Chapter 208: It Got Bigger Again
Lu Zhifeng said with a somber look, "We have to put up a net."
"That’s right! We have to put up a net!"
But a regular net would be completely useless.
And all they had were fishing nets!
The seed bank, however, had a batch of security grating. They could move it over, weld it onto frames, and enclose the Icebreaker and its entrance.
That would add another layer of security.
With the zombies not yet here, every second was precious.
But then another problem arose: they had already sealed up the snow wall.
If they had to break it open, all their previous work would be for nothing.
Niu Niu spoke up with a reminder. "Dad, we can ask Little Chun! Little Chun and the others should be able to bring the security grating in."
Everyone’s eyes lit up. Of course, they could get Little Chun and its companions to help.
Jiang Si had even planned to have them carry away the Snow Monkeys in one go.
Wouldn’t carrying some security grating be even easier?
But Little Chun typically only listened to Jiang Si. They weren’t sure if they could convince the Vulture to let them ride it and follow their commands.
Besides, none of them had ever ridden a Vulture before!
Willing to give it a shot, Jiang Linhai went to the Icebreaker at first light to negotiate with Little Chun.
If he could just persuade Little Chun, then Xiao Xia, Xiaoqiu, and Xiaodong would surely follow suit.
To that end, Jiang Linhai had even brought a Golden Bull ham, Little Chun’s favorite treat.
It was a whole, massive leg, supposedly worth tens of thousands.
Even Jiang Si didn’t have much of it left in her personal space.
Previously, they would only shave off a tiny bit for the Vultures to eat when they were young.
Little Chun and the other Vultures had the intelligence of a five or six-year-old child, perhaps even higher.
Having grown up around Jiang Si’s group, they understood human customs and the rules of survival. They also knew that good behavior earned them food.
Although they had always been closest to Jiang Si, their attitude toward everyone else was still quite friendly.
This was especially true for Jiang Linhai and Shen Baoying, who were close to Jiang Si; they were like a doting grandpa and grandma to the Vultures.
Seeing Jiang Linhai holding the delicious treat, Little Chun’s eyes lit up. It ran over, its footsteps thudding heavily, and opened its great beak, signaling for Jiang Linhai to hurry up and feed it.
Jiang Linhai stroked its head and said in a cajoling tone, "How about you help us out? Eat this one, and Grandpa will give you another!"
As the most intelligent of the flock, Little Chun’s eyes darted thoughtfully for a moment before it nodded in agreement.
True to his word, Jiang Linhai first carved up the Golden Bull ham and distributed it among the Vultures. Only then did he tentatively climb onto Little Chun’s back and say, "We’re going to bring back some materials."
The seed bank was nearby; it was actually just a very short flight.
Jiang Linhai clung desperately to Little Chun’s neck, squeezing it so tight that the Vulture grew uncomfortable. Little Chun couldn’t help but speed up, which terrified Jiang Linhai so much he nearly fell out of the sky.
Once the security grating was brought back from the seed bank, everyone quickly got to work, thoroughly enclosing the entire Icebreaker and the entrance to the cave hotel.
While they were fortifying their defenses against the coming zombies, Zhang Aihua, having gained the power to control vines, was also doing his best to improve everyone’s living conditions within the limits of his energy.
He manipulated the vines to reinforce the snow wall with thorns and wove a giant net across the cave entrance to stop any zombies from getting in.
But for the safety of his own wife and son, after discovering a smaller cave located above their own, Zhang Aihua immediately used his vines to move all of their food and supplies up into it.
Seeing Zhang Aihua’s family move out on their own, the others remaining in the main cave grew frantic. They wanted to move in with them, but the upper cave was just too small.
Now that Zhang Aihua had such an ability, he certainly wasn’t going to let Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen live in hardship.
The others could only watch with dismay as Zhang Aihua used his vines to lift Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen up into the new cave.
The cave was only ten-odd square meters, but it had several small openings that let in sunlight.
Song Yufang and Zhang Yiwen began to set up their new home. Zhang Yiwen brought back some lumber and used his tools to build a sturdy door for the entrance. For extra security, he also installed window bars he had salvaged from the courtyard of a campsite.
To ensure they had enough water, Zhang Aihua designed a snow-melting apparatus; as long as it snowed, they would have a plentiful supply.
They were still relatively well-stocked with food, enough to last for several months. Their supply consisted mainly of sea fish they had stored up, along with grains they had brought back from the outdoor campsite.
But who knew what further hardships lay ahead.
Their grain stores were still too low.
Zhang Aihua then used his vines to bring some soil into the cave, preparing to grow radishes, chives, and cabbage indoors.
If they truly ran out of food, they didn’t need to be too afraid; the rhizomes of the vines were edible, like small radishes.
They also grew quite fast, producing a large bunch every two or three days. This reassured him, if only a little.
Now, all they could do was wait and see if the zombies would actually find their way to them.
Jiang Si woke up on the afternoon of the second day.
The entire time, Qin Shen had stayed by her side without eating or drinking.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw a much more haggard-looking Qin Shen. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her fiercely. "You’re finally awake."
’The last time, Qin Shen was unconscious even longer than I was,’ she recalled. ’I was just as anxious then.’
An intense wave of emotion washed over her, and Jiang Si responded in kind, pulling him into a kiss.
After their breathing returned to normal, Jiang Si eagerly checked her own body.
After absorbing another Superpower Stone, she found no changes in her body. The Superpower Stone within her had only grown larger, its colors more brilliant and dazzling.
Her personal space hadn’t expanded either. This was strange; in the past, absorbing energy or Superpower Stones always resulted in some kind of change, however minor.
Jiang Si was shocked. ’Did I suffer all that for nothing this time?!’
’That would be such a waste.’
’Wait a minute,’ she suddenly thought. ’I have another ability—the Barrier.’
She looked at Qin Shen. A thought crossed her mind, and—WHOOSH!—Qin Shen was flung away from her like a cannonball, slamming hard against the wall. Thankfully, she had restrained the force. If she hadn’t, he might have gone straight through it.
Qin Shen was a little dazed, apparently unsure of what had just happened.
But he quickly grew alert, worried that there was some other danger.
But Jiang Si just said excitedly, "Shen, try to walk forward!"
The moment Qin Shen took a step, he ran into a highly elastic, invisible wall.
It was just like when Jiang Si had first manifested her Barrier, only this time, its area seemed to have expanded!
Seeing her theory confirmed, Jiang Si exclaimed, "My Barrier has expanded by five meters!"
Five meters! That meant that when danger struck unexpectedly, she could shield everyone within its new, much larger volume.
’Then they wouldn’t have to leave this place.’
’She herself *was* an incredibly safe Barrier!’
’If the Space Barrier could keep expanding, they could even build a sanctuary in the middle of the apocalypse!’
A smile spread across Qin Shen’s face. "Excellent!"
Jiang Si then asked Qin Shen to grab an axe and test the Barrier’s strength, to see if he could chop it open.