Page (1/3)

1. Purified water

Before dawn, Lin Shuang got up.

The kerosene lamp in the workshop had its last bit of light, dimly reflecting the figure sleeping in the corner.She didn't dare to turn on the light or wake anyone up - everyone was so tired that they slept in bed, reinforced the walls, cleaned the factory, and went out to search. Even the youngest Doudou learned to help Zhou Xiulan collect firewood.

She put the crossbow on her back and picked up the iron bucket that was dug out from the tool room. The rim of the bucket was still stained with rust that had not been scraped off.She remembered that there was a hardware store one kilometer southeast of the factory, and she had glimpsed the signboard from a distance during her last patrol.You have to walk through a residential building that has collapsed in half, and you have to walk through a dry drainage canal - the bottom of the canal is full of broken glass and discarded steel bars, so you have to be extra careful.

The morning in the wasteland is bone-chillingly cold.There is a thin layer of hoarfrost floating in the air. It is not fog, but is the condensation of radiation dust when it meets the cold. It is spread on the broken bricks and withered grass, like a layer of gray-white ashes, making a rustling sound when stepped on.Lin Shuang pulled down the sleeve of his sweatshirt to cover the bandage on his left arm - the wound on his left arm was covered with a thin layer of scab, which became tight every morning. Every movement was like a fine needle pricking into the flesh, and the scab pulled at the new granulation.

She didn’t walk fast, but she didn’t dare to stop.Su Lin muttered at the medical station for several days, her tone full of urgency: "In the wasteland, dirty water is more poisonous than bullets. The last settlement in Qingquan Town drank water from the ditch. Five of them fell down in one day, and they couldn't even stand." People can survive seven days of hunger, but not three days of thirst. This is the most basic rule of survival in the wasteland, and Lin Shuang knows it better than anyone.

The hardware store was in better condition than expected. Half of the roof collapsed, and the four words "Hardware and Building Materials" on the sign were mostly buried in dust, leaving only the two vague outlines of "Hardware."Lin Shuang climbed in through the broken window. Glass shards scratched the soles of her shoes. She didn't pay attention and turned on the flashlight to scan around.

The shelves were overturned, and wrenches and screwdrivers were scattered all over the floor. Some were so rusted that they could not be turned, while others were still usable.She found her target in the innermost corner - a three-meter-long plastic pipe with thick walls that was not crushed and a diameter of three centimeters, enough to hold water.There was also a twenty-five-liter iron bucket. The barrel was dented in several places. She tapped the bottom with her fingers. There was no leak, but the rust on the edge was a bit prickly.

She rolled up the plastic tube and stuffed it into her backpack. She held the iron bucket in her hand and rummaged through it again. She took out a roll of raw material tape, a tube of crumpled PVC glue, and a small bag of stainless steel connectors - all necessary things for a water purifier, and nothing is missing.When stuffing it into her backpack, the handle of the tin bucket hit her left arm. She frowned in pain and bit her lower lip without making a sound.

On the way back, she deliberately took a detour to see the low-lying land that the system said could be cultivated.It was already dawn, and gray-white light shone on about five acres of lowland land. The ground was dark brown, with a few clumps of grey-green moss growing here and there - this was a rare living thing in the wasteland. Most of the places where moss can grow, the soil was not seriously polluted.

Lin Shuang squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil with his fingertips, crushed it and put it under his nose to smell it.There is no pungent smell of chemicals that is common in wastelands, only a moist earthy smell with a bit of humus and sourness.She rubbed the soil between her fingers. The grains were fine, neither sandy nor sticky. It was the most suitable loam for growing vegetables.

“System, sweep the soil again.”

"Scanning. The soil pH value is 6.7, the organic matter content is 2.3%, and the heavy metal and radiation values are below the safety threshold, making it suitable for crop cultivation. Recommended varieties: cold-resistant lettuce, Chinese cabbage, and potatoes. The seeds can be exchanged through survival points."

Lin Shuang wiped the dirt off his hands and stood up.We need to work hard on farming, but not today.Right now, the most important thing is to build a water purifier so that everyone can drink clean water.

When we returned to the factory, everyone was awake.Su Lin changed Zhao Xiaohe's dressing at the medical station. Zhao Xiaohe was sitting on a broken chair. His right shoulder was still fixed to his chest with a bandage and he could only use his left hand to perform simple movements.Su Lin was changing the medicine on her face. The burn blisters had deflated and formed a layer of yellow-brown scabs with some redness on the edges, which was a sign of healing.

