Chapter 298: Ye Heng's shelter welcomed its first batch of refugees

Chen Yuqi's matter is still brewing, but stepping into the sewing machine is a sure thing.

Lin Meng didn't continue to pay attention to that scumbag, but instead focused her energy on cultivation.

Counting the days, the Hundred Ghosts Night Walk in the strange world is imminent; she must seize the time to further raise her strength.

Even if she cannot break through to mid-Foundation Establishment, she at least needs to learn another ordinary sword technique, which could add an extra layer of security when needed.

Meanwhile, Ye Heng's side also had new progress.

After seeing off Qin Yao and his group, the shelter added Song Zhi's team, temporarily making up the manpower.

Ye Heng divided his own team into two groups, continuing to expand outward exploration, searching for gold, silver, jewels and various rarities left from the old era, to be presented as tribute to Lin Meng.

Meanwhile, Song Zhi's group, being stronger and more experienced, was dispatched by Ye Heng to hunt zombies and mutant beasts.

Although Lin Meng now provides abundant supplies, the shelter's overall strength still needs to be improved by themselves.

Crystal cores and crystal stones are indispensable resources that must be stockpiled.

Ye Heng left a unit with him to stay in the shelter, training while keeping watch on all sides.

That day, the outpost outside the canyon suddenly sent back a message.

Upon hearing the news, Ye Heng became excited and immediately gathered his men to rush to the outside of the canyon.

People in the shelter rarely saw the team captain show such emotion; it seemed something good had happened, and they all grew curious.

Upon inquiry, they learned that a large batch of refugees was approaching from outside, which explained why the team captain was so excited.

"Great, adding population to the shelter is a big deal; once we fix the purification system, we'll also have to grow our own vegetables, and right now we definitely lack manpower."

"My spouse previously said that the team captain had asked the goddess for permission to expand the base; the goddess agreed and said that with more people, supplies would still be provided, not less for us."

"The goddess is truly great; when the newcomers arrive later, we must tell them well about the goddess's virtues and bring them to kneel before the goddess."

"Yes, the primary condition for joining the shelter is to devoutly believe in our goddess; anyone who disrespects the goddess or does not believe in her, no matter how strong, cannot be allowed to join!"

The thoughts of the shelter's people were naturally also Ye Heng's thoughts.

He does not demand that everyone in the world believe in Lin Meng, but if one wishes to join their shelter, they must show ten thousandfold loyalty to Lin Meng.

Soon, Ye Heng led a unit to the outpost outside the canyon and indeed saw a group of people standing on the open ground.

They were all in ragged clothes, disheveled, and some even bore wounds, showing that along the way they had surely encountered zombie or mutant beast attacks.

Ye Heng had someone count them; the total was 197 people, including men, women, old and young, with the five leaders being awakened ones, but they appeared to be only strength-type awakened.

At that moment, the sturdy man leading the group lowered his weapon, nodded to the people behind him, and walked straight toward Ye Heng.

"Captain, it seems they've come to negotiate with you; I'll first bring people to test whether any of them are infected."

Zhang Chaoran also followed Ye Heng; seeing that many of the refugees were wounded, he immediately became alert.

Taking in newcomers is important, but we absolutely cannot allow any dangerous factor to enter.

Some infected individuals have an incubation period; if someone here was scratched by a zombie and infected, turning into a zombie would only be a matter of time.

Many in our shelter lack combat strength, and there are many children; letting even a single zombie in could be fatal.

Ye Heng couldn't help but nod approvingly at Zhang Chaoran upon hearing that.

"You've thought it through well; go ahead, be as courteous as possible, and don't start a conflict before the talks are settled."

Zhang Chaoran nodded, then greeted the sturdy man who had approached, and led his people and detection equipment toward the refugee group.

Ye Heng's gaze fell on that person, and he nodded at him.

"Hello, I'm the person in charge here; my name is Ye Heng."

Upon hearing that the person before him was Ye Heng, the other's eyes lit up and he extended his hand to shake Ye Heng's.

"Hello, Captain Ye; I'm Li Hu, you can call me Huzi."

"We are a scattered refugee group from the south, currently numbering 197; we heard about you from Qin Yao, the team captain, and after discussion we all decided to come seek refuge with you."

Li Hu looked burly, yet spoke with poise, and appeared modest in demeanor.

Ye Heng nodded and let Li Hu continue his introduction.

Li Hu thought for a moment and said:

"Captain Ye, to be frank, most of us were basically driven out by other shelters, but rest assured, we weren't expelled for wrongdoing, and none of us harbor ill intentions."

Ye Heng frowned, 'Driven out by other shelters?'

Li Hu nodded, his eyes showing a hint of ruthlessness and helplessness, and he said:

"You know how it is these days: being useless is the original sin; no shelter will keep idle people, even if a family has others contributing more, but as soon as someone in the household cannot work and provide value, they will be expelled."

"We are relatively fortunate, having survived the apocalypse with our families; now, those who are lucky enough already have four generations living together."

"But with many elders and children, shelters become unwilling; the young may still stay, yet the old and disabled are seen as burdens, cleared out and expelled. We don't want to be separated from our families, so in the end we were all abandoned by the shelters."

"We all met while scavenging for supplies; the advantage of numbers is natural, but the drawbacks are also clear."

"As you can see, our group numbers nearly two hundred, half of whom are women, elders, and children needing protection; hearing that you take in refugees, we thought we'd give it a try."

After Li Hu finished speaking, seeing Ye Heng deep in thought, he also felt a little uneasy.

He knew they had advantages, but the disadvantages were also clear: too many elders, children, and women.

Yet nobody really wants to be separated from their kin; the elders have supported the family step by step from youth to now, they are not without contribution, they have simply aged, and it is now the next generation's duty to protect them.

Women's strength and stamina are ultimately limited; sending them out to scavenge for supplies and fight zombies and mutant beasts is naturally worrisome, and they too need protection.

Although large shelters can offer a relatively safe environment for them, they are too inhumane.

Expelling the elderly and disabled is tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

Such a shelter might survive longer, but it is truly not a place where one can stay long-term.

Everyone will age someday and faces the risk of injury leading to disability; sooner or later they will also be abandoned.

They do not wish to have contributed to the shelter in their youth, only to be kicked out when they grow old and useless.

According to Qin Yao, the shelter led by Ye Heng has a great atmosphere, with many elders and children inside, living in harmony.

They therefore thought to give it their all; perhaps it is a way out…