The apocalypse struck, and I became a druid.

Page 141

With a few leaps across the rock face, they had already jumped into the cave.

A damp, chilly air rushed towards us.

The cave was dimly lit, with only the light from the entrance barely outlining its general shape.

"So big..." someone exclaimed softly, their voice echoing through the empty rock face.

It is more profound and expansive here than it appears from the outside.

The cave ceiling hangs high, hidden in the darkness, and is estimated to be at least twenty meters high.

The ground is relatively flat, with some loose dust and gravel.

The cave walls are made of rough, dark brown rock.

The space is spacious enough to easily accommodate not only their group of less than a hundred people, but also several hundred more.

However, this also brings problems.

The entrance was too large, with no shelter whatsoever. The cold wind rushed in through the opening, howling and chilling to the bone.

And we don't know what kind of creatures live inside.

Based on Han Ning's perception, there shouldn't be any large creatures living there.

“Garuru…”

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit's body almost blocked half of the cave entrance, surveying the cavern.

In its eyes, this place is hardly a good place.

It has no fertile soil, no lush vegetation, and its only advantage is that it avoids getting wet from the rain that carries an unpleasant smell.

The treasure-hunting bumblebee hovered beside it, its plump body swaying slightly, its huge compound eyes observing the cave.

"Thank you for your guidance and showing us the way. This place is quite nice."

Han Ning took out some more high-energy soil and energy crystals and handed them to the tree spirit and bumblebee respectively.

“Garuru…”

The tree spirit took the soil, absorbed it into its palm, and a red light flickered in its eye sockets, showing great satisfaction.

The treasure-hunting bumblebee happily cooed twice, picked up the crystal with its forelimbs, and its antennae vibrated frequently, showing that it was extremely happy.

……

The two combat partners were only summoned temporarily.

After fulfilling Han Ning's request, they lingered for a short while before returning to their lodgings.

The treasure-hunting bumblebee was still quite curious about everyone and said it would come back to play again in the future.

The Ironthorn Tree Spirit, however, did not show this idea.

After all, caves are not suitable for tree spirits to live in.

However, they all extended invitations to Han Ning, inviting him to visit their territories.

"Xiaoyu, you can call Chairman Wu and the others over now." After seeing off his two combat partners, Han Ning said to Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu is fast and can now fly for short periods, making her the best candidate to deliver messages.

"Understood, Mr. Han!"

"Hmm... Next, we need to make some basic modifications to this cave." Han Ning looked around the desolate and empty cave and muttered to himself.

“Mr. Han, leave the cleaning to us!” At this moment, Vice President Zhao stepped forward and volunteered.

"Okay, you can do it." Han Ning nodded.

Seeing how enthusiastic Vice President Zhao was, Han Ning granted his wish.

Vice President Zhao is incredibly motivated.

His gaze swept over the group of awakened beings, and Lang Sheng said:

"Old Yu, you and a few others, go outside the cave and find suitable trees. We need a lot of timber to partition the space and build our dwellings."

"Understood!" Old Yu flapped his insect wings and immediately led several strong companions toward the cave entrance.

Vice President Zhao continued to call out names, "Xiao Lü, I remember you used to work in road construction. You would lead a team to level the ground, clear away the gravel, and plan out the main passages and functional areas. Remember, the ground must be compacted!"

"Leave it to me!" Xiao Lü replied.

"Those with fire-related abilities will be in charge of processing the wood later. The wood they cut down needs to be dried, cut, and polished."

Vice President Zhao gave instructions to the only two awakened individuals in the team.

"Pay attention to fire safety. Set up a drying area in a well-ventilated place deep inside the cave, away from flammable materials."

"Okay." The two fire-related awakened beings accepted the order and left.

"Qianqian, take the rest of the people and try to bring water in from outside to set up a water storage and purification point. We need a stable supply of fresh water."

Vice President Zhao looked at Lin Qianqian and the others.

Lin Qianqian nodded and led several companions deeper into the cave to investigate whether there were any hidden currents or seepage points.

