Chapter 35: Points Accumulating Points

Zhang Xinrou suppressed a giggle, her lips curling as she watched the scene unfold with the air of someone enjoying a good show. Usually, Jiang Nanxing and Song Mingchen kept to themselves, but whenever they locked eyes, the air crackled with tension. Why were they locking horns at the dinner table today? If they kept bickering, she could enjoy the drama while snacking on melon seeds.

Song Mingchen was momentarily speechless, unsettled by the fact that a group of zombies across the table was staring at him with pure white, unblinking eyes. He gave himself an out: "I spoke too bluntly. My brain just wasn't working right."

"Glad you realize it."

Song Mingchen gritted his teeth. *Infuriating.* It was one thing for Tang Miao to hold power over him, but now even the zombies were giving him trouble.

"Alright, alright," Tang Miao interjected at the right moment, handing the cub over to Jiang Nanxing. "You take the cub and eat first. I’ll go check on Lin Yue and do another inventory of the shelves."

At the next table, the dormitory manager felt a bit aggrieved. How could she have misplaced the food? The vegetables Tang Miao and the others were eating smelled foul to her. *Oh dear,* she had been supposed to supervise Lin Yue in the kitchen, but she had gone off to dig the lake and completely forgotten! The manager shoveled down two more bites of rice, wiped her hands, and scrambled toward the kitchen, praying her pay wouldn't be docked.

Lunch was prepared again, but Lin Chaofeng now had a phobia; he never wanted to experience that flavor again. Only when he saw Tang Miao and the others eating with such relish did he dare to pick up his chopsticks.

During the lunch break, Tang Miao woke up half an hour early and began brushing her teeth. She was mentally planning a short meeting for later; with 10,000 points to spend, there was plenty to do, and it was time to break ground on a new area.

Just as she finished, she received a call from Gu Sui'an. They would arrive at the farm in half an hour to deliver the first batch of collected samples and, incidentally, to pick up the 200 catties of vegetables left in storage yesterday.

"Why are there so many people this time?"

Outside the farm, twenty people stood in a neat line—all strong, capable men and women.

"Miss Tang, these are people we selected from the Safe Zone. They are in excellent physical condition. I wonder if they can be of any help to you?"

Tang Miao circled the group, examining them with a nod of satisfaction. "The overall quality is good. The farm is just about to open up a new area, so they can stay and work for a few days."

Seeing this, Zhang Xinrou immediately called Lin Chaofeng, telling him to prepare twenty new work badges—the ones with red casings, signifying temporary staff.

While moving goods to the truck, Gu Sui'an noticed two pots by the gate, one holding peas and the other corn. It was strange; why were these crops planted individually in pots?

"Beautiful, aren't they? The pea pods hang in clusters, and the corn is pretty cool too. You'll have a chance to see them properly later."

Gu Sui'an understood. It seemed these, like the redwoods surrounding the farm, were not ordinary plants. As the vegetables were loaded, Gu Sui'an said her goodbyes and prepared to leave, but Tang Miao called her back.

"Since you're delivering the first batch of data today, you've earned 300 points. You can use them to buy things."

She pointed to a small chalkboard hanging on a tree trunk, which read:

[Today's Supply: Chicken, Duck, Goose - 3 points each; Eggs - 1 point each; Fish - 1 point each; Fresh Vegetables - 1 point per 10 catties (choice of variety); Spend 50 points or more and receive 10 catties of rice free.]

A small card was tucked into Gu Sui'an's hand, inscribed with an erasable pen: *Miaomiao Farm Exclusive Points Card. Holder: Gu Sui'an. Balance: 300 points.*

"Take a look and buy something. You are the first points-user at my farm."

In the Jin'an Safe Zone, there were 4,872 people. With so many mouths to feed, the supplies moved yesterday simply weren't enough. Gu Sui'an's eyes flickered, and she gripped the card so tightly her knuckles turned white. After a long silence, she said in a husky voice, "...Alright. Thank you, Miss Tang. I want to spend all three hundred points."

With more points coming in, Tang Miao grinned from ear to ear. Points generating more points—upgrading to a mobile farm was just around the corner. She might not even need to go out to find that turbine at Liutuo Mountain; she could just take the farm to it.

