Rotting Land: Survive

It was noon again, the scorching temperature making the factory director's office steam with mist.

The survivors were all frowning, discussing in detail tomorrow's gathering mission.

"So... does this mean we didn't gather much supplies from this mission?"

Lin Junfu's question brought wry smiles to everyone's faces. Although they knew this outcome was forced by circumstances, the failure of the mission was an undeniable fact.

Hu Xiaodong nodded regretfully, "Yes, Lin Guan, we didn't bring back much in terms of supplies."

Lin Junfu, who had anticipated this, wasn't surprised. Instead, he calmly reassured them, "It's okay! Supplies are external matters; the most important thing is that you all made it back alive! As long as we're alive, we can always figure out how to get more!"

"Indeed! Lin Guan is right, everyone did their best! Let's not blame ourselves for this!" Wei Yang timely added, noticing the frustration on everyone's faces.

Lin Junfu gave Wei Yang an approving look, then changed the subject back to the point: "Then have we counted how many scythes we brought back?"

"Well..." Tang Xiaoquan instinctively glanced at Hu Xiaodong, unsure of his situation.

"One. If we count the one in Dazhuang's hand, there should be three." Hu Xiaodong responded crisply.

At this, Tang Xiaoquan nodded in thanks and added their count, saying seriously, "We currently have five scythes!"

"Five..." Lin Junfu murmured to himself, furrowing his brows, "That's a bit tricky, isn't it?"

Everyone understood what Lin Junfu meant by "tricky" without him needing to explain.

After all, scythes are harvesting tools. Without enough, the efficiency of the harvest would surely plummet. Especially in this post-apocalyptic world, every moment in the wild could mean life and death.

So...

This is indeed a problem! Habitually fiddling with his bangs, Tang Xiaoquan pondered, "Worst case scenario, we can use other things instead. Lin Guan, this factory makes clothes, right? There should be plenty of scissors. Maybe we could equip everyone with a pair, what do you think?"

"Hehe," Lin Junfu chuckled ambiguously, wiping sweat from his face, then hesitantly said, "Xiao Tang, it's not that scissors can't be used. It's just that the factory mainly has small thread scissors. They're good for trimming threads or fuzz, but cutting stalks might be a bit much..."

He shook his head helplessly but immediately remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, right, there's a large fabric-cutting shear in the cutting room; that can be used."

Evidently, Tang Xiaoquan didn't know what "small thread scissors" were, but from Lin Junfu's expression, it was clear that his suggestion wouldn't work.

After lowering his head to think for a moment, no matter what, they needed harvesting tools. Otherwise, relying solely on bare hands would be too slow.

"Or we could find some scrap metal to grind into blades. It might be awkward to use, but it's better than nothing."

Given the situation, Lin Junfu realized there was no other choice, so he readily agreed, "Okay, we'll deal with it a bit later!"

"Yes, also, Lin Guan, for safety's sake, I suggest that we educate the women participating in the harvest about the basic characteristics of zombies and how to defend against them. After all..."

With a shrug, Tang Xiaoquan refrained from saying anything ominous before the battle, expressing his meaning through body language.

"Of course! I've already considered this. We'll have a seminar tonight, where I'll clearly explain the crisis we faced today and the current situation of the factory to the employees, so they understand clearly!" Lin Junfu said, his expression serious, indicating he planned to reveal everything to everyone.

However, Tang Xiaoquan had a different viewpoint: "Wait, Lin Guan! Maybe it's not the right time for full disclosure yet!"

"Oh?" With a faint furrow of his brows, Lin Junfu curiously rubbed the edge of his cup, then asked, "Why not?"

"It's simple, we can't undermine the employees' confidence! Yes, we're indeed very short on supplies now, and I'm sure the employees know this even if you don't say it. So the most important thing now is to rebuild their confidence, especially on the eve of the action tomorrow. We need everyone involved in the harvest to be in the best possible mindset!"

Seeming to find sense in the young man's words, Lin Junfu nodded in agreement, but still, he asked, "Do you have any specific plans?"

"Yes, I do! I propose that instead of having a seminar tonight, we should hold a celebration!"

"A celebration?" Lin Junfu's brows furrowed in confusion, and the hesitation wasn't just his; even the other survivors beside him felt a strange sense of doubt rise within.

There was no doubt they found it hard to understand why, in such a crucial, life-and-death moment when supplies were scarce, the young man would consider having a celebration.

But Tang Xiaoquan upheld his idea. He wasn't swayed by the questioning looks from others. He cleared his throat briefly and said calmly, "Yes, I suggest holding a celebration! Why? Think about it, if someone lives in a helpless situation without enough food for too long, their mind, their thoughts, their mental state will deteriorate to a terrible state! Such a person wouldn't even be able to do the simplest of tasks, let alone harvest. To be blunt, most employees here have lost hope for life. They're not much different from the zombies outside!"

His words were quite rude, and Tang Xiaoquan's remarks could be considered very impolite.

But no one refuted him after he finished speaking!

Indeed! There's no greater sorrow than a dead heart. For a person, once the heart is dead, everything is over!

This was an issue Lin Junfu always feared and avoided facing. But today, the young man had openly addressed it, hitting Lin Junfu like an arrow through the heart!

"Alright then," Lin Junfu exhaled a long breath, calming his emotions before speaking in a slightly defeated tone, "what's your plan, Xiao Tang?"

"Hmm, well, currently the employees aren't aware of what we've managed to gather this time, so we can use this to our advantage..."

He laid out his ideas in detail, and before long, under everyone's discussion, the specifics of the so-called "celebration" plan were drawn up...