Reborn in the Post-Apocalyptic World: Building Infrastructure

Su Ling rushed up to the second floor, but the thick smoke choked her, causing her to cough repeatedly.

At this moment, the second floor was pitch black and filled with black smoke.

Chen Yu grabbed a wet towel from somewhere and handed it to Su Ling.

Accepting the towel, Su Ling hurriedly approached the food supplies only to find them already on fire.

The flames surged more than a meter high.

In the thick smoke, a hand grabbed Su Ling.

"Miss Su, don't go over there, it's beyond saving."

Looking at the tall figure in the black smoke, Su Ling immediately recognized him as Er Lei, who had been recuperating at the base.

Chen Yu rushed over, trying to pull the bags of rice. The moment he did, the rice spilled out, spreading all over the floor.

The flames quickly reached the spilled food, instantly igniting it.

Professor Bai had appeared from somewhere, carrying a bucket of water, but it was too little too late, and it had no effect.

Seeing that there was no hope of saving anything, Su Ling had to call everyone to evacuate downstairs.

As they reached the courtyard, the second floor exploded with a loud bang, completely engulfed in flames.

Gu Kai Xuan was frightened and clung tightly to Professor Bai.

Holding a few bags of seeds in one hand and holding Gu Kai Xuan in the other, Professor Bai's expression was indescribably grim.

Chen Yu couldn't hold back his frustration. "Damn it, how did the fire start out of nowhere?"

Guan Yuxin, clutching her beloved computer, asked with a grimy face, "Could it be a problem with the electrical circuits?"

Er Lei, pressing on his wound, furrowed his brows and said, "Unlikely. We haven't been using much electricity, so it's probably external."

Saying this, he was about to go to the east side of the building to investigate when Su Ling quickly stopped him.

"It's dangerous, don't go there."

Professor Bai couldn't help but be anxious. "What do we do now? Are we just going to watch the base burn down?"

Su Ling took a few steps back, surveying the building. "The fire is too big to put out. We don't have the proper tools. We can only give up for now."

Professor Bai couldn't help but stomp his feet in regret. "What a pity, those two pots of seeds had already sprouted. If it weren't for the fire, they might have borne fruit in a month."

"The base is gone, but we can find another one. We can replant the seeds, as long as we have nothing to do. Professor Bai, let's get in the car. The fire is so big, the building might collapse. It's just not safe to stay here."

After saying this, Su Ling picked up Gu Kai Xuan and got into her Passat first.

Guan Yuxin followed suit, despondently saying, "This time we're really doomed. After finally finding a shelter, it was burned down by a fire. Maybe... maybe we should go back to the original basement."

"We can leave once Sheng Hongye and the others return. Let's wait in the car for a while."

Su Ling knew that the basement already had occupants, so going there would be pointless.

Plus, they couldn't leave now. They had to wait for Sheng Hongye and the others to return.

At this moment, the base was already emitting thick smoke, and the black smoke hung over the base like a ferocious black dragon, exuding the smell of burning.

Gu Kai Xuan couldn't help but cough as the smoke filled the air.

Su Ling hurriedly closed the car door. Outside, a harsh scraping sound was heard, and a white Land Rover came to a stop in front of them.

Geng Hao was the first to jump out of the car. "What happened to the base?"

Chen Yu cursed, "Damn it, we don't know what happened. We were having a meal just now when suddenly we smelled smoke. When we went upstairs, we found it was on fire. All the food has been burnt, and we didn't salvage a single bag."

Sheng Hongye got out of the car next. As soon as he closed the car door, there was a loud boom, and a massive cloud of dust rose. The base had collapsed.

Sheng Hongye walked into the courtyard, and collapsing buildings continued to fall from above, dust and smoke filling the air around him. Yet, Sheng Hongye stood straight, motionless.

Worried for his safety, Geng Hao ran over. "Brother Sheng, let's get out of here."

Sheng Hongye stood still for a while before finally walking out.

Seeing his exhausted appearance, Su Ling couldn't help but feel guilty. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't suggested going to the farm, maybe the base would still be okay."

Sheng Hongye tugged at the corners of his dry lips and spoke in a deep voice, carrying a comforting charm. "This has nothing to do with you. Let's find a place to stay first and discuss other matters later."

Su Ling bit her lip and asked softly, "Is there any suitable place to go now?"

After a moment of contemplation, Sheng Hongye said, "Let's go back to the previous supermarket. We'll endure this night and make plans tomorrow."

Apart from that, there was really no better choice.

Ten minutes later, everyone arrived at the supermarket where they had stayed before when they were injured.

Opening the door, a damp smell rushed over them. Although the water inside had receded, the dampness hadn't dissipated, and many things were scattered on the floor, emitting a pungent smell of mold.

Thankfully, the walls of the supermarket were still intact. After a simple cleanup, everyone found a spot and sat down on chairs.

Sheng Hongye glanced at everyone and said in a deep voice, "This time, the search for supplies didn't go well. The farm's food has already been moved away. Su Ling was right; Liu Yu is likely still alive."

Su Ling bit her lip again. Her suggestion was indeed a big mistake, not only yielding no results but also causing the entire base to be lost.

Sheng Hongye looked at her and continued, "Now, aside from avoiding zombies, our biggest crisis is the issue of food. Tomorrow, we will split into two groups: one will search for shelter, and the other will search for food."

Upon learning that there was no food left, everyone fell into silence.

This means we'll go hungry tonight. Fortunately, Su Ling brought out all the canned food. Adults can do without eating, but children always need to eat.

While contemplating, Sheng Hongye spoke, "Su Ling, Geng Hao, and I will form a group of three tomorrow to search for food. Miss Guan and Professor Bai will stay at the supermarket with Kai Xuan. Er Lei, Chen Yu, and Han Qiang, the three of you will search for a place to stay. As long as the walls are intact, it will do."

Er Lei immediately agreed. Han Qiang and Chen Yu nodded in agreement.

Both of them had heard of Er Lei before, but they had never really met. Now, seeing Er Lei's towering figure, they suddenly felt a sense of security.

Professor Bai and Guan Yuxin had no objections.

One of them is old and the other had no supernatural abilities, so staying at the supermarket was undoubtedly the safest option.

After discussing the rough routes, everyone found a place to rest.

That night, Su Ling opened a box of canned luncheon meat for Gu Kai Xuan and took out a few more boxes to give to Sheng Hongye and Han Qiang.

"We don't have much left, so let's make do. Two people can share one box."

Sheng Hongye declined the canned food. "I'm not hungry. You and Professor Bai can eat."

"I'm not hungry either."

After saying that, Su Ling handed the canned food to Professor Bai.

But even Professor Bai didn't eat it and passed it on to Guan Yuxin.

Everyone declined to eat, and in the end, no one ate.

Fortunately, they didn't encounter any attacks from zombies that night. Early the next morning, they immediately proceeded with their original plan.

Sheng Hongye didn't go directly to search for supplies but instead drove the car back to the base.

The three of them stepped on charred bricks and entered the collapsed building.

At this moment, a red pipe caught Sheng Hongye's attention.

He picked it up and sniffed it, and his expression instantly became serious.

"It's a detonator."

 

Notes:

[1] This chapter title implies that when one is already facing difficulties or problems, additional troubles often seem to come all at once, making the situation even more challenging.