Disaster Apocalypse: Farming, Family, and My Hidden Secret Space

Estimated the approximate location of the hidden room and took out a sharp shovel to start digging.

Working with strength is exhilarating; there's no need to exert force, the shovel easily digs out a chunk. What would normally take a person half a day to dig, Hua Jin accomplished in moments, clearing away most of the sedimentary mud and revealing the collapsed wall and various debris.

Hua Jin's gaze lingered for a few seconds on the metal enveloped in rust by the earth.

Just these large iron lumps alone, when melted down, could make plenty of things. Even if I don't find what I'm looking for, Hua Jin feels it's a worthwhile trip, then squints at the ground.

She only remembered the shopkeeper touching something and then the secret door appeared, which was small, only allowing one person through, seemingly sloping downwards.

At the time, she was focused on buying weapons, but thinking about it now, the secret room in this iron shop ought to be in the basement, or it wouldn't have such a large space and wouldn't be so well hidden.

After collecting a few large iron lumps, Hua Jin found the position she recalled, stood above it, and continued digging.

You only know after digging, and there's no other way.

When the shovel hit against a hard substance under the flattened surface, Hua Jin stopped, with her eyes lighting up unexpectedly.

If she remembers correctly, the surface layer of this iron shop didn't have any brick stones laid; it was compacted soil.

From the stiffness encountered upon piercing through, it wasn't difficult to determine that the items below were either stone or metal.

These two types were precisely what Hua Jin hoped to see.

Immediately