Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

After logging off, Zhang Shi called Lao Bai over to count the items in his backpack. He used some of the tools and facilities directly, placing them in various locations throughout the shelter. He also handed all the design drawings to Gong Yi, who would distribute them.

By interrogating Fatty and his group of captives, Zhang Shi learned about the terrain and resource distribution near the transit station. He planned to go there in person tomorrow to check around and see if he could gain anything.

Everyone discussed tomorrow's work and then dispersed.

At night, the fortress was extremely quiet. Zhang Shi was a little sleepless because of the sound of dripping rain, so he simply opened the system panel and went to the chat channel to dive in.

Even late at night, the chat channel is still lively.

At this moment, many survivors were talking about the heavy rain outside, including several with IDs that Zhang Shi was familiar with.

Zhu Dachang: By the way, I feel like the rain has suddenly gotten heavier. You guys can take a look and see if I’m dazzled.

Cheng Xiaobai: Brother Zhu, you are right. The rain has indeed gotten heavier. My area is relatively low-lying, and there is a small river outside the door.

Hou Kun: Hi, luckily I had the foresight to spend a lot of money to get a shelter transfer card in advance, so I moved my family to the mountains and don’t have to worry about heavy rain.

Wang Wu: Well, the most important thing is that there is nothing but flat land near my home, there are no mountains, so I can’t move even if I want to.

……

Zhang Shi looked out the window and saw that the rain had indeed gotten heavier. It looked like it was evolving from heavy rain to a rainstorm.

Fortunately, after a day of hard work by the soldiers, the excavation work toward the shelter's main entrance has been preliminarily completed, and the moat has taken shape. Lao Bai is currently arranging drainage work within the shelter, and once the craftsmen have finished building the pipes, they can be installed. The heavy rain should have little impact on the shelter.

At this moment, several similar chat messages suddenly appeared on the screen, attracting Zhang Shi's attention.

Tang Long: Dear survivors, the Eagle Gang has been bullying men and women, burning, killing, and looting. We, the Dragon and Tiger Alliance, cannot bear to see our compatriots being bullied. We have decided to formally declare war on the Eagle Gang and will not stop until they are annihilated. We are now seeking like-minded individuals to join us in upholding justice and restoring order. Interested parties please contact us privately.

Xie Dong: Fellow survivors, the Eagle Gang has been bullying men and women, burning, killing, and looting. Our brotherhood will not tolerate this abuse and has officially declared war on the Eagle Gang, refusing to rest until they are annihilated. We are seeking like-minded individuals to join us in upholding justice and restoring order. Interested individuals, please contact us privately.

Tang An: Two bosses, what are the requirements for joining the union? What are the benefits? Is there a salary?

Zhang Shi didn't expect that the two groups would choose to join forces to deal with the Eagle Group so quickly, but Brother Long didn't seem to mention him at all.

After a moment's contemplation, Zhang Shi concluded that the other party was unaware of his identity and was too embarrassed to speak of his failure, so he swallowed his loss. He never expected that the other party would blame all the grudges on the Eagle Group.

Zhang Shi shook his head and lay back on the bed. Bored, he used all the skill cards in his backpack as feeding materials for Shadow Step.

Unexpectedly, the experience growth of several skill cards actually produced critical hits, and Shadow Step was upgraded again under Zhang Shi's inhumane feeding.

[Shadow Step (Orange): A mobility skill. After using, you can flash behind the target unit, increasing the damage of the next attack by 70% for 3 seconds. This skill can be charged, and can be maintained for up to two times. Each time a unit is killed, one charge is immediately gained.]

Zhang Shi jumped out of bed excitedly at the unexpected joy of his skill upgrade. Shadow Step not only increased his damage but also had a powerful refresh effect. This meant he could now face groups of monsters in close combat, slaying enemies in the midst of chaos and escaping from the clutches of blades.

"I'll have to try out the new effects of the skill when I have the chance."

As Zhang Shi thought about this, his emotions calmed down and he slowly fell asleep.

……

On the third day of the torrential rainstorm, Zhang Shi signed in and received a Wild World 7-Day VIP Membership Card x1, renewing his soon-to-expire membership. This VIP membership was quite advantageous. On the one hand, it made Zhang Shi's information stand out in the vast chat channels, saving him a lot of trouble. On the other hand, the soldiers, through mining and hunting, were able to bring back a treasure chest almost every day. Taking full advantage of the double bonus on unpacking, Zhang Shi accumulated a considerable amount of resources.

After breakfast early in the morning, Ge Dalong took twenty fully armed soldiers and escorted the members of the Dragon and Tiger Alliance who were captured yesterday to work in the mining area.

Ge Dalong had already done psychological work on these prisoners in advance, promising to set them free after 30 days of service. They would be provided with food and accommodation during their service, and the meals would be the same as those of the soldiers. The working hours would be 8 hours, and they would rotate in two shifts, morning and evening. Those who performed well could also have their sentences reduced and be released early.

The captives originally scoffed at Ge Dalong's words, but after a dinner and a breakfast, they completely changed their views on the shelter.

"Dinner is four dishes and a soup, with fish and meat. It's like a life of heaven."

"That's right, having meat buns with porridge for breakfast makes me feel like I've returned to the days of modern society. Woohoo, I miss home."

"If I were to stay like this, I'd rather be a miner here for the rest of my life. At least here I have the protection of Boss Zhang Shi. I don't have to go out and fight, and I don't have to worry about food and drink. Isn't that comfortable?"

When Ge Dalong heard the prisoners' discussions, a smile appeared on his lips. He used to be a corporate executive and was very familiar with the skill of making empty promises. What's more, the treatment he talked about was real. Wouldn't it be easy for him to control these ordinary survivors?

Under the dual stimulation of welfare benefits and big cakes, these prisoners worked extremely hard and few of them were lazy. Instead, the soldiers in charge of guarding became bored and wanted to pick up shovels and join in the work.

Ge Dalong was writing and drawing with paper and pen.

He had a premonition that there might be many conflicts with other forces in the coming days. Now that the rain outside was getting heavier, he was worried that the soldiers' muskets would malfunction after being soaked in water, so he was studying how to make secondary modifications to the muskets.

Zhang Shi increased the investment in exploration forces. This time, a total of 100 soldiers gathered at the transit station, including 40 cavalry, 50 infantry, and the rest were scouts and support soldiers.

Zhang Shi plans to use this place as a stronghold, invest some resources in long-term development, and expand it in all directions.

The sky was dark today, and with the torrential downpour, visibility was low. Fortunately, he and Zhao Feng were in excellent physical condition and weren't worried about catching a cold. Furthermore, the soldiers generated by the system were virtually unaffected by the harsh environment, allowing them to brave the extreme weather and explore.