Chapter 1143 - 1131

Chapter 1143: Chapter 1131

As someone who has interacted with the group on the rescue mission, Huo Yuankai personally experienced these people arguing and discussing plans to rescue their teammates, willing to sacrifice themselves to save others.

Even in the harsh environment of a snowstorm, they trekked dozens of kilometers back and forth from the base just to prepare essential rescue equipment.

Looking at them now, with mutual respect and love, laughter, and harmony, Huo Yuankai truly felt deeply moved.

On his way back, he saw the walls built by the survivors outside, thinking that these people have their own development plans for the base.

They are not people living merely in survival; they are a group with survival ideals, genuinely wanting to live like humans in this world.

Just these thoughts alone were enough to change Huo Yuankai’s original intentions.

If at first, Huo Yuankai hesitated and was undecided about whether to remain at the base, now, after witnessing and interacting with these people, all his hesitation has vanished. He has made up his mind to live here long-term with his child.

However, just as Huo Yuankai was lost in thought, his son beside him suddenly stood up.

Before Huo Yuankai could react, his son walked straight to Xu Renjie.

Xu Renjie had just downed a glass of liquor and was reaching for some food when unexpectedly, someone poked his arm from the side. Old Xu glanced aside to find Old Zhao signaling him to look across.

Seeing this scene, Old Xu turned his head in confusion, only then noticing Huo Yuankai’s son’s presence.

"Uh, ah!" Raising his glass, little Huo made a toasting gesture.

Even though Old Xu didn’t understand the youth’s sign language, his gestures were clear enough for anyone to understand: "You want to toast with me?"

Little Huo nodded emphatically, then used sign language to gesture a few more times.

Once he finished, Old Xu patted the boy’s head, a warm smile spreading across his face: "I understand what you want to say! What I want to tell you is, we’re family now. I hope you can stay strong here as you did over there. Can you do that?"

"Mm!" Nodding again.

"Good! Let’s toast! You need to keep your word, cheers!"

After drinking, Xuan Zhanxiao touched the boy’s head again.

He genuinely liked the boy before him; the calm composure he showed in crisis truly impressed Old Xu.

Even though he appeared cold to the boy in the building, it didn’t stop Old Xu from liking him.

Under the influence of alcohol, Old Xu didn’t conceal his feelings, turning his gaze to Huo Yuankai and complimenting, "Old Huo, you’re lucky to have a good kid. This boy, when he’s with me, can be quite stubborn, but I like it, hahaha!"

Listening to Old Xu’s praise, pride welled up in Huo Yuankai’s heart.

Even he hadn’t expected his son to make such a gesture of respect with a toast, given that he’d never told his son to do these things.

After all, he was still uncertain about whether to stay here.

Plus, being in a strange Earth Realm, even as an adult he felt somewhat awkward, let alone a child inexperienced in the world.

But his son proactively went to toast Xu Renjie, which invisibly bridged the gap between them and the base.

Moreover, this alone let Huo Yuankai see his child had grown a lot.

Nodding slightly, Old Zhao noticed the boy’s actions too, aware that the reason for Old Xu’s predicament was due to this boy.

Seeing the boy now showing gratitude despite just being a simple toast, it was enough to attest to his good character.

"Good! Good! Little Huo is great! Well then, Ah Cheng, you’re older than Little Huo. So, I’ll leave him and Little Kai to you. Make sure they move around the base and familiarize themselves with the environment, okay?"

Being the youngest at the base, Du Jiancheng, Ah Cheng always lamented the lack of peers.

Even though Wang Qiang, 温泉鑫, and others treated him well, the age gap was always present.

Now, the appearance of Little Huo and Little Kai perfectly addressed this issue, as he finally had peers to play with.

Unfortunately, the two of them had some speech difficulties, which might pose various communication challenges in the future.

"Uh, no problem, Uncle Lin, leave it to me. I’ll definitely take good care of them."

"Mm, I trust Ah Cheng in handling things... Lastly, what I want to say is, it’s not easy for us to come together. Despite whatever difficulties or adversities we might face in the future, I hope everyone stays true and doesn’t get blinded by worldly distractions. Survival isn’t easy now with all kinds of unforeseen situations occurring. We’ve encountered many people and things that were hard to accept, but regardless, in the end, we’ve made it through. Why? Because we are united! We care for each other! We’re in this together! So, this last glass of wine, here’s to our friendship!"

Without more words needed, Lin Junfu’s speech not only summarized their experiences over time but also highlighted the essence of survival.

After hearing Lin’s words, everyone collectively echoed the sentiment, proceeding to finish their glasses.

After that, the banquet officially started, this meal was truly enjoyed by everyone.

Firstly, nearly a month of dietary restrictions had left the survivors hungry.

Secondly, the rescue mission and resource gathering were successfully completed.

This was a remarkably challenging task, yet the survivors not only completed the mission but returned unscathed. How could that not excite everyone?

Except for those necessary for night watch duty, most of the survivors had some drinks.

Of course, considering the heavy tasks ahead, everyone moderated their drinking.

After the meal, they gathered to continue playing cards, eventually retiring for rest after the late-night third shift.

The next day, unsurprisingly, most survivors slept in till noon.

While eating, Old Xu started giving directions for the upcoming base development: "Well... the equipment and materials we discussed for the big construction have mostly been brought back during this mission. The next step is to begin planning and construction in earnest. Does anyone have any thoughts?"

"What needed to be said was said before; I think our ideas then were basically okay. For now, the main task is the wall, other matters can be put on hold temporarily!"

Due to the snow, the planned high wall construction was postponed.

Currently, the survivors hadn’t even completed the village entrance wall, which worried Old Lin.

Especially during Old Xu’s absence, with Tang Xiaoquan, Hua Biao, and others returning, he realized the importance of the wall even more.

Back then, due to the sudden return of several people, the ill-prepared base had to take precautions.

In such sudden situations, lacking the protective wall, Old Lin keenly felt the various inconveniences.