouse was filled with suppressed, joyful cries.
After changing into clean, soft linen underwear and warm leather coats provided by the shelter, they were taken to a spacious and bright warehouse.
Inside, wooden boards and curtains have been used to create simple yet private and safe individual spaces. Warm and dry bedding has been neatly laid out on the bed boards.
The canteen prepared hot, well-stewed meat soup and golden-brown, crispy wheat cakes with a rich wheat aroma for them.
As they swallowed these long-awaited, real foods, a sense of peace and warmth rose from their stomachs and instantly spread to every cell in their bodies.
That night, the twenty-two women from Earth slept soundly.
There were no nightmares, no terror, and no cold.
In their dreams, they saw a new, hopeful future slowly unfolding.
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