Camp Situation

"Uncle Seven, we've all shrunk. The air resistance when falling from a height is relatively greater, so what used to seem like a frightening height isn't so scary for us now. I believe Li Qiang will be fine."

"Well, that's good to hear. You're right, our previous common sense has been overturned. To survive, we must adapt to new rules."

Tom smiled, "Looks like you're not here to pry into my heart."

"Oh, seeing you look delicate, but holding grudges quite well."

"However others treat me, I treat them the same. From childhood to now, I've never been afraid of anyone."

Uncle Seven wasn't angry, but rather kindly smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to have a temper as tough as your luck. I heard from Awei that you even killed the mutated ant queen?"

"Uncle Seven, I don't believe in luck. I only believe in myself."

Uncle Seven nodded and started to leave. After a few steps, he said, "Take care of your injuries, Lingzi. No one will be able to touch you here."

Watching Uncle Seven's departing figure, Tom was somewhat puzzled. Even if the source of the gems was confirmed, there was no reason for this gang leader to be so kind to him. When they first met, the man almost broke one of Tom's ribs with a kick because of a single sentence.

Without more complete information, Tom couldn't judge, but at least he didn't have to worry about others causing trouble for him in the future. He could recuperate in peace, recover as soon as possible, and then, under the pretext of leading them to kill insects and dig for gems, use the gems to defend himself, giving him the option to stay or leave.

With Uncle Seven's assurance, Tom felt somewhat relieved sleeping, and he slept until daylight. Although his legs were still not convenient, Tom struggled to get up and limped outside with a short stick in hand.

The small room he was in was actually a cardboard box. Coming out of it, he saw a large living room. Tom noticed a large cabinet next to it, filled with bottles of various sizes, stacked four or five layers high. He approached one bottle and saw a snake inside.

Well, in traditional Chinese medicine clinics, there were often such things. Snakes, lizards, toads, and other creatures were used to make medicinal wines with herbs. Some could be taken orally for health, while others were for external use to treat injuries and backaches.

Next to it were densely packed small drawers. Tom knew these were where the medicinal herbs were stored. Each drawer contained a type of herb, and now, they looked slightly taller than a person after shrinking. Tom tried the bottom drawer, which was easy to open. As he pulled it open, a strong smell of Chinese medicinal herbs wafted out, making him quickly push it back.

"It's beneficial to come out for a walk." Uncle Wei's voice sounded behind him, and Tom turned around with a smile, "Hello, Uncle Wei."

Further away behind Uncle Wei, several people were moving things. It seemed like everyone was very busy, which made Tom feel somewhat embarrassed. He had been lying in the box for two days, being taken care of by others.

"Do you see that big rope?" Uncle Wei pointed to the rope hanging down from the top of the medicine cabinet, with knots tied at intervals. "The inventory of medicinal herbs in the large warehouse we can't access now. It was Bozi, the horseman of Seven, who came up with this idea. He brought people to climb up to the top of the cabinet and let down this long rope. To get any medicinal herb, people can climb up the rope and pull the drawer. He's really a smart kid."

Hearing this, Tom noticed the purpose of the rope. He nodded involuntarily, "It can move horizontally too. Brother Bozi is quite clever. I remember you said he brought me back? I haven't had a chance to thank him yet."

"Bozi is a good kid, although he's careless on the surface and indifferent to everything. But he's kind-hearted. Unfortunately, he was an orphan from a young age and took the wrong path. He's responsible for patrolling around our floor and collecting supplies. He goes out with people every morning and only comes back around noon. It was raining heavily that day when he went out, not long after it stopped, and then he ran into you fighting ants."

Through Uncle Wei's narration, Tom felt that this Bozi person was quite diligent. Coupled with the vague dialogue he heard before losing consciousness, his impression of Bozi became even higher.

"Bozi is a good person, but Seven also has a henchman named Zeng Shisan. Yesterday's issue about the gems was led by Zeng Shisan. You need to be careful of this person. Seven is being pressured by him lately. The position of the boss isn't as easy to sit in as you might think."

"Zeng Shisan?"

"Do you remember the man with scars on his face from yesterday?"

Tom immediately remembered. Yesterday, when he was arguing with Uncle Seven, there was indeed a burly man with scars on his face shouting not to trust him, insisting that Uncle Seven hand Tom over to him, promising to make Tom confess honestly.

"Is that Zeng Shisan?"

Uncle Wei nodded, "The nine scars on his body were all taken for Seven, so Seven values him a lot. But now... hehe..."

Tom tentatively asked, "Uncle Wei, haven't you ever planned to leave here and seek refuge? I heard that the shelter built by the Hayway Group is very large and can accommodate many people."

Uncle Wei looked reluctantly at the surrounding large houses, "Lingzi, I don't want to go anywhere. But the young people do have ideas. Seven wants to accumulate more resources and then take everyone to the shelter you mentioned. But Zeng Shisan disagrees. He thinks that with resources and people now, it's better to be the master of our own mountain. After all, the government is too busy to care about us now."

