Chapter 29: Taking Shape

The air was thick with the earthy tang that lingered after rain had washed the ground clean. This was the first rainfall since the cataclysm, and to everyone’s surprise, it had lasted for several days with no sign of stopping. Thankfully, the downpour wasn’t too heavy, otherwise the tent area in the camp would have turned into a soggy swamp. Even so, the persistent drizzle brought plenty of trouble for those living within the camp.

Far from the base, some ten kilometers away, lay a wild stretch of tangled grass and trees. In a nest of flattened grass, two massive wild boars rested, their bulky bodies nestled against the earth. Occasionally, the faint rustle of movement would drift over from not far off, but the boars, only mildly alert, would grunt and shift in their nest before dozing off again. The cool, overcast weather kept them indoors, emerging only when hunger drove them to forage.

Wang Ji held his breath, blending seamlessly with the shadows beneath a tree, his camouflage uniform merging with the wild undergrowth. Hidden by the grass, he was virtually invisible unless someone looked closely. Peering through the four-times scope mounted on his rifle, Wang Ji could just make out the scene inside the boar’s nest. He lowered his rifle and signaled with his right hand. In response, more than a dozen soldiers in matching camouflage silently emerged from the surrounding thickets behind him.

This was the force Wang Ji had meticulously trained to seize the oil storage facility—two infantry squads and a reconnaissance squad, all strengthened by rigorous drills. Under the tutelage of Haozi and Li Chengming, and after some initial hunting expeditions, these men—over twenty in all—had been specially selected for intensive training with Wang Ji to rapidly boost their combat effectiveness.

The boar’s nest had been discovered during one of these field exercises, and now served as a makeshift stronghold for a pair of low-level mutant beasts. The recon squad had already circled round to the rear to block any escape and handle unforeseen developments. The two infantry squads, twenty men in total, advanced quickly under Wang Ji’s command, fanning out along both flanks according to their assigned roles and weaponry.

They were now less than a hundred meters from the nest. The presence of the two boars, recognized as mutant beast leaders, had already driven off any other creatures from the area. This allowed Wang Ji’s men to take up their prearranged tactical positions without interference. The machine gunners settled into place, setting up their weapons with steady precision.

A sudden, sharp click shattered the stillness of the forest. One of the wild boars jerked upright, round eyes searching for the source of the noise. The soldier responsible, mortified at his blunder, froze in place, pressed tight against the bushes, barely daring to breathe.

Seeing the situation unfold, Wang Ji wasted no time. He clenched his fist and gave the signal for assault. Instantly, two sniper shots rang out, echoing through the trees. The rest of the team, following Wang Ji’s plan, quickly closed in, aiming their rifles at the nest.

Both snipers found their marks: one bullet struck a boar in the neck, the other hit its eye. The sheer force of the shots incapacitated much of the creature’s fighting strength, but it still managed to stagger upright, glaring with its remaining eye. In a desperate, dying charge, it bolted toward the now-visible soldiers—only to blunder straight into their practiced kill zone. Death awaited it in a hail of gunfire.

The second boar burst from the nest, its tusks flashing as it charged at the upright, gun-wielding figures it so despised. The nest erupted in chaos—boar squeals and gunshots mingled as trees splintered under the onslaught, wood chips flying through the air.

After nearly five minutes, silence reclaimed the forest.

Wang Ji strode forward to the two battered, bloodied boars, drew his knife, and pried from their skulls two yellow, thumb-sized level-2 crystal cores.

“Report, Company Commander! Battle cleanup complete. No casualties in Infantry Squads 1 and 2. Ammunition expenditure: three hundred forty-seven rounds!” Vice squad leader Yan Song jogged up, saluting.

Wang Ji returned the salute. “Maintain a perimeter. Salvage any usable parts from the boars. Rest for thirty minutes, then return to the training camp!”

“Yes, sir!” came the reply.

Satisfied, Wang Ji took a swig from his canteen and sat nearby, watching his disciplined soldiers go about their duties—securing the area, recovering resources, and cleaning the battleground.

Under the pressure of relentless training and Wang Ji’s efficient methods, and driven by the harsh circumstances of post-apocalyptic survival, these men had rapidly transformed into competent soldiers.

“Company Commander! We found five piglets! Requesting assistance!” The leader of Recon Squad 1 dashed out of the woods to report.

Wang Ji stood, his face lighting up. “Piglets? Where are they?”

“A few hundred meters to the east. Our team already caught two, but we’re short-handed—three are still on the run!”

“Good! Leave five men to tidy up here. The rest, come with me—let’s catch those piglets!” Wang Ji ordered, his spirits high. Ten soldiers grinned, excitement shining in their eyes as they fell in behind him.

Though piglets lacked the ferocity of adult wild boars, it still took over an hour—and the combined efforts of twenty men—to capture the remaining three alive. When everyone regrouped, their faces smudged and hair disheveled, laughter erupted as they teased each other. Yet seeing the five squirming, grunting piglets trussed up before them, their hearts swelled with a sense of accomplishment.

With their quarry secured, Wang Ji led the team back to the training base. The two large boars were processed on-site, and the five piglets were loaded up for transport to the local market that had been repurposed for their needs.

