20: Building a basic defense

Shen Yi fell silent at Tian Ming's question. He took a deep breath and said, "Then let's go with the second option, distributed energy. Graphite batteries are highly safe. Maintenance is simple, and whether a battery is good or not depends on the structural design. I'll draw out the battery structure for you, and you can make it. How about it?"

Tian Ming looked at the second option in detail and said, "No problem, it's very good. Once I know the structure, I can build it."

Next, the two discussed the water source issue. Shen Yi was indeed a good helper; aside from some ideas that were impractical, Tian Ming was very satisfied with everything else.

He could draw the structure of a basic water purifier and how to prepare various materials using existing conditions.

Over seventy percent of the solutions Shen Yi provided were adopted by Tian Ming. The next step was implementation. Although conditions were a bit poor now, it didn't hinder Tian Ming from putting them into practice.

After Shen Yi left, Tian Ming picked up the walkie-talkie on the table, pressed the switch, and said, "Dog, come over here."

Dog's voice quickly came through the walkie-talkie: "Okay, Boss, I'll be right there."

These walkie-talkies were found among the supplies brought by Qiu Wuhui, the young master; there were ten in total.

Tian Ming tried to replicate them and could do so normally, but these electronic products contained chips, and chips were too precise. The replicated walkie-talkies were a bit of a pain and couldn't be used.

The reason was simple: what was replicated was hardware. Damn it, hardware needed programs installed, firmware installed, and debugging before it could be used.

So, after replication, they were all taken to Shen Yuan. She had a computer and was hiding in her room, disassembling it. She was taking apart the usable walkie-talkies and studying the data interfaces.

Soon, the door was pushed open, and Dog excitedly entered, saying, "Boss, you called me!"

Seeing Dog so happy, Tian Ming asked, "What did you do to be so cheerful?"

Dog chuckled and said, "Nothing much, just got a girl."

As the second-in-command of the Shelter, among the girls Qiu Wuhui brought, there was one named Xiao Qian, who quickly took a liking to Dog and actively showed her interest.

What kind of person was Dog? How could he not know Xiao Qian's intentions? She was merely after his status in the Shelter.

However, Dog didn't care. The Boss's rules couldn't be broken, but if someone threw themselves at him, it didn't count as breaking the Boss's rules.

Tian Ming smiled helplessly and said, "You look like a dog in heat."

Dog scratched his head and said, "Boss, aren't men just for money, power, and women? I'm a common man, but I also know the Boss's rules: no forcing. But Xiao Qian came to me willingly, so it doesn't count as breaking the Boss's rules, right?"

Dog's words carried a hint of tentative questioning, and this tone and respect made Tian Ming sigh inwardly. He now understood why ancient emperors were so comfortable; everyone under them had to act according to their whims.

Tian Ming waved his hand and said, "No, no, it doesn't count as long as there's no forcing."

"Then, can I find a few more?" Dog, hearing that he hadn't broken the rules, became a bit presumptuous.

"Since Xiao Qian is with you, you have to support her. Anyway, the material allocation is only so much. If you want to find a second one, Xiao Qian has to agree, and you have to be able to support her."

Dog weighed it for a moment, then quickly waved his hand and said, "Then forget it, the pressure is too great, and it's easy to break the Boss's rules."

Dog wasn't stupid. The basic food allocated to each person was fixed. If he couldn't eat his fill, even though he was the apparent second-in-command of the Shelter, there were regulations on the allocated materials.

Supporting two women was too much pressure. If he couldn't eat his fill, he might be tempted to steal. Dog couldn't break the Boss's rules for a moment of pleasure; he knew the seriousness of breaking the rules.

Tian Ming returned to the main topic: "By the way, how long can our supplies last?"

Dog pulled out a small notebook from his pocket and flipped through it, a sight that made people find him a bit amusing.

"Uh... well, based on the current allocation level for our Shelter personnel, we can probably last about 15 more days."

Tian Ming pondered for a moment. 15 days was enough. If push came to shove, he could cover the shortfall.

"In ten days, we need to add barbed wire and trenches outside the Shelter walls to block zombies. This task is for you to assign personnel. Get it done in ten days."

Dog, hearing that he didn't have to go into the city to collect supplies, felt like he was on vacation. He nodded repeatedly and said, "Boss, just leave it to me. I'll handle it, you can rest assured."

Tian Ming rolled his eyes and said, "For construction, Old Man Mr. Yuan will arrange the specific progress, ensuring scientific construction and improved efficiency. You will manage the personnel. Go recruit people; those who participate will be provided with four bottles of bottled water and 800 grams of food daily."

In the Shelter, water and food were wages. With such wages, there was no need to worry about not finding people to work. These people were kept at a subsistence level, and a little incentive would get them moving.

Tian Ming was glad he wasn't a bleeding heart. If he had used his abilities to provide supplies to these people from the start, those who were full might not have been willing to work.

Only through exchange of benefits or winning over hearts would Tian Ming use his abilities to benefit others. To hell with free aid, that was impossible.

"Boss, we can afford 800 grams of food, but we don't have that much bottled water."

"Don't forget, I can replicate. I'll make up for the insufficient parts."

Dog said with a grin, "Boss, I'm relieved to hear that. I'll go recruit people for you right away. But how do we solve the problem of the barbed wire and the posts for installing it?"

"You don't need to worry about that; I'll take care of it."

"Alright, I'll go notify those guys right away."

Dog was full of energy and left excitedly. This guy wasn't particularly capable, but he was very good at these tasks: running errands, fighting, collecting supplies. He was very handy to use.

On the morning of the second day, bundles of steel wire and carbon fiber posts were synthesized from abandoned steel factory buildings. His ability became more and more proficient with use. Although the raw materials were rusty, he just needed to separate the oxygen elements from them.

Basic defensive barbed wire and trench locations

Dog's efficiency was also very high. Everyone was busy digging trenches and setting up barbed wire outside, having a great time. In the Shelter, being able to eat one's fill and drink clean water was happiness.

Due to the supply of food and water, coupled with Mr. Yuan's coordination, all able-bodied people participated, and the trenches and barbed wire were basically completed in five days.

As the chief engineer, Mr. Yuan meticulously inspected every single spot. He dared not be careless in the slightest, because this stuff was for blocking zombies. If there were any shoddy projects, the price would be lives.

On the day of completion, everyone gathered in the square. Tian Ming stood on the stage, looking at the surging crowd below. These people had eaten their fill for the past five days, and their eyes were filled with light.

Tian Ming glanced at Dog and said, "Dog, bring everything out."

Dog nodded, beckoned to a dozen people, and had them move out all the kettles, fuel stoves, and barrels of fuel alcohol.

These five days, Tian Ming hadn't been idle either, making many things out of steel, preparing to give rewards to those in the Shelter who participated in the defense project.