With the first wave of goods moved in, the Aqi tribe has taken root in the base completely. Mo Yan led four trucks to send the elderly, children, and women back to the base first. Due to safety considerations, the trucks only drove to the gate of the base.
Xiao Wen stood on the side, responsible for arranging people to lead the first batch of Tibetans to the residential area one by one, while Wen Le silently covered everyone who entered the gate with his spiritual power.
Although the possibility of being infected with the virus by the zombies on the grassland is very low, as a precaution, Wen Le carefully filtered every person who walked past him. Except for the two large-scale virus invasions at the beginning of the apocalypse and the Red Moon, people infected with the virus by the zombies generally do not fall into a coma. Wen Le filters whether each person has any wounds on their body because the virus can enter through wounds.
In fact, the safest way for security is to wait for more than six hours in the isolation area to ensure that there is no infection, but as there was no preparation for the isolation area before, Wen Le could only check briefly. For the people who join later, it will not be as easy to enter the base directly as it was this time.
I don’t know how the previous twelve people talked to the people in the tribe. Every Tibetan who enters the gate shows gratitude and expectation, but also a hint of fear.
With Xiao Wen’s imposing manner and Wen Le’s expressionless face when conducting detailed inspections, the sense of hesitation among the Tibetans became even more pronounced when passing by them.
Lin Yan looked at the two unconsciously indifferent people with some helplessness but said nothing.
Compared with the people who came in the first wave, the second wave brought in materials and livestock that the Aqi Tribe already possessed. The materials were directly transported to the residential area, and the livestock were left for Qi Rui and Zhao Xiaogang to take over at the breeding farm.
Wen Le took a glance at the two trucks transporting the livestock. The total number of cattle and sheep was only more than 20 heads. It seemed that the previous animal mutation had really caused too much loss to these nomadic tribes.
Before the sunset, the entire Aqi Tribe had been brought into the base. Xiao Wen and Wen Le went back to the residential area directly with the last truck.
Although there were many vacant rooms when building the houses, the Aqi Tribe had a total of 273 people, and even if there was another large courtyard, it could not accommodate so many people. Therefore, tents were densely set up on the open space in the outer courtyard. Before the housing was completed, most of the Tibetans still had to live in tents, and the vacant rooms were given priority to the elderly, weak, and women with children.
There were many things that needed to be done, but after nightfall, Xiao Wen still let Huang Yao and nearly ten people prepare a sumptuous dinner to welcome the first batch of people who joined the base.
The food of the nomadic people mainly consisted of meat, and unlike the Han people who had been growing up and living in the Central Plains, their vegetable intake was very low. However, maybe because they had lost their supply of resources since the apocalypse, rice and vegetables were still the most popular after this meal.
“After the apocalypse, have you been relying on your livestock for survival?” Watching the other Tibetans at the table wolfing down their food even when they tried to restrain themselves, Wen Le asked.
Aqi’s old leader was an elderly man who didn’t speak Chinese at all, so Wen Le was asking the middle-aged man named Le Ni who had been communicating with Han Ya. Le Ni gave a bitter smile and also looked towards the other tables.
“We’re considered lucky. Just a week before the apocalypse, we received a supply shipment. Usually, we only get supplied once a month, but we bit the bullet and stocked up for two months because it was getting close to winter. After the disaster arrived, our tribe also suffered a loss of more than 300 people, so the supplies lasted until about a month ago. However, due to the second disaster, we lost almost all of our livestock. Thousands of cows and sheep were reduced to less than a hundred in the blink of an eye. For the past month, we’ve been relying on these remaining livestock to survive. To make them last longer, almost 300 people can only kill two cows or sheep per day.”
Le Ni’s tone was helpless and sad.
Despite the fact that the tribe was once composed of nearly a thousand people, now there are less than three hundred left. Before discovering this base, they didn’t even know how much longer they could hold on. If it weren’t for the perseverance and opposition of their fellow tribesmen, the leader would have considered taking the elderly out of the tribe and into the grasslands so that the young could survive on the remaining food.
Leaning over the table, Le Ni looked at the bountiful food in front of him. Their decision to join this base was their only hope. It was a glimmer of hope that arose when the leader first heard about the sudden emergence of a special building on the grassland that once belonged to their tribe.
After Nian Gongga and his team returned from the base to the tribe, the leader predicted that this base was probably their last hope for survival.
