Chapter 405: Bound to the Child-Bearing System, Becoming a Winner in Life Chapter 406: Wasteland Gathering Daily Life (34)

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

"Are there fish here?"

Cheng Qi looked surprised, and the people returning behind him also exclaimed one after another.

They thought they could only go back to eat some wild vegetables this time, but unexpectedly they could also eat fish.

Fish meat is also meat!

Shen Yao raised her hand and pointed outside, "There are more small puddles rushing out from this side, we can still come gather for a few days."

Such a long stretch of river channel, surrounded by large and small puddles rushing out.

They didn't bring many fishing tools today, but the harvest was abundant; if they switched to better and more convenient tools tomorrow, they dare not imagine what scene it would be.

Cheng Qi helped Shen Yao sit down, he leaned beside Shen Yao and sighed that his holiday was short, and he had to go to work at the patrol team tomorrow, so he couldn't come out.

Shen Yao waved her hand, indicating that Shen Yu was still there; as long as they didn't enter the mountain forest, one man was enough.

Cheng Qi:...

Cheng Qi laughed helplessly, but this also indirectly showed that the collection point they chose was safe with no danger around, otherwise he would never let Shen Yao go out no matter what he said.

"By the way, you always said the outside is dangerous, what exactly is going on?"

Shen Yao turned her head and said softly, then glanced at the change in Cheng Qi's expression.

Sigh, was she too calm in the face of danger? If this person wanted to hide something, no one could discover it.

Shen Yao complained that Cheng Qi was good at putting on a good face; Cheng Qi didn't know he was being evaluated like this in his wife's heart. He pondered for a moment and mentioned "Beast Tide."

Beast Tide?

"That should be something that often happens during the Cold Season," the Cold Season is long and there is no food source, so hungry wild beasts will go mad and attack the base.

Situations like this would be classified by the base as a Beast Tide.

Dawn Base experiences several Beast Tides of various sizes every Cold Season; they won't really be breached by wild beasts, but people will definitely die.

As for the Cold Season that just passed... Shen Yao suddenly realized she seemed to have never heard any movement of a Beast Tide, from beginning to end, no wild beasts came to cause trouble, only internal disturbances within the base.

Shen Yao:...

Cheng Qi shrugged his shoulders, "The base hasn't officially issued a notice to lift the danger yet."

"We've been active at the edge of the base recently, just to be prepared for anything."

Prepared for anything? Naturally, it means being able to run back to the base in time when trouble appears; if they really go too far for gathering, 90% will become food to fill the wild beasts' bellies.

Shen Yao scratched her chin, her tone hesitant, "Does the base think a Beast Tide will still appear?" Even though the Cold Season has already passed.

Cheng Qi nodded, "The Beast Tide won't disappear; food is scarce during the Cold Season, and even in the Mild Season, it's impossible to quickly grow enough food to eat."

The most likely thing is still attacking the base; most people in the base are ordinary people, and in the mouths of mutant beasts, they are one bite each, no different from eating snacks normally.

Shen Yao sighed, "The shipment rate of collection points around the base is too low."

Besides that river having something, only the Small Bamboo Forest can be dug into; the rest, relying solely on wild vegetables, can't fill one's belly at all.

"Wait a few more days, the longer it's delayed, the safer it is," because only when just out of the Cold Season will they be hungry.

As the Mild Season continues to warm up, herbivorous animals will slowly fatten themselves back to their original size, and the Mild Season is also the mating season for animals; the total number of animals increases, which can further enrich food sources.

Shen Yao leaned in Cheng Qi's arms, constantly asking the system in her heart what was going on.

The explanation given by the system was roughly the same as Cheng Qi's; now the base is like fatty meat in the eyes of wild beasts, and taking a bite is a light matter.

The difference lies in how big a bite is taken, and when they open their mouths to bite.

The car drove back to the base; everyone took their own supplies, and the wolf corpses and pelts sold were exchanged for points and distributed according to contribution.

Shen Yao's wristwatch buzzed; she opened it to see that points had been credited.

A back basket of fish was eventually left with only one-third; this was the amount Cheng Ma and Song Ling deliberately left because they saw Shen Yao was inconvenienced.

She instructed Cheng Qi to take out the fish and freeze it; Shen Yao hung the washed wild vegetables in the courtyard to dry, then took out the edible parts herself and stir-fried them.

In the evening at B District, not only did the aroma of food come from Shen Yao's home, but several neighbors around were also stewing meat in every household.

It seems every family has a trump card; living in B District is the greatest confidence.

The cooked fish soup was ladled by Cheng Qi into a full bowl and brought to Shen Yao.

Shen Yao picked up the spoon and took a sip; the seasoning well covered the fishy smell of the river fish and better highlighted its freshness.

Delicious!

The fish bones were also scraped clean by Cheng Qi, leaving only fish meat in Shen Yao's bowl.

