Even though the couplet was less than perfectly formed, the festive words that had a slight tinge of playfulness still had Su Mo’s heart pounding silently as he stood under the arch.
All good banquets had to come to an end.
No one wanted to leave, and no one wanted to bid farewell either. Su Mo knew that this was because the villagers did not want to make today and tomorrow’s atmosphere too sad.
They wanted to let themselves go without worry and make their penultimate night in the basin area a little happier.
As for the villagers’ regards…
Su Mo received it!
“Greetings, Chief!”
Seeing the two militia members standing under the arch salute as they greeted him with frantic enthusiasm, Su Mo smiled and nodded.
Stepping through the arch, Su Mo walked steadily upward as the militia members watched him in admiration.
The hill that usually required a four-to-five-minute walk to the top seemed to take much longer as Su Mo walked slowly along the path, as if wanting to forever etch this scene into his mind.
He touched the rough walls that were excavated and measured every large platform that had been hewn open with his feet.
Su Mo felt a sense of relief seeing these subtle changes.
Everything was gradually getting better and developing in a healthy direction. Since migrating here, it seemed that everyone had been rushing forward under the pressure of the general trend.
But when it was carefully looked at and pondered upon…
Everyone’s unwillingness to compromise on their destiny under the threat of the natural disasters was evident!
“Brother Su, you’re here. The villagers are in position and the venue is ready too. Shall we?”
Iron Rock Mountain’s overall shape was that of a cone. Although there was a platform on it that Su Mo had specially formed during its creation process, it was still a little too small to accommodate hundreds of people.
Hence today’s venue was arranged on a dedicated platform that was excavated halfway up the rear of Iron Rock Mountain.
On normal days, it could be used as a training ground or as a place to hold village meetings.
When there was war, it could be converted into a sniper platform to prevent the possibility of a “flanking assault” from enemies.
“Alright, let’s go!”
“Oh, right, get someone to drive Earth Tiger up. I parked it at the foot of the mountain. There are weapons in the trunk that I want to leave with the village. Get someone trustworthy!”
He patted Chen Shen on the shoulder. Seeing how he was still unable to hide the trace of parting sadness on face, Su Mo smiled and strode forward.
No one wanted to bring along any negative emotions today.
In the same way, Su Mo was also willing to put all his emotions aside and show his best self to the villagers and these subordinates who were waiting for him on this “Solitary Hill”!
Down the mountain path and following the lanterns, the descent this time was much faster.
Soon after, as he turned a corner, the view in front of him lit up.
Two lanterns hung high like the sun, lighting up the platform below.
All the villagers sat in rows using their handmade small wooden folding stools. Although there were some whispers circulating, it made this place feel less cold and added character to it on this cloudless night in the wasteland.
In the civilized world, Su Mo was the standard loner and a “drifter” in the big city.
In a big city like Mystic City, like any other ordinary people, Su Mo rejected all pointless social interactions and spent most of his time locked up in his room or doing things he enjoyed according to his own plans.
However, after going through a month of true “loneliness” after arriving at the wasteland, Su Mo loved being “popular”.
At the very least, when he saw the 145 people in Hope Village all sitting here and waiting for him, the smile on his face got wider.
There was a stage erected about one meter above the platform in front of all the villagers. The “carpet” on the stage was the same red cloth that hung on the handrails during Hope One’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
There was a row of handmade tables and chairs on the stage.
Su Mo saw an identity tag with his name on it at the center of the table.
“That’s right. Though Hope Village is now rich, I hope that this wealth is used for everyone to live a plentiful life and isn’t splurged on fancy things…”
“…the treasure chest rewards will eventually run out one day. Each of these modern items that can be obtained are precious, so don’t waste them.”
Chen Shen, who was at the side, nodded immediately. “Yes, Brother Su, I understand. Don’t worry about it!”
Su Mo did not like extravagance. Not only did Chen Shen know this, but everyone within the shelter’s leadership team knew this too.
However, at the same time, they also knew that Su Mo was not a pedantic person.
Just like the lightbulb strips that were gradually accumulated from the trading market today, Su Mo would not have opinions on them but would instead be very happy.
He looked at Pei Shao, Hong Kangcheng, Chen Yi, Qi Qin, who were waiting on the right side of the stage, and then at the crowd that had gathered in front, which was beginning to quiet down for his sake. Su Mo took a deep breath, stepped forward, and walked toward the stage along the designated path.
Step by step, Su Mo walked very steadily.
Everyone’s gazes, including that of the leadership team, remained glued to him.
Of course, everyone dared not look directly at Su Mo’s face this time, or make eye contact with him, but this did not prevent them from focusing on his steps.
At this moment, looking at the red festive stage before him, memories of the civilized era in Su Mo’s mind began to blur together with the scene in the wasteland in front of him.
Unlike his sister, Su Chan, Su Mo had spent the first eighteen years of his life living in the ancient capital, Chang’an, before entering university.
