Chapter 45: The faith of the dustfolk was returned to her

Ye Heng led the team members day and night, finally returning safely to Bi Hu Suo.

This time, everyone from Bi Hu Suo came to the canyon mouth to welcome their triumphant return.

Every face was lit with smiles; seeing the team members return safely was as good as seeing hope return.

Ye Heng could clearly feel the fervor in everyone's gazes, and a sense of mission welled up in his heart.

Before, whenever he led the team out to search for supplies, many people would wait at the entrance upon his return.

But back then, the supplies he brought back were pitifully few, and he would not see hope in people's eyes.

Now it's different; everyone in the camp knows they have the goddess's blessing, and Team Captain Ye Heng leads people out to complete the goddess's task—once the task is done, the goddess will grant them food.

"Team Captain Ye, you've worked hard—come into the tent and eat a few bites to warm up."

The hard‑traveling team members were indeed hungry; they were ushered into the tent, where several wooden tables already held boiled napa cabbage and a bowl of porridge made from boiled chicken feed for each person.

The team members wolfed down their food and were thoroughly satisfied.

From moldy, toxic food to now having absolutely safe food at every meal, which tastes sweet and delicious, everyone in Bi Hu Suo is content and satisfied.

After eating and drinking their fill, Ye Heng stopped being coy and began organizing the distribution of supplies.

This time, no one broke the rules; each household sent only one representative, who waited quietly in the tent according to discipline.

The team members also stared at Ye Heng with eyes shining.

This time there are pumpkins—no one knows what they taste like—but they are a food that even the Special Zone's upper citizens cannot obtain.

Seeing everyone observe the rules, Ye Heng nodded in satisfaction and then took out the five large baskets of vegetables.

As the fresh, verdant vegetables were unveiled, they immediately drew exclamations from the crowd.

Those waiting outside the tent, hearing the commotion, wished they could rush in to see what was happening, but they restrained themselves.

They clearly understood that all the changes in Bi Hu Suo were brought by the goddess, and Ye Heng is her most devoted follower.

They must strictly follow Team Captain Ye's orders; no one would foolishly break the rules and lose Bi Hu Suo's material support.

"These five baskets of vegetables are the goddess's gift; divide them on the spot, don't fight over them."

Ye Heng issued commands, and the organizers immediately sprang into action.

Bi Hu Suo's sixty‑plus households quickly distributed the vegetables according to population ratio and contribution.

Everyone treated their share like a precious treasure, carefully holding it in their palms and examining it closely.

"These vegetables are so fresh, the roots are still attached, not wilted at all—just like they were freshly picked from the ground!"

"Indeed, look—there's even dew on the leaves."

"I already smell a fresh fragrance; I don't know how their taste compares to that of napa cabbage."

"What the goddess gives is surely top‑notch; we must cherish it well, not wasting even a single leaf."

Some people stared at the vegetables' roots in a daze, murmuring to themselves:

"If we could grow these here, that would be great—the roots are completely intact, so the survival rate after planting would surely be high."

After the words fell, everyone sank into thought, then hesitated and sighed helplessly one after another.

"Yeah, it's a pity that purified soil is too precious; I've heard that only the very large shelters in the Dustfolk refuges have it, and even those were obtained at great cost from the Special Zone—our shelter can't even dream of it."

"We also need seeds; the vegetables the goddess gave are already mature, so planting them won't yield more vegetables."

Ye Heng heard their discussion and reflected; after all, others' sources of information are limited—growing vegetables isn't just about having purified soil and seeds; it also requires a professional purification greenhouse to detoxify the air.

Vegetables are too delicate; a little carelessness and they won't survive, consuming immeasurable manpower and material resources.

Even in the Special Zone, the supply of vegetables is extremely strict.

Those who style themselves as the elite upper citizens likewise cannot freely enjoy fine food.

Compared to them, this refuge, with the goddess's help, has in some respects already surpassed the Special Zone.

"All right, everyone be quiet—the goddess has also bestowed something else upon us."

As soon as his words fell, without waiting for a reaction, Ye Heng instantly released a hundred large pumpkins from his space.

"Good heavens, what is this?"

Ye Heng excitedly introduced the ways to eat pumpkins to the crowd and emphasized:

"Pumpkins are not only precious, but they are currently extinct; even the Special Zone cannot overcome the cultivation difficulties, so you should understand what I mean, right?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes widened and their hearts pounded wildly.

"Extinct? Even the Special Zone can't grow them?"

"My goodness, the goddess is truly amazing!"

"We understand Team Captain Ye's meaning—we must absolutely keep the fact that we have pumpkins a secret, otherwise the consequences would be unthinkable!"

"When we go back, we will surely warn our families not to leak this out; the goddess loves us so much that we must be extra careful and not let her down."

"……"

Not long after, the tent flap opened and each household's representative walked out carrying supplies, their hands feeling heavy.

The others in the camp hurried to meet the household representatives, seeing them holding fresh green vegetables and a large, round orange object; besides their delight, they were all curious.

"Father, what did the goddess grant us this time?"

"What is this thing? It looks heavy."

Everyone tacitly told their families.

"This time, the goddess has bestowed upon us an unprecedented precious food."

"The goddess is far more generous than we imagined; from now on, we must all be more devout in our faith in her."

In just a moment, the open ground filled with people kneeling in unison—Ye Heng too dropped to one knee, pressing his right fist against his heart.

"Thank the goddess for her gift!"

"Thank the goddess for her gift!"

"……"

One after another, loud and clear shouts of thanks from the heart echoed throughout the valley.

Lin Meng, who was receiving the nutrition supplement boxes, suddenly felt something drill into her body; her waist, which had been sore from moving the boxes, suddenly stopped aching.

Even more surprising, her body seemed to be infused with a pure energy; not only did she feel warm all over, but her spirits also became full, as if she had instantly recharged to peak condition.

What's going on?

Lin Meng, puzzled, quickly carried all the express boxes upstairs without any effort!

Based on her usual strength, moving these seven or eight boxes upstairs would have left her panting, with a heart rate of at least 130.

But now, she not only wasn't flushed or out of breath, she even felt she could run another marathon.

She remembered a previous time when something similar happened, though not as dramatic as this time; there had indeed been a warm current flowing through her body, and her mental state had quickly returned to its best.

Lin Meng couldn't find a reasonable explanation at the moment, but then Ye Heng's voice sounded in her mind.

"Lin Meng, I've distributed the vegetables and pumpkins you gave; on behalf of everyone in the shelter, I thank you!"

You didn't know just now, but they were all extremely excited, spontaneously kneeling to thank you, the goddess, for your gift.

Lin Meng suddenly had a flash of insight—could this be the reason she was just at peak condition?

Could the faith of the people in the Wasteland World, coming from their hearts, be feeding back to her?