Chapter 11: The Prelude of Iron and Fire: Basic Workshop Blueprint

The stench of blood in the depression lingered stubbornly in the dry, cold wind of the wasteland, like a scar left by last night's brief but brutal night raid. Lin Mo stared at the two bodies of the raiders, now stiffening on the ground, his stomach still churning—but fear was being replaced by a cold, hard resolve. The dying screams of the bald man and the mad glare of the yellow-haired one clearly told him: the Blood Claws' revenge would never stop! That "Lame Wolf" hiding in the shadows of Vulture Cliff had likely already set his sights on this fat prey.

"Bury them. Erase the traces." Sister Ai Li's voice cut through Lin Mo's thoughts. She had already begun dragging the bald man's corpse toward a deeper, more hidden pit in the depression. Her movements were calm, almost cruel.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his nausea, and stepped forward to help dispose of the yellow-haired man's body. Xiang Lingna's face was pale, but this time she did not retreat to the shack—instead, she bit her lip and silently gathered the scattered shell casings (from shotguns and pistols) and the fallen hatchet, her small hands still trembling slightly.

After disposing of the bodies and covering all traces, the horizon had begun to lighten with the first gray of dawn. The Hope Outpost was a ruin: a corner of the thorn fence had been shattered, and the bunkers were pockmarked with the dimples left by shotgun pellets.

Sister Ai Li spread the looted spoils on the ground: several chunks of dried meat, a small bag of cloudy coarse salt, over a dozen shotgun shells, five or six pistol rounds (from the bald man's body), a metal signal flare tube, and… the double-barreled shotgun!

Seeing the crude yet intimidating shotgun, Lin Mo's heart leapt! Firearms! This was the long-range firepower they most desperately lacked! Sister Ai Li's crossbow was precise and deadly, but its range and power were insufficient against multiple attackers.

"You take the gun." Sister Ai Li pushed the shotgun toward Lin Mo, then picked up the pistol rounds. "These? Useless." She tossed the pistol rounds aside—they had no pistol.

Lin Mo was stunned, yet uneasy: "I… I don't know how to use a gun."

"Learn." Sister Ai Li spoke tersely, picked up the shotgun, expertly opened the magazine to check it, then began demonstrating to Lin Mo how to load, eject shells, aim, and fire. Her motions were clean, precise, flowing with the instinct of combat. "Save ammo. Use it only when critical." She solemnly handed Lin Mo the shotgun and the dozen or so shotgun shells.

Holding the cold and heavy shotgun, Lin Mo felt an unprecedented sense of responsibility and pressure. This was the key weapon to defend the outpost—and also a burning coal he had to master quickly.

"And this." Sister Ai Li picked up the metal signal flare tube. "Use it in danger. It can draw trouble… or draw attention." Her words carried deep meaning. In the wasteland, firing a flare might summon enemies—or other… potential allies? But it was undoubtedly a double-edged sword.

After distributing the spoils, Sister Ai Li immediately began repairing the damaged defenses. She ordered Lin Mo and Xiang Lingna to gather more thorny brambles, while she herself used her dagger to sharpen the broken ends and weave them tighter into the fence, forming a thicker, more menacing barrier. She directed Lin Mo to haul more heavy concrete blocks and twisted steel beams to reinforce the shack entrance and bunkers, even digging shallow pits inside the fence and inserting sharpened metal rods into them.

After the baptism of blood and fire, the Hope Outpost's defenses had been forcibly upgraded one level.

Lin Mo seized every moment to practice with the shotgun. He found a slope far from the shack and the fields, using scrap iron as targets. The first shot sent a brutal recoil jolting his shoulder raw and left his ears ringing; the bullet missed wildly. But he gritted his teeth, repeating over and over: loading, aiming, firing. Sister Ai Li occasionally stood at a distance, watching coldly, correcting his obvious posture errors.