"As for me... I was involved in the whole process. First, I helped them cut down trees, and then I came back to build houses and level the ground."

Vice President Zhao grinned and said to Han Ning, who was standing to the side,

"Mr. Han, how is my arrangement?"

This Vice President Zhao is not only quite capable, but also has certain management skills. No wonder he became President Wu's right-hand man.

In a post-apocalyptic world, having a commander who can oversee the overall situation and maintain morale is extremely important.

Han Ning nodded slightly in agreement:

“Okay, let’s do it your way. I have no objection. Lao Xu, Nana, you go with Vice President Zhao and Qianqian.”

"But there's one thing, regarding the planting area, you should listen to Professor Ye."

“That’s how it should be.” Vice President Zhao nodded vigorously.

Even before Chairman Wu and others arrived, the crowd began actively working to build their new home.

Chapter 158 Pioneering Spirit to Open Up the Mountains and Forests

Outside the cave entrance, in the woods, a bustling scene unfolded.

"Give way, give way."

Vice President Zhao was surrounded by steam, his bulging muscles bulging, and his only remaining right arm was wrapped around a thick log that required two people to hug, as easily as if he were holding a straw.

Behind him, several awakened individuals were busy working on the trunk of another large tree with various tools.

With a creaking sound, another large tree slowly toppled over.

"Watch out where the tree is falling!" Vice President Zhao shouted, turning his head to the side, and continued dragging the giant log forward.

Boom~

The tree trunk crashed onto the cleared ground, splashing mud and water everywhere.

"Peel the bark, remove the branches. It's getting late. We need to get as much wood back as possible before it gets dark."

Immediately, awakened individuals stepped forward with sharpened axes or saws and swiftly began to deal with the situation.

...

Deep inside the cave, on a cleared area, a campfire was burning brightly.

Planks and strips of wood, chopped into various shapes, were placed above the campfire.

The three fire-elemental awakeners were concentrating on controlling the temperature and range of the flames.

Thin, long strands of fire slowly circled around the wood.

Flames licked the surface of the wood, making a crackling sound.

Wisps of water vapor rose up.

The air was filled with the smoky aroma of roasted wood.

"Make the temperature more even, Lao Li, the fire over there is too intense, be careful it doesn't crack!"

A middle-aged awakened person with relatively more life experience offered this advice.

"Got it!" Old Li, who had been called out, wiped his sweat and tried to control the flames leaping in his palm.

On the other side, Xiao Lü's land compaction team made rapid progress.

A large area near the cave wall has been initially cleared and leveled.

Xuebing was assigned here by Han Ning to assist them with their work.

At Xiao Lü's request, the snow cakes formed a layer of dry, hard soil, which was then spread on the ground.

Using Xuebing's earth elemental manipulation abilities, they built low walls, half a meter high, in the planned "residential area" to serve as the foundation for building wooden houses in the future.

Lin Qianqian, along with several water-element awakened individuals, was carefully exploring the cave walls.

A faint white glow lingered around her fingertips as she gently brushed against the cold rock wall.

Wave~

The white light spread, and some water seepage cracks that were not easily detected were swept by the white light and clearly marked.

“There’s seepage here, so it can be used as a reservoir to collect fresh water,” she said, pointing to an inconspicuous crevice in the rock wall.

A thin stream of water slowly seeped out from the crack, forming a small puddle below.

Because the light was dim, it wasn't very clear, so it was hard to spot.

"The water volume is too small... This amount of water is hardly enough for irrigation, let alone our daily needs," a team member frowned.

"If we accumulate small amounts, and find all the seepage points in the cave, the water storage capacity should be quite considerable."

Lin Qianqian expressed her thoughts.

"Ah Long, could you please dig a deep pit over here to make a water storage tank? Xiao Yu, could you go and see if there are any suitable stone troughs or containers? We'll make a simple filtration and sedimentation tank."

"Alright!" Xiaoyu leaped up and transformed into a blur as she sped into the depths of the cave.