After nearly a full day of driving, Third Uncle was finally close to reaching the base.
He had started looking for clues at 7 AM that morning and had been driving back towards the base since 8 AM.
It was now almost 3 PM.
The temperature at this time was a bit warmer, probably around ten degrees Celsius.
Under the sun, the sunlight shone into the car, so Third Uncle simply took off his jacket.
After driving for a while longer, Third Uncle finally arrived at the base's entrance.
"Third Uncle," Li Yu Zi shouted from the Weng City, opening the main gate.
Creak!
The heavy gate made a sound as it slowly opened.
Third Uncle didn't stop, driving directly into the Weng City.
He had been driving continuously for the past two days and was starting to feel a bit tired.
After driving into the Weng City, Third Uncle got out of the car, lit a cigarette, and tried to perk himself up.
In the afternoon, under the sunlight, even the dust was clearly visible. Smoke drifted in the air, continuously floating further away.
"Third Uncle, how did it go?" Li Yu came down from the Weng City and asked directly.
Third Uncle shook his head, sighed, and said, "I chased for hundreds of kilometers. There were clues at first, but then I encountered some zombies, and the clues were lost."
Li Yu's face showed regret, but seeing Third Uncle's face covered in dust, he knew that Third Uncle hadn't rested much these past two days.
So he said, "It's alright, Third Uncle, it was just one person. If we meet him again in the future, we'll have a chance to take him out."
Third Uncle didn't say anything; for him, it was an unforgivable matter.
Third Uncle's return brought a sigh of relief to many people in the base, easing their worries considerably.
This included not only Third Uncle's family, Li Yu's grandparents, and others, but also Captain Lü and the others whom Third Uncle had rescued earlier.
They were also very concerned about Third Uncle's safety.
"It's good you're back. Go get some good rest," Li Hongyuan said, looking at his somewhat tired third brother.
Rest was certainly needed, but he still had to wait a bit longer.
"Third Uncle, we can have a party tomorrow," Li Yu said.
"Okay, I know. I'll be there," Third Uncle replied.
Just like that, in a conversation between the two, the schedule for tomorrow was confirmed in about ten minutes.
Everyone had been working very hard during this period, and it was a crucial time. It was already mid-November, and the temperature was dropping every day.
Moreover, this temperature drop wasn't just for a few days; according to his memories from before his rebirth, this cooling trend would last for two months, dropping to tens of degrees below zero.
One had to know, they were in the south! Many people had never seen snow in their entire lives.
If it were before the apocalypse, tens of degrees below zero, though very cold, could be endured with modern equipment.
But now it was the apocalypse. Although some air conditioning and underfloor heating had been installed in the base, they had also prepared a lot of coal, charcoal, and other supplies to avoid power outages.
Now, while the weather hadn't gotten too cold yet, they wanted to hold this dinner party as soon as possible, otherwise they would have to wait until the weather warmed up later.
But that would be a long time from now.
After talking with Third Uncle, Li Yu returned to the residential area and spoke with his mother.
His mother had gained some experience, and now in the base, Lai Dongsheng's wife and Worker Wang Cheng's wife were also helping out.
They were basically doing all the cooking now, especially Lai Dongsheng's wife, who used to work in a cafeteria. Her cooking was very good, and she was incredibly fast, able to do the work of two or three people. So while his mother was now primarily responsible for cooking, the actual cooking was done by Lai Dongsheng's wife and another person.
Hearing about another party, his mother also felt a bit helpless, but thinking of the happy faces of everyone during previous events, she felt much more motivated.
This matter was also discussed with everyone in the evening, with plans to start at 5:40 PM tomorrow.
A dinner for dozens of people was a huge amount of work, so Li Yu and others who had some free time also began preparing ingredients.
Shantang Reservoir had many fish, and now that they were having a dinner party, getting some fish to eat was the most normal choice.
"A dinner party? What kind of dinner party?" Captain Lü said.
His wound had healed a lot, and he no longer needed to stay in the infirmary. He spent more time now in the allocated house.
When he heard about the dinner party, his first reaction was shock.
What kind of time was this? They were still having parties, this kind of spiritual and material team building.
"Well, a dinner party means everyone eats, drinks, and has fun together," Li Yu said.
Looking at Captain Lü's back, Li Yu continued, "How is your wound now? Is it better?"
Captain Lü spread his arm and said, "Much better, hahaha. I just might not be able to drink too much alcohol."
Li Yu was a bit exasperated, "I'm not letting you drink! If you're going to drink, wait until you're fully recovered and we'll drink together."
"Mhm, mhm," Captain Lü replied.
For Captain Lü, who had just entered the base, this was a pleasant surprise. For Lao Xie and others who had entered the base, it was even more of a surprise.
A party.
Just thinking about it was fun.
Everyone recalled the days they had spent recently. Although there was no internet, they had electronic products, enough food, a sufficiently safe shelter, and it was also very warm.
In this state.
In contrast, their previous days were often spent fleeing; they simply didn't have time to think about many things.
Even at night, when everything was silent, it was truly very quiet.
They also didn't know what else they could do at night without lights.
Every day was incredibly boring, and after being bored for a long time, they would become very numb.
"Lao Xie, we'll participate too," Xiao Wu said, a pimple on his nose tip, now a bit red and swollen, making him look somewhat like a cartoon character.
"Of course!" Lao Xie's face broke into a happy smile.
In the apocalypse, who wouldn't want to eat something good?
Besides them, there were many others in the base who also had high expectations for this party.
In this situation of material scarcity, many people in the base could eat their fill, but if they wanted to eat what they desired, they could only rely on luck.
Early the next morning, Li Yu took Da Pao and the others to Shantang Reservoir to get some fish.
This time, Lao Xie and Lao Lü also came along.
They had been particularly fond of fishing before the apocalypse and had a lot of fishing equipment, which Li Yu simply brought over.
Lao Xie sat on a small stool, casting his line, letting it sink, and watching the bobber.
Fishing was a delicate skill, but Lao Xie caught a two-jin fish in less than two minutes.
This made Li Yu look at him with new eyes.
Amazing! Truly amazing!