The eastern section of the market, covering nearly ten thousand square meters, had been developed by Xiao Liu and his team. Using materials from a nearby construction site and the existing structures, they had erected a four-meter-high wall. Six five-meter-tall guard towers ringed the perimeter, each manned by armed militia scanning the surroundings.

At the gate, two soldiers under Haozi’s command stood at the ready behind sandbags, a heavy machine gun pointed at the entrance. When they recognized Wang Ji’s vehicle approaching, they snapped to attention and saluted, signaling the militia to open the checkpoint. Wang Ji nodded and drove straight into the industrial zone.

“Xiao Liu! Get some people over here! Help unload the piglets and find a place to keep them!” Wang Ji called out as soon as he stepped from the vehicle, spotting Xiao Liu and Liang Jingyang nearby.

“Boss! You’re back—wow, piglets for real!” Xiao Liu exclaimed.

“Commander Wang!” Liang Jingyang greeted.

Both men stared in amazement at the wild piglets.

“Not bad,” Wang Ji chuckled. “These piglets are key to our future livestock operation. Take good care of them.”

Xiao Liu thumped his chest. “Don’t worry, boss! We’ll corral them right over there for now.”

“Good. I’ll have people keep an eye out for more piglets to buy or catch. Meanwhile, you need to get the livestock operation running. Also, how’s the progress on the factory production line?”

Liang Jingyang stepped up promptly. “According to your plan, Commander, I’ve completed the basics for the armaments workshop.” He led Wang Ji over to the construction site.

“This is the materials area... the transport corridor... security checks... then the production line itself. Over there is where finished products will be inspected and packed, and beyond that is storage. I’ve put together written protocols and started training personnel. All we need now is the equipment you’re arranging,” Liang Jingyang reported confidently.

Wang Ji nodded approvingly—a professional for a professional job.

“Excellent!” he said. His mind turned to the two level-2 crystal cores he’d just acquired—the energy they contained was enough to realize the prototype for a basic infantry weapons production line.

“Tomorrow I’ll have a team come in to start the setup and calibration. You just keep gathering the materials on the list,” Wang Ji decided with a wave.

He then gave Xiao Liu some instructions about sending two trucks to the base tomorrow to help “move” the equipment—a little playacting to keep up appearances.

After inspecting preparations for the production line, Wang Ji remembered that Li Qing was nearby, busy with the construction of the communications tower.

“By the way, how’s Li Qing coming along? Make sure you give him all the support he needs. The communications tower is a top priority for us.”

Xiao Liu grimaced. “Boss, there’s no need to worry about Li Qing. We’re on call for him twenty-four hours a day—just ask Liang here.”

Liang Jingyang nodded, sharing the sentiment. “Commander, you picked the right man. Li Qing is tireless—he’s pulled more than a few all-nighters already.”

With that, Wang Ji led the two of them to the small building where Li Qing was working. As the communications tower needed to be as high as possible, Li Qing had commandeered the tallest building in the industrial zone—a five-story structure. Workers were busy on the roof assembling the tower.

Wang Ji climbed from the ground floor to the rooftop, where he found Li Qing with a mop of unkempt hair, looking even thinner than before. If not for the sharp intelligence shining in his eyes, Wang Ji might have thought he was sick.

“Li Qing! You’ve worked hard!” Wang Ji said, grasping his hand.

“Oh, Commander Wang! Sorry, I was so absorbed I didn’t see you arrive,” Li Qing replied, a little embarrassed.

Wang Ji clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Li Qing. Take care of yourself. The mission’s urgent, but your health comes first.” Wang Ji had come to deeply value talented people.

Li Qing shook his head, excitement in his voice. “I’m fine, Commander! Look!” He pointed to the communications tower, now three or four meters high.

“This compact tower will be completed in about ten days, fastest. I’ve already tested the software system you gave us—it’s incredible! I can’t wait to witness this historic moment.”

Wang Ji, seeing Li Qing’s enthusiasm, pulled a bottle of energy-recovery chocolates from his pocket and handed it over.

“Take this. Eat one when you’re tired,” Wang Ji smiled.

Li Qing glanced at the chocolates and gave a wry smile. “Commander, I’m a grown man—I’m not fond of sweets.”

Xiao Liu, eyes gleaming, stared at the chocolates. He knew their effects. “Brother Li, if you don’t want them, give them to me!”

“Heh, no way. If the Commander gave them to me, they must be good. Even if I don’t eat them, I’ll give them to Xiao Deng,” Li Qing replied, pocketing the chocolates.

“Speaking of which, where is Xiao Deng?” Wang Ji asked.

“She’s been hanging around your sister, Xiao Yin, at the base, cooking up some small business scheme. I can’t control her anymore,” Li Qing replied, his face softening with happiness. He turned to Wang Ji. “Commander, I don’t know how to thank you.”

Wang Ji waved him off. “Don’t mention it. We’re all in this together. If you run into any problems, come straight to me.”

Li Qing adjusted his glasses. “Actually, there is something. Let’s talk in the office. The communications system itself should be fine, but the issue now is with the user terminals—we need hardware to support them…”

With that, they all left the rooftop and entered the nascent communications center below, beginning a discussion of the next steps and possible solutions.