After eating several bowls to fill her belly, Shen Yao licked her lips to indicate she would continue eating fish tomorrow.

"I won't go tomorrow; you follow Ma and them; bring all the fish cages and fishing nets at home over there."

Although she couldn't help with strength, she could make up for it in other aspects.

Shen Yao hummed twice, letting Cheng Qi rest assured; she definitely wouldn't put herself in danger, and now the most dangerous person in the whole family was probably her biological father Shen Jiancheng.

After all, he was a driver who had to go out of the base without fail every day.

When he returned in the evening, Shen Yao and Song Ling chatted idly, only to learn that the several routes currently assigned to Shen Jiancheng were all relatively far from the base, and if anything happened, rescue wouldn't arrive in time.

"I'll think of a way for Dad's side," Cheng Qi cleared the bowls and chopsticks on the table, "There are many lines around the base, and not enough drivers; changing a few routes isn't difficult."

It wasn't asking others to die in his place, just temporarily canceling the routes that were farther and harder to walk; he believed the people at the Bus Terminal wouldn't quibble over so much.

Saying and doing, Cheng Qi handled things reliably, plus Shen Jiancheng himself had some face (mainly because he was willing to give points and benefits); the people at the Bus Station discussed privately and directly announced temporarily cutting several routes.

As for when to resume? Wait for their notification.

"Hey, the Bus Terminal people say one thing and mean another; as long as those above don't ask, they'll keep pressing on."

Song Ling didn't understand the Bus Terminal's character, but Shen Jiancheng dealt with them often and knew them inside out.

Anyway, most of those taking the bus were unremarkable ordinary people from the base; no matter how much they complained, their voices couldn't reach the Base Upper Echelon.

As long as the window paper isn't pierced, the Bus Terminal isn't afraid, and the drivers running these routes can stay safe.

"Pressing on is better; according to Cheng Qi, beast roars come from outside from time to time."

"Dad drives in and out of the base every day; being close means we can discuss things if something happens, while being far away means we can only pray for good luck to survive."

Shen Yao still remembered what happened in Chang Le Town back then; those mutant beasts were terrifyingly smart, and if not for wearing beast shells, one might suspect they were humans in disguise.

"That's true; your dad always says being close to the base is safer," Song Ling said, holding the freshly picked shepherd's purse, bundling it up and tossing it into her back basket.

"Dad is out there every day and knows more news than we do," Shen Yao said to comfort Song Ling, then asked about Shen Yu's marriage.

Song Ling's face visibly brightened, "Just waiting for both families to meet and discuss the bridal price."

"The house is still being looked for in B District; your dad and I mean it's fine if we can't find one, we can rent a house first," this rent referred to Song Ling and Shen Jiancheng, the two elders, who planned to give their own house to the young couple.

Actually, these were conditions agreed upon when they first started dating.

In Song Ling's eyes, Shen Yu's marriage was a major difficulty; as long as the woman's side was interested and the conditions weren't too excessive, the Shen Family side could accept them.

After hearing this, Shen Yao thought of the base's short-term rental houses; even though that place was also in B District, having a group of strangers living together, given Song Ling's temper of not wanting to suffer a loss, she definitely wouldn't relax.

"I'll help keep an eye out for the house with Cheng Qi," Shen Yao said, lowering her head to grab a handful of wild vegetables, silently throwing out the highly mutated plants inside, and stuffing everything else into her back basket, "There seems to be some water celery up front."

"Water celery? Stir-fried with eggs is the most delicious," Song Ling rushed over with a swish, and seeing it really was water celery, she happily dug back and forth.

Shen Yao carried her back basket forward; today they hadn't acted together, but stayed alone by the riverside digging wild vegetables and catching fish, except there were always quite a few people by the base riverside these days, and the reed marsh ahead had even more people looking for mutant wild duck eggs, so the mother and daughter's harvest wasn't much.

Shaking the back basket in her arms, Shen Yao simply called the system for help.

Song Ling found her luck especially good this afternoon, always coming across patches of high-quality wild vegetables.

Filling the back baskets they brought to the brim, Song Ling and Shen Yao started walking back.

When they were just dozens of meters from the base gate, they heard footsteps behind them.

Turning around, they saw a group of people scrambling and crawling, dragging their legs as they ran.

Song Ling:... Huh?

"What's this, running what?" she subconsciously said.

Before anyone could answer, Song Ling was yanked by Shen Yao and staggered, almost falling.

"Mom, something must have happened behind us; let's hurry back to the base."

Afraid that if they returned late the base would close its gate, and with such high city walls outside they couldn't climb up, being left in the wilderness would be a dead end.

Song Ling regained her senses, backhandedly grabbed Shen Yao's wrist, and looked at her daughter with a nervous expression, "Quickly give me the back basket on your body."

Pregnant and having to run, while also carrying dozens of jin of back basket on her shoulder.

