Chapter 71 Mutant Wolf Pack and a Pig
After Lin Jiashu stopped going back to that house, she seemed to be in a much better mood. Before, her face was always filled with sorrow, but now she was cheerful all over.
That's right, because there aren't any more of those unpleasant things anymore.
Cheng Zhiyu recently retrieved the alfalfa he had previously planted for the deer from his spatial storage, thus acquiring alfalfa seeds.
He discussed it with Fang Guowei and the others to see if they could plant a patch of alfalfa.
The original alfalfa grew very quickly, and could be harvested in about 25-30 days. The current mutant alfalfa grows even faster and can be harvested in less than 20 days.
"Growing alfalfa? You're planning to raise it?" Fang Guowei asked immediately, thinking about what alfalfa was used for.
"Yes, now that the food problem is solved, we also need to solve the meat problem," Cheng Zhiyu said with a smile.
Fang Guowei smiled and said, "Of course, no problem. In the past, even if the superhumans in our base hunted ordinary animals, they didn't dare to bring them back to raise because people didn't have enough to eat, let alone animals. If you want to raise them, you have to prepare in advance. Once the breeding department is set up, our base might be able to achieve the freedom to eat meat."
Cheng Zhiyu thought so too; they had to prepare little by little to avoid being caught off guard later.
He also told Lin Kang about this, as it concerned the livelihood of the people at the base, and the other party naturally did not object: "Besides planting alfalfa, shouldn't we also build some pigsties or something?"
Cheng Zhiyu was also going to say this. Building pigsties and such definitely requires manpower, but ordinary people can do it, which is a good opportunity for them to earn contribution points.
After they had reached an agreement, Lin Kang instructed his men to start recruiting. He then looked at Cheng Zhiyu and said, "What do you think of what I said before? Actually, our base has entered a stable period. If you take over now, it will be easier for you than for me before."
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "You finally made it through that period, and now you're quitting? Isn't that a shame?"
Lin Kang thought about it and realized it was true: "Well, the main thing is that I feel I'm not suited for management; I'm probably more suited for technical positions?"
He said, "Think about it again. I'm serious."
Cheng Zhiyu finally thought about it seriously this time and said, "I'll think about it."
"Okay, think it over carefully." Lin Kang felt it was better that Cheng Zhiyu was willing to take his time to consider it. He was less at ease if the other party impulsively agreed.
After all, managing a base is no small matter.
He used to think that this was just a village and that it would be easy to manage, but he found out after taking charge that it was actually quite complicated and involved a lot of worrying and concern.
However, after Cheng Zhiyu and the others returned, Cheng Zhiyu, who also loved to worry about what the people at the base would eat and what they would grow, made his life much easier.
Now that the food problem is solved, the wheat is growing well, and the other side is starting to prepare for the meat problem. That's great.
Cheng Zhiyu is very thoughtful, so he doesn't need to worry about these things.
"Yes, I will." Cheng Zhiyu was actually a bit clueless about managing the base. He had never thought about sitting in that position, but to be honest, he was somewhat tempted.
Although Lin Kang trusts him now and rarely objects to anything he says, the other party is still the highest-ranking manager of the base, and one still needs to consult him before making any decisions.
But if he takes on a management role, wouldn't it be less troublesome?
Cheng Zhiyu was only now realizing that his ambitions were a bit too great. He was not satisfied with just a small base. He had seen too much on his way back, and he wanted to build an absolutely safe utopia.
In the apocalypse, as long as the base is strong enough, the people in the city can live in peace without being bothered by zombies, just like before the apocalypse.
But he knew it would be difficult; their base, though called a base, wasn't even a small one.
Moreover, the crops are not yet ripe, and with such a small population, we are not yet at the point where we can have enough to eat and wear.
It's still far from what he envisioned.
"Zhiyu?" Cheng Mo, who was standing next to him, brought him back to his senses.
Cheng Zhiyu blinked: "What's wrong?"
Cheng Mo said earnestly, "Zhiyu, I will support you, no matter what you do."
Cheng Zhiyu paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Mm."
"Then you have to praise me," Cheng Mo said, seizing the opportunity. "Or, give me a reward?"
