Chapter 108: Life in the World

The Barrier's army, led by Luo Sanlin, remained for the time being to help maintain the town's security. The precious Special Operations Team, however, had to leave; Liu Mu and Li Gang each hauled a truckload of coal, just in time to return to the Barrier with them.

Before leaving, she went to find the Mountain Rat pack once more, telling them that their work would henceforth be arranged personally by Liu Fugui, and that they could safely trust this uncle.

As for the matter of still having to stay behind, Liu Fugui and He Qizheng had no objections, and they also expressed the hope that next time, Liu Mu would bring more of the delicious food Xu Xiaofeng makes.

In this life, it all comes down to eating and drinking.

Nowadays, people outside cannot even get enough to eat, yet they are struggling with eating well.

There was actually another reason why Liu Mu was in such a rush to leave this time: it was still about Tiankuishe.

She could have gone directly to cause trouble for the Tiankuishe Base, but that would not achieve her goal.

It was also this recent attack that made her realize a more important matter: besides people who could work, she also needed combat power of her own.

Even without an army, she had to pull together a team first; at the very least, she needed combat power that would follow her to "collect scrap." As for why she needed combat power, sigh, blame this difficult world.

Therefore, when Yang Shuo asked about the team sent to support the mine, Liu Mu kept thanking him, expressing gratitude for the leadership's consideration for the safety of the people mining in the mountains; with the protection of the soldiers, the mine would surely be able to restore production as soon as possible.

In short, that team could not come back; if they were withdrawn, the mountain mine would have no security, and if the mine had no security, the coal supply would naturally have no security either.

Of course, the Barrier had already sent people to Long City to take over mines, but almost everything they found had been devastated and could not be mined.

So, Liu Mu currently had coal and steel in her hands, both of which were exactly what the Barrier urgently needed.

As the highest local official, Yang Shuo naturally had a broad perspective; starting from the big picture, he did not care where this team was serving.

So much so that even when his deputy wanted to speak but hesitated, he was ignored; the official even waved his pen and approved a slip for Liu Mu to temporarily borrow the Special Operations Team, letting her go and take out Tiankuishe's secret base.

"Is this many people enough?"

Yang Shuo heard Liu Mu describe the situation at the Tiankuishe Base and knew there was a large inventory of weapons inside, "I can assign another battalion to you."

Liu Mu shook her head and refused, "We can only use surprise attacks and assassinations. Precisely because that base has too many weapons, we cannot give the enemy time to react, otherwise the best outcome would only be mutual destruction. Then this operation would be meaningless. Just let the Special Operations Team go with me; if we can't take it, we can still retreat in time."

Even though she said that, Yang Shuo still summoned Tan Ziyan and the two leaders in charge of the Barrier's military to hold a combat meeting to discuss the feasibility of Liu Mu's plan.

Tan Ziyan naturally did not doubt the capabilities of his team or Liu Mu, especially since this time Liu Mu had also generously brought Niu Boyi along.

The reconstruction of the Barrier was somewhat slower than before the disaster, but it had the advantage of using materials found on-site, and there were enough laborers. In a month or so, centered on the original five-story shopping plaza and planning outwards in four directions, the main architectural framework of the Barrier had already been erected.

Tan Ziyan's wife, Zhuo Qing, had some bloodstains on her white lab coat, yet she held a cup of clear tea, which was rare even within the Barrier.

"Xiao Mu, I have already analyzed the ingredients of the Nutrient Solution you sent last time, but we don't currently have the conditions to produce it."

Zhuo Qing had neat, short hair that didn't cover her eyebrows or eyes, didn't pass her earlobes, and didn't touch her collar, but her features were three-dimensional and her face was broad and dignified; her whole person exuded the temperament of "an educated, resilient, and cheerful female soldier."

Liu Mu had met this sister after returning from the seaside canyon incident, and at the time, she felt this person was worth befriending.

And it wasn't simply out of self-interest, but also an appreciation for someone of the same sex; how should one put it, Zhuo Qing's cheerful and optimistic appearance was actually somewhat similar to Xu Xiaofeng's.

"It's because of a lack of supplies, right?" Liu Mu didn't like drinking tea, just as she didn't like drinking coffee, but since the tea leaves were brought by her, she accompanied her for two cups, "I'm afraid it's very difficult to grow the kind of food we had before in the soil outside now. But without these crops, relying solely on Nutrient Solution made from chemical ratios—who knows if it's nutritious or not, and it might even have side effects."

Before the disaster, people always felt that eating vegetables and fruits didn't give the body enough vitamins, and those who could afford it always had to pop some health supplements or other.

But relying solely on pills to maintain the body was impossible, and eating them for a long time would lead to all sorts of strange illnesses.

How to put it, people who drank nutrient agents for a long time even had a smaller chance of Awakening.

It was precisely because of this that in her past life, nutrient agents weren't considered too expensive and there were ways to get them; they were mostly used for combat consumption and as supplements during Awakening. By the same token, one couldn't ask for much in terms of taste.

"That may be so, but this nutrient agent has many uses. Once the ecological greenhouses are set up in the Barrier, we should be able to consider it."

Liu Mu thought to herself that they had better consider it quickly; natural disasters were coming one after another, who would wait for them?

"It's a pity that the factory burned down, but I saw many other bottles and jars at the time; the formula should be able to be modified appropriately."

This was the source of the Nutrient Solution she provided, and she also said that she was so hungry at the time that she tried drinking some and found it useful, which was why she brought it.

Zhuo Qing was also a sensible person; when she added the Nutrient Solution to the research project in her hands, she also recorded a merit for Liu Mu in her report.

Regarding this, Liu Mu, who had already accumulated nearly a million in Contribution Value, didn't take it to heart at all. At this moment, the rain was light, and the daylight was still quite bright.

Looking out from the military doctor's office, one could see the framework of the entire Barrier. Sturdy steel supports had already been erected, and buildings of at most three stories were being built in rows; she believed that in a few more months, this place would once again become a new city.

On the east side of the "city," there was a large foundation area that clearly wasn't for ordinary housing.

"That side will be the trade market in the future, and there are warehouses behind it. Your Contribution Value can get you a large piece of land," Zhuo Qing explained, seeing Liu Mu staring in that direction, "There will be factories on the west side, producing some things that can be used currently."

"Mm," Liu Mu nodded slightly, then suddenly changed the subject, "Doctor Zhuo, are you interested in human Mutation?"

Compared to Xing Tianyang's research, Liu Mu always felt that having this technology in her own hands was more valuable; at the very least, in the first few years of the apocalypse, it would bring her huge profits.

If the authorities wanted the technology, then she could also become a supplier of Red Mist.

This plan had only started to mature recently; before, she lacked the strength and wasn't confident enough, and of course, the main thing was that she didn't have enough confidence in Mutation itself.

"I am a doctor," Zhuo Qing thought Liu Mu had mutated herself and was afraid of aftereffects, wanting to ask for her help, "If you have any discomfort, I can help treat it. Why don't I create a file for you now?"

Liu Mu knew she had misunderstood; she glanced at the other two doctors in the office and suddenly grabbed Zhuo Qing and walked out.