The three of them immediately understood that the Superpower Stones were limited; for every one mined, there was one less. No wonder these people were working so desperately.
"Is everyone here mining? Why do I see someone cooking?" Zhou Qingming couldn’t help but ask.
A patrol member chuckled, "Yes, there’s cooking. With so many people here, someone started doing business. Miners want to save time and prefer buying ready-made food instead of cooking themselves."
"It’s not just cooking; there are also people selling pickaxes, buying ores, selling Recovery Potions. There’s plenty of business going on."
All three were a bit lost. It felt like a small market was developing here.
"Do you want to take a look inside?" the patrol member asked.
Li Qinghua took a deep breath, slightly shook her head, and said, "No, we have to be back by nine."
"Oh, then suit yourselves." The patrol member led the others away.
Li Qinghua looked into the distance at the fenced mining area and the many houses being built, feeling complicated.
Aside, Zhou Qingming sighed, "Damn, if Brother Huo were still alive, he’d probably regret it to death. Had he known there was a Superpower Stone Mine here, he wouldn’t have dared to drive the Firebird over with a hundred guts."
Lin Wan asked, "Why?"
Zhou Qingming said, "Any random Superpower User could throw enough Superpower Stones onto the Firebird, and it’d blow up in an instant. It wouldn’t stand a chance."
Li Qinghua also sighed, "What’s the point of saying this now? Who would have thought that the people we once considered bait would develop to such an extent in just two months."
The three of them, with varied thoughts, continued walking towards the Yangshan Shelter.
Along the way, they asked some people and soon reached the Fire Bamboo Forest.
By now, the sky had brightened, and under the rain curtain, next to the winding mountain road, a city wall was built along the road. Though not very long, it surrounded the entire bamboo forest on the outside.
On the city wall’s top, there was a sentry every few steps, with patrols constantly on guard.
Outside the city wall, across the road, terraces had been reclaimed, and some elderly folks were already working early in the fields.
Li Qinghua and the others quickly asked an old man on one of the ridges.
"Old man, is this the Yangshan Shelter?"
The old man turned around, smiled, and said, "Yes, this is it. Did you come from Meishan?"
"How did you know?" Lin Wan smiled and asked.
"These days, many people from Meishan come to shop at the mall. You should head over to the city gate and verify your identity, then you can enter the Shelter."
Li Qinghua couldn’t help but ask, "Old man, why are you up so early tilling the soil?"
The old man laughed, "Can’t sleep. When you get old, you have these issues. Lying around is uncomfortable, and doing nothing feels just as bad. I figured this land outside is just lying fallow, so I decided to dig it up and plant some vegetables and crops. Maybe I’ll earn some Points later."
Li Qinghua looked at the old man’s smile and felt a bit disoriented for a moment.
This old man wasn’t forced to farm but did so voluntarily.
Though they were ordinary people, they insisted on being self-reliant.
Whereas, back in the day, he followed Brother Huo and others, living off plunder and murder.
A sense of shame rose in his heart.
He turned away and said, "Thank you, sir. We’ll take a look inside the city wall."
The old man smiled, "Go ahead, young people. The Yangshan Shelter will need you to build it up in the future."
These words deeply shook Li Qinghua, Zhou Qingming, and Lin Wan.
The three of them were momentarily dazed, then quietly walked to the city gate.
At the gate, the patrol checked their identity and passes, allowing them entrance.
Once inside, they saw rows of houses neatly arranged—stone houses, bamboo houses, and plank houses all present.
The ground was orderly, paved with bluestone, very clean.
Through these houses was a plaza adjacent to a towering cliff.
There were pavilions and rain shelters in the plaza.
On the side close to the cliff were tall bamboo houses, even up to ten or twenty stories.
The bamboo houses were built against the wall, presumably having interior space carved out for dwelling.
Further beyond was a lush green forest of bamboo.
Through the bamboo forest, buildings could be faintly seen inside.
The three of them strolled within the city wall, smoke rising from many households, as if meals were being prepared.
More people, with umbrellas and raincoats, called to each other, forming groups and headed toward the bamboo forest.
The three felt an unprecedented tranquility and harmony from this village, much like a new countryside.
This place seemed like a utopia, with everyone smiling.
Everyone carried kindness, with hearty laughter and occasional greetings of ’Have you eaten?’ exchanged.
This place and the apocalypse’s floods outside seemed like two different worlds.
Outside, those trapped in the floods were pale, plundered, slaughtered for a bite to eat.
But here, everyone was cheerful and sunny, embodying satisfaction with life and hope.
Watching this scene, the three of them felt as if they had returned to times before the apocalypse.
They blended with the crowd, following the stone path towards the bamboo forest.
After a few steps, they saw four young people ahead, walking with a woman in her twenties towards the bamboo forest.
They, too, seemed to be here for the first time, looking around curiously.
Ahead of the five was a girl of about nineteen, introducing the surroundings with a smile.