“At present, the space inside the base walls is still quite large, enough for you to build houses, but the specifications of the houses will still have to comply with the standards set by our engineers for the sake of unified planning,” Han Ya broke the somber atmosphere.
Le Ni nodded without needing to consult with their leader. As the leader previously stated, there is only one leader within the base, a young man named Xiao Wen. They must comply with all of the base’s requirements, and he was appointed by the leader as the middleman to convey the thoughts and opinions of both sides.
“We may need your help with materials. After all, we can’t build houses solely with the soil of the grasslands, but we’ll make up for it with extra labor,” requested Le Ni.
Han Ya was taken aback and looked at Le Ni with some amusement.
“As we discussed earlier, after you join, everything will be done according to the rules of the base. Likewise, you will receive the same treatment as everyone else in the base. We will provide basic living conditions, and we will prepare all the materials you need to build houses. However, you will be the main force in construction, and we will provide assistance. The same applies to survival supplies. The elderly, children, and those who are unable to work will also enjoy our welfare policy. Since we have agreed to have you join us, you will be regarded as part of us, regardless of ethnicity or order of arrival.”
This time, it was Le Ni’s turn to be stunned. Han Ya had introduced him to all the details of the base before, but he didn’t expect that they would really treat their tribe as equals with the people already in the base. After all, their joining was, in a sense, a form of dependence. For those who depend on others, differential treatment is normal.
Seeing Le Ni’s incredulous look, Wen Le suddenly laughed.
“Your efforts in the conference room earlier were not because you thought we would differentiate between your tribe and the base’s original policies, were they?!”
Le Ni nodded.
Xiao Wen frowned. “Didn’t Han Ya make it clear before? After joining, you have to follow the rules and regulations of the base, and your treatment is the same as that of the original members.”
Le Ni turned to Xiao Wen, suddenly stood up, and bowed deeply to him.
Le Ni’s gesture instantly quieted the environment. The Tibetans, who were already uneasy, became even more timid.
They knew that their tribe had to rely on this force called “base” because of environmental and food issues. Therefore, since entering, they have been afraid of angering the people here and have been cautious in their words and deeds. The weather outside has already made them unbearable, and food is about to run out. If they are driven out, there may be no possibility of survival.
The former leader of the Aqi tribe had to speak up to break the unusual silence.
After Xiao Wen expressed his concerns, Le Ni turned to him and stood up. He bowed deeply to Xiao Wen, causing the entire atmosphere to suddenly quiet down, making the already anxious Tibetans even more timid.
They knew that their tribe had to rely on the power of this force called the “base” because of environmental and food issues. So from the beginning of their entry, they were afraid of angering the people here and were cautious in both their words and actions. The weather outside was already unbearable for them, and food was about to run out. If they were driven out, they would have no chance of survival.
The former leader of the Aqi tribe had to speak up and break the unusual silence. After Le Ni stood up straight, he did not lower his voice and seemed to be explaining to the old leader, but also let everyone else hear it clearly.
“The leader here said that we will work and receive the same treatment as them, with no difference or dependence. We are all members of the Apocalypse Base. As for accommodation, we will receive their guidance and materials to build comfortable houses like here. Our elders and children will also have the same guarantee of survival as theirs, even if they cannot work.” Le Ni spoke in Tibetan, and although Xiao Wen and his group were confused, they could see the sudden joy and gratitude in the faces of the originally timid Tibetans, which made it easy to guess Le Ni’s meaning.
Then Le Ni said something to everyone and saw all the people of the Aqi tribe stand up and bow in the direction of Xiao Wen and his group, saying the same thing in unison.
Le Ni smiled and explained, “My people say that from now on, we are members of the Apocalypse Base, and this is our home.”
Wen Le stood up with Xiao Wen and Han Ya and accepted their gratitude with a smile. Perhaps their integration would still require some time to adapt, but as long as everyone’s goals were the same, their future was shared.
“I have one hope that goes beyond all the rules, I hope you can accept it.” Han Ya, who should have been happy, suddenly smiled bitterly. He looked at Leni and said, “Our language needs to be unified!”
As he spoke, Han Ya laughed first, and Le Ni laughed heartily as well.
“Indeed, communication is very inconvenient without a common language. I will try to teach them some common Chinese first, and it would be best if you also learn some simple Tibetan. Our tribe has little contact with the outside world, so the need for Chinese is not great. However, some tribes have frequent contact with the Han people, so most of them can speak Chinese fluently.” With the formal understanding that their joining would not be treated differently, Le Ni spoke more freely.
