42: Infrastructure expansion and base renovation

Chapter Forty-Three: Infrastructure Expansion, Base Renewal

The gunshots from the mid-mountain fortress maintained a steady rhythm as the six squads took turns firing, keeping the zombies suppressed thirty meters in front of the passage. Lin Zhou stood before the observation window of the command post, his gaze sweeping over the fortress below and the distant mountaintop. His fingers moved quickly across the system panel—current energy points remaining: 13,620. A single Small Fusion Power Plant cost 1,000 energy points, allowing for the targeted deployment of power nodes.

"Consume 2,000 energy points to build two Small Fusion Power Plants," Lin Zhou's command was precisely issued. "One will be deployed on the inner side of the mid-mountain fortress to provide power for the defensive weapons and the stationed soldiers; the other will be sent to the mountaintop Lookout Tower to support the subsequent Lookout Tower reconstruction project."

Two pale blue beams of energy pierced the sky. One landed on the open ground inside the mid-mountain fortress, complementing the fortress's fortifications, while the other shot straight to the mountaintop, landing steadily at the edge of the Lookout Tower. After the beams dissipated, two silver-gray power plants rose from the ground simultaneously. Their cooling fans immediately began to spin, and stable power was instantly connected to the base power grid, forming a triangular power supply pattern with the first power plant next to the central base mobile vehicle. The energy points on the system panel jumped to 11,620, and the numbers in the energy reserve column continued to climb, enough to cover the defensive lines, the Lookout Tower, and all infrastructure needs.

Having resolved the energy issue, Lin Zhou turned to look at Old Zhou and his family of three outside the command post. Since the defensive line had stabilized, Old Zhou and his wife had been waiting by the door, their expressions filled with anxiety about the new environment. Zhou Lei, meanwhile, was tightly clutching the drone remote control, curiously eyeing the depths of the base.

"Let's go, I'll take you to meet the person in charge of the base's logistics." Lin Zhou stepped out of the command post and walked along the gentle slope behind the fortress into the heart of the base. Fifty or sixty old self-built farmer houses were scattered about, mostly made of brick and tile. Although some of the plaster was peeling, the main frames were intact. From a distance, one could see the red alert base mobile vehicle quietly dormant in the open space at the very center of the base, gleaming with a metal cold light. Right next to it were the first fusion power plant, which had been running for a long time, and the first Barracks. The ground in the central area of the base had been leveled and hardened by the red alert system, forming a sharp contrast with the surrounding dirt roads.

Lin Zhou led Old Zhou's family around the base mobile vehicle to a house not far away. "Dad, Mom, this is Old Zhou's family, they've just joined the base." Lin Zhou stepped forward to introduce them, his tone carrying a hint of joy. "Old Zhou is an auto mechanic; he'll be responsible for the overhaul and maintenance of all equipment in the base. His wife is a clinic doctor, just right to head the base's medical room. Xiao Lei is good at drone piloting and will be specifically responsible for perimeter reconnaissance."

Lin Zhous Father and Lin Zhous Mother's eyes lit up, and they hurriedly stepped forward to greet them warmly. Lin Zhous Mother took Mrs. Zhou's hand and said with a smile, "We've finally been hoping for a professional doctor! The soldiers are bound to get bumped or bruised during training and patrols. Before, I was just handling it based on my old experience, but now I can finally feel at ease!" Mrs. Zhou was originally a bit reserved, but hearing this, she immediately relaxed and replied with a smile, "I worked in a clinic for over ten years and can handle common injuries and illnesses. If anyone feels unwell in the future, just come find me anytime."

Lin Zhou pointed to a farmhouse on the east side of the base mobile vehicle that had excellent lighting and ventilation. "That house will be cleaned up to serve as the medical room. I'll have someone transfer medicine and equipment from the Barracks' reserves as soon as possible. If it's not enough, we'll find a way to supplement it later. The three of you will live next door; it's close and convenient." Old Zhou's family of three thanked him repeatedly, their tension from the past few days finally turning into peace of mind. Old Zhou took Zhou Lei to familiarize themselves with the power plant equipment next to the base mobile vehicle, while Mrs. Zhou followed Lin Zhous Mother to inspect the site for the medical room.

After settling Old Zhou's family, Lin Zhou spoke into his communicator, "Lin Xi, Su Xiao, the new power plants on the mountaintop and at the fortress are built, and the energy supply is stable. I'm going to unlock the Large Transmission Tower on the mountaintop now to decompose it and directly rebuild the Lookout Tower. You two retreat to a safe area and wait."

His sister Lin Xi's clear voice soon came through the communicator, "Received, Brother! we're coming down now. The transmission tower on the mountaintop looks quite grand; it'll definitely be even more impressive after it's decomposed and rebuilt!" Su Xiao's voice followed, sounding somewhat steady, "Already evacuated to the mid-mountain safety zone, awaiting your command at any time."