Zhang Xiaomei, Wang Fang and Qian Xiaohong were working outside the fence. The wind last night knocked down two sets of sound alarms. They were re-fixing them with wires. They dug several shallow pits outside the fence, inserted sharpened sticks at the bottom of the pits, and then covered them with dead branches and loose soil - both for hunting and to prevent outsiders from breaking in.Zhang Xiaomei's right knee was still hurting from the old injury. She had to hold on to the wall when squatting down, but she still worked smoothly without saying a word of tiredness.

Zhou Xiulan built a simple stove in a corner of the factory building, with an iron pot on it, and rice soup so thin that a human figure could be seen was boiling in the pot.There was not much rice in stock, and the fourteen people could only get a small bowl each day. While stirring the pot, she looked at the door from time to time. When she saw Lin Shuang coming back, she immediately went to greet him: "Back? Breakfast is almost ready. I'll be waiting for you."

Lin Shuang shook her head and handed the iron bucket and plastic pipe to Su Lin: "We have all the materials. Let's make the water purifier today."

Su Lin paused for a moment and looked up at her, with a bit of surprise and worry in her eyes: "According to the drawing, a single unit can process ten liters per day? Is it enough for fourteen of us?"

"Let's make one first to ensure drinking and medical water." Lin Shuang found a piece of scrap paper and scribbled it out based on the drawings she had memorized in her mind. Every component and every process was clearly marked - this was a skill she developed when she was studying engineering drawing in the army. She thought it was useless at first, but now it is of great use in the wasteland. "When it is stable, we can expand the capacity of the second one to meet the needs of cooking and cleaning."

Su Lin came over to take a look. Although she didn’t understand engineering, she had done similar filtration operations in her chemistry experiment class, and she could understand it at a glance: “I’ll help you. Activated carbon, right? Burnt wood, grind it into particles, put it in a container and filter it.”

Lin Shuang nodded, and the two immediately split up.There is no unnecessary nonsense, only mutual understanding - in the wasteland, every minute and every second cannot be wasted.

2. Water purifier

Lin Shuang washed the tin bucket three times, first using muddy water from the well to wash away the rust and dust on the surface, then disinfecting it with the iodophor solution prepared by Su Lin, and finally rinsing it with clean water to make sure there was no residue.She found an electric drill, drilled a small hole in the bottom of the barrel, installed a stainless steel joint, wrapped it with raw material tape more than ten times, and tightened it.I found another piece of rubber, cut it into a gasket, put it between the joint and the barrel wall, and tightened the nut - I didn't dare to be sloppy at all. If it leaked, all the previous efforts would have been in vain.

This is the first stage of the water purifier, the sedimentation tank.Pour the water in from the mouth of the bucket and let it sit for an hour to let the large particles of sediment and impurities sink to the bottom of the bucket. Then open the valve at the bottom of the bucket and let the clean water flow into the second-stage filter pool along the plastic pipe.

The filter tank was modified using a plastic storage box brought back from Qingquan Town.Su Lin was busy all morning and visited three ruins before collecting two kilograms of thoroughly burned carbonized wood. After returning, she smashed and ground it finely, then used a sieve to sift out uniform particles, and carefully spread them in the storage box - washed gravel at the bottom, sifted coarse sand in the middle, and activated carbon at the top.

"This should be able to filter out suspended solids and most bacteria." Su Lin wiped the sweat from her forehead, her hands stained with dark brown charcoal powder, "But it still won't kill the virus, it must be boiled."

Lin Shuang nodded, poured the filtered water into the iron pot, put it on the stove and boiled it.The flames licked the bottom of the pot, and the sound of gurgling was particularly clear in the empty factory. Everyone stopped what they were doing and quietly gathered around, their eyes full of anticipation.

After the water boiled for five minutes, Lin Shuang turned off the fire and let it cool down naturally.Su Lin took out the last few pieces of pH test paper and measured the pH. It was neutral.I added a few more drops of iodine solution, but there was no precipitation - no heavy metals.The water is clear, has no peculiar smell, has been boiled and is ready to drink.

Zhou Xiulan was the first to come over and took half of the jar in an enamel jar. She held it up to her eyes and looked at it again and again. It was crystal clear and there was no impurity at all.She took a small sip, held it in her mouth, and swallowed it after a few seconds. Her eyes suddenly turned red: "It's sweet, just like the tap water at home before the war, without any strange smell."

Doudou stood on tiptoes, pulled the corner of Zhou Xiulan's clothes, and whispered: "Grandma, I want to drink too." Zhou Xiulan poured a small half of the jar for her. Doudou held it in both hands as if holding a rare treasure, and drank in small sips. After drinking, she licked the jar clean, not even letting go of the water droplets on the edge of the jar.