*[Host... upgrading to a mobile farm is a long road ahead. Based on your current daily income, it will take approximately one month to reach the total amount required for an upgrade.]*

Tang Miao: "..."

Not far away, Song Mingchen's expression grew increasingly grim. *So many more people? Does she really think she's a savior? Giving away these resources for nothing.*

Lin Yue stood stunned, unable to believe it. She looked at Zhang Xinrou. "Xinrou, what is Tang Miao doing bringing so many people here?"

"They were sent by the Jin'an Safe Zone to work as temporary staff. There are twenty of them."

Lin Yue’s hand tightened. *Twenty? Is it that easy to get in? Why did the Chihuo Safe Zone only get one spot?*

"Oh, right, Lin Yue, go cook some chicken noodles now. The dormitory manager is already waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Right... I'm going to the kitchen now."

The farm was peaceful and serene. In the crystal-clear pond, various fish swam lazily. The fruit trees on the left were laden with produce, and the vegetables on the right were lush and green. Looking ahead, white geese, mallards, and black-boned chickens wandered contentedly.

The twenty newcomers were dumbfounded. Clearly, they hadn't been mentally prepared for this.

Following behind Tang Miao, Huang Zhiming felt uneasy. "Miss Tang, I am the captain of this labor team, Huang Zhiming."

"Mm. Since you're here as temporary staff, just call me 'Boss.' You've come at the right time. I've already had someone prepare food for you. After our meeting, go eat, and once you're full, you start working."

Huang Zhiming wanted to say something else, but as he looked up, he saw a group of zombies and instinctively reached for the knife at his waist. Captain Gu hadn't allowed them to bring guns into the farm, but she had given everyone a knife for self-defense.

"Don't be nervous. They are the farm's veteran employees."

Tang Miao introduced them one by one. After the introductions, the "Tall and Thin" group waved their hands and gave a soft, low growl: "Hello."

Huang Zhiming and the others slowly released their grips. So, it wasn't that they looked sickly; it was that these employees weren't human at all! But why didn't they have names?

"They’re saying hello. Perhaps by the next time you meet, they will have remembered their names."

Huang Zhiming blinked, then nodded hurriedly. *Careless of me to speak my thoughts aloud. I’ll be more careful next time.*

Zhang Xinrou and Lin Chaofeng also introduced themselves. Only Song Mingchen remained, sitting apart with his arms crossed and a sour look on his face. Huang Zhiming and the others noticed his displeasure and nodded respectfully. "Sorry for the trouble."

"Alright, now, while you line up to register your names and receive your work badges, listen to my upcoming work assignments."

This time, they were to break ground on a grain-growing area, planning to use fences to mark out a 100-meter square, totaling 10,000 square meters, primarily for rice and wheat. Tilling, digging irrigation ditches, and sowing—everything had to be completed. The tasks of digging waste-sorting pits and building a recycling station could wait a bit longer.

The "Tall and Thin" group would continue with the lake digging, while the labor team, led by Jiang Nanxing, would handle the new paddy fields. The cub, curious about the new friends, volunteered to be the junior supervisor for the paddy field work.

With the tasks assigned, Tang Miao began sketching out designs for wooden cabins. She had decided to build the living quarters for these twenty people in the trees, using the naturally branching limbs of the redwoods as a base. She would have to ask them to make do with two large, partitioned dormitories—one for men and one for women. If everyone lived in the trees in the future, leaving only the office area, tool storage, and bathrooms on the ground, it would free up a lot of space for planting. Living in the trees would also offer a better view for monitoring the farm.

Her phone chimed; Li Yong had brought people over and wanted to have a serious talk.

At the same time, the chicken noodles were ready. Tang Miao asked Zhang Xinrou and Lin Yue to make sure everyone ate well, insisting they fill up, while she headed outside to see what was going on.

In the steaming bowls, golden chicken oil floated on the surface, topped with vibrant green scallions. When they stirred the noodles, they found heaps of tender chicken underneath. Huang Zhiming and his crew were flattered and tried to decline.

"Captain Huang, just eat up. The workload on this farm is heavy, and time is tight. If you aren't full and you drag down our progress, you might as well have not come at all."