Xiang Lingna found her own role. She seemed to have recovered somewhat from her shock and devoted more energy to the potato field. Every day she carefully loosened the soil, watered the plants, and even, imitating Lin Mo, burned more wood ash and evenly scattered it between the ridges. Under her care, the few potato sprouts remained thin, but their leaves had visibly unfurled and deepened in green. Even more astonishing to Lin Mo: two of the black seeds she had soaked had finally cracked open their husks, revealing two tender green cotyledons marked with strange purple veins!

"They… are alive!" Xiang Lingna cradled the broken bowl, her face breaking into her first genuine smile since arriving—bright, radiant.

Watching the green in the field and Xiang Lingna's smile, Lin Mo felt hope ignite within him. But he did not forget the imminent threat: weapons! They needed more—and stronger weapons! Relying solely on Sister Ai Li's crossbow and his own shotgun (with ammunition critically scarce) was nowhere near enough against a possible large-scale assault!

He reopened the 【System Blueprint Library】, nearly forgotten. Previously, his permissions had been too low—he could only see the 【Basic Water Purifier Blueprint】. After surviving battle and building the outpost, his mind burned with an intense desire for "tools" and "weapons!"

【System Blueprint Library scanning… Detected host survival points accumulated, territory development level increased… Unlocking new blueprints…】

【Unlocked: Basic Wooden Fence Blueprint (Simple)】

【Unlocked: Simple Trap Construction Manual (Animal Traps, Tripwires, etc.)】

【Unlocked: Basic Tool Forging Guide (Hammer, Chisel, Saw, etc.)】

【Unlocked: Basic Workshop Construction Blueprint (Core Blueprint)!】

Basic Workshop! Lin Mo's heart pounded! With a workshop, they could repair and manufacture! Infinite possibilities!

He eagerly opened the 【Basic Workshop Construction Blueprint】:

**Required Materials: **

*Sturdy Foundation (level, compacted earth or concrete) √ (barely usable in the shack)

*Support Structure (metal frame or thick timber) ×

*Workbench Surface (thick metal plate or flat stone slab) ×

*Basic Tools (hammer, pliers, files, etc.) × (only rusty knife and metal scraps)

*Power Source (optional, not required) ×

**Function: ** Provides basic working environment for simple tool repair, metalworking, woodworking. Unlock more complex blueprints requires workshop upgrade.

Materials! Still materials! Especially metal frames and thick steel plates! Lin Mo's gaze turned to the massive ruins scattered around the depression. There, surely, lay what he needed!

"Sister Ai Li!" Lin Mo told Sister Ai Li of his discovery and the workshop blueprint's requirements, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "If we can build a workshop, we can fix things ourselves—even… make weapons!"

Sister Ai Li studied the system blueprint Lin Mo showed her. A flicker of emotion passed through her cold eyes. She understood perfectly what a place capable of manufacturing tools and repairing weapons meant. "What do you need?"

"Mainly solid metal! Frames! Thick steel plates!" Lin Mo said urgently.

Sister Ai Li scanned the surrounding ruins, her gaze finally settling on the distant area where the collapse was most severe—a graveyard of metal. "The Broken Spine Ruins. There might be something there. But it's dangerous." She paused. "Many radiation beasts… and collapses."

Dangerous? Lin Mo looked at the dozen or so shotgun shells in his hand and Sister Ai Li's short crossbow, then at the green hope in the shack and Xiang Lingna's timid face. Retreat? Never!

"We must go!" Lin Mo declared firmly. "The workshop is the key to our survival!"

Sister Ai Li did not object. She silently strung her crossbow and checked her dagger. "Tomorrow. At first light."

Night fell again. The atmosphere at the Hope Outpost was heavier than last night. Sister Ai Li stood guard beyond the reinforced thorn fence, like a leopard merged with the darkness. Lin Mo clutched the cold shotgun, leaning against the bunker, replaying the shooting sensations from the day. Xiang Lingna hugged her broken bowl, gazing at the two sprouts with purple-veined cotyledons, her eyes filled with prayer.

In the darkness, Lin Mo traced the rough stock of the shotgun. One thought burned crystal clear: tomorrow's journey to the Broken Spine Ruins would be the decisive gamble for whether the Hope Outpost could truly take root. There lay the hope of rising—and inevitably, deadly peril.