Chapter 302 - 240: Isn’t This Still Creation From Nothing? (Part 2)

Chapter 302: Chapter 240: Isn’t This Still Creation From Nothing? (Part 2)

After just one night, Liu Bin had changed his gear. He was now wearing a combat vest with a pistol holstered at his waist.

"Alright, enough fooling around..." Lin Fan hopped out of the vehicle and patted Wang Yuanhua’s shoulder. He then bent over, gripped the heavy steel bar with one hand, and lifted it steadily, balancing it across both hands to test its weight. It had to be three or four hundred pounds. "This is heavy. Where does it need to go?"

"Just put it over there, leaning against the base of the wall is fine." Wang Yuanhua didn’t stand on ceremony. Seeing how easily Lin Fan handled the weight, he ducked down, took the steel bar back from him, and adjusted it to a comfortable position on his shoulder. With a grin, he said, "You guys chat, Brother Lin. I’m going to get back to work. I want to get those gaps plugged up tight before it’s completely dark."

"You got it. Be careful not to throw out your back." The sight of Wang Yuanhua reminded Lin Fan of the axe he’d intended to give him, which he’d ended up tossing away. ’I’ll have to get him another one later...’

"Brother Lin, the new survivors are all over there."

While Wang Yuanhua returned to his work, Liu Bin opened a car door for the others to get out, then walked to Lin Fan’s side to report.

"Eight men, sixteen women, plus the child... A total of twenty-five people."

He said this while pointing to the people sitting on the ground floor of the skeletal building.

Lin Fan followed his finger. The survivors the convoy had just picked up were sitting in twos and threes. They held water and dry rations in their hands. Some of their faces still held a dazed, numb look about the future, while others who were more mentally resilient had already stood up and were curiously sizing up this lively camp.

"Was there enough room in the vehicles?" Lin Fan asked, pulling his gaze back. "And food and water...?"

"Plenty of room. No problem at all, we even have spare vehicles," Liu Bin replied instantly, his report organized and clear. "We have plenty of food. We collected a lot of water during the last rain, and Colonel Ye’s supplies included whole cases of purification tablets, so we’re not lacking water either."

"That’s good. In that case, you can take care of arranging their food and lodging..."

Lin Fan nodded, then suddenly heard a series of rapid footsteps. TAP, TAP, TAP. He saw Yiyi, dressed in new clothes, running out of the main building on her stubby little legs. She was wearing a pair of ill-fitting sneakers, and right behind her were a man and a woman—Liu Heng and Li Wan.

"Uncle Lin!"

"Pfft!" Upon hearing that form of address, Ye Qingniao, who had been standing near Lin Fan, couldn’t hold back and almost burst out laughing. She walked in front of him, squatted down, and opened her arms. "Hey, Yiyi, don’t go to Uncle Lin, come to your big sister over here..."

Yiyi obediently dove into Ye Qingniao’s arms and called out in a clear, sweet voice:

"Sister Niao!"

"BWAHAHAHA!" This time, it wasn’t just Lin Fan; even Chu Zhaozhao, who had looked completely listless a moment ago, instantly lost her composure. Both of them clutched their stomachs, howling with laughter. Su Qing was also covering her mouth, her eyes curving into crescents as she giggled.

Only Ye Qingniao was left, awkwardly flailing as she tried to correct the strange nickname.

"Brother Lin!" Liu Heng and Li Wan came up to greet him together. Although their complexions were much better than when they were first rescued, their cheeks were still a bit sunken and their steps were somewhat unsteady. "We just offered to help, even if it was just sorting supplies, but Brother Liu refused to let us."

Liu Heng rubbed his hands together, looking a little embarrassed. His tone carried a hint of anxiety beneath his gratitude. "Everyone is working, but we’re just sitting around idle. We really feel bad about it..."

"You all narrowly escaped death and your bodies are still weak. If you overexert yourselves and get sick, you’ll just be making more trouble for him, right?"

Lin Fan could tell they were trying to show their loyalty, as well as give credit to Liu Bin. He reached out and squeezed Liu Bin’s thick shoulder, applying a bit of extra pressure as a silent affirmation. "Just focus on resting and recovering for now. Do as Liu Bin says."

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely! As soon as Brother Liu gives the order, we’ll do it without a second thought!" Liu Heng nodded eagerly in response, the weight in his heart finally lifting.

In a world like this, it was their good fortune to find a leader who didn’t treat people as expendable and who understood the need for rest and recovery.

"Alright, alright, ’Sister Niao’ is a perfectly fine name. It sounds friendly... Yiyi, go back with Aunt Li now. Go get some rest."

Lin Fan leaned down and, with a smile, pushed aside Ye Qingniao, who was still trying to protest. He ruffled Yiyi’s little head, then looked over at Chu Zhaozhao, who was amused by the pair’s antics, and nudged her with his elbow.

"Don’t you start laughing, too. Where’s your brother and the others?"

Chu Zhaozhao paused for a moment, glanced around, and shook her head in confusion. "I have no idea..."

"Brother Chu went with Captain Tan to set up our defenses," Liu Bin quickly interjected. This had happened after she left, so Chu Zhaozhao really wouldn’t have known. "Brother Xu and Officer Wang Zhong took some people to scavenge for supplies nearby and to scout the area."

’No wonder I haven’t seen any familiar faces,’ Lin Fan thought. ’Setting up a temporary camp in an unfamiliar place involves a thousand different tasks. Everyone is busy working to secure this shelter.’

Lin Fan watched the survivors around him, some repairing vehicles, others starting fires to cook.

Although their faces showed the exhaustion of a long journey, their expressions were relatively relaxed. They didn’t have the shell-shocked look of those who had just survived a brutal fight. The migration must have been smoother than anticipated. Nevertheless, he still asked aloud:

"Were there any casualties on the way?"

Liu Bin had been waiting for Lin Fan to ask this exact question.

He subconsciously puffed out his chest, his answer already prepared. His voice was filled with unconcealable pride. "We passed through a small horde of several hundred zombies. Things were pretty tight for a moment, but Colonel Ye gave excellent commands, and the convoy didn’t scatter. Other than one vehicle that blew a tire, the entire journey was tense but without any real danger. No casualties, not even a scratch on anyone."