After confirming the safety of the two, Lin Zhou's gaze first fell on the abandoned farmhouses within the base—nearly thirty of the fifty or sixty houses already had cracked walls and collapsed roofs, having no repair value and being perfect for conversion into resources. More importantly, there was the Large Transmission Tower on the mountaintop; its steel structure was solid, and dismantling it would yield a large amount of high-quality resources, while also clearing space to build a more professional Lookout Tower.

"red alert system, first lock onto all damaged and abandoned farmhouses in the base, then lock onto the Large Transmission Tower on the mountaintop. Automatically identify and convert them all into resource points."

Lin Zhou issued the command in his mind, and the system responded instantly. An invisible scanning net first spread out from the base mobile vehicle as the center, precisely locking onto the twenty most dilapidated farmhouses. Within three seconds, these houses vanished into flows of light, leaving only level, empty ground. At the same time, the Large Transmission Tower on the mountaintop was also locked. The dozens-of-meters-high steel structure decomposed instantly, and all usable resources such as steel and cables were refined by the system, flowing into the panel along with the resources from the farmhouses.

In less than five seconds, the double decomposition was complete. The resource points number on the system panel jumped wildly, finally settling at 9,800 points—the transmission tower alone contributed 2,500 points of resources, an efficiency far exceeding expectations. Lin Zhous Father had just walked up behind him and witnessed this scene, his eyes widening in shock. "Even the big iron tower on the mountaintop can be decomposed remotely? The resource points have increased by so much all at once!"

Lin Zhou withdrew his focus and nodded with a smile. "The system can precisely identify all usable resources, and remote operation is no problem, saving a lot of manpower." He then pulled up the building list. "Now is the perfect time to use these resources to build housing and rebuild the Lookout Tower at the same time."

"It's great that this land has been cleared." Lin Zhous Father looked at the open space next to the center of the base and stroked his chin. "I was originally thinking of cultivating it into farmland to solve the base's food problem."

"Farmland needs to be built, but housing and the Lookout Tower are more urgent." Lin Zhou pointed to the panel and explained, "First, build 4 Military Barracks (800 resource points each) and 3 Civilian Residence Buildings (1,200 resource points each) on the open space to the west of the base mobile vehicle, consuming a total of 6,800 resource points. The remaining 3,000 points will all be used for the mountaintop Lookout Tower reconstruction. The Military Barracks will be built next to the Barracks for easy squad rotation, and the Civilian Residence Buildings will be near the logistics area, making life easier for the survivors."

Lin Zhous Father nodded repeatedly. "This arrangement is very reasonable! Once the mountaintop Lookout Tower is improved, our early warning range can be expanded significantly."

No sooner said than done. Lin Zhou first confirmed the housing construction command. Eleven pale blue beams of energy fell on the open space to the west of the base mobile vehicle, and four military-green Military Barracks and three warm-yellow Civilian Residence Buildings instantly stood tall, arranged neatly to form a regular red alert construction zone with the existing Barracks and power plants. Immediately after, he issued the Lookout Tower reconstruction command. A thicker beam of energy shot straight to the mountaintop, unfolding and restructuring at the site of the original transmission tower—bulletproof glass railings, curved Quantum Display Screens, rest cabins, and early warning devices quickly took shape. The completed Lookout Tower was three times taller than before, its field of vision radius directly doubled, and it could synchronize data in real-time with the base center through the system.

"Housing and Lookout Tower completed simultaneously!" Lin Zhou looked at the panel prompt and called into the communicator, "Lin Xi, Su Xiao, you can return to the mountaintop for duty now. The new Lookout Tower has an Energy Barrier and real-time data screens, making duty safer and more convenient."

Lin Xi's excited voice came through the communicator, "That's great! We're going up now. Thanks, Brother!"

Lin Zhous Father stepped forward and touched the wall of a Military Barracks, marveling, "This construction speed and quality are truly beyond words! No matter how many people the base has in the future, we'll be able to handle it with ease."

Lin Zhou nodded with a smile, already having subsequent plans in mind: the remaining ten damaged farmhouses would be decomposed later, with some used to cultivate farmland and some reserved for sudden infrastructure needs. Now, with the base mobile vehicle stationed at the center, three power plants guaranteeing energy, and the housing, medical room, and Lookout Tower each serving their purpose, plus ample material reserves, the foundation of the Qicheng Army was now firmly established.

Just then, a report from the Squad Leader came through the communicator, "commander, the number of remaining zombies is less than four hundred, and the battle line remains stable!"

Lin Zhou looked up at the fortress on the mountainside and the new Lookout Tower on the distant mountaintop. The sunset cast a warm golden glow over the elliptical base, which stretched 1,800 meters from east to west and 800 meters from north to south. His parents were managing logistics, his sister and Su Xiao were guarding the Lookout Tower, Old Zhou and his wife were each utilizing their strengths, and the soldiers were steadily holding the defensive line. The brand-new buildings and the core base mobile vehicle echoed each other. This survival fortress in the apocalypse was welcoming new hope with burgeoning vitality.