The team continued to advance, clearing a long path step by step.
Although the roots would grow back soon, humanity had herbicides, enough to deal with this section. Besides, Lin Yuan didn't want to leave the entire path barren.
(Paraquat and other pesticides are highly toxic. Direct contact with skin, mucous membranes, or any part of the body in any way is prohibited. All deaths are extremely painful, and ingesting pesticides is the most agonizing method. It would take 7-15 days to slowly watch all your organs fail, more terrifying than the Ten Tortures of the Qing Dynasty.
So everyone, cherish life and love living.)
They still needed to camouflage. For now, it was just for convenient personnel access. After all, realgar wine and powder were consumables, and not everyone could repel all beasts upon entering like Lin Yuan and his group.
Soon, the team advanced near the mountain stronghold. The walls were already covered with various plants, and many grew on top of them. Lin Yuan could imagine how many creatures were hidden beneath the plants just by using his imagination. He first tapped the area a few times with a bamboo stick, and then Jiang Ziqi once again displayed her thousands of tentacles before everyone, directly smashing all the plants near the entire wall.
She was truly a tool.
Afterward, Lin Yuan and the others began digging firebreaks. Following Jiang Ziqi's clearing, they dug drainage ditches. When they encountered large trees, they used chainsaws, clearing the entire perimeter of the stronghold and a small area nearby.
Finally, Lin Yuan and the others began pouring gasoline, placing a little at intervals, and then piling up a lot of dry branches and fallen leaves.
Taking out a matchbox, he walked a few steps and threw one, like a villain committing the heinous crime of arson.
Flames licked the gasoline and dry leaves, igniting instantly.
Fortunately, the firebreaks directly blocked the spread of the fire. The team members each held a long branch with many leaves, ready to extinguish any flames that crossed the line.
Finally, after burning for over half an hour, the flames died down. Lin Yuan and the others were covered in sweat, but the results were significant. Most of the plants and insects in the area around the wall had turned to ash.
This would also provide compost for planting trees near the wall in the future.
"Hey Ziqi, what are you doing?" Lin Yuan was about to enter the stronghold when he saw Jiang Ziqi squatting in front of a plant, looking at it intently and touching it with her tentacles.
Lin Yuan walked over and recognized it as a castor bean plant because it was so distinctive. Castor bean is a perennial shrub or small tree commonly found in southern regions. It has alternate, peltate, orbicular leaves that are palmately lobed below the middle of the blade. The panicles are opposite the leaves and terminal, with male flowers at the bottom and female flowers at the top. The flowers are monoecious and apetalous; stamens are numerous, filaments are highly branched, and pistils are deep red.
"I'm looking at this castor bean plant; its flowers are quite pretty."
Lin Yuan quickly pulled her up, "Isn't this thing poisonous? Why are you getting so close?"
Jiang Ziqi's eyes turned into a dismissive look. "Hehehe, Brother Lin Yuan, touching castor bean with your hands won't poison you. Its toxicity is mostly concentrated in the seeds. If you eat them or inhale them, it's very easy to die. Just touching them is safe. You can even buy ornamental castor beans online."
Finally, there was something Brother Lin Yuan didn't know.
Lin Yuan: "..."
Actually, there are many things I don't know.
However, hearing Jiang Ziqi say this, Lin Yuan was no longer afraid. He squatted down with her to admire the castor bean flowers. Their flowering period is from May to August.
The flowers are light red, clustered together, and very cute.
After calling the team members over to share some knowledge, Lin Yuan led them into the stronghold.
After a thorough inspection, Lin Yuan had a rough plan in his mind for how to construct the buildings.
However, for now, they were just cleaning the area. The specific construction matters would need to be discussed with the team members after returning.
Besides, there were still intact houses within the stronghold. They could use them for storing supplies if they checked and found them usable.
When construction began later, they would still need to use traditional methods for cement. For now, if they could seize, oh no, obtain cement from construction sites in the town's suburbs, they would. Making it themselves was too troublesome.
By the time the entire stronghold had been roughly cleaned, it was getting late.
Lin Yuan threw the cleared broken bricks, stones, and some rotten wood and roots into the recently dug firebreaks. He then stretched his muscles.
It was indeed a bit tiring after working for so long.
They still had to rush back today to have Jiang Ziqi clear the virus from his body.
"Comrades, pack up and go home. Let's go back and take a hot bath!"
"Alright!"
On the way, Lin Yuan walked beside Jiang Ziqi, asking, "Ziqi, have your tentacles finished evolving?"
Jiang Ziqi listened and felt carefully for a while before saying, "I should be done after dinner. Brother Lin Yuan, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
After asking, she sensed with her tentacles and found that the incomplete m virus within Lin Yuan was quiet, with no signs of outbreak. Could it have already died off?
However, her tentacles conveyed information that there were still some things not right.
As for why it was incomplete, the good parts had been integrated by Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan waved his hand, "Not really, just better to clear it out sooner and be at ease."
Heh heh heh, Brother Lin Yuan, you have something to say!
Jiang Ziqi was already laughing hysterically in her heart, but outwardly she maintained a normal expression and replied, "It's okay, I'll have it done for you before tonight."
They spoke quietly, and the other team members thought they were plotting something big, like going to fight some advanced mutants and adding more skulls and strange zombie organs to the achievement wall of their temporary base.
Upon returning to the camp, Wang Yixin and the others had already boiled water and cooked meals. Seeing Lin Yuan and the others return with shovels and chainsaws, they quickly told them to eat.
"Eat first, rest a bit, and then take a bath."
"Got it, Mom." After strenuous exercise, one needed to wait for blood circulation to stabilize before bathing, otherwise, problems might arise.
Lunch was very rich, with meat and vegetables, and unusually, they steamed eggs in twenty-three half bamboo tubes.
When everyone tasted this simple steamed egg in bamboo, their hearts were filled with immense satisfaction.
The sweetness of the well water, the fragrance of the bamboo, and the tenderness of the eggs, all combined, gave the word "delicious" a visual representation.
Jiang Ziqi ate a bite and didn't stop. Although the bamboo flavor wasn't as strong as the one Lin Yuan made that night because it was steamed, it still had a unique charm.
That small spoonful of soy sauce was the finishing touch.
It was superb.
After everyone had eaten their fill, rested, and bathed, it was almost dark.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan was sitting in a small room, with Wu Tianshou standing guard beside him. Jiang Ziqi's tentacles divided into many fine tendrils and pierced into Lin Yuan's back!
The clearing began.