Chapter 11

The stench of blood in the depression lingered in the dry, cold wind of the wasteland, like a scar left by last night’s brief but brutal raid. Lin Mo stared at the two bodies of the raiders, now stiffening on the ground; his stomach still churned, but fear was being replaced by a cold 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! The “Cripple Wolf” lurking in the shadows of Vulture Cliff had likely already set his sights on this fat prey.

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

Lin Mo took a deep breath, suppressing his nausea, and stepped forward to help with 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 machete, her small hands still trembling.

After disposing of the bodies and covering all traces, the horizon had begun to lighten with dawn. The Hope Outpost was a mess: a corner of the thorn fence had been breached, and the shelters were pockmarked with buckshot.

Ali spread the looted loot on the ground: several pieces of dried meat, a small bag of cloudy coarse salt, a dozen shotgun shells, five or six pistol rounds (from the bald man), 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! Ali’s crossbow was precise and deadly, but its range and power were insufficient against multiple attackers.

“You take the gun.” Ali 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.” Ali 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, efficient, flowing with combat instinct. “Save ammo. Use it only when critical.” She solemnly handed Lin Mo the shotgun and the dozen or so shotgun shells.

Holding the cold, heavy shotgun, Lin Mo felt an unprecedented sense of responsibility and pressure. This was the key to defending the outpost—and a burning coal. He had to master it quickly!

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

After distributing the loot, Ali immediately began repairing the damaged defenses. She ordered Lin Mo and 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 shelters, even digging shallow pits inside the fence and inserting sharpened metal rods into them.

The Hope Outpost, after its baptism of blood and fire, had its defenses forcibly upgraded by 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 metal as targets. The first shot sent a brutal recoil jolting his shoulder, ringing his ears, and sending the bullet wildly off course. But he gritted his teeth, repeating over and over: loading, aiming, firing. Ali occasionally stood at a distance, watching coldly, correcting his obvious posture errors.

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

“They… are alive!” Lingna cradled the broken bowl, her face lit with her first genuine, radiant smile since arriving here.

Watching the greenery in the field and 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 Ali’s crossbow and his own shotgun (with ammunition critically scarce) was nowhere near enough against a possible large-scale assault!

He reopened the nearly forgotten 【System Blueprint Library】. Previously, his clearance was too low to see anything beyond 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) ×

*Work 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!

“Ali!” Lin Mo told Ali about 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!”

Ali studied the system blueprint Lin Mo showed her; a flicker of emotion passed through her cold eyes. She knew well what a place capable of crafting tools and repairing weapons meant. “What do you need?”

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

Ali’s gaze swept over the surrounding ruins, finally settling on the distant area where the collapse was most severe—a metallic graveyard. “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 Ali’s short crossbow, then at the hopeful greenery inside the shack and Lingna’s timid face. Retreat? Never!

“We have to go!” Lin Mo declared firmly. “The workshop is the key to our survival!”

Ali 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. Ali stood guard beyond the reinforced thorn fence, blending into the darkness like a panther. Lin Mo clutched the cold shotgun, leaning against the shelter, replaying the shooting sensations from the day. 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 clear: tomorrow’s journey to the Broken Spine Ruins would be the decisive gamble determining whether the Hope Outpost could truly take root. There lay the hope of rising—and inevitably, deadly peril.