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

Zhang Shi selected some from them. Since he had reclaimed some new farmland, he looked for some high-quality seeds, farmland improvement cards and other resources that were in urgent need and gave them priority in trading.

Among them, a familiar ID was Zhang Shi, who chatted privately through the friend list. The props he sent attracted Zhang Shi's attention.

Liu Yu: "Boss Zhang Shi, are you interested in exchanging [Stone House Blueprint (Green) x1] for [Bone Bow] and [Wilderness Hunter Set]?"

Zhang Shi is very interested in the design of the stone house. Now with Gong Yi, through his learning ability, Zhang Shi has the opportunity to transform from an arms dealer into a real estate businessman.

"Most survivors have now upgraded to shelters above the stone house level. This blueprint is of little use. The equipment I sell is only high-quality, but it comes with additional attributes. You'll have to pay more if you want to exchange it."

Liu Yu seemed to have anticipated this situation and immediately sent another prop message.

[Gunpowder Recipe (Green) x1]

Add this thing, but I also need ten extra sets of fine iron armor.

Zhang Shi didn't expect that Liu Yu could actually get the formula for gunpowder. It seemed that he was an expert in mining and was very knowledgeable about this.

Fearing that the other party would go back on his word, Zhang Shi decisively clicked the transaction after adding the equipment according to his request.

Afterwards, Zhang Shi specially selected some useful design drawings for trading, and this clearance sale ended successfully.

It was noon, and Zhang Shi had completed his morning recruitment. As usual, he assigned the soldiers of each branch to their squad leaders. Then, Zhang Shi called everyone to stop working and go into the fortress for lunch.

The guard team has now expanded to 22 people, and it is a bit crowded to sit together for meals. Ge Dalong proposed to build a canteen specifically for the soldiers.

Zhang Shi happened to have a blueprint for a stone house, and immediately handed it to Gong Yi at the dining table, asking him to study the blueprint first. If he succeeded, he would build some stone houses for the daily use of the guards. As for Gong Er and Gong San, they continued to refine the materials and waited until the evening to rest before studying the blueprint Zhang Shi gave them. The subsequent work would be arranged by Zhang Shi.

As the saying goes, "If you want to do your work well, you must first sharpen your tools." Once a sufficient amount of refined steel has been accumulated, Zhang Shi plans to replace the refined steel equipment of everyone in the shelter.

Considering that the number of people will continue to increase, Zhang Shi plans to clean up the area around the shelter to eliminate potential threats.

He gave the seeds and farmland improvement cards he'd acquired that morning to Ge Dalong, asking him to work on the newly reclaimed farmland. He then repurposed a plot of land, enclosing it with a gold-essence stone wall. He planned to build a training ground specifically for the guards to enhance their combat effectiveness.

Right now, all forces are recruiting troops, and the atmosphere in the entire wilderness world has become extremely tense under the backdrop of the extreme heat disaster. Zhang Shi has to be prepared to deal with it, and at least have the means to protect himself.

The sun was blazing brightly. After Zhang Shi finished expanding his territory, he was sweating profusely from the heat and hurriedly ran into his room, where he happened to meet Zhao Feng.

He was fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, his clothes soaked with sweat, and was carrying a large basin of ice into the room.

Seeing Zhang Shi, Zhao Feng complained.

"Shitou, it's already the fourth day. According to past trends, the temperature should have dropped. Why is it still so hot? There's no sign of cooling down at all."

Zhang Shi was also a little confused. The high temperature had lasted for several days. If it continued like this, many wild vegetation would die, and wild animals would not be able to survive. There was a high possibility of unknown dangers.

"Are there any new clues in the Book of Revelation?"

Zhao Feng shook his head, a bitter look on his face.

"I've been paying attention, but there hasn't been any change in the parchment book."

……

By sunset, the weather had finally cooled down, and new soldiers had been recruited. Gong Yi, no slouch, had successfully mastered the stone house designs and built the first batch.

Zhang Shi replaced the original wooden house and arranged it properly, with dormitories, canteens, and bathrooms, ensuring the soldiers' living conditions to the greatest extent possible.

At dinnertime, Zhang Shi made a point of visiting the mess hall. The quality of the food remained unchanged; Zhang Shi ate what the soldiers ate, all prepared with the skillful hands of Xiaomei and the support soldiers. Catering for over twenty people was no small feat, but with Xiaomei's impeccable mechanical calculations and the help of the support soldiers, this challenge was easily overcome.

After dinner, Lao Bai reported his work to Zhang Shi as usual.

"My Lord, as the population grows, our food reserves are rapidly depleting. While this may be sufficient for a short period of time, it will likely become insufficient in the long run. I suggest that, during non-combat situations, we appropriately reduce the cost of soldiers' meals..."

Zhang Shi waved his hand to interrupt Lao Bai and responded without question.

"The soldiers' meals will still be based on the current standard for the time being. I will find a way to solve the food problem."

Lao Bai nodded in agreement, and then reported on the situation of livestock and farmland.

"The Kun chickens have hatched new chicks; the sheep have begun giving birth en masse; and the wild boars are growing rapidly. The golden rice we planted earlier has matured, and Mr. Ge has already dried the first batch of rice seeds to accelerate germination. We can start large-scale planting tonight, and we expect to harvest in three days."

Zhang Shi was somewhat surprised at the growth rate of livestock and crops, and guessed that it might be the effect of spiritual energy that further promoted their growth.

Ge Dalong was working on housing allocation nearby. When he heard Lao Bai mention him, he stood up and walked towards Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi deliberately showed a surprised expression, with his mouth wide open, as exaggerated as possible.

"Old Ge, you are truly a hidden talent. As a young master, you are also proficient in farming. I really admire you."

Ge Dalong jokingly pushed Zhang Shi and said, "Who told you that if you work in an office building, you have to be ignorant of grains? Your thinking is very dangerous. It shows that you are out of touch with the masses."

Ge Dalong's advance selection of the Golden Rice undoubtedly solved Zhang Shi's pressing need. Three days later, a large quantity of the Golden Rice matured. Although the soil quality had been lowered after secondary cultivation, many of the rice seedlings were only of high-quality. However, at this stage, food was more about quantity than quality; filling the soldiers' stomachs was paramount.

Ge Dalong chatted with Zhang Shi for a while, which was rare, but the message sent by Zhao Feng made their faces become gloomy.

"There is an enemy situation!"

The two quickly climbed up to the outer wall of the fortress. Zhang Shi was looking out with a telescope. When he saw them coming, he pointed in the direction of the river bank.

"Cai Yi discovered it while on patrol. There were human shoe prints there. He said there were about three people there, but they've disappeared now. They must have been scouts from another faction."

Seeing Zhang Shi and Ge Dalong lost in thought, Zhao Feng added.

"I think it's the Eagle Group. They took advantage of the barrier disappearing and are targeting us again."

Zhang Shi nodded, called Zhang Dazhuang and Lao Bai, and gave them instructions.

"Inform everyone. Starting tonight, assign people to take turns guarding the night. Report any situation immediately. Everyone, work hard and be ready to fight at any time."

The two received the order and went down to arrange the work.

Zhang Shi sent out the Black Mist Guard again and asked him to cooperate with the scouts in patrolling. If he encountered any potential threats, he did not need to report them and could eliminate them directly.

Zhang Shi's face was gloomy and his voice was cold.

"The Eagle Group has been giving me trouble time and time again. It seems I wasn't ruthless enough and didn't hurt them enough."