"How could you do this?" Cheng Zhiyu crossed his arms. "Just for supporting me, you want a reward."
Cheng Mo coughed lightly: "Hey, can't you be a little more generous?"
Cheng Zhiyu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Tian Qiao, who was standing to the side, felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to stay away from the young couple. Who would have thought that Chengzi would be like this when she was in love?
Zhou Min's face clearly said: I'm totally shipping them!
Tian Manman asked, "What are we eating today?"
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. It's true, only Tian Manman's foodie persona remains unshaken.
Tian Manman scratched her head, puzzled, and joined in with a silly laugh.
Cheng Mo: These light bulbs are really an eyesore.
Not long after, the base posted a notice that it needed to recruit a group of people to build some places for raising livestock.
A large number of people gathered around to read the announcement.
"Is the base planning to raise livestock again?"
"That's great! Does that mean we can eat meat all the time from now on?"
"What? We can't even get enough to eat, and you're raising those animals? The base is being way too hasty."
"What do you know? They're only just getting started. I heard the agricultural department has started planting alfalfa again, probably to prepare for raising livestock."
"Haha, now you can rest assured, no livestock will compete with you for food, so why are you being possessive of your food?"
"Go away, don't make fun of me. I'm just worried about the base. But since they've already planted alfalfa, we really don't need to worry about it."
"They have their own plans, why should we worry about this?"
"I'm a part of the base, after all. How can you say that?"
Some even discussed going to work.
"Ten contribution points a day, plus a meal, I have to go just for that meal."
"Isn't it just building pens for livestock? Anyone can do that. It's easy. I want to apply for the job."
Are you going?
"Nonsense, anyone who doesn't go is a fool!"
The group exchanged glances, all understanding each other's unspoken thoughts, and coughed, saying, "I think this job is tough..."
"Yeah, it's tiring, I don't want to go."
"I'm not planning to go either, haha."
While saying this, he was inwardly cursing the other person for being so cunning. Who would believe he wouldn't go? This was clearly a ploy to lower others' guard so he could secretly apply for the job himself, lest someone else snatch it from him.
But nobody's stupid; who can fool anyone? When they finally arrived at the job fair, the few who had initially said they wouldn't go exchanged glances, laughed, and pretended they'd never said those things before.
The base was bustling with activity and filled with joy. Cheng Zhiyu also had something to be happy about: Little Umbrella had reached Level 1 maturity.
He clicked on the details of the little umbrella and learned that it was a defensive plant.
The system space has been successfully upgraded from 20*20 to 21*21, and the storage space has also doubled, now reaching 80 cubic meters.
Cheng Zhiyu was overjoyed. Finally, they could put more things in the space. Later, when they went out, they could even put their car in the space, as there was now plenty of empty space.
He happily busied himself planting new plants.
——
The base was bustling with activity because the livestock pens offered excellent living conditions, and many ordinary people were eager to sign up.
There's no problem with having a lot of people; more people means faster work. So when hiring, those with skills or strength will be retained.
With more people, the work was faster, and it was completed in a week.
Cheng Zhiyu also took a look and found that the people who did the work were quite honest, and the roof was sturdy.
Since we will likely raise pigs and cattle in the future, the latter is fine, but the former has a really strong smell. If it is too close to where people live, it will easily affect their daily lives.
Therefore, choosing a location far from residential areas, next to the farmland of the base, is particularly suitable.
Firstly, being far from residential areas, it won't let any odors drift over. Secondly, being close to farmland, feed can be delivered directly there.
Over here, the alfalfa has also grown short, but I believe it won't be long before it grows tall.
The wheat, too, is a lush green expanse when viewed from afar, forming a striking contrast with the withered yellow elsewhere. Anyone who comes to take a look will involuntarily smile.
It gives people a feeling that it is full of vitality.
It seems that it's time to put finding suitable animals to raise on the agenda.
Just then, I heard that a superhuman was out on a mission when he saw a pig in the distance. He went over to catch it, but found that the pig had disappeared, so he had no choice but to leave.
Now that they've heard the base is going to raise livestock, they've told them about it.
