Another aspect is expanding cultivation, but the speed is too slow, and the cycle is too long; however, the advantage is sustainability.

However, the weather changes make cultivation rather unreliable.

Li Yu knows that in this apocalypse, it’s not just about zombies.

In Li Yu’s mind, the current cause of the apocalypse is still shrouded in mystery.

Although according to Ma Di, it is all because of the unknown viral elements carried by the Outer Space Meteor that caused the zombie outbreak.

But the subsequent weather disasters, all of this is too coincidental.

It seems like nature’s purification, resetting everything to zero.

What kind of connection lies behind this, he doesn’t know, and even five years after the apocalypse, he hasn’t heard anyone explain it.

But what he knows is, whether now or in the future, the most important thing is the supply of food.

In the future, natural disasters may become the norm, and the weather’s instability could lead to reduced crop yields, or even total crop failure.

Therefore, it is crucial for the Big Camphor Tree Base to establish plantations that are unaffected by the weather.

Whether it’s the current underground plantation, the planting sites in the caves, or the outdoor greenhouses, they all need continuous modification.

Actually, the military resources in the base are already quite abundant. To say the least, they initially obtained over a thousand submachine guns and rifles from the armory. Later, from the Southern Camp, they acquired artillery, tanks, and even two thousand five hundred assault rifles, along with hundreds more seized from Safe City, Juzi Island, and other places.

Currently, the number of guns in the Big Camphor Tree Base is almost five thousand.

Bullets are now fully self-produced.

But, the number of people in the base, including the Inner and Outer City, is only a few hundred.

Far from utilizing their potential strength.

With so many guns, they cannot just distribute them to others.

Even the Extra Staff or Cooperative Personnel are not being issued firearms now.

Guns are a double-edged sword; they can strengthen the base’s power and influence but distributing them at will would pose a huge threat to Big Camphor Tree Base’s safety.

To expand the factions, one needs to expand the population.

But to expand the population, there must be enough food as support.

For example, a team of a hundred can have enough food storage for three years.

But if it’s expanded to a thousand, the food would only last less than four months.

Now, all food in the cities has been scavenged, making it impossible to find enough food in the short term.

When people are hungry, they’ll do anything.

A large population is not necessarily a good thing.

Having a big population and plenty of food, along with a stable food production system, is required for sustainable development.

On the other hand, managing a lot of people is also very difficult.

With so many people and spies around, it’s easy for things to go awry in this morally bankrupt apocalypse if not careful.

That’s why Li Yu always maintains a critical balance, ensuring that the base’s scale expansion is steady.

Even if so many people join, it doesn’t necessarily strengthen their power.

If internal conflicts arise, it would be even more troublesome.

Li Yu always remembers his core purpose: to let his family, friends, and aligned allies who passed many tests, live well in this apocalypse.

The Western Alliance headquarters is already showing signs of decline.

Originally there were five factions, but with two now gone, the remaining ones, besides the Gan Family, are surely wary of them, and there will definitely be conflicts among them.

It’s better to let them fight it out internally than to look for trouble now.

Let them deplete each other.

The weather is turning colder, and it will only get colder from here.

Now is not a good time to attack.

.....

After learning about Li Yu’s thoughts, Third Uncle spoke with Old Qin, telling them there’s no need to go to the Western Alliance anymore.

Li Yu glanced at Dapao, who was still being interrogated, put on his hat, and returned to the Unimog.

Although they’ve gradually acquired three RVs, this vehicle still feels the most comfortable.

After all, it’s been modified the most times, fully equipped with all living facilities, despite its small size.

Yang Tianlong also returned, having checked the area once more and found no zombies.

The weather is very cold, as shown by the thermometer; the outdoor temperature has dropped to minus one degree since sunset.

It’s expected to get even colder at night.

Li Yu returned to the vehicle, had a simple meal, then rested on the sofa.

.....

The night is chilly.

A cold wind blew, lifting sand and dust off the ground, slapping against the steel wall with a crackle.

The air carried a slight moisture.

Li Yu was awakened by Li Gang at four in the morning.

Hearing the sound of dripping outside the car, Li Yu knew it was raining.

Putting on his windbreaker, Li Yu opened the car door.

A blast of cold, damp air blew in.

He looked around; it was pitch black, with only the car lights illuminating his view.

Drizzling rain fell in the night, the rain threads intertwining into a blurred scene, making it hard to see the surrounding environment. The sky was devoid of any light, especially gloomy.

All around, the construction site was filled with discarded building materials, planks, bricks, cement bags, etc., scattered on the ground.

Some dilapidated buildings could be vaguely seen, with peeling paint revealing rusty rebar.

Li Yu’s breathing was particularly clear in this silence, as though it was the only sound. The gravel beneath his feet crunched as he walked, echoing in the empty site.

A gust of cold wind hit him, wetting his windbreaker. Fortunately, it was waterproof, so the rain didn’t penetrate his skin.

This abandoned construction site was filled with desolation and silence, instilling a nameless fear.

"What time is it?" Li Yu asked Li Gang beside him.

Li Gang replied, "Four ten."

Just as Li Gang’s words fell, a roar erupted from outside the site.

Roar roar—

The zombie roar pierced the silent night sky, adding an extra layer of terror.

Li Yu turned off the car lights and then said to Li Gang, "You rest first; I’ll go check at the door. Who’s on duty now?"

Li Gang thought for a moment and said, "According to the duty roster, it’s Wang Cheng’s Xiao Jun. Bro, I’ll come along as well, I can’t sleep anyway."

Li Yu did not refuse.

The two of them took flashlights and walked toward the entrance.

Soon.

They arrived at the gate and saw Wang Cheng and Xiao Jun inside a small duty room.

It was raining and cold outside, so staying in was understandable.

From afar, Xiao Jun saw the flashlight’s light and did not realize it was them until Li Yu and Li Gang approached.

Li Yu walked up and asked Xiao Jun and the others, "How’s it going? Any movement?"

Xiao Jun picked up a stick, pointed at a mouse’s corpse, and said, "No big issues outside, just about an hour ago, we found a mouse, not mutated, which we killed."

Li Yu glanced at the mouse, nodded, and said, "Hmm, bury this mouse. We shouldn’t eat outside animals, even if they’re not mutated, because we don’t know if these mice ate zombie corpses."

Xiao Jun quickly said, "Of course, we have dry provisions, we won’t eat this mouse."

"Good, when we return to the base, we’ll give you some meat," Li Yu said.

Based on this operation, Xiao Jun and their points can increase again. Although still not enough to enter the Outer City, they’re getting close.

Moreover, in this assessment, Li Yu and Third Uncle are no longer too concerned about Xiao Jun and Ju Tianrui.

Now, they’re just missing point contributions, which require them to complete some tasks to meet the standard.

Li Yu gave the two a brief instruction, telling them not to let their guard down and to contact everyone with the walkie-talkie if anything happened.

Then he left.

This unexpected shower is quite a surprise.

The night was cold and rainy, the most grueling combination.

At daybreak, they had to return to the Big Camphor Tree Base.

But the conditions are not suitable for returning in the rain.

They better not return until the rain stops.

It was a cold, rainy night, slow and grueling.

The light rain kept falling from the sky.

On their way back, Li Gang said to Li Yu, "Bro, it’s raining; I don’t think we can leave when it gets light."

Looking at the thin clouds and faint moon, Li Yu said, "Not necessarily, it might just be a light rain, maybe it will stop by daylight."

"Let’s hope so."