Here, apart from occasionally winning awards for “My Presidential Dad” and receiving the “Excellent All-rounder Student” certificate on stage, Su Mo had very few chances to step on the red carpet.
Most of the time, including during his university graduation ceremony, Su Mo would sit in the auditorium like any other ordinary person and watch the outstanding students come on stage to express themselves.
But today…
As the real “star of the night”, he stepped onto the stage unrestrained and sat in the centermost seat. Su Mo saw expressions brimming with expectations, tension, and anxiety on the villagers’ faces below.
If this had happened back then, Su Mo would have chosen to remove the stage immediately and try to be on the same level as the villagers so that they did not have to look up at him.
On Earth, all human beings were created equal and human rights were prioritized above all else.
In the wasteland, he was unwilling to “obviously” run a dictatorship, and was even less willing to convey the message that their life and death were within his grasp.
Now, however…
After realizing that only by displaying such a tough posture would the villagers be rest assured, Su Mo “changed”.
As Su Mo sat down, the rest of the leadership team also began taking the stage in an orderly manner. They sat evenly on Su Mo’s right and left sides, and the atmosphere at the assembly suddenly felt heavier.
“Today is Month 2 Day 22 of the Doomsday Wasteland Calendar, I am honored to be here to announce that…”
“Hope Village’s second general assembly has officially begun!”
As Chen Shen’s voice fell, loud applause began to erupt from the audience, and it could be heard that the villagers’ hearts were not calm.
“Today is the 53rd day since we humans arrived on the wasteland from Earth, from Huaxia, from every corner of every city…”
“…I know that each of you may have had different identities in the past, including chefs, white-collar employees, workers, and students, but I believe that everyone should have accepted their new identity now…”
“…as a part of Hope Village, at this moment, I invite all of you to applaud yourselves again; applaud the shelter and applaud your Chief!”
Clap, clap, clap…
There was another round of applause, but this time it was much louder than before, as all the villagers’ emotions were roused by Chen Shen’s words.
“Now let us invite our supplies and resources supervisor, Hong Kangcheng, to give us his periodic report!”
Today, with everyone in the leadership team having honed their skills and abilities, the once extremely naive man, Hong Kangcheng, had transformed so greatly that he was undeterred when picking up a microphone.
Although he took out a piece of white paper on which his speech text was written compared to other people’s unwritten speeches, no one thought it was strange considering those were supply reports.
“Hello, everyone, I’m Hong Kangcheng. I’m happy to be here with all of you today, and with our Chief, to provide a periodic report…”
“…I believe that through the changes in our daily lives, everyone can also feel the changes that our supply reserves have undergone during these two months!”
“Yes, from the beginning when we were eating tree barks, digging up roots, eating soil, to what we have now, as we eat big, white steamed buns, small, pickled vegetables, and some meat from time to time. This is the result of all of us working hard with our bare hands and the fruit of our sweat and tears. It is a brilliant achievement made possible under the leadership of our Chief…”
“…let me first talk about what everyone is most concerned about, which is our number one expenditure among all the necessities—food. After our miraculous operation one day ago, the supplies we stockpiled now are enough to last us three years and seven months for all 145 people here on this wasteland…!”
As soon as Hong Kangcheng spoke those words, there was dead silence at first, but then there was an uproar.
Sitting in their seats, many people were trembling with excitement and could not contain themselves.
More people even felt weak at their knees and fell from their stools on the spot, making the entire scene somewhat chaotic.
This scene was as if you had worked hard earning a living, but your father suddenly called you over and said, “Son, we’ve made a fortune and earned 50 million bucks”.
Considering the need to build a base and purchase other things to continue improving their level of strength, these materials were not actually enough to last that long. Instead, one and a half years should be a more accurate estimate.
However, at this moment, it did not affect the “excitement” that arose from the bottom of their hearts!
Then, on other aspects of the supplies and resources, Hong Kangcheng gave a detailed briefing not only to the villagers, but also to Su Mo who was sitting at the center listening.
With the help of a script, Hong Kangcheng spoke for a whole ten minutes. After he stopped, Chen Shen handed the microphone to Qi Qin to report on the training of the militia.
Hope Village currently had a total of 18 official militia members and 22 reserve members.
The official militia members did not need to do regular work every day; only needing to guard Iron Rock Mountain and regularly patrol the area to detect and weed out any possible dangers near the basin area.
The reserve militia members were given a day of rest weekly, during which they were trained, groomed, and given combat drills.
Of course, these reserve militia members not only did not complain about having to use their own rest time to train, but were even rather enthusiastic.
No one understood the importance of power in the doomsday wasteland better than them.
And no one knew better than them how hard such opportunities would be to come by.
In terms of weapons, Hope Village now had a total of four handguns, 80 rounds of ammunition, 50 sharp standard iron spears, 30 standard machetes, five standard crossbows, and several self-made traps.
Although it was incomparable to those of the larger shelters, it was not a problem for them to fight a battle against less than 200 foreign races if they wanted to!