Cheng Zhiyu thought that since he had nothing to do at the base anyway, he might as well go and take a look. However, he had to make sure that the other party was not mistaken.
So they summoned the man.
"Where did you see the pig? Was it a domestic pig or a wild boar?" Cheng Zhiyu asked.
The superhuman scratched his head: "It's all white, it must be a domestic pig. It's a bit far away, about a kilometer from us. Isn't there a dilapidated house there? That's where I saw it. I originally wanted to go in and take a look, but it was pitch black inside, so I got a little scared and didn't dare to go in."
At this point, the superhuman became a little embarrassed. He was rather timid, and the reason he went to such a far place was because after that zombie horde, almost all the zombies in the vicinity had been killed, and he hadn't seen many zombies along the way.
But he dared not go any further, and there was that dark, dilapidated house. It was a villa, originally built by a wealthy city dweller who was planning to move back to the countryside.
The other party applied for a plot of land for homesteading. Because they prefer quiet, they didn't choose a location near a village. Although their village is quite far away, news of something new and exciting inevitably reached their village as well.
At the time, everyone said, "This rich person is out of their mind. Why doesn't he live in the city and instead moves to the countryside?"
“What do you know? They’ve made enough money and are coming back to retire and enjoy life. Think about it, the city sounds nice, but the living conditions are like birdcages. My relatives are from the city, right? I’ve been to their house a few times, and it’s tiny. And it costs over ten thousand yuan per square meter. They’ve worked for decades just to live in this birdcage? Anyway, I still think the village is better.”
"What do you know? The city has better educational resources, and kids can go to good schools. Our town and county can't compare."
"That's true. But if he built a villa closer to the village, that would be one thing. But it's so far away, and it's just his family living there. How can they live comfortably?"
"Maybe he just likes quiet?"
"Don't even mention it. I passed by that place the other day. It was really in the middle of nowhere. No matter how nicely you build it, I wouldn't want to live there. I wouldn't even dare to leave the house at night. It's terrifying."
"Do you think that rich person might have been scammed?"
"Who knows?"
Later, the villagers' prediction came true. The other party probably felt that building a house there was not suitable for living, or something like that. The house was almost finished, but suddenly they stopped building it.
The house was abandoned, and when people occasionally passed by, they felt a chill down their spines looking at the house, which was in the middle of nowhere.
No wonder that rich man almost finished building it, but then stopped.
That's such a waste of money!
This was a hot topic of conversation in the village at the time. Cheng Zhiyu overheard it and had also passed by the area, so he knew the location.
"Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Zhou Min asked. "Don't make us come all this way for nothing."
The superhuman nodded affirmatively: "There's no mistake. That pig was chubby and white. How could I be wrong about such a big pig? I reckon that pig probably lives in a villa. Sigh! It's a pity I didn't go in to take a look. The more I think about it after I came back, the more I regret it."
Cheng Mo looked at Cheng Zhiyu: "Zhiyu, do you want to go take a look?"
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "Let's go, it'll also be good time to clear out the zombies outside."
When people with superpowers go on missions, they not only need to complete the missions themselves, but also clear out the zombies in the vicinity. Otherwise, if too many zombies accumulate over time, it can easily lead to a zombie horde.
Cheng Mo naturally listened to everything he said.
Tian Qiao and his friends rubbed their hands together, excitedly shouting, "Hey, Fatty, here we come!"
Zhou Min swallowed hard: "I want to eat pig's trotters!"
Tian Manman: "I want to eat braised pork knuckle."
Tian Qiao: "Braised pork!"
Cheng Zhiyu was speechless: "Those pigs were caught and raised, not for you to eat."
Tian Qiao: "It's okay, we'll be able to eat them sooner or later after the pigs give birth."
These guys haven't even set off yet, and they've already planned how to eat pork.
The superhuman who provided them with the information didn't leave after speaking; instead, he stood there, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
Cheng Zhiyu asked in confusion, "Is there something else?"
He had barely finished asking when the other person suddenly bowed deeply to him, their voice firm and resolute: "I'm sorry!"
Cheng Zhiyu: "?"
Cheng Mo narrowed his eyes from the side.
