flstandardbreds Chapter 1281
Chapter 1281
“Yes, but it’s still best to be fully prepared! It might not be that quick.” Zhou Shuwan pondered the timing.
Qi Mingyu then asked Zhou Shuwan, "Wanwan, how many people are there in that base?"
Zhou Shuwan said calmly, "Probably more than three thousand people."
This number is actually not that many. The population of Huaxia Base No. 1 is over 10,000, which is more than three times that of them.
"But the interior space of this kind of semi-submersible building is inherently limited, unlike our semi-aerial fortress which is built along the island and expands layer by layer. With more than 3,000 people crammed inside, they have to squeeze sideways to pass through the corridors, so it can hardly be described as spacious."
That makes sense, since before the apocalypse it was just a secret military base and didn't require many people.
"But with just over three thousand people, their fighting strength shouldn't be underestimated," Mu Mu said.
"Yes, so we try to keep things as quiet as possible and avoid any friction!"
Qi Mingyu's focus was more practical: "What about the weapons inside? Since it's a secret military base from before the apocalypse, there should be quite a few hidden there."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Shuwan suddenly curled her lips into a sly smile: "Weapons, actually, might not be a problem."
Qi Mingyu was taken aback, clearly not following her train of thought.
He is usually calm and rarely looks so bewildered in the face of adversity.
Zhou Shuwan watched this and couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle: "Back in the sea cliff area, I used up a lot of my mental energy to block those salt dunes and rocks that were crashing in. I haven't fully recovered yet, otherwise I could have tried to put those weapons back in just now."
"Once we lie low here for two days and recover my mental strength, all those things in their arsenal, whether small missiles or heavy machine guns, can be moved silently into my space. By then, even if they discover us, without their heavy weapons, our chances of winning will be much greater."
Qi Mingyu suddenly realized, his eyes smiling: "That's a brilliant idea."
"But are you sure everyone inside is from the United States?"
Zhou Shuwan shook her head: "Not entirely, but the majority are from the United States. The rest are from other countries, allies who followed the United States before the apocalypse. They all speak English, and occasionally you can hear a few words of French and German, which we are not familiar with."
She paused, her tone becoming more serious: "Most importantly, it's almost entirely filled with soldiers, with very few civilians. There are actually more women than I expected."
"But there are very few children and the elderly combined. Eighty or ninety percent of them are young and middle-aged people aged 25 to 45. They are all strong and healthy, and they look like they have been training for many years."
These words made the atmosphere in the cabin even heavier.
The survival model of this base is completely different from that of their base.
Their Huaxia No. 1 base has always adhered to the principle of "never abandoning any survivor".
When the Nanyang warships conducted search and rescue operations at sea, they prioritized rescuing the elderly and children, giving priority to women and children, distributing relief food free of charge, and assigning everyone a task within their capabilities.
Even disabled people can survive on the fleet.
But these people are different.
In times of peace, they believe in the law of the jungle and survival of the fittest; in the end times, this concept will only become more extreme.
Zhou Shuwan guessed, "They must have screened the survivors, keeping only the most capable fighters. The elderly, children, and disabled people were most likely abandoned. Such a team is indeed strong in combat, but it is also the most cruel and ruthless. So we must be careful."
After all, not all soldiers in this world are like those in China, who are the people's soldiers.
Qi Mingyu nodded with deep feeling, a strange light flashing in his eyes: "They are really lucky to have found such a blessed place."
He recalled the difficulties in establishing the Huaxia No. 1 base and couldn't help but sigh: "This kind of semi-submersible building was designed for deep-sea operations before the apocalypse. The pressure resistance, oxygen supply, and constant temperature systems are all readily available. It can also be self-sufficient by utilizing the energy of deep-sea hydrothermal vents. In addition, the outer biofilm cools and resists corrosion. It is simply a refuge tailor-made for this boiling sea."
In their search for a suitable island to build a semi-aerial fortress, their base dispatched eight vanguard units, sacrificing more than two hundred lives, and also encountered a youth rebellion.
But these Americans occupied such a good place without lifting a finger, without having to face internal and external troubles, and could focus on defense and stockpiling supplies.
Just thinking about it makes me envious and jealous!
Mu Mu chimed in, "Brother-in-law is right. They only benefited from the pre-apocalyptic military base. They're much luckier than us."
It wasn't just the two of them; Zhou Shuwan thought the same way.
However, this place is too far from their base, and there is no deep-seated hatred between them, so they can only admire each other and it would be best if the two sides could avoid fighting.
Zhou Shuwan smiled slightly: "We're not greedy. We can leave their supplies untouched, but if we can get some weapons for free, then this trip won't be in vain."
Qi Mingyu and Mu Mu both agreed.
In the post-apocalyptic world, weapons are becoming increasingly scarce.
Although they don't have much hatred for these Americans, there has always been friction between the two sides. When they meet, they don't necessarily fight to the death, but they can still take advantage of each other in small ways.
Zhou Shuwan had already scouted the area; the other side didn't know how to farm, and their supplies consisted mainly of various canned goods and compressed biscuits.
Half of them are military-grade canned goods.
They hoarded enough to fill several rooms.
So in the long run, these people who rely solely on canned food and compressed biscuits to stockpile supplies will eventually run out.
But the Huaxia base has long since achieved greenhouse vegetable cultivation and poultry raising, making it far more sustainable than theirs.
Thinking about it that way, there's nothing to envy!
Now, their base is almost out of canned food and compressed biscuits.
Zhou Shuwan was considering whether she should also take a small portion as a backup if the opportunity allowed.
She has never been greedy, nor would she actively steal other people's supplies!
But this base is different!
She's always eager to take advantage of small things, and also to annoy the other person!
However, she can only think about it for now.
If her idea is to be realized, then it is necessary to ensure that they can solve the boiling water problem on their own without alerting the people at the US base.
Her expression became cautious. She took out a storage box about half the height of a person from her space. The box was made of high-strength engineering plastic. She quickly used a laser knife to poke some small holes for ventilation.
"We need to test it with a sample; we can't just stick it directly onto the submarine's hull!"
“Yes, yes! I wonder if those coral polyps can adapt to the outside environment.” Mu Mu nodded repeatedly.
He was quite mischievous; in just a few words, he named the microorganisms on the coral "coral polyps," which was rather apt.