35: Power plant site selection, division of labor for hunting

Chapter Thirty-Six: power Plant Site Selection, Division of Labor for Hunting

Morning light completely tore through the dawn mist, golden radiance splashed upon the bluish-gray Fortress Walls. The crenellations and arrow slits cast fragmented shadows, making this Song Dynasty anti-Mongol fortress, passed down for centuries, appear even more imposing.

This was an oval platform fortress built by the Southern Song Dynasty to resist the Yuan. It was about 2 kilometers long east to west and 800 meters wide north to south, surrounded by sheer cliffs two to three hundred meters high, with only a single exit on the southern side connecting to the outside world. On the northern side of the fortress, a steep 150-meter-high mountain peak rose from the ground. A hidden air-raid shelter had been excavated into the mountain's belly, its entrance connected by a small path to the fortress's northern end leading to the mountaintop. What was once a watchtower was now a high-voltage transmission tower, serving as the most secure emergency shelter in the apocalypse. A three-story building, oriented south, stood quietly in the fortress's interior. A straight dirt road extended three hundred meters from its front door, ending at a wide, unobstructed threshing ground—this was the central area of the entire fortress. The ground, compacted and flattened over years of use, offered a clear line of sight all the way to the cliff edges at the periphery; even a protruding rock was a rare sight.

Lin Zhou stood at the center of the threshing ground, the system's light screen glowing faintly in his mind as his fingertip precisely pinpointed the construction coordinates for the Micro Fusion Power Station. His father stood nearby, carrying a steel pipe. His gaze swept across the empty area, then turned towards the northern mountain peak. He said in a deep voice, 'The northern side of the threshing ground has the highest elevation, backed against that 150-meter mountain. It's close to both the building and the air-raid shelter. The key is there's nothing blocking the view here. Even if the power plant makes noise when it starts up, we can spot any abnormalities immediately. This is the most suitable place to build the plant.'

'Dad's right,' Lin Zhou nodded, tapping the location on the light screen with his fingertip. 'The open area means no need to clear obstacles; the soil is solid, no need for extra compaction. Plus, backed against the northern mountain, even if zombies get close, they can't ambush us from behind. It can also form a pincer position with the building, making it very safe.'

The system immediately popped up a prompt: Micro Fusion Power Station site confirmed. 300 Energy Points deducted. Construction initiated. Estimated time: 2 hours.

As soon as the words fell, the ground on the northern side of the threshing ground trembled slightly. Several metal supports slowly rose from underground, rapidly assembling into a gray hut covering less than twenty square meters. The roof was embedded with an energy collection panel, and the walls were engraved with the red alert system's iconic patterns. The whole structure was simple yet sturdy, appearing particularly conspicuous on the empty threshing ground.

'Done!' Father stepped forward, reaching out to touch the cool metal wall, his eyes filled with awe. 'This thing doesn't need oil or wiring, it can really generate electricity on its own?'

'The system says it has a self-sustaining dark energy core, very stable,' Lin Zhou smiled and nodded, then pointed at the holographic panel that popped up at the power plant's entrance. 'Once it finishes starting up, we'll be able to unlock the blueprints for the Anti-climbing Net and the Machine Gun Turret.'

As the two were talking, Mother and Lin Xi walked out of the three-story building carrying bamboo baskets. Mother held a sickle, while Lin Xi carried a bundle of hemp rope, her little face flushed. 'Brother, Dad, are you done? Mom and I plan to clear the scattered weeds at the edge of the threshing ground and then tidy up the vegetable plot behind the building. Growing vegetables in the apocalypse can add to our food supply.'

Mother chimed in, 'The clutter in the building is piled up messily. Xiao Xi and I will sort it out—keep what we can, burn what we can't—to make some space for future supplies. You two, be extremely careful when you go down the mountain to hunt zombies. Don't go deep into the village.'

Warmth filled Lin Zhou's heart. He walked over and helped Mother tidy the stray hairs at her temple. 'Mom, don't worry. The path from the steel door halfway up the mountain to the fortress gate is an absolute safe zone. We'll only go down four or five kilometers to the western end of the village. We'll specifically target the Frail-type zombies, absolutely no taking risks. You two take your time cleaning up, no rush. We'll be back for lunch by 12:30 at the latest. We'll try to earn more Energy Points after the power plant starts up.'