In the current situation, nothing is clear, making it difficult to determine which decision is right and which is wrong. Even Tom, in the hour before boarding the aircraft, felt that it was better to be free outside than to be constrained in the shelter. However, now that people have shrunk and become weaker, even with gems and crystals, dealing with creatures like ants is manageable, but encountering mutated cats and dogs would be truly daunting.

Speaking of strength, Tom remembered the technology he exchanged for 6 Shelter Points, something about conductive materials. If he obtained crystals, he should experiment with it as soon as possible. He had an immature idea in his mind; perhaps he could use that material and crystals to create a more special equipment, something that was previously thought to exist only in cartoons and science fiction stories.

For now, it was best to recover as quickly as possible. With gems or crystals as a reliance, he would have a say in this group of survivors.

Later, Uncle Wei took him to visit the rooms behind, where Tom finally witnessed the advantage of having many survivors. Previously, when he was running around with Liu Lian, their food was all biscuits and other dry rations. But now, with the efforts of fifty or sixty people working together, they could make cooked rice, roasted frozen meat, and even grind rice into rice milk to make steamed rice rolls.

Yes, the owner of the rice roll shop Tom admired so much was Uncle Rong, who was here. Even his best rice rolls could be made after shrinking, which made Tom admire the wisdom of the working people.

Uncle Wei's rice bin still had more than half a bin of rice, which was enough for the two hundred and something people for quite a while. However, Uncle Seven understood that relying solely on stored food was not enough. They needed to seize the opportunity to find more food from outside to avoid running out of food. Therefore, every day, organized search teams went out to find food and materials.

Watching everyone bustling about preparing lunch, Tom couldn't help but sigh. Technological progress had greatly separated people from production. Many people only needed to focus on one thing, and the money they earned could naturally exchange for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. The connections between people increasingly relied on money as a bond, even among family members.

But now, people had shrunk, and there were many creatures constantly craving human flesh around them. Money no longer had any meaning; people needed to unite and cooperate closely, just like in ancient times, to survive in this new world.

Thinking of this, Tom remembered the words in the shelter.

"Oh descendants of giants, to survive in this malicious world, you need to maintain a humble heart, harmonize with Mother Nature, and make good use of the legacy left by the giant ancestors to redeem yourselves and evolve."

Could it be... that the organization of the Darwin fanatic meant something like this? Maintaining a humble heart toward nature, making good use of the legacy of the giants... that is, the tools and environment created before, in order to survive.

Shaking his head, Tom drove away these thoughts. Now was not the time for sentimentality.

Unwilling to eat plain rice, despite Uncle Wei's objections, he volunteered to join the kitchen team. Although he couldn't do heavy work, he had no problem with handling ingredients and cleaning up the area where food was stored.

At noon, they had to wait until Uncle Seven and his people appeared before they could start eating. Food was prioritized for Uncle Seven and his subordinates. Tom didn't think there was a problem with this, after all, according to Uncle Wei, Uncle Seven's people were responsible for the camp's safety and resource collection, so they naturally had the right to priority access to food.

But seeing others timidly serving food to them, Tom felt something was wrong.

This was a very obvious hierarchical relationship. One person was kicked down by a thug for being a bit slow in serving food, and then they were insulted in turn.

Tom couldn't stand it and wanted to speak up, but he was pulled back by Uncle Rong, who shook his head, indicating that he shouldn't act rashly. Considering his injuries, Tom reluctantly held back.

When Uncle Seven's people finished eating, two-thirds of the food they made was left. With more than two hundred and thirty people, Uncle Seven's group had eaten a third of it. Seeing the uneaten and wasted food, Tom couldn't help feeling distressed.

"Uncle Rong, how can they do this? This is food that everyone worked hard to make, and it's being wasted because they can't finish it. It's such a waste."

Uncle Rong sighed. "Xiao An, now might is right. We're all middle-aged people in our forties or fifties, and we can't compare with those young and strong guys in their twenties. It's chaotic times now. Endure as much as you can; otherwise, if you're kicked out and encounter cockroaches and rats, you'll be left with nothing."

Apart from about thirty uncles, there were more middle-aged people in their forties and fifties and several children, mostly girls. They naturally feared Uncle Seven's group. Moreover, what they were doing now wasn't too excessive. Other people swallowed their grievances as long as they could eat their fill and sleep peacefully.

Survival and oppression... this was also a gift from the apocalypse.

Even Uncle Wei, who was quite close to Uncle Seven, had to choose to endure in the face of such things. Tom knew that the problems he faced were more serious than he had imagined.

Uncle Seven's people left, and Uncle Wei then stepped forward to command everyone to clean up the food and distribute it by person. When Tom received his portion of rice rolls, he found that they had reserved quite a few for Bozi.

Bozi, along with a few others, explored the surroundings and often returned late. Therefore, the camp specially reserved food for them, but this reserve was based on the food left after Uncle Seven's people had finished eating.

"Bozi is a serious child." Uncle Rong scraped the steamed rice rolls onto plastic sheets. "He listens to Uncle Seven very much, but unfortunately, Uncle Seven doesn't value him. Even the position of Uncle Seven's former favorite, Qiangzi, is higher than Bozi's. But Uncle Seven can enjoy this comfort, and our camp can have so many resources, largely thanks to Bozi's efforts."