Lynn's Foundation

Night had fallen.

The zoo base's high walls separated it from the wilderness, and several campfires and emergency lights illuminated the interior.

The exhausted people were settling in.

Muffled groans and Min-seon's voice came from the medical station. She had been busy all day and had managed to treat everyone's wounds.

Davis led patrols along the walls.

In the distance, Zhao Jinghong walked beneath the wall in the southeast corner, dressed in indigo, the dark spear in her hand occasionally catching the light.

Inside the command center, an emergency lamp shone on Lynn, casting his shadow onto the map-covered wall.

He stood alone before the large zoo map, his finger tracing the marked functional areas as he thought.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by two knocks.

"Come in," Lynn said without turning.

The door opened, and Old Joey came in, covered in grease and dust.

He closed the door and stood a few steps behind Lynn.

"Boss, the newcomers have all been settled in.

The wounded are being treated at the medical station, and everyone else has a place to stay.

Shane and Merle are in the communal dormitory. They haven't caused trouble. Daryl is keeping watch in a corner.

Hershel's family is in a partitioned section of the warehouse, Carol and her daughter are in the cabin, and Rick's family is in the animal enclosure beside the medical station."

Old Joey's voice was low and hoarse. "The initial inventory is done. The gasoline, canned food, medicine, and tools we brought back have been logged and stored.

Davis has arranged defensive shifts at the entrance.

Miss Zhao is familiarizing herself with the perimeter. She said there's freshly turned earth at the foot of the southeast wall, as though something recently tried to dig its way in and failed. The traces are very fresh."

"Mm."

Lynn acknowledged him and turned to look at Old Joey's tired, focused face.

"Thanks for your hard work, Old Joey. Sit."

Old Joey pulled over an old chair and sat down, keeping his back straight.

"I followed the plan you left before you went. It took almost twice as long as expected, but there weren't any major problems."

Lynn walked behind the desk and sat down, leaning forward with his hands clasped on the desktop. "Give me the details. The base's population, supplies, construction, and the situation around us."

"Yes."

Old Joey cleared his throat and reported:

"Population." He held out his rough fingers. "When you left, the base had me, three old buddies, and Radio Wave, whom you left here. Six able-bodied people in total.

Over the past half month, scattered survivors have found their way here.

Following your rules, we quarantined them for three days. Only after confirming they weren't injured or sick, were clean, and behaved themselves did we let them in.

We took in four groups, nine people.

Three men and six women. Ordinary people who escaped from nearby towns. They're terrified, but they're hardworking.

Including the eleven core members you brought back, Hershel's family of three, and Carol and her daughter, the base now has a total population of thirty-one.

Those who can fight with guns include Davis, Miss Zhao, me, Radio Wave, two strong young men among the newcomers, plus Glenn, T-Dog, Andrea, Shane, Daryl, and Merle, whom you brought back. Around fifteen in total.

The others are either too old (Dale), too young (Carl and Sophia), or in poor condition (Hershel, Carol, and Beth). They're no use for now."

Thirty-one people. It was starting to amount to something.

Lynn noted the number.

"As for supplies!" Old Joey continued. "Food: the canned goods and compressed biscuits stored before you left, rationed carefully, together with the fast-growing vegetables we planted afterward and what we brought back this time, should feed everyone for about twenty days.

We're out of fresh meat. We're getting by on smoked dried fish and the luncheon meat we brought back this time.

Water isn't a problem. We treat the artificial lake's water with the purification tablets and filters you left. There's enough.

Fuel: we have three and a half barrels of diesel left. Counting what we brought back this time, there's enough gasoline for all the vehicles to travel three or four hundred kilometers. If we're careful with the generator's fuel consumption, it can last over half a month.

Medicine is our weak point. According to Doctor Min-seon's list, we're almost out of antibiotics. We're short on painkillers and disinfectant too. We still have usable bandages and gauze.

The medical kits we brought back this time help, but they're not enough."

Food was tight, and medicine was urgently needed. Lynn frowned slightly.