Song Ling felt heartache to the extreme, her hand reaching forward, looking like she wanted to take the back basket into her own hand.

Shen Yao refused, her gaze forward; by the time they finished speaking they had already run ten-plus meters, just hold on a bit more, and they'd enter the base in less than a minute.

"Mom, I'm fine; once we go in it'll definitely be chaotic, let's go home first and talk."

Shen Yao was afraid Song Ling would drag her to the hospital; looking at the big commotion behind them, it would be strange if the hospital wasn't busy today.

When there are many people, trouble is easy; Shen Yao didn't want to drag out something that could be solved by taking one pill into endless examinations.

Song Ling:...

Song Ling really wanted to take Shen Yao to the hospital, even if just to get some fetal protection medicine without hospitalization, but since things had come to this point, she couldn't keep complaining, silently swallowed her words back into her belly, and the two soon queued to enter, heading straight for B District.

People on the road were hurrying along; obviously the situation outside had already affected the inside.

Shen Yao and Song Ling's feet left afterimages, just to get home a step earlier.

Rumble—

The firecrackers placed at the doorway were activated as usual; Shen Yao looked up behind her and took a breath.

"Daughter, are you alright?" Song Ling's tone was worried, and her hand unconsciously supported the other.

"Mom, let's go home," Shen Yao shook her head, turned around, and continued forward.

The two returned home in less time than usual, threw the back baskets in the courtyard, and sat on the ground to catch their breath.

The wristwatch kept buzzing; Shen Yao opened it, and the first message that popped up was from Cheng Qi.

"Mutant beasts are attacking ordinary people in the wilderness, forming a beast tide rushing toward the base."

"Are you home? Absolutely do not go out; do not open the door for anyone."

"Received orders to conduct wilderness rescue; secure your family's belongings and pay attention to safety."

"If you're afraid, go to your mom's place; Dad is home today, and Eldest Brother is guarding the base."

"..."

The messages were densely packed, all from Cheng Qi, and the last one mentioned Cheng Ma was very worried about her and told her to go over, without needing to feel shy.

Shen Yao opened other messages; there were ones from Cheng Ma, from Zhao Xue, and from Shen Yu and Shen Jiancheng.

Turning around, Song Ling was also browsing messages on her wristwatch.

Shen Yao hurriedly asked about Shen Yu and Shen Jiancheng; on her side there were only messages from two people caring about her, and she hadn't received a reply from the other party yet.

"Your dad is at the base, your brother is at the hospital, all safe."

Song Ling rubbed her face, tried hard to squeeze out a smile, but her complexion was pale, looking not the least bit joyful.

Shen Yao felt something was fishy here; she asked repeatedly but couldn't get accurate news from Song Ling, so she could only choose to give up.

Getting up to pour a cup of honey water and hand it to Song Ling, Shen Yao herself found a chance to secretly take a pill to stabilize her not-so-comfortable body.

The pill's effect was obvious; it worked as soon as it entered her body, and also made Shen Yao's tense body relax even more.

"Daughter, since you're fine, Mom will go back first; there are still things at home that haven't been collected," Song Ling got up, rubbed her palms, planning to leave.

Shen Yao tried to persuade her to stay for a bit, but Song Ling's intention to leave was too firm, so Shen Yao could only choose to let her go.

"System, did something happen to my dad?" Song Ling's emotions were off.

"Host, Shen Yu was injured," the system transmitted an image, showing Shen Yu lying in the hospital with his head bandaged, unconscious.

Shen Yao:?!?!

Shen Yao pressed one hand to her chest, then turned and fished out a pill, stuffing it into her mouth.

"What happened? Shen Yu didn't go out this afternoon," she had spent the morning fishing with them for a while, and in the afternoon went to the hospital to find her partner.

Did something happen at the hospital? Was Shen Yu implicated?

"Saving someone, accidentally got injured, it's not a big problem," the system scanned Shen Yu's body, explaining that this matter happened simultaneously with them running back.

Shen Yao:...

As expected, playing the hero saving the beauty required capital; Shen Yu's preparation was insufficient, and he almost sacrificed himself.

Just now Song Ling definitely didn't tell her because she was afraid it would affect her, who was pregnant.

"My mom went to the hospital?"

The mild season had just begun; the three members of the Shen Family, two big eaters, the little bit they gathered back was enough to fill their bellies and they should be grateful, so why would they need Song Ling to tidy up extra?

Finding an excuse was to go to the hospital to take care of someone; her mom's consideration was quite thoughtful, but unknown to her, in Shen Yao's eyes every place was full of loopholes.

"Yeah, it should be arriving in a little while."

The hospital was located between C District and B District, with the Patrol Team and the Research Institute on the left and right sides respectively.

Nowadays the hospital inside and out was full of people, and Shen Yu was just arranged in some remote corner, all alone by his side, looking pitiful.