The superhuman blushed and explained, "I used to follow Yang Kai and secretly cursed you many times. Back then, I really admired Yang Kai; he was the most powerful superhuman in the base, so I always followed him..."
Cheng Zhiyu was speechless: "Shouldn't what people care about most be a person's character?"
The superhuman said awkwardly, "I... I was blinded at the time, thinking that as long as I was strong, whatever I said was right. I only recently realized that... I'm really sorry."
Cheng Zhiyu didn't say much, only saying, "It's good that you've figured it out. Yang Kai's character is questionable, and following him might not necessarily bring you any benefits."
The superhuman scratched his head. He didn't follow Yang Kai mainly because the other party's "strongman" filter had shattered; he didn't think much about anything else.
Once Cheng Zhiyu confirmed the location, he drove off with Cheng Mo and the others.
Tian Qiao leaned against the window, looking outside: "Sigh, this road is different from before."
Previously, this area was covered with lush green farmland, but now it's barren.
They occasionally encounter zombies, and they simply deal with them without hesitation.
The journey was exceptionally smooth, and out of caution, they stopped about a hundred meters from the villa.
Cheng Zhiyu looked around. There were trees behind the villa, but the trees were already short of water, and their bark had been gnawed away.
Cheng Mo looked at it and said, "This must have been gnawed by that pig."
"Does that mean that pig is in the other place?" Zhou Min's eyes lit up.
"Maybe it is. It lives in a villa where it can be sheltered from the wind and rain, and there's tree bark to gnaw on in the back," Tian Qiao said, stroking his chin.
“That pig!” Tian Manman suddenly exclaimed.
The group looked over and, sure enough, saw a pig at the door. Upon seeing them, the pig immediately ran away in a panic.
They exchanged a glance, then strode over to where the pig had appeared, only to find that it had already run into the villa.
"Shall we go in and take a look?" Zhou Min suggested.
Cheng Zhiyu frowned: "I have a feeling something's off. Logically speaking, the commotion we made just now wasn't small, so how come that pig dared to come out?"
Cheng Mo scoffed, "It's probably bait."
"A bait?!" Tian Qiao exclaimed in surprise. Thinking about it, it really was possible.
“Like that other superhuman said, he saw a pig in the distance and then saw it enter the villa.” Cheng Zhiyu: “It felt like it was leading him in. We were the same. The pig seemed afraid we wouldn’t see it go in.”
"My god, is this pig really that smart? It's a bit scary." Zhou Min rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
"Should we still go in?" Tian Qiao asked.
Cheng Zhiyu hesitated for a moment, not really wanting to go in. They didn't know the situation inside the villa, and there was no need to risk going in for a pig.
"Sigh, what a wasted trip. Let's go back and tell the people at the base, lest it get burned down." Zhou Min sighed, but didn't object to Cheng Zhiyu's decision. They didn't know what was going on inside.
"Yeah, yeah, who knows what's inside? They're so cunning!" Tian Qiao said angrily, making them come all this way for nothing.
"Hey, Xiao Juan, stop messing around." Zhou Min patted the vines around his waist and muttered.
Cheng Zhiyu glanced at the quiet little curl on his wrist, frowned, and quickly turned around to look. He saw Zhou Min wrapped around the waist by a vine, and the other end of the vine led into the villa!
Several more vines stretched out, attempting to wrap them up.
Cheng Mo had just thought it was Xiao Juan, so he hadn't paid any attention.
"Watch out!" Cheng Zhiyu quickly dodged the vines that were trying to wrap around him and tried to cut them off. However, the vines were extremely fast and wrapped around Zhou Min, pulling him into the villa.
Zhou Min: "Aaaaaah! Holy crap!"
He tried to cut the vines with his knife, but as soon as he raised his arm, the vines wrapped around it.
As Zhou Min was pulled into the villa, Cheng Zhiyu and the others looked grim.
They had originally planned to leave, but now that Zhou Min had been taken away, they naturally couldn't leave anymore.
"Damn it! What's inside? It's so cunning!" Tian Qiao gritted her teeth.
Cheng Zhiyu's face darkened: "Go in and take a look."
The group entered the villa, which was only half-built. The windows were not yet installed and were sealed with bricks, so only light shone through the gaps in the bricks, making the interior exceptionally dim.
