Chapter 129
"Fu Le, didn't you say you were going out to relieve yourself? You're actually going a bit too far away!" Wang Qian came out of the group, his face pale. He had almost been scolded to death by the captain. This guy had just joined their team and had gotten into trouble so quickly. Their reputation in the cave would suffer a lot in the future.
"I came out to find food. I've almost finished my jerky. Without meat, I'll be hungry," Fu Le casually offered an excuse.
“Then you should have told us the truth. We would have come out with you. Do you know how dangerous it is for you to come out alone, a girl like you?” Lu Ze said in a deep voice.
Along the way, Fu Le had died in his mind seventeen or eighteen times.
“Fu Le, I have to be responsible for my team members. If you can’t follow the team leader’s orders, then take back your supplies and go find another team.” Lu Ze wasn’t going to let it go, because they couldn’t afford to take on team members who didn’t follow orders. It could easily lead the team to a dead end, or even cause other teammates to lose their innocent lives.
Fu Le: ...
She has always been a loner, and suddenly joining a team and feeling constrained is very difficult for her. Maybe she should just stick to going it alone?
With her brows furrowed, Fu Le didn't reply. Lu Ze thought she was scared, and he couldn't help but feel that he had been too harsh. The key was that the mutated bear was too dangerous, and Fu Le had run away at this time. He was too worried, which was why his tone was so harsh.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, but Fu Le, we are a team. As the captain, I will do my best to keep you alive until the dawn. I hope you understand. If you want to eat meat, I will use medicine to get it for you. There is meat available for exchange on the official website."
Fu Le shook his head.
Lu Ze frowned. "What else do you want to do?"
“Come with me, I saw a bear over there, and we can eat its meat for a long time.”
Everyone: ? ? ?
Fu Le hid a bear carcass in the forest, taking the heart and gall bladder. The carcass was of little use to her, so she decided to leave it for them to eat.
The group followed the body to the burial site and were stunned to see the headless bear carcass!
Who killed him? So incredibly powerful?!
"Have the officials arrived?" Yang Yan asked, puzzled.
"It shouldn't be. If the authorities came, they would definitely take the corpse away. Land-based mutant beasts are non-toxic." So it's definitely not the authorities.
"Who on earth is so powerful? This is a mutated bear, you know! They blew it all up with a grenade?"
“No, a mortar,” Lu Ze said after checking the wound.
"What? A mortar? Carried by an individual? But it's not impossible. Our country has never lacked talented people throughout history."
"You're spouting supernatural theories again. Hurry up and kill the bear for its meat."
"Huh, the heart and gallbladder are gone. Are they going to be used as medicine?" Yang Yan knew a little about the subject, after all, his major was botany.
As they chatted, they cut the meat. Fu Le's gaze fell on the knives in their hands; these knives were of really good quality.
"Can these bear teeth be used to make knives or something? They feel very hard." Fu Le handed Lu Ze the bear teeth he had picked up.
The latter took it, saying, "It looks a bit like ivory." He poked it against a nearby tree a few times, and several holes were clearly visible.
"The hardness is not bad. If you like, I'll sharpen it into two knives for you," Lu Ze said with a smile.
"Is that okay? I have more here, eight in total, sixteen knives." Fu Le took out the remaining bear teeth from his backpack.
Lu Ze: ...
Lu Ze nodded, both amused and exasperated, and stuffed the knife into his backpack. "Okay, you've contributed so much to our team, a few tooth knives are nothing."
"Yes, Fu Le, don't worry, several of us know how to make knives, and we'll make sure they're both beautiful and practical for you."
Ten people came out, but there were several tons of meat. After discussing it, they decided to dry most of it before taking it away. Otherwise, if they had to process so much meat back in the cave, they would likely be attacked.
Even with the drying process, it took ten people two or three trips to finish.
Fu Le returned to the cave very early, and everyone looked at her as if she were a savior.
As for the others in the cave, some wept and others rejoiced when they saw the survivors return. Those who wept were the ones whose family members had died, while those who rejoiced were the ones who had survived the ordeal. Although the former had obtained meat, they had lost the pillar of their families, and things would only become more difficult in the future. It was a sad situation, but there was nothing that could be done.
