Dalao, Drink Your Porridge

Near the most prosperous university town in Q City's Harbor District.

A black torrent composed of zombies was sweeping a certain creature towards the east of the city.

In the middle of the horde, a zombie of enormous size, a full 3 meters tall, walked with an unrestrained gait.

On its shoulder sat a small zombie with a large head, two small red tentacles growing from its head.

They were scarlet and grotesque, as if two large hemorrhoids had grown from its head.

Wherever its tentacles turned, the surrounding zombies would move in that direction.

The zombie torrent grew larger and larger.

Shen Jin brought the middle-aged couple back to the settlement, and the system task progress updated to:

[Settlement Residents: 31/30, Residence Time: 0/7]

As long as he waited 7 days, he could unlock the advanced features of the Industrial Mod.

With the Pulverizer and Ore Washer, Shen Jin could start his mining plan.

The resources collected from the port alone were not enough for him to complete a full industrial revolution.

The mineral resources needed for late-stage high-tech equipment production were massive.

Not to mention building a fortress impervious to all poisons in the apocalypse.

He could build a villa made entirely of alloy materials and explosion-proof glass that zombies couldn't even gnaw through.

"Cough, cough... I got carried away. Today, I need to arrange the people in the settlement. They definitely can't starve, but I can't lose money either."

Shen Jin suddenly remembered the various raw materials and seeds he had collected before.

"I've got it!"

Beside the iron gate, Shen Jin quickly built a large matchbox.

He placed a bundle of 64 cubic meters of cotton, taken from "Xuan" Room 7, inside.

Then he placed a pile of wooden boards, wooden sticks, canvas, and other items on the open ground.

"Yang Ao, time to work!"

Shen Jin and Yang Ao, clad in sheet metal armor, stood before the 31 survivors.

Yang Ao ignored Li Jie, who was posing seductively for him. "I said yesterday, if you come here, you'll get food as long as you work!"

"Now, there are several jobs that need you to do. Those who can do them can get steamed buns and rice gruel!"

The crowd whispered, many not intending to work.

"Who do they think they are? Trying to fool us into risking our lives with a few steamed buns and rice gruel?"

"Why aren't the government officials here yet? Why aren't they managing things? Next, they'll be setting up their own laws!"

"If so many of us resist together, those two won't be able to defeat us."

The crowd, having shaken off their surprise from yesterday and slept well, had grown bolder. They had forgotten that the two had killed over 60 zombies.

A portion of them always felt: "That's nothing, I could do it too."

However, most people felt there was nothing wrong with the conditions the two proposed. Weren't they working for others before?

In the apocalypse, what was wrong with working for food?

It was very reasonable!

It was even too humane.

Li Jie and Su Lele in the crowd exchanged glances. They had already started 'working' last night.

Yang Ao continued to shout, "Those who don't want to work, retreat into the house. Those who want to work can stay and listen to the arrangements."

Six people chose to withdraw, five men and one woman.

Especially the middle-aged couple who were forcibly rescued today; the steamed buns held no appeal for them. They had eaten them for three months.

If it were rice, they might consider it.

"Very good. Does anyone here have experience with greenhouse farming?"

A crowd of urban white-collar workers looked at each other. What would they, a bunch of real estate people, know about that?

Unexpectedly, The balding Old Wang stepped forward. "My family used to grow things in greenhouses when I was a child."

Old Wang was from a poor family and had done all sorts of farm work as a child. As he grew up, he worked his way up to the city.

In middle age, he finally reached the position of Vice President at Wanyu Group.

Because he had been poor since childhood, he was particularly fond of saving money.

He was usually stingy with his spending, but when opportunities arose, he would greedily stuff his pockets.

He was purely a person who worked hard and saved money, yet he ended up raising two scoundrel sons who lived at home freeloading.

Shen Jin was surprised for a moment, not expecting the "vampire" Old Wang to have such a skill.

"Alright! Then you'll be the leader of the 'Greenhouse' team. Pick 9 people to go over to that open space and build a 200-square-meter greenhouse."

Old Wang wasn't stupid. He didn't pick any of the white-collar women; instead, he chose the men from the company who were usually the most hardworking and least complaining.

Since he was going to do it, he definitely wanted to achieve results.

"Okay, who knows how to make quilts and clothes?"

A bunch of female white-collar workers instantly felt a pang of pain. They all worked hard in the big city, and making a meal was difficult for them. Quilts and clothes were things they bought ready-made from stores or online.

What era was this? Did people still know how to make quilts?

The young Mrs. Zhao Hong timidly raised her hand, "I did it back in my hometown."

"Then you'll be the leader of the 'Tailor' team. Lead all the women in making winter cotton quilts and clothes."

"Okay."

Zhao Hong looked at Yang Ao with a fearful gaze. She still remembered Li Jie and Su Lele being taken away last night.

Although nothing much happened to them, and they even returned looking quite satisfied, Yang Ao held the power of life and death over these people. If she didn't do a good job, wouldn't she also be taken away?

"The remaining 6 people will form the 'Patrol' team. They'll be responsible for guarding the perimeter wall. If there are any abnormal situations, report them immediately. Old Wang, give them the walkie-talkies!"

Zhao Hong's husband was assigned to the 'Patrol' team. He looked at the cool breeze blowing outside and wanted to transfer to the 'Tailor' team, but Yang Ao directly refused him.

"Now, everyone who needs to work, follow me over here to eat. Each person gets one steamed bun and a bowl of porridge."

"Oh, right. The steamed buns and porridge haven't been made yet. You women come and cook first."

Shen Jin didn't have the time to cook for them himself!

He would cook for himself.

This way, with Shen Jin assigning the work, these people wouldn't have been kept for 7 days for nothing.

They could set up a vegetable greenhouse to grow fresh vegetables and process the cotton into practical cotton quilts and clothes.

These were all tasks his Blockify Ability couldn't accomplish.

These materials had also been piled up in the warehouse, just waiting for the day they would suddenly become useful.

The joy of a hoarder is when the inexplicably saved items from a long time ago suddenly come in handy.

On the other side, the people who had finished steaming the buns and porridge sat by the entrance of the large matchbox filled with cotton, squatting down to eat.

Su Lele's boyfriend, Liu Dalao, was also assigned to the 'Patrol' team. He came over while eating and looked at Su Lele suspiciously.

"Why do you look cleaner? Did you wash your face?"

A flicker of panic crossed Su Lele's face. "Um... I washed up a little."

She hadn't been able to stay at Shen Jin's place last night. After performing for him, he let her go.

As she left, he gave her two packs of compressed biscuits and told her not to mention who she saw inside.

As for that JK uniform, the meticulous Su Lele put it away and changed back into her dirty clothes.

"Where did the water come from? You could even wash your face?" Liu Dalao felt something was off.

"Those people gave us some water yesterday, so a few of us washed up. Don't believe me? Look at Li Jie."

Liu Dalao looked at Li Jie's fair and radiant face. "Heh, you guys were really lucky. These people didn't get us any water."

"I don't know what the Transcendants are thinking. Never mind that, Dalao, drink your porridge quickly..."