Zhang Xiaomei came over and took a big sip. After drinking, she breathed a long sigh of relief. She reached out and touched the outer wall of the tin bucket, her fingertips felt warm: "In the future, I will never have to drink that muddy and stinky water again."

Zhao Xiaohe walked over slowly and also had a drink.Her body was still very weak, her steps were sluggish, and the burn scabs on her face had not yet fallen off. Her right shoulder was immobilized and she could not use force. She only used her left hand to hold the tank throughout the process.Her eyes were always staring at the iron bucket, with complex emotions in her eyes, including happiness, grievance, and a trace of unnoticeable desire.

"What's wrong?" Lin Shuang noticed something was wrong with her and asked softly.

Zhao Xiaohe lowered his head, his voice a little hoarse: "My sister... In the mining area, the water they gave us to drink was water brought directly from the river. It was so muddy that you could see the sand, and there was a smell. Many people drank it and had diarrhea, dehydration, and thin bones. Some of them never got up again."

Lin Shuang was silent for a few seconds, then reached out and patted her shoulder gently - she was not good at saying words of comfort, so she could only use the most practical promise: "When your sister is rescued, you can drink clean water. There is enough water here."

Zhao Xiaohe bit her lip and nodded vigorously, not daring to raise her head - she was afraid that others would see that she was crying again.In the wasteland, tears were the most useless thing, but when she thought of her sister, she couldn't help it.

3. Food crisis

On the night after the water purifier was completed, Lin Shuang called everyone together and announced bad news - the rations would be reduced by another quarter.

It’s not that she is stingy, it’s that the inventory has really bottomed out.Su Lin took a piece of scrap paper and made a list one by one. The handwriting was sloppy but neat, and she remembered every item clearly:

Rice: about fifteen pounds; flour: about eight pounds; compressed biscuits: twelve pieces; canned food: luncheon meat × 4, braised pork × 2, fruit × 1; salt: half a bag; sugar: half a can.

Fourteen people, according to the minimum calorie ration, about 600 calories per person per day, a bowl of gruel and half a compressed biscuit.People who do manual labor can't hold on, but for now this is all they can do.These stocks can last up to six days.Six hundred calories, to put it bluntly, is the bottom line for maintaining vital signs. It is not enough for people who do physical work, but for now, they can only carry it like this.

"The collection team goes out every day and can find fewer and fewer wild vegetables." Su Lin handed the list to Lin Shuang, her tone full of anxiety, "The edible plants around the factory were all picked in three days. Going further away will take more time and be more dangerous. The same goes for the hunting team. They have returned empty-handed in the past few days, and they have rarely caught even a mutant rat."

Lin Shuang folded the list and stuffed it into his pocket. He rubbed the rough edge of the paper with his fingertips and thought quickly in his mind: "Starting tomorrow, I will lead the team to hunt. Zhang Xiaomei, you continue to lead the collection team to a place three kilometers away, and pay attention to safety. Wang Fang, Li Cuihua, you two are responsible for growing vegetables in the factory area."

"Growing vegetables?" Su Lin was stunned for a moment and asked subconsciously, "Where did the seeds come from? In the wasteland, even grass can't grow well. Can you grow vegetables?"

"System exchange." Lin Shuang said very calmly, without explaining too much, "There are forty survival points in the system, which I have saved for a few days. A pack of basic seeds is enough to plant half an acre of land." She did not say that these survival points were saved bit by bit by her killing more than a dozen mutated creatures and gathering Zhao Xiaohe and the others. Every bit was filled with danger.

Su Lin stared at her for a few seconds and did not ask any more questions - she knew that LinShuang has her own secrets. As long as she can keep everyone alive, those secrets are not important.

"Once the seeds are planted, the first batch can be harvested in at least twenty days." Lin Shuang added, "We have to rely on gathering and hunting to survive these twenty days."

That night, after everyone was asleep, Lin Shuang quietly exchanged the seed packet.The system's prompt sounded in my mind. It was very soft and would not wake anyone up: "Ding. Redeem the basic seed package and consume 40 survival points. Obtain: cold-resistant lettuce seeds (100 seeds), fast-growing cabbage seeds (200 seeds), cold-resistant coriander seeds (50 seeds). Current survival points: 0."

The seeds came in a foil bag, vacuum sealed, with the year 2034 printed on the label.Aluminum foil is protected from light and moisture, and the storage conditions are limited. Sixteen years later, the germination rate is still estimated to be 20% to 30%, which is enough to take a gamble. Page (1/3)