For the next week, no one went out to look for food anymore, because there was too much food and they wouldn't be able to carry it if they moved. Fu Le would stay outside the cave and read medical books whenever he had free time.
People came and went, and although they thought she was putting on an act, no one bothered her. They thought life would continue peacefully like this until suddenly, the authorities started recruiting hunting teams. Every able-bodied young man between 25 and 35 had to sign up, or they would have to leave the base. The authorities would no longer protect them and their families.
The news shocked everyone in the cave. Women, children, and the elderly began to sob, resenting God's injustice and hating the arrival of the end of the world. Young and middle-aged people also began to pack their belongings with worried expressions, preparing to register.
Leaving here to act alone in this world would be certain death. Staying with the government means having weapons and plenty of food. They might as well take a gamble; if they die, they'll still have a pension.
Cave entrance.
"...Starting today, you will undergo seven days of intensive training. Seven days later, it will be time for you to go to the battlefield to kill the aliens. I know you are all afraid, but when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. This has always been the case throughout history. Behind you... they need you... If you continue to do nothing, when the soldiers are exhausted, it will be your turn. So, brothers, raise your heads, straighten your spines, raise your guns, and fight for the sake of protecting your beloved families, for the sake of us being able to live a decent life in the future! We..." The official political commissar was giving a pep talk. The young men who had signed up stood there quietly, their spirits not as low as they had been at the beginning.
Although it is already the end times, it hasn't been long yet, and everyone's enthusiasm hasn't completely cooled down. Therefore, this pre-battle mobilization is useful.
As batches of young adults were taken away by plane, their whereabouts unknown, the number of people in the cave dwindled, and the atmosphere grew increasingly lifeless.
Fourteen members of Fu Le's team went to the hospital, including Lu Ze. The two young men who stayed behind were under twenty-five years old, but they had managed to complete the training. However, the responsibility of taking care of four elderly people and five children was still heavy.
"Fu Le, what are your plans for the next step? Tomorrow, it should all be our turn." Lu Ze's face was heavy, and his heart was cold. He didn't know how much longer he could live, but what about the elderly and the children?
“I’ll stay in the cave. I can’t guarantee I’ll stay here forever, but as long as I’m here, they’ll be fine,” Fu Le said, looking into Lu Ze’s eyes.
Lu Ze sighed, "Thank you, Fu Le. I was overthinking it." He thought Fu Le might choose to leave immediately. After all, their team really didn't have much strength left. The few who could fight had all left, and the few who remained were still lacking in training, not to mention the elderly and children. Their promise to protect her to the end had become a joke.
"I understand."
The two didn't chat for long before going about their own business.
The next day, around 10 a.m., as expected, the helicopter came to pick them up, and it was Lu Ze's team's turn.
“Fu Le, I know this isn’t worth much now, but it was passed down from my ancestors. Maybe it will bring you some value once order is restored in the future. I’m leaving now. I’ll be sorry to trouble you while you’re here.”
Lu Ze gave Fu Le a pair of old mine glass-type jade rings, which were obviously very expensive just by looking at them.
Fu Le nodded and put it away. It was indeed useless to them, but it was extremely useful in her world. She wasn't short of money, and it was more than enough to store eggs.
"Sister, will my dad and uncles die?" Lin Xiaoai sat next to Fu Le, somewhat lost in thought.
"I don't know either..." Fu Le couldn't give the correct answer. The other older children were all very sensible, the oldest being ten years old. In just over a month, he seemed to have grown several years' worth of maturity.
"Sister, do you know martial arts? I saw you practicing." Ai Qiguang pursed his lips and asked, his hopeful gaze fixed on Fu Le's eyes.
"Yes, do you want to learn?" Fu Le did have a few fist and leg techniques she obtained from the Sand Hell Apocalypse. She had practiced them, but they were not as good as the complete set of external martial arts with mental cultivation techniques, which were only for strengthening the body.
"Fu Le, can we learn?" It was the two young men who had stayed behind who spoke, looking at her expectantly.
In such an apocalyptic world, having one more ability means they can live a few more days.
"Yes, you can learn if you want."
This time, not only the original team members but also others left in the cave, including the elderly, women, and children, joined in the boxing training. Everyone donated supplies as tuition fees, which Fu Le accepted in full and piled up at the original camp. He also took advantage of this time to figure out the official patrol habits.