As for the disaster resistance facilities that all the villagers were most concerned about, they were neither concealed nor hidden after Hope Village had reaped its fortune.
As long as the three-level safehouse on the top of the mountain was fitted with the absorbent gum and quickly erected tomorrow, with everyone hiding in their own caves, and relying on the four thick drainage pipes, they could face the rainstorm without being in danger!
After speaking on the disaster resistance facilities, Qi Qin ended his remarks. The rest of the leadership team then took the microphone one by one under Chen Shen’s coordination.
The systematic order of reporting covered every aspect of Hope Village’s operations, leaving no details unreported.
Listening to the reports of these people, Su Mo was just like any other ordinary villager as he sat in the middle. At times he frowned, and at times he smiled.
However, over the past twenty or so days, compared to the days of Candlelight Village, Hope Village’s current overall strength level had increased by at least a hundred times!
Seeing that everyone had finished their speeches, the villagers below turned somewhat noisy with whispers again.
Before Chen Shen could introduce him, Su Mo immediately took over the microphone, indicating with his hands in the air as the audience quietened down again.
“I believe everyone is tired after listening to those reports for more than an hour, right? You guys may have even covered what I, the Chief, had to say!”
Su Mo was in a decent mood. The villagers below and the leadership team next to him were relieved, and they laughed together.
“Since everyone’s speaking skills managed to reach new heights, I won’t try to make a fool of myself. Bring the stuff up!”
Speeches were only useful when they were not strong enough and needed to stir up public sentiment using one’s words.
Su Mo knew that the excitement threshold of the villagers had been brought to a very high level by the previous leadership team members who spoke before him.
However, looking at the five militia members waiting in the shadows behind the stage, who already had their sleeves rolled up and were ready for the task, Su Mo was very confident about bringing everyone’s emotions to even greater heights.
As his voice fell, the militia members began to take their places and, as they waved their hands in the air, steel weapons exuding cold light began to appear on the stage.
Twenty Type-80 machine guns were lumped together like a pyramid, with their muzzles aimed at all the villagers.
Thirty M-1 Rifles and sixty K-1 handguns, like the toy figures in a small shop in Yiwu, were placed directly on the ground.
Boxes after boxes of bullets appeared in neat rows, making the stage creak under their weight.
Two uninflated lifeboats were placed on top of the bullet boxes, attracting everyone’s undivided attention.
As if there was some sort of magical power at work, the noise that was heard from before gradually faded away, and was replaced by the slight whine of the cool evening breeze of the wasteland.
Everyone held their breaths and looked at the steel weapons on stage that symbolized “death” and “rebirth”.
Although it had been long known that Su Mo would leave weapons behind for the defense of the village, and they were willing to wait with hope and anticipation before the dust settled, their hearts were still inevitably anxious.
Now, the promise had been fulfilled in a much more outstanding way than they thought!
“These things will be left behind with the village after I leave. As for the condition for using them, there is only one…”
“…unhappy? Fight. Dissatisfied? Fight. Don’t surrender, just fight…”
“Whoever dares to violate our interests, and whoever dares to provoke our position, I hope you will use these weapons to teach them who’s the f*cking boss!”
His vulgar language and lack of elaborate rhetoric caused an uproar.
Seeing how the people below were about to get fired up again, Su Mo once again indicated for them to quiet down.
“I hereby announce that, starting from the early hours of this morning, everyone will be released from their production work and will spend their first long holiday on this wasteland before I return to pick everyone up again…”
“…during this time, apart from the necessary security operations, I have only one request for you…”
“Learn!”
“Learn how to improve your combat skills and strengthen yourselves. Learn how to develop and improve the level of technology we have. Learn how to restore the glory of us human beings from Earth on this wasteland, and how to better develop our shelters in this wasteland…”
“I hope that when I come back to pick you all up, I will see a brand-new Hope Village and an evolved version of everyone!”
After announcing this, Su Mo stood up suddenly and walked straight to the side of the stage, and headed down.
He did not want to sit there and enjoy the cheering.
He wanted to give these villagers a space to release their inner excitement.
Behind him, apart from Chen Shen who reacted in time and followed behind him quickly, everyone else sat motionless in their seats, absorbing the waves of information that Su Mo had just bombarded them with.
He walked all the way to the top of the mountain.
When Su Mo finally returned to where he had been, the platform used for meetings finally began to burst into cheers of jubilation.
…
“I can sleep in tomorrow!”
“Ho ho.”
“I can finally spend some time renovating my cave tomorrow!”
“Tomorrow morning I’ll pay out-of-pocket and get myself some brand-new bedding…”
“Hehe, I realized that there are many different types of plants in the wasteland. I’m going to try to learn pharmaceutics!”
“Well, in that case, I’m gonna give it a go too! I’ve always wanted to analyze why these equipment items have magical attributes since the beginning!”
“Thank you, Chief…!”
“Almighty Su is awesome…!”
“…”