Tian Qiao felt herself step on something round. She looked down and was startled to find it was a human skull.
It just feels even more creepy here.
To prevent a sneak attack from the vines, they were extra vigilant, but because they were prepared, a sneak attack was not so easy.
"That thing is on the second floor." Cheng Mo looked up.
"Oh my god, it's not going to eat Zhou Min, is it?!" Tian Qiao was extremely anxious.
Suddenly, they heard a sound. Cheng Zhiyu took out a powerful flashlight from his spatial storage, turned it on, and saw clearly what was happening not far away.
There were about ten wolves!
This place is a den of wolves.
"How can this wolf be so clever? It even knows how to set up bait." Tian Qiao felt a chill run down her spine.
“Wolves are inherently intelligent animals.” Cheng Zhiyu frowned. “Moreover, they have mutated, so they may be difficult to deal with.”
Wolves are incredibly united; they completely obey the alpha wolf's commands and know how to coordinate their attacks.
The wolves didn't suddenly rush forward; they seemed to be observing them.
Cheng Zhiyu was too lazy to waste time with them. These wolves weren't necessarily that powerful, but they were very clever and knew how to lure unsuspecting people into their traps.
Most of the bones on the ground here probably came from this source.
Cheng Zhiyu and his group exchanged a glance and launched the first attack.
One of the wolves was struck by a bolt of lightning as thick as a bowl and fell to the ground, unable to get up. The other wolves roared and immediately attacked them.
These wolves are not individually strong, but they cooperate with each other, and with their large numbers, they are not easy to deal with in a short time.
Upstairs, Zhou Min, bound by vines, still had the composure to observe his surroundings. The enormous wolf stood at the top of the stairs, seemingly observing the battle below.
He looked away and glanced to the side. To his surprise, he wasn't the only one there; there were two men and a woman tied up, their faces pale and their eyes closed.
Zhou Min glanced at the giant wolf, shifted his position, moved over, and nudged the man closest to him with his elbow.
The other person slowly opened his eyes, saw the dim surroundings and the giant wolf, and pursed his lips.
"Dude, what's going on with you guys? Were you tricked into coming here?" Zhou Min inexplicably felt that Cheng Zhiyu and the others would definitely be able to rescue him, so he was in a relatively good mood.
The other person gave a wry smile: "We didn't originally intend to linger here, but the two people traveling with us were attracted by that pig and wanted to come in and take a look, but we didn't expect..."
"Is it the two of them?" Zhou Min glanced at the two unconscious people beside him.
The other person shook their head: "No, those two people have already been eaten."
The other party said, "We... should be considered as reserve grain."
Zhou Min, regarding the grain reserves: "Huh?"
The other person even joked, "Just like that pig, except that pig has value, it might live a little longer than us."
Zhou Min remained optimistic: "It's alright, my companions are here too, they'll definitely be able to get me out of here."
The other party asked, "Are you people with superpowers?"
Zhou Min: "Why do you ask that?"
The other party said, "The reason we weren't eaten is either because we're ordinary people or our abilities are too weak. The two companions who were eaten had very strong abilities. These wolves like to eat those with strong abilities."
Zhou Min: "..."
Damn, that's scary.
He turned his head and glanced at the pig in the corner. The pig was particularly well-behaved and didn't move around, so it wasn't tied up by the vines.
The man was right; they were all stored grain, but the pig had been able to lure people over and hadn't been eaten yet.
Zhou Min felt that the giant wolf could definitely hear them, so he didn't say anything important. He secretly pulled out a dagger from his waist and prepared to cut the vines.
But this is a bit tricky. That wolf clearly has plant-based abilities. I wonder if it will sense anything if I cut it open.
But we can't just sit here and wait.
As Zhou Min hesitated, he saw the giant wolf suddenly move and walk towards him.
Zhou Min: "!"
Should we eat him first? Although his ability isn't offensive, it's quite strong.
The wolf bared its sharp teeth. Zhou Min felt a chill run through him and was about to leave to cut the vines when the wolf didn't bite him but instead bit the vines open.
Zhou Min: "?"
The person next to him: "?"
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