184 There’s Finally Hope in Life
Seeing how serious Du Yue was, He Xing knew that she really did not want to show her face in public. Of course, he was willing to respect her opinion. “Just like we agreed, if you don’t want to have too much contact with the base officials, that’s fine. If you want to stay at home, then just stay at home with peace of mind.”
After the two of them discussed it, they put the matter aside for the time being and continued their repet.i.tive life. The speed of the base’s recruitment was quite fast. Three days later, they started to install street lights. Du Yue had originally thought that the street lights would only be installed on the more important main roads. She did not expect that even the small road outside their neighborhood had a street light installed every two meters.
After the street lights were installed, the people who previously went out to fetch water every day in fear could be more at ease. Although the thick fog had only appeared a dozen days ago and they were still in the base, many people had evil thoughts. Even though Du Yue and He Xing rarely went out, they had heard some news from Zuo Mingdong.
After the thick fog descended, many people were robbed when they went out. The fog spread and blocked one’s vision, which was the best cover for those who harbored evil intentions. No one knew where they would suddenly rush out from, grab the things, and run away without giving time for the victims to react. Even if the victims wanted to chase after the robbers, they would have no idea where the robbers were due to the thick fog.
Some of the faster ones managed to catch up to the robbers, but unfortunately, not only were they unable to s.n.a.t.c.h their things back, but they were also beaten up. This kind of thing happened every day in the base. Even if the security team was large, they could not manage it at all. Therefore, the installation of street lights was the top priority at the moment. The base worked day and night.
Other than installing the street lights, the base also advised everyone not to go out unless it was absolutely necessary. If they had to go out, they must have someone to accompany them. They should not go out alone, which could help prevent many dangers. However, the effect of this method was minimal. Sometimes, danger came from the people around one.
One month after the thick fog descended, although everyone was helpless, they had gotten used to this kind of life. As the street lights had been installed, people would go out in groups. The number of people on the security team had also increased a lot. They patrolled outside day and night, so the number of robberies decreased a lot.
However, this was only a guarantee of safety. If a person wanted to survive, it was far from enough to only have a guarantee of safety. Food and water were more important. There was enough water for now. Although the pipes were not working, water could always be drawn from the water-drawing room. There was sufficient water, but food was also a very tricky problem. Nowadays, sweet potatoes and potatoes had become the most common staple food on many people’s tables. However, eating them for a long time would definitely not be nutritious enough.
Due to the thick fog, the number of people who went out to hunt had also been greatly reduced. In the app’s online store, meat was out of stock. The few remaining ingredients were also limited in supply every day, and the price was not something that ordinary people could afford. Just as the people were about to start a riot because of the food problem, the base issued another announcement.
After days and nights of research, the scientists had finally developed a new species that was suitable for planting now. The new species included wheat, rice, corn, and sorghum. These kinds of food were common staple foods on everyone’s table before the apocalypse, and they were eaten in various ways. If they could be planted in large quant.i.ties, the food problem in the base would be properly solved.
These new species had been planted in the experimental field and could now be planted on a larger scale. However, these crops were not like sweet potatoes, potatoes, and frosty snow fruits, which did not require much s.p.a.ce and could be planted at home. These crops all required a large planting area. Otherwise, after a few months of hard work, the final product would not even be enough to last a day. In order to grow these crops, the base had already opened up a plantation outside the base and wanted to recruit some workers.
Those who were willing to farm had a bus to pick them up every day, and their working hours were fixed. Their salary was two contribution points a day, and they would be paid on the same day. In addition, after the harvest, everyone could get half a kilo of produce, and the variety could be chosen. Once this announcement was made, many people were very excited.