Cave Refuge

Therefore, regarding building the camp as a long-term investment, Madeline was doing it for the first time, which made her quite anxious, compounded by consecutive unexpected incidents, making her somewhat hesitant.

When Madeline asked about it, and Dong Tianyu didn't know how to answer, he simply used Sword Control to ascend into the sky and inspect the current situation in other areas of the camp.

Perhaps due to the stealthy attack by the water snakes, even after the water had receded, the majority of survivors staying on the Companion Spiritual Treasure had not immediately left; instead, they were very vigilant about the surroundings of the Companion Spiritual Treasure.

After all, once bitten by a snake, one fears the well rope for ten years—an experience-based saying. And unlike before the natural disaster, where venomous snakes were rarely encountered in the human activity areas, after the disaster, even the most inconspicuous bugs might pose a deadly threat to humans.

Perhaps because the survivors in the camp were very cautious and did not leave the Companion Spiritual Treasure, they were not attacked by those small black snakes that had previously hidden in the water.

Flying in the sky, Dong Tianyu spotted a few members of the Guard Squad who had ventured out of the villa area to check the camp's situation, noticing that they progressed very slowly, being extremely vigilant and checking the surroundings with every step.

In the air, Dong Tianyu utilized Spiritual Sense Scanning over the land; fortunately, those small snakes did not have the ability to hide from his Spiritual Sense, and unlike the giant fish species outside the camp, they didn't possess the ability to burrow.

However, although these small snakes did not have the capability to move freely underground, they possessed abilities similar to earthworms to burrow holes. After the water receded, most of the black snakes didn't stay on the surface but burrowed deep into the ground.

Moreover, Dong Tianyu was surprised to discover that the snakes that burrowed underground seemed to be entering hibernation, curling up motionless beneath the earth.

If the black snakes were still frequently active, Dong Tianyu might have thought about dealing with them for safety reasons. But now, seeing them motionless and seemingly hibernating, he lost interest in them.

Although the black snakes could awaken at any moment if left unattended, when Madeline questioned him earlier, although he didn't answer directly, Dong Tianyu had already decided internally at the moment the question was posed.

This camp would only be viable if built exceptionally well; otherwise, the ultimate result for this camp was abandonment.

Having this thought, Dong Tianyu had already resolved not to stay long in this camp, so he didn't bother dealing with the black snakes that had burrowed underground into a dormant state.

The reason Dong Tianyu felt that even well-operated, the camp could not escape eventual abandonment, was simple—the camp had too many able-bodied laborers.

In fact, at this time, having more able-bodied laborers in the camp meant it was more likely to easily weather various crises.

However, in the long run, a higher ratio of able-bodied laborers meant fewer women and children in the camp. Although everyone could practice martial arts, gaining longer life expectancy and prolonged periods of peak physical condition,

even if in peak physical condition with extended life expectancy, having no children in the camp meant no future; and with a higher number of men than women, unless women were treated purely as childbearing machines, the population of the camp would inevitably dwindle over time.

The initial construction of the camp had already set this tone, as most of the people living there then came from Madeline's original fleet crew.

After the Water Base sank, when Madeline formed the fleet, she naturally recruited primarily young, strong individuals. While a few families were also recruited occasionally, the number of women was extremely scarce.

Compared to the gender imbalance of the camp, the conditions at the two new towns built by the officials were much better. Although there was still a higher ratio of men to women, the difference wasn't as significant.

The main reason being that the larger the family, the higher the trust in the officials. After all, following every decision made by the officials since the natural disaster struck, a lifeline had been provided for the vast majority of the civilians.

Furthermore, the officials were encouraging reproduction and even brought out a very generous subsidy policy for those who had multiple children, leading some women, whether to secure a life of plenty or to avoid various labor demands, ultimately chose to continually bear new life.

Even if they were not highly skilled in martial arts, becoming martial artists enhanced their physical health significantly. Although the ancients said childbirth was akin to walking through the gates of death each time, even though childbirth conditions were much cruder now than before the disaster, the risks had decreased substantially.

Though Dong Tianyu had anticipated this situation, he also knew clearly what joining the official side would entail. Because he understood this, he treated this camp as merely a temporary residence.