Cave Refuge

Seeing this, Mr. Thompson knew that Zachary wouldn't take the initiative to explain, so he had no choice but to personally explain the reasons to Mrs. Thompson. After hearing Mr. Thompson's explanation, Mrs. Thompson was indeed somewhat displeased.

However, she had never used crystal salt made from snake skin as a cooking ingredient, and in her storage space, she still had plenty of food supplies. So, even though she was not too happy about Mr. Thompson's reminder, she did not retort and was stubborn about wanting to continue picking up snake skins on the streets.

Seeing Mrs. Thompson's unhappy expression, Mr. Thompson tried to change the subject and directly said, "Zachary, since the crisis in the camp has been resolved, why don't we leave now and head to the cities that the Imperial Court is refurbishing, as announced."

Upon hearing Mr. Thompson's suggestion, Mrs. Thompson's attention was indeed successfully diverted. She had had enough of staying in the frightening camp.

Mrs. Thompson's thoughts had always been different from those of Mr. Thompson, who was increasingly yearning for power, and Zachary, who had always stayed outside the cities. From the beginning to the end, Mrs. Thompson's thoughts, much like those of the majority of ordinary survivors, had no grandiose ideas of expanding territories and restoring the splendor of Chinese civilization, but simply wished to survive safely during the natural disaster.

In fact, Mrs. Thompson's thoughts had always been the most genuine feelings inside the hearts of the majority of ordinary survivors in China. Just like those who harbored lofty aspirations for China's rise before the natural disaster, they did not constitute a large portion of the population in reality.

The truest desires of the vast majority of ordinary people were simply to satisfy their basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

The previous dwellings chosen by the Thompson Family were mostly camps managed by officials. Even the Saxon County Camp that they had established ended up gradually coming under the control of the Imperial Court. Therefore, in Mrs. Thompson's view, a camp built by the Imperial Court represented a long-term stable life.

Although the safety and stability of the camps administered by the Imperial Court could not always be maintained amid various natural disasters, compared to those small privately established camps, in terms of safety, planning, and talent reserves, there was a huge difference from those established by the Imperial Court.

Just like the names of the two places, the privately established ones were generally small camps with fewer people, while those constructed under the supervision of the Imperial Court were inevitably bases that could accommodate a large population.

There was only a one-word difference in the names, yet there was a world of difference between the two, akin to heaven and earth. When the Imperial Court initially sent out recruitment messages via everyone's communicators, Mrs. Thompson, upon seeing the information, suggested that the family of three head there directly.

However, upon hearing that Ye Liuyun was planning to set up a personal camp in the wilderness, during Master Ye's visit to their home, it came up in conversation that they had successfully developed the expandable Saxon County Camp.

Though the camp had ultimately fallen under the control of the Imperial Court, the success of Saxon County Camp had indeed stimulated Mr. Thompson. For that reason, when Master Ye mentioned that with their previous building experience, they planned to establish a settlement surpassing Saxon County Camp, Mr. Thompson was moved.

Perhaps it was because of practicing the Cultivating Immortality Method, just a few words revitalized Mr. Thompson— who, before the natural disaster, should have been at retirement age—with a renewed fighting spirit in his eyes.

In contrast to Mr. Thompson, who was fired up upon hearing the news, Zachary, upon learning of it, remained indifferent, like a salted fish. Perhaps because he seldom had time to accompany his parents after the natural disaster, Zachary unsurprisingly made a choice that differed from his parents'.

It was a pity that when the camp was finally established, Mr. Thompson suddenly found that the camp was not controlled by Master Ye, who had managed Saxon County Camp, but by the young Ye Liuyun instead. Not only had the camp controller changed, but the camp's leadership had also been largely replaced with younger people.

Mr. Thompson and the elder statesmen who were involved in the establishment of the previous Saxon County Camp were all assigned to the Staff Department, according to the arrangement. If before the natural disaster, only the most talented of the talented could enter the Staff Department,

then now, due to the smaller population base in the camp and the fact that it was essentially Ye Liuyun's one-sided decisions, the Staff Department was gradually relegated to a retirement department within the camp, as major issues were not discussed by the Staff Department and minor issues did not require their attention.

Man's plans are no match for the heavens, and what happened to Mr. Thompson could be considered akin to an emperor whose reign ended prematurely before he could fully achieve his goals. Before he could even ignite his fighting spirit, he felt pushed underwater and quenched.

As Mr. Thompson had more idle time, he heard Mrs. Thompson's constant nagging and gradually extinguished his lofty fighting spirit, surreptitiously coming to agree with Mrs. Thompson's idea of a stable life.

Moreover, with the recent occurrence of various dangers in the camp, Mr. Thompson was also increasingly agreeing with Mrs. Thompson's thoughts of settling down in a city constructed by the Imperial Court.

Although Mr. Thompson had only raised the suggestion to divert the topic and placate Mrs. Thompson, a close observation of her expression would reveal a slight, triumphant look in her delighted smile.

When Mr. Thompson finished making his suggestion, Mrs. Thompson did not directly express her thoughts, but instead turned her gaze to Zachary.

Sensing his mother's look upon him, Zachary immediately understood Mrs. Thompson's thoughts. After all, he had already harbored this idea in his heart, and even if Mr. Thompson had not brought it up, Zachary would have suggested moving again in the near future.