In the early morning, at the brick kiln by the river.

Vanus stared blankly at the square wooden box in his hand, his expression a little dazed.

He still hadn’t figured out how to use what he was given. He lowered his head cautiously, and humbly asked the foreman next to him for advice. "This… How should I use it?"

Yang Seconddog was a kind person. He did not complain about the clumsiness of his subordinate, and explained to him patiently, "This is a mold for making bricks. Put mud in it, press it tightly, and place it upside down on the wooden bar. When it dries a little, you can pull out the mold. But it’s been too cold recently, whether it’s the mud by the river or the mud under our feet, it’s become as hard as stone. We have to transport the mud into the cave to warm up a little... Leave the mold here first, and go outside to pick up some firewood."

Vanus nodded blankly, put the mold down, and then walked to the forest on the side.

Looking at the camp behind him, he thought about running away, but the thought only occurred for a moment before he gave up.

Escape?

Where can I run to?

To the south and east were frozen steel jungles, to the west was a lake, and to the north was a frozen wasteland.

Without guns, food, and fuel in the wilderness, he would just be a piece of fat meat in the eyes of mutants and even marauders. A thin piece of clothing could not give him any sense of security at all.

Those true savages would not give him a chance to pay a ransom at all. They would only gladly chop off his head, make his skin into a chair cushion or a rug, and then introduce it to their barbarian brothers that it was made of the skin of the Army’s Brigade Commander whom they defeated!

Vanus felt that instead of dying that way, it would be better to be shot or hanged and then buried. At least, death like that would be a lot more decent.

The north wind was blowing, and it was snowing intermittently. Occasionally, the snow would fall off from the pine trees.

After finally picking up enough firewood, Vanus took the bundle of dry firewood and walked back to the brick factory, only to see that the deserted open space earlier had become lively.

Yang Seconddog, who was instructing the workers to cart the mud into the cave on the side, glanced at him. He didn’t ask him why he was delayed for so long, but only urged him to bring the firewood in quickly.

Vanus didn’t dare to ignore the order and immediately ran into the cave with firewood in his arms.

The temperature in the cave was very high and it felt like he was experiencing summer. He was shivering from the cold earlier, but he was sweating from the heat after entering the cave.

It was no wonder everyone worked so diligently, it turned out that it was much more comfortable inside than on the outside!

Inside the cave, Vanus noticed that there was a kiln made of bricks and a towering chimney that connected the floor and the ceiling. It even extended outside from the top of the cave.

Workers were making charcoal under the chimney. The smoke was passed out by the chimney, the charcoal produced was sent to make bricks, and the remaining heat was used to warm up the cold mud collected from the river.

This… This is genius!

Did they come up with it themselves?

Vanus was surprised. Although he was educated at a military academy, he had never done low-level work.

Unfortunately, he could only be ordered by others in his current situation. Basically, he needed to do whatever other people asked him to do, and go around assisting other people like a helper. However, although he was clumsy, he didn’t create much trouble for others.

It was a busy day.

The group of people worked together to build ten stacks of bricks in the cave, put them on iron racks with wheels, and send them into the adjacent cave along the flat road paved with bricks.

… Lighting the charcoal on fire.

… Sealing the kiln entrance.

Only then did Vanus realize that he was not only sweating, but also covered in mud, turning his whole body dirty.

Yang Seconddog looked at him blankly for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing while patting his shoulder.

"It’s normal to end up looking like this when doing it for the first time. Go take a bath later."

"Take a bath… Where?" Vanus stared at him in confusion.

"There is a small public bathroom here. We usually don’t bother to go to the outpost a kilometer away, so we do it here. But you have to pick up firewood yourself. All the charcoal is used to make bricks, so you can’t use them."

Hearing that there was hot water, Vanus breathed a sigh of relief.

In this hellish weather, even the river was about to freeze, so taking a cold shower would be torture!

...

Late at night.

After taking a shower and putting on clothes made from fur, Vanus sat in the shed with the brazier lit. Foreman Yang Seconddog came over and handed him a wooden box.

The wooden box was shaped like a brick mold, but it was not filled with mud. Inside were a piece of hot roasted shofar potatoes, and a piece of jerky the length of a middle finger and the thickness of a thumb.

"The hot water is on the stove, you can pour some for yourself if you need it." Yang Seconddog sat next to him and grinned. "How did you feel on your first day at work? Are you used to it?"

Vanus smiled wryly. Was he even in a position to complain?

At least there was fire where he worked, and after the cave was sealed, it was not that busy. It was more comfortable than those of his subordinates who dug trenches in the north.

"Yeah, kind of… How long have you lived here?"

Yang Seconddog replied, "It’s been more than a month, what’s wrong?"

Vanus muttered, "You seem to be very familiar with this place, so I thought you’ve been here for a long time."

Yang Seconddog smiled and said, "It’s not that we are familiar with this place, but it just feels like home."

"Home?"

Yang Seconddog nodded slowly. "Yes, we almost died in the marauder’s camp. It was the wise and powerful administrator who saved us... We had nowhere to go after we were freed, so we simply stayed here."

In fact, compared to those rescued whose homes had been destroyed, he still had a place to go. It was Baker Street, where his relatives were, and he could get there easily by walking 4 or 5 kilometers south of the Linghu Wetland Park.

However… Was there anywhere more comfortable than where he was?

Not only did he get to live in a warm house, but there was also firewood for heating, three meals a day, and money to spend... To be honest, before he came, he had never heard about the meal that was called ‘dinner’.

There was no such thing as dinner in Baker Street, and even oil lamps were scarce. As soon as it got dark, only the Old Leech’s castle would be still lit; everyone would go to bed early to rest. At most, some people would make a pot of green wheat paste in the evening, dry it into green wheat cakes, and then save it as rations for the next day.

After the Old Leech was chased away by the administrator, Yang Seconddog had taken a leave of absence and went back to take a look at his old home. But after staying for two days, he ran back to the outpost again. Since then, not only did he have no intention of going back, he even wanted to bring his family over.

Life there was nothing short of heaven.

Yang Seconddog talked for a long time until his mouth became a little dry, then he realized that only he was talking all the time, so he glanced at Vanus curiously. "Speaking of which, what about you? You were also rescued by the administrator?"

"

Mhm

..." Considering the reputation of the Army outside, Vanus didn’t dare to say that he was a member of the Army, so he nodded vaguely.

Yang Seconddog’s eyes lit up, not doubting his claim at all. He continued to talk to Vanus about how good life was. Under the administrator’s rule, they were not only fed and clothed, but also kept away from the harassment of marauders and mutants.

Hearing the foreman’s words, Vanus fell silent, seemingly thinking of something.

People here also seemed to live under order.

However, it was completely different from the order that the Army used to rule its territory.

He had no doubt in his heart that the order of the Army was supreme. Only the strong could talk about civilization, and only the strong could live in the barbaric world that adhered to the law of the jungle; while the weak were born slaves, and inferior genes and personalities were not worthy of life.

As a member of the powerful group, with Cyclonite flowing in his veins, he deserved to have the most luxurious material enjoyment, whether it was a luxurious mansion, gold, fine wine, or beauty...

However… Vanus had to admit in his heart that perhaps for weak and inferior people with impure bloodlines and contaminated genes, life there was indeed a little more comfortable.

Orders that gave them the greatest safety, allowing them to enjoy while building.

Letting brick-burners eat meat?

This is just pure madness.

...