Reborn in the Post-Apocalyptic World: Building Infrastructure

After about an hour, the sound of a car could be heard from outside.

"Sister Su Ling, it's me," came Geng Hao's voice from outside.

Su Ling opened the door, and a small figure immediately rushed in.

"Aunt Su, why did you leave me?" little Gu Kai Xuan opened his small hands and hugged Su Ling's thigh.

Seeing the child looking up with those round, innocent eyes, Su Ling felt a pang of sadness and reached out to pick up Gu Kai Xuan.

"Aunt Su didn't leave you, Kai Xuan. Aunt Su just found you some new friends," Su Ling reassured him.

Without hesitation, Guan Yuxin stepped forward and pinched the child's chubby cheeks. "Whose child is this? So adorable."

Su Ling smoothed his tousled hair and said, "He's Mr. Sheng's nephew."

Professor Bai also stood up. "Little Kai Xuan, do you still recognize Grandpa?"

Gu Kai Xuan blinked his big, shiny eyes and looked for a moment before exclaiming happily, "You're Grandpa Bai!"

Professor Bai immediately laughed and took Gu Kai Xuan into his arms. "You little rascal, your memory is quite good."

Meanwhile, Sheng Hongye also got out of the car, his mouth already showing a faint stubble.

"I found a suitable place to stay. I'll take you all there in groups," he announced.

Geng Hao quickly added, "This place is guaranteed to be safe from zombie attacks. We can rest assured there."

Professor Bai had complete trust in Sheng Hongye and nodded. "Alright, let the ladies go first."

Guan Yuxin smiled and said, "We're not in a hurry. Professor Bai, you take Han Qiang and Chen Yu over first."

Han Qiang chimed in, "I'm in no rush either. Sister Guan, Sister Su, you two go with Professor Bai."

Seeing everyone hesitating, Sheng Hongye frowned. "We need to be quick. It's almost dark, and we don't know what the zombies will become after the second mutation. We must hurry to the safe location. Don't be modest. In Lizhou, we don't need traffic rules anymore. Let's all go together."

Guan Yuxin was surprised, and her mouth dropped open. "All together? Can this car fit everyone?"

"It can," Sheng Hongye replied calmly. "Geng Hao will drive, Professor Bai sits in the front passenger seat, holding Kai Xuan. The three of us men will sit in the back, and you two ladies can sit on our laps. Hurry, we don't have much time."

Guan Yuxin stood there, blushing bright red.

Su Ling had never seen a famous writer blush before.

In her impression, Guan Yuxin was a person who was open to anything and especially skilled at telling risqué jokes. It was unexpected to discover this shy side of her.

However, time was running out, and the sun was about to set. Su Ling had to make a quick decision.

"Alright, let's go with this plan. Get in the car."

Guan Yuxin immediately tugged at her. "Su Ling, are you sure about this?"

Su Ling teased, "With a great writer like you, who has written about everything, what can't you handle?"

Guan Yuxin gave her a disdainful look. "You medical professionals are more straightforward and rough than us. Fine, let's get in the car then."

Geng Hao had already started loading bags of rice and canned goods. Chen Yu and Han Qiang also rushed to help. Five minutes later, everyone was in the car.

Although Su Ling had already developed a sense of indifference towards gender distinctions and was unfazed by honor or disgrace, she still felt a bit awkward once she got in the car.

With no other choice, she closed her eyes and scooted towards the outer side where Chen Yu was seated. However, she suddenly felt a tightening around her waist as she was embraced by Sheng Hongye, who was sitting in the middle.

Su Ling's body stiffened, and she grabbed onto the seat of the driver's side. On the other side, Guan Yuxin got in the car as well and could only sit on Han Qiang's lap.

Her face turned red, but she jokingly said, "Sister is quite heavy. Be careful, Han Qiang, don't break your little legs."

Han Qiang chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, despite my slim appearance, I'm actually quite strong."

Chen Yu suddenly burst into laughter. "Sister Guan, your remark..."

"Hmm?"

Guan Yuxin didn't seem to understand, and Chen Yu immediately said, "Never mind, just drive."

As the car started moving, Guan Yuxin also realized what she had unintentionally implied.

"Oh, I didn't mean it that way."

It's fine if she doesn't say anything, but now that it was brought up, Su Ling felt even more embarrassed, wishing she could just dig a hole and hide.

This bastard, Xiao Chen, why would he bring this up at a time like this? ¹Referring to the sexual joke. Little leg can sometimes be used as a slang term to indirectly refer to a man's genitalia. In certain contexts, it might be used humorously or suggestively to allude to that meaning.

Su Ling pretended not to understand, holding tightly onto the back of Geng Hao's seat.

Behind her, Sheng Hongye hooked the corner of his mouth. As the last ray of sunlight fell, they arrived at a courtyard.

The structure of the courtyard was somewhat similar to the base they had lived in at Lizhou, with a decent-sized yard. However, unlike the previous place, this one had fewer rooms, only about seven or eight in total. The eastern side had collapsed, revealing the steel structure inside, while the western side was still relatively intact.

The smaller area was advantageous for Su Ling. If they were to stay here, the reinforcement process should be much easier.

However, the air now carried the scent of tea because she had already spotted Su Rou and Li Xueying.

"I'm planning to turn this place into a long-term base. You should stay here and not wander around," Sheng Hongye said.

Following Su Ling out of the car, he whispered in her ear, "The base needs you and Kai Xuan needs you too."

Su Ling remained silent, regret already creeping in.

"Su Ling."

Sheng Hongye's voice grew even deeper. "Are you even listening to me?"

Seeing Guan Yuxin looking their way, Su Ling quickly responded, "Yes, I heard you."

"That's good."

Sheng Hongye opened the trunk to unload the bags of rice.

Guan Yuxin leaned over, curious. "What did he say to you?"

"He said he wants to turn this into a long-term base and we'll all build it together."

Guan Yuxin clearly didn't believe her and rolled her eyes. "Does he need to say that so quietly?"

Su Ling rolled her eyes back. "There's nothing I can do if you don't believe me."

While the two were talking, Sheng Hongye had finished handling the rice and canned goods.

He said to the others, "Let's go inside."

Geng Hao immediately helped Professor Bai and supported him. Professor Bai trembled as he looked up and found the building oddly familiar. He couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Ye, is this your house?"

Sheng Hongye stretched his somewhat stiff limbs and smiled. "I bought it more than ten years ago. I thought it would be completely destroyed but luckily, half of it remained."

Professor Bai couldn't help but sigh. "Old houses are indeed sturdy. Most of the houses in Lizhou have collapsed. It's really not easy for this one to have survived in such good condition."

Everyone agreed with a few words of affirmation and followed Sheng Hongye into the house.

On the first floor, there was a small meeting hall.

Sheng Hongye took the lead and entered first.

"Now that everyone agrees to live here together, let's have a meeting. You can all share your thoughts," he said.

Professor Bai immediately supported the idea. "Exactly, without rules, there can be no harmony."

Su Ling also nodded. With so many people, some form of order was indeed necessary.

Everyone found their seats and Li Xueying and Su Rou also hesitantly walked in.

Seeing Su Ling, Li Xueying snorted coldly and sat beside Su Rou.

As everyone settled down, Sheng Hongye lifted his narrow eyes, displaying his domineering president demeanor to the fullest.

He extended his slender middle finger and tapped the table twice, saying calmly, "Let's first elect a leader using a rotating voting system."

 

Notes:

[1] Referring to the sexual joke. Little leg can sometimes be used as a slang term to indirectly refer to a man's genitalia. In certain contexts, it might be used humorously or suggestively to allude to that meaning.