Chapter 9: Green Sprouts and Shadow, the Blood Claws' Prying Eyes

Xiang Lingna's arrival injected a sliver of faint vitality into the deathly-still "Hope Outpost," and brought new variables with it.

Sister Ai Li's warning hung like a sword over their heads—"No work, no food." Xiang Lingna was clearly terrified, filled with dread of this cold-eyed, terrifyingly capable older sister. She spent most of her time shrinking timidly in the corner of the shack, clutching her ragged cloth doll and that precious packet of seeds. Only when Lin Mo went to tend the potato field did she dare follow cautiously behind, watching that newly turned, amendment-sprinkled plot with wide, still-frightened eyes—curious and awed.

Lin Mo's "radiation-resistant potatoes" did not disappoint. A few days later, from the scorched-black soil, a few extremely faint, trembling specks of tender green finally poked through! Though only the size of a fingernail, and the leaves looked frail beyond measure, against the backdrop of the devastated wasteland, this green was so stunningly moving, so full of stubborn vitality!

"They made it! They made it!" Lin Mo was so excited he nearly jumped up, carefully stroking the delicate green sprouts as if cherishing a priceless treasure.

Xiang Lingna also crowded over, squatting at the field's edge. On her dirty little face, for the first time, a look of focus appeared—she even forgot to be afraid. She stretched out a slender finger and touched the tiny leaf with extreme gentleness. A light Lin Mo couldn't understand flickered in her eyes—something like longing, or perhaps some kind of... instinct?

"Sister... this soil..." Xiang Lingna spoke up timidly, her voice as thin as a mosquito's, "... it's too thin... short on water... and... a little hot..." She pointed at the soil.

Hot? Lin Mo was startled. He reached out and touched the soil—besides being a bit warm from the sun, he felt nothing abnormal. Short on water was true, though; clean water was too precious, he didn't dare water too much.

"How do you know?" Lin Mo asked curiously.

Xiang Lingna lowered her head, twisting her hem, and said softly: "... feel it... mommy taught me... touch it a little... and you know..."

Feel it? Lin Mo was somewhat skeptical. But looking at Xiang Lingna's earnest little face, he decided to give it a try. "Then... what do you think we should do?"

Xiang Lingna looked at the field, then at the murky puddle in the hollow, and said softly: "... water... soak it through... but... can't water every day... underneath... still dry... need to... need to loosen the soil... and also..." She hesitated, then pointed at a small pile beside the shack—half-dried thorny shrub branches Sister Ai Li had chopped off while clearing the brambles, "... that... burn it to ash... mix in a little bit... in the soil... not hot..."

Plant ash as fertilizer? This Lin Mo actually knew! His eyes lit up! The wasteland had no chemical fertilizer, but plant ash was rich in potassium—a natural fertilizer! This little girl really seemed to know her stuff!

"Good! I'll do as you say!" Lin Mo sprang into action. He gathered some dried thorny branches, lit a small fire in a safe spot away from the shack and the field, and carefully burned them to ash. Xiang Lingna picked up the metal sheet Lin Mo used for tilling and began loosening the soil between the small ridges with extreme care and gentleness. Though her movements were unpracticed, they carried a strange rhythm.

Sister Ai Li leaned against a concrete remnant, short crossbow in her arms, watching the two of them work with cold eyes. She did not stop Xiang Lingna's "guidance," but the trace of doubt in her gaze did not fade—especially when Xiang Lingna was handling that mysterious packet of seeds, her eyes would grow especially sharp.

With Xiang Lingna's "feelings" as guidance, Lin Mo's planting work seemed to go a bit more smoothly. Following what Xiang Lingna said, he watered a relatively generous amount only every other day, and mixed a small amount of plant ash into the soil. Over the next few days, those frail potato seedlings really did seem a bit more spirited, their leaves unfurling slightly. Still thin, but that stubborn green brought a tangible sense of hope to this small outpost.

Xiang Lingna also gradually became less afraid, especially after Lin Mo's potato seedlings showed positive changes. She remained taciturn as ever, mostly just silently watching the field, or helping gather dried brambles for fuel. Only when handling her packet of seeds would she reveal a near-reverent focus. She carefully picked out a few of the plumpest, roundest black seeds, put a bit of the clean water Lin Mo had given her into a small chipped bowl, and soaked them. She would take them out to look every so often, her little face full of anticipation.

"What kind of seeds are those?" Lin Mo couldn't help asking.

Xiang Lingna shook her head: "... don't know... mommy left them... said... they're good things... can survive..."

Lin Mo didn't press further. On the wasteland, who didn't have a secret or two? As long as she behaved and could help grow the potatoes well, that was enough.