After listening to Le Ni’s words, Wen Le nodded. The nomadic tribe they encountered when they entered Tibet could communicate fluently in Chinese, probably because their grassland area was close to the Central Plains and near the highway into Tibet, providing them with many opportunities to interact with the Han people, leading to their proficiency in Chinese.
After Le Ni sat back in his seat, the atmosphere at the table gradually became lively. Although they could not speak each other’s language, direct communication between young people does not necessarily rely solely on language. After putting aside their anxieties, the young people on both sides began their first communication using gestures and body language.
The leaders of both sides sat down in the conference room again after dinner. Compared with the previous misunderstandings, both sides felt that it was necessary to sit down and communicate properly. At the very least, they cannot continue speaking past each other without being on the same wavelength.
Wen Le was still thinking about telling Xiao Wen about his and Han Ya’s plan when they returned at night, but Han Ya directly presented their plan during the meeting.
“With your joining us, I think there should be many nomadic tribes on the grassland facing the same threat of survival as you did before. We hope to establish contact with them and provide assistance, whether it is for joining us or exchanging for survival resources. In the apocalypse, surviving people are not easy to come by. Previously, we experienced the threat of zombies all the way, and compared to the Central Plains, this place can be called a paradise. So, we do not want anyone to helplessly wait for death in such a relatively safe environment. There are already enough people who have died in the apocalypse!” Finally clarifying the issue of shared living in the base in the future, Han Ya sighed.
Compared to Lin Yan and Wen Le’s silent contempt for Han Ya’s pity for others, Le Ni and others who had less contact with them were deeply moved by the sadness and helplessness in Han Ya’s tone, almost with tears in their eyes.
Of course, after a while, when they thought back to Han Ya’s performance, even Le Ni and others who were relatively simple-minded were full of contempt, but that’s another story.
“Yes, we have sent people to familiar tribes before to gather information. Only a few of the grazing tribes far from the towns were able to exchange for relatively more supplies before the end of the world. Most tribes have already been in dire straits. At that time, we were struggling to survive ourselves and our ability to help them was very limited. If the base can really accommodate them, I don’t think anyone can refuse. In this situation now, it’s just too difficult to survive.” Le Ni’s tone was low, recalling the scene of him and his team searching for other tribes for help after the sudden mutation of animals. His originally optimistic mood after joining the base also became depressed.
Compared to their tribes, which could be considered large or medium-sized before the end of the world, the days of those people in small tribes were unimaginably difficult.
Han Ya’s originally shrewd gaze was also cast with a shadow. Perhaps his recruitment had a purpose, but beyond that purpose, he couldn’t sit idly by and watch people who had barely survived in the end of the world struggle to survive.
They wanted to expand the base, and those people needed to survive. The two sides goals would eventually converge on one line.
“Can you still find them now? The human casualties during the apocalypse were already very severe. Regardless of race, we are all Chinese people. Even if they are not from the same country, we should help each other during this time. After all, we are all human,” Han Ya’s expression was different from his deliberate display of sadness earlier. This time, he truly felt pain.
Le Ni quickly nodded, “I may not be able to find the tribes that are too far from our tribe, but I have a rough idea of where the familiar tribes are at this time. The possibility of finding them is also very high.”
“Then let’s act quickly. If we delay even a day, someone might face death,” Xiao Wen knocked on the table and made a decision.
The others also nodded in agreement.
There was no time to waste. That evening, Han Ya arranged for vehicles and personnel to leave the tribe with Le Ni. This time, ten people, four trucks, and a jeep were dispatched.
Six of the ten people were young people from the original Aqi tribe, including Le Ni, who was responsible for negotiations. As the next leader of the Aqi tribe, Le Ni’s feasibility in other tribes was much higher, and he could better persuade the other side to accept their help.
Lin Yan, along with Yi Lan, Chen Ye, and Jin Zi, accompanied the group. Wen Le directly took out enough food to feed a thousand people for a month and had Yi Lan store it in his space. Yi Lan already had a considerable amount of emergency medicine stored in his space, but this time, Wen Le added some more to be extra safe. They prepared everything they could think of, and only after dawn did they leave the gates of the base.
Watching the departing convoy, Wen Le had a premonition that they would once again be immersed in non-stop construction in the days to come.
But even then, as before, everyone would work happily even if they were tired!
Thanks for the update!! 🤗🤗
Thanks for the chapter!