"Construction and defenses," Old Joey said. "Following the plan you left, we raised the walls at the northwest corner and along the southern side by half a meter, and filled three weak points with wrecked cars and concrete.

All the wire fencing has been tightened, and we added barbs.

The entrance winch and gate bolt have been serviced.

We added a rain shelter and sandbags to the observation post atop the lookout tower (the water tower). The view is better.

The Jackal has stayed up there the whole time. He hasn't left.

Inside, we cleaned out two large animal enclosures near the entrance, laid down wooden boards and dry grass, and converted them into communal dormitories. They can house over twenty people.

The medical station (the small-animal hospital) has been expanded, with a sterile area partitioned off.

The warehouse (the feed storehouse) has been divided into sections with shelving. Things are easier to find now.

The tool shed has been tidied up, and the tools put in their places.

Also, following your drawings, we leveled a patch of ground by the artificial lake and planted some things with seeds we found. They've just sprouted. We don't know whether it'll work."

The reinforced defenses put Lynn somewhat at ease.

The experimental field was an unexpected gain.

"Good," Lynn said. "Any activity nearby? Has anyone come?"

Old Joey's expression grew grave. "Yes! This area isn't peaceful."

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "About ten days ago, thick smoke rose from the abandoned logistics warehouse complex five kilometers east. It looked like a fire. It burned for nearly half a day.

The next day, our patrol found fresh tire tracks beside the state highway to the southwest. They didn't look like a sedan's. More like modified pickups or SUVs. The tracks were deep, and there was more than one vehicle.

There were spent casings too, 9mm and .223. Fresh ones."

Lynn's gaze sharpened.

"Our people didn't approach to investigate. Following your orders, we pulled back our defenses and only cleared the area within one kilometer of the base."

Old Joey continued, "But three days ago, while Davis was leading people to clear walkers outside the western wall, they spotted figures moving at the edge of the woods in the distance. Three or four of them, carrying weapons and pointing toward us.

Our people fired a warning shot, and they withdrew into the woods. Judging by their clothes, they didn't look like good people."

Raiders or another group. This was a threat.

"Do we know which group? Did they have any identifying marks?" Lynn asked in a low voice.

Old Joey shook his head. "Too far away to see clearly. One of the brothers on patrol said one seemed to be wearing a jacket with a white spray-painted design on the back. The design was blurry. He couldn't make it out.

They looked very wary, and vicious too."

An unknown threat. Lynn tapped his fingers on the desktop.

"Also," Old Joey added, his tone growing heavier, "something's wrong with the walkers deep in the woods to the north.

They used to wander around in scattered groups. These past few days, especially at night, the roars have become more frequent. It's as though something is luring or driving them toward us.

Their numbers... I'm afraid there are quite a few."

The unusual walker activity was even more dangerous.

The command center fell silent.

The emergency lamp buzzed, its light illuminating the two men's shadows as they swayed with the firelight.

The wind outside seemed to pick up a little.

Lynn digested the information: thirty-one people, twenty days of food, a shortage of medicine, reinforced defenses, raiders lurking out of sight, and a gathering horde of walkers.

The pressure was immense.

But his gaze remained calm. The apocalypse always brought immense pressure, and scarce resources forced him to keep finding solutions.

He rose, walked to the window, and pushed it open a crack. The campfires outside were reflected in his eyes.

"Understood." Lynn's voice was calm and firm. "You've done very well, Old Joey. The base has kept going and developed thanks to you. Go get some rest. There's still plenty to do tomorrow."

"Yes, Boss." Old Joey rose and left.

Lynn stood alone at the window, looking at the base in the night.

The medical station's lights were on. Davis stood like a statue on the wall. In the distance, Zhao Jinghong's spear-carrying figure moved beneath the wall as she patrolled.

Three thousand two hundred Survival Points and one team creation permission were in the system space.

He had resources, the personnel had undergone initial integration, and the threats were clear.

It was time to make this zoo base stronger.

He needed a plan to address food, medicine, defenses, threats, and personnel.

Tomorrow morning's general meeting would be the beginning.

The night grew darker.