Chapter 22
Chapter 22
“If that’s the case, couldn’t we make some alarms too?” Ji Feifan pointed toward the vast lake in front of the villa. “We could string up some ropes and attach cans that would make noise.”
Qingshui snapped back to her senses and nodded in agreement.
After discussing the details of fortifying the villa, the two turned and headed inside. Qingshui quietly studied the man beside her, privately impressed by his composure.
Aside from the Dorm Leader, Ji Feifan was the only one who had managed to recover from his panic so quickly. He was certainly no ordinary person.
Ji Feifan had come to a similar conclusion about her.
Everyone reconvened in the living room on the first floor.
Li Wei’an and Lin Hao laid out the weapons they had found. Even Zhou Shaocheng was surprised by their variety and quantity.
By contrast, the list of supplies An Xiaolin and Fang Shuyao had found was pitifully short.
Zhou Shaocheng and Chen Yuhui reported that a few sections of the perimeter wall were slightly loose, but they had found no major security risks.
Qingshui briefly explained the situation with the trail on the hill behind the villa and the locations they had identified for traps.
As she listened to the reports and looked over the weapons and lists spread before her, Qingshui rapidly pieced all the information together in her mind.
“Good,” she said. “That’s the first step done.”
“Next,” she continued, sweeping her gaze over everyone, “before we run out of food, we need to start setting traps around the perimeter. We also need to draw up a detailed watch schedule.”
“And that’s not all. We need to learn the layouts of every nearby house and map out the surrounding routes.”
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks. They hadn’t expected Qingshui to turn her attention beyond the villa so soon.
Zhou Shaocheng swallowed, his voice dry. “Scout the area? Didn’t you say those lunatics wouldn’t be able to make it up here anytime soon?”
“Do we really need to go to all that trouble?”
They all looked somewhat lost. They had assumed that once they found a remote, secure place to stay, they could simply wait for instructions from the government.
Qingshui could tell what they were thinking. In a low voice, she said, “Forget whether the government will ever issue any instructions. Given how insane those lunatics are, how many people do you think will still be alive in a few months? No, even one month?”
“Once there’s no one left for them to torture or toy with as they please, what do you think they’ll do?”
Ji Feifan gave a cold laugh. “They’ll search for more people like mad. They’ll stop at nothing to find them.”
“Exactly. And our food won’t last long either. Those lunatics never operate alone. If they find us, death will be the least of our worries.”
Everyone went pale. They had clearly realized that Qingshui made a compelling point.
“No matter how long we stay here, even if it’s only a few days, our first priority should be planning escape routes.”
“We need to know how far away the nearest villa is. Aside from the main road we took to get here, we need to find out whether there are any other, more concealed exits or paths, and which direction will give us the best chance of survival if we have to evacuate.”
Her gaze passed over their faces, taking in their varied expressions.
“I’m not saying we rush outside right now. These are things we need to accomplish gradually over the next few days while we fortify this place.”
Lin Hao murmured, “If only we had… a drone…”
An Xiaolin and Fang Shuyao exchanged a glance. “I think… there is one.”
Lin Hao froze, then exclaimed, “There really is one?!”
“It was in a sitting room on the third floor,” An Xiaolin recalled. “Sitting on top of a cabinet, I think? We were in a hurry to find food, so we didn’t take it down.”
“I’ll go get it right now!” Lin Hao hurried upstairs.
Qingshui continued, “As for setting the traps, we can start assigning teams now.”
“Mr. Zhou and Ms. Fang.”
“Ji Feifan and An Xiaolin.”
“Li Wei’an and Lin Hao.”
“Chen Yuhui and me.”
“Two people per team, with two-hour shifts.”
Qingshui assigned Ji Feifan, Li Wei’an, and herself to different groups, ensuring that each group had at least one person who could hold their own in a fight.
Since Zhou Shaocheng and Fang Shuyao had a child to look after, they were assigned to the relatively easy daytime shifts.
“For now, Mr. Zhou and Ms. Fang can keep watch from the roof. You can zoom in with your phone cameras and use them as makeshift binoculars.” Qingshui turned to the others. “Lin Hao and Li Wei’an will use the drone to survey the surrounding area.”
“Everyone else, come with me. We’ll dig pits and set traps.”
Zhou Shaocheng and Fang Shuyao exchanged a glance, then nodded. They still had no idea what was going on, so all they could do was follow the girl’s lead and see how things unfolded.
Lin Hao and Li Wei’an took the drone and a crossbow, then turned and left.
Qingshui picked up one of the shovels Li Wei’an and the others had gathered and headed outside. An Xiaolin grabbed a coil of thick hemp rope and several empty tin cans.
Without a word, Qingshui drove the tip of her shovel into the dirt, stepped down hard, and turned over the first shovelful of soil.
An Xiaolin remained silent as well. She chose a spot near the front gate and began tying up ropes. Chen Yuhui and Ji Feifan each took a shovel and started digging.
Digging pits was grueling work. Shovelful after shovelful of dirt was thrown aside, gradually forming small mounds.
Sweat soon soaked through everyone’s backs. Once An Xiaolin finished rigging the tripwire alarms in one area, she came over to help and took the shovel from Chen Yuhui.
Two hours later, Zhou Shaocheng and Fang Shuyao came to relieve them. The entire afternoon passed as everyone silently took turns digging.
Qingshui cleared away the stones they unearthed and sharpened the wooden stakes they had collected, preparing to plant them once the pits were deep enough.
Up on the third floor, Lin Hao and Li Wei’an quietly discussed how to make their map clearer and more detailed.
Three days passed as everyone worked tirelessly to fortify the villa.
Three days later, they gathered around the coffee table in the living room and studied the items spread across it. Among them was a detailed sketch of Cuihu Mountain Resort and the surrounding terrain, drawn by Lin Hao and Li Wei’an using aerial footage from the drone.
Beside it were densely packed notes recording their observations of each villa, including the state of its doors and windows and whether there were any signs of activity.
Lin Hao pointed to several villas at the foot and summit of the mountain. “My junior and I discovered that there are people in these villas. Quite a few, actually.”
“We looked them up online and found that the owners apparently rent them out. They’re something like… guesthouses?”
Ji Feifan raised an eyebrow. “Looks like we’ll have to be careful. For all we know, they’ve already set their sights on us.”
His words might have sounded cold-blooded, but no one objected. Everyone reacted differently, while An Xiaolin brought up another problem.
“We’re running out of food.”
“I know.” Qingshui looked around at the group. “We need to head to the residential area down the mountain. There should be a convenience store there.”
“Five people, divided into two teams. One team will search for food, while the other drives around to draw the lunatics’ attention. Any volunteers?”
After a brief silence, Li Wei’an raised her hand. “I’ll go.”
“Count me in,” Ji Feifan said.
Zhou Shaocheng gently squeezed his wife’s shoulder. Under her worried gaze, he spoke up as well. “I’ll go too.”
After some thought, Chen Yuhui decided to join them. She understood all too well that if she wanted to survive in this world, she couldn’t simply sit around and wait for death. This would also be a chance to gain some experience.
She looked at Qingshui. “Count me…”
Before she could finish, An Xiaolin interrupted her. “I’ll go.”
Chen Yuhui froze and looked at An Xiaolin. The other woman had her head lowered, her fists clenched tight.
It seemed An Xiaolin was thinking the same thing she was.
In the end, Chen Yuhui gave way. “Then I’ll stay here.”
And with that, the members of the expedition were decided.
“We move tonight.”