A few peaceful days passed. Using those parts, Lin Mo finally made a crude but practical lid for the metal bucket, greatly reducing water evaporation and contamination. He also tried using springs and metal pieces he'd found to make a simple alarm that made a "clack" sound, and hung it at the entrance of the thorny fence. Hope Outpost was gradually starting to look more like a "home."

That evening, Sister Ai Li came back a bit later than usual. She brought back a mutated creature—slightly larger than a rabbit, lizard-shaped but with a hard shell—and some not-so-good news.

"West, smoke." Sister Ai Li skillfully processed the prey's hard shell as she spoke concisely, "Vulture Cliff direction. More than one spot."

Smoke? Lin Mo's heart clenched! Vulture Cliff was where that bald man had said the "Blood Claw" temporary camp was! More than one plume of smoke meant the camp was sizable, or... they were carrying out some kind of activity?

"Cooking smoke? Or..." Lin Mo asked tensely.

"Burning. Large scale." Sister Ai Li's voice carried a chill. On the wasteland, burning usually meant clearing a battlefield, disposing of bodies, or... smelting something? Given the predatory nature of the "Blood Claws," this was definitely not a good sign!

A shadow instantly fell over Lin Mo's heart. The Blood Claws had not forgotten them! That "Lame Wolf" was very likely at Vulture Cliff! What were they burning?

"Also," Sister Ai Li finished processing the prey, tossed a few relatively clean pieces of meat to Lin Mo, her gaze sweeping over Xiang Lingna—who was nibbling a lizard leg in small bites and watching her timidly—before finally settling on Lin Mo's face, "East, near 'Gear Graveyard,' there are cart tracks. Fresh. More than one."

Gear Graveyard? Where Old Karl lives! Fresh cart tracks? More than one? Lin Mo's heart sank sharply! Old Karl really was unreliable! He'd very likely sold the news that there was clean water here! Who was the buyer? The Blood Claws? Or some other faction?

A double threat! The main Blood Claw force from Vulture Cliff to the west, and an unknown faction from the east coveting the clean water secret! Hope Outpost, like a small boat in a raging sea, was instantly pushed to the eye of the storm!

"What do we do?" Lin Mo felt a suffocating pressure. The potato field that had just started showing promise, the outpost just established—were they about to be destroyed in an instant?

Sister Ai Li did not answer immediately. She walked to the shack's entrance, picked up the short crossbow, and swept her gaze around the hollow like a hawk—especially toward the west and east. The afterglow of the setting sun stretched her shadow long, carrying the grim resolve of a lone wolf.

"Hold," she spat out a single word, her voice cold and firm. "Fortify. Prepare to fight."

She walked to that ring of sparse thorny fencing and began using her dagger to slash more thorny shrubs, weaving them in more densely to form a thicker, sharper barrier. She also had Lin Mo bring over more heavy concrete blocks and metal remnants, stacking them at the shack's entrance and at several easily breached points to build simple cover.

Lin Mo immediately understood Sister Ai Li's intent. They had no retreat—they could only fight to the death! He pushed down the panic in his heart, forced himself to calm down, and threw himself into the tense defensive construction alongside Sister Ai Li. Though Xiang Lingna was trembling with fear, she still mustered her courage to help carry small stones within her ability.

Night fell, and the hollow was swallowed by darkness once more. Inside Hope Outpost, the atmosphere was as heavy as lead. The newly reinforced thorny wall loomed in the dark like a clawing monster. Behind the crude cover, Sister Ai Li was like a stone statue merged with the shadows, short crossbow cocked, its faint blue bolt gleaming with a deadly cold light in the darkness. Lin Mo gripped his rusty blade and a heavy metal pipe, guarding another direction, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. Xiang Lingna hugged her cloth doll and seed packet, curled up in the innermost corner of the shack, her small body trembling ceaselessly with fear.

In the darkness, only the wind's whimpering and the three people's suppressed breathing.

Time passed second by second; the torment of dead silence was more agonizing than direct combat. Lin Mo's nerves were stretched to the breaking point—any little rustle made him jump.

Suddenly!

"Crack!"

A faint sound, like a dry branch being snapped, came from outside the thorny wall on the hollow's west side! The sound was soft, but in the dead of night it was exceptionally clear!

Lin Mo and Sister Ai Li both held their breath at the same time! Sister Ai Li's short crossbow snapped up, silently pointing at the source of the sound! Lin Mo also tightened his grip on his weapon, his palms drenched in cold sweat.

Have they come? Is it a Blood Claw scout?!

In the darkness, no more sound. As if that snap had just been an illusion.

But Sister Ai Li did not move, her gaze locked on that direction as if frozen. Lin Mo didn't dare relax in the slightest either.

A few seconds later, another extremely faint rustling sound—like something carefully pushing aside the thorns!

Sister Ai Li's index finger gently rested on the short crossbow's trigger...