50: Chapter 50 Economic Development

As the base's population surpassed the five-hundred mark, the joy brought by peaceful construction had not yet fully faded when a new, imminent problem presented itself to Wang Jie—a severe shortage of supplies.

Although the base's mining vehicle operated day and night, recycling abandoned vehicles, steel bars, and mechanical parts from the wilderness into system funds, these funds could only be used to produce military equipment like tanks, helicopters, and ammunition. They could not be directly transformed into food for the table, clothing for their backs, or the pots and pans needed for daily life.

With over five hundred people needing to eat, wear clothes, use medicine, and live, the daily consumption was a staggering figure. The previously reserved supplies were being depleted rapidly, and the warning line in the warehouse was dropping day by day. If a solution to the supply problem wasn't found soon, the base, which had just settled down, would inevitably fall back into chaos.

Wang Jie knew better than anyone that while guns could defend their home, only a full grain bag could stabilize the hearts of the people.

In the apocalypse, without food, no matter how powerful the military force, it could not sustain a home for long.

That afternoon, he convened a meeting with the base's core members. Lin Waner was responsible for coordinating internal affairs, Chen Xue was in charge of medical and supply statistics, and with several veteran survivors who had worked in agriculture, business, and logistics before the apocalypse, the atmosphere in the small conference room was serious and focused.

Someone spoke up first, proposing to immediately expand the cultivation area by clearing all available open land around the base, prioritizing the planting of high-yield crops and fast-growing vegetables to solve the food problem at its root. Others advocated for forming professional hunting teams equipped with weapons to venture deep into the surrounding ruins and wilderness to hunt Mutant Beast for meat. Still others, with seasoned experience, suggested establishing cross-base trade routes, using the base's superior output of weapons, ammunition, medicine, and tools to exchange for the food and daily necessities stockpiled by other camps.

Every suggestion hit the mark, and every one of them had its merits.

Wang Jie listened quietly to everyone's remarks, and without the slightest hesitation, he made the final decision: "Execute all of them, start immediately."

Without waiting or testing, a "Great Production Movement" covering production, hunting, and trade was launched in full swing within the base.

On the outskirts of the base, large tracts of wasteland and open ground were fully cultivated. Soldiers who once charged on the battlefield put down their guns and picked up hoes; clerks who once worked in offices took off their casual clothes and put on work uniforms; even teenagers helped carry seedlings and water the fields. Under the hands-on guidance of several veteran farmers, people who were originally completely ignorant of farm work soon learned how to till the soil, ridge, sow, fertilize, and weed. Golden wheat, plump corn, verdant greens, and melons and fruits on tangled vines took root and grew in the sun, and the originally desolate land gradually turned into vibrant farmland.

In the wilderness, hunting teams composed of elite soldiers set out on time every day. They drove modified off-road vehicles, carried light weapons, and hunted medium-sized, edible Mutant Beast within a safe range. Although the process was accompanied by danger, the team members were well-trained and coordinated, bringing back a large amount of fresh meat every day to supplement the base's scarce protein. In the canteen, meat dishes appeared more and more frequently, and the children's faces gradually regained their healthy color.

On more distant roads, the trade caravan formed by the base set out regularly. They were fully loaded with the base's standard weapons, refined ammunition, first-aid medicine, hardware tools, and maintenance parts, driving toward known survivor strongholds in the vicinity. In this era where military force was supreme and supplies were scarce, weapons and medicine were considered hard currency. Every time they arrived at a camp, they could exchange them for large amounts of rice, flour, clothing, cloth, salt, and daily necessities. The originally isolated base gradually became a small trade hub for the surrounding area.

With production, hunting, and trade all being pursued simultaneously, the base's supply situation improved at a visible rate.

One month later, warehouse reserves directly doubled, and food, clothing, and daily necessities were no longer in short supply; two months later, reserves doubled again, not only meeting daily consumption but also establishing a tiered emergency stockpile; three months later, the base reached a milestone moment—food achieved complete self-sufficiency.

The farmland had a bumper harvest, and the granaries were piled high. In addition to meeting the food rations for over five hundred people, there was a large surplus that could continue to be traded externally for more scarce supplies. The once empty warehouses were now stuffed full with grain, meat, medicine, clothing, and tools, neatly classified and clear at a glance.

Wang Jie stood in the huge granary, his fingertips brushing over bags of securely packaged grain, smelling the dry, fragrant scent of the crops, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled completely.

From this moment on, the base truly possessed the foundation to stand firm in the apocalypse.

Even if they were to encounter a large-scale zombie horde again, even if they were besieged by powerful Mutant Beast again, even if they were blockaded by enemies for a long time, he had the confidence and certainty to ensure that everyone in the base would not starve to death, and would not die in despair due to a lack of clothing or medicine.

Artillery fire could bring victory, and military force could protect peace, but only stable production and economy could truly allow a home to survive, last long, and live with hope.

Outside the window, the farmland was verdant, smoke curled from chimneys, the trade caravan was slowly driving out of the base gate, and the hunting team's off-road vehicles came roaring back.

Wang Jie gazed at this vibrant scene, a steady smile slowly curling at the corners of his mouth.

This was the power of development.

It was also humanity's never-extinguishing vitality in the apocalypse.