Lin Zhou slung the Compound Bow on his back, loaded ten Carbon Arrows into the quiver, fastened the Bayonet at his waist, and tucked last night's notes on zombie distribution into his pocket. After checking their gear, father and son first went to the steel door halfway up the mountain to confirm the lock was secure. Then, they followed the safe passage down to the heavy steel gate at the village entrance.

Father took a final look through the peephole behind the gate, confirming there were no zombie traces within a hundred meters outside, before slowly turning the bolt and opening a gap just wide enough for one person. The two locked the gate behind them and slipped out silently, heading towards the village's western end four or five kilometers away.

The mountain path was overgrown with grass and trees. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, weaving a golden net on the ground. Lin Zhou and his father treaded extremely lightly, their shoe soles making only soft rustling sounds on the fallen leaves.

According to previous observation records, most of the Frail-type zombies in the western part of the village were concentrated around the abandoned threshing ground and the old locust tree, moving sluggishly and completely non-aggressive.

Sure enough, before they had gone far, Lin Zhou spotted a hunched figure slowly shuffling along the field ridge ahead—it was Granny Chen from the village. She had been bedridden for years before her death. After mutation, she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand, only able to drag herself along the ground.

'That's her,' Father whispered, gripping the steel pipe tightly as he moved to the side to keep watch, preventing any hidden zombies nearby.

Lin Zhou crouched halfway down, steadily raising the Compound Bow. The distance was no more than fifteen meters; the back of Granny Chen's head was clearly visible. Without the slightest hesitation, he drew the bowstring to its full extent and gently released his fingertips.

'Whoosh!'

The Carbon Arrow shot through the air, piercing the back of the head with precision. The hunched figure stiffened, then heavily collapsed to the ground. A silver light glimmered, instantly dissolving into points of light.

Low-level Zombie (Frail-type) ×1 Eliminated.

Energy Points Obtained: 100.

Current Energy Points: 100.

'Clean and neat,' Father walked over, patting Lin Zhou's shoulder. 'Keep going forward, there are a few more.'

The two continued deeper along the field ridge, encountering three more Frail-type zombies along the way—there was Grandpa Li shuffling along with a cane, Granny Wang crouched in a corner gnawing on dried grass, and Granny Zhang curled up motionless by the firewood shed door. Each time, Lin Zhou found a good angle, waiting for the zombie to turn its back before delivering a fatal arrow shot. Father remained on guard at the side, ensuring no surprises occurred.

Silver light flashed repeatedly as system notification sounds chimed one after another in Lin Zhou's mind:

Low-level Zombie (Frail-type) ×1 Eliminated. Energy Points +100.

Low-level Zombie (Frail-type) ×1 Eliminated. Energy Points +100.

Low-level Zombie (Frail-type) ×1 Eliminated. Energy Points +100.

'That's about enough,' Father glanced at the sun. 'We've already saved up 400 points, enough to unlock the basic materials for the Machine Gun Turret. Let's head back, don't make your mom and Xiao Xi worry.'

Lin Zhou nodded and was just about to turn back when he heard a low, dull roar from the direction of the village's eastern end, faintly mixed with the sound of something collapsing.

Their expressions changed. Exchanging a glance, they simultaneously quickened their pace, retreating towards the fortress.

At the same time, on the empty threshing ground three hundred meters away, a pale blue light suddenly lit up on the roof of the Micro Fusion Power Station. The progress bar on the holographic panel jumped to 100%, and a line of cold, mechanical text slowly appeared:

Micro Fusion Power Station construction complete. power supply stable. Blueprints unlocked: Anti-climbing Net, Simple Machine Gun Turret, Fortress Wall.

In the vegetable plot behind the building, Mother was swinging her sickle to cut weeds. Lin Xi crouched nearby picking up stones. Hearing the commotion from the threshing ground, they both looked up simultaneously towards the small hut glowing with blue light in the empty area, their eyes filled with hopeful light.

And the roars from the village's eastern end continued to echo over, one after another, growing closer and closer.