When the officials saw her leading everyone in learning boxing, they only asked a few questions and then left it at that. They even gave her ten pounds of meat and two boxes of external injury medicine to express their gratitude for her selfless contribution.
A month later, thick smoke rose from the ravine closest to the cave. When the officials arrived, they found a huge mountain of medicinal herbs. Strangely, the herbs were produced in 1997!
After a medic came and examined the medicine, it was confirmed that the production dates were wrong, but the medicine itself was good.
The officers and soldiers who led the team were overjoyed. Who was the big shot who made this anonymous donation?
"Company Commander, there's a letter here!"
"Give it to me!"
"yes!"
The pristine white A4 paper contained only one sentence: Please distribute it to all the cave dwellers as needed; the authorities should not retain more than 20%.
The company commander's square face showed a troubled expression. It looked like a lot, but if it were all distributed among hundreds of thousands of people, it wouldn't be much. Keeping 20% wouldn't be enough.
"Company commander, what should we do?"
"Send a car over to transport it first, and we'll decide on the rest after the meeting."
"yes."
Fu Le left two months later, after the government had distributed the medicine as needed.
They didn't keep 20% as she said, but instead kept half. However, the amount of medicine exchange materials within the official retention range was reduced by half, which can be considered a disguised reduction in retention.
When Fu Le left, he left behind two large bags of fruit candies and supplies intended for his tuition, and then left under the pretext of convenience.
Of course, to avoid everyone going out to look for her, she left a note in the tent explaining the situation.
For the past two months, she has spent her time reading and cultivating, lacking any real combat experience, which is not what she wanted.
Stepping out of the cave, Fu Le looked up at the blood-red sky, a surge of fighting spirit rising within him!
She decided to follow the direction the helicopter had traveled to see if she could find the front line. No matter what time or space it was in, it was still China, and she was a part of it. She would do her part if she had the ability, and she wouldn't lose out.
The mechanical beast rose from the water's edge and flew into the distance.
Eastern sea area.
Several speeding boats drifted on the water. Three grotesque monsters, each as thick as a water bucket and covered in black, palm-sized scales, chased after the boats. The deformed giants, covered in black slime, would occasionally emerge from the water, open their mouths full of venom, and spray black venom at the boats.
On one of the smaller boats with the most people, the atmosphere was tense. The young man with a blue armband on his right arm clenched his teeth tightly. The wound on his waist felt like it was burning, gnawing at his nerves. Cold sweat trickled down his temples.
He stood up despite the pain, raised the mortar on the ship, and was about to fire...
The young man on the same ship anxiously tugged at his sleeve, "Captain Lu, we only have three shells left!"
Lu Ze steadied himself and knelt on one knee in the swaying cabin. The intense pain caused him to sweat profusely, and a metallic taste filled his mouth. He took a deep breath and whispered, "I'll try my best to aim!"
Including Lu Ze, there were only three people on the ship. When they went out, there were six people on board, but when they came back, only the three of them remained. There were only one or two people left on the other two small boats. However, even with such a survival rate, it was still high, because most of the people who went out were left without a trace, and some could not even be found in their small boats, having been torn to pieces.
Only by following Lu Ze could they have such a high survival rate, which is why Lu Ze had a very high prestige in the team.
The young man didn't speak again, but did his best to keep the boat steady, holding his breath and waiting.
'Aww...'
'Roar roar roar...'
'Bang bang bang...'
The giant beast's tail slammed heavily onto the water, creating huge waves. Even though the small boat was moving very fast, it was still affected. Like leaves on the crest of a wave, it was in danger of being turned into food for the giant beast at any moment.
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
'Splash splash...'
"Good, hit!! Captain Lu, awesome!!!"
The three-headed Scaled Insect had its head blown off, and its massive body sank into the water with a thud, creating a water wall several meters high.
The remaining two seemed frightened. After letting out a few hisses, they became somewhat sluggish, and this sluggishness allowed them to escape a further distance.
"Speed up!!!" Lu Ze put down the cannon and leaned back, his face ashen.
"Captain Lu! Yao, quick, Captain Lu is injured, hurry!!" The young man swiftly caught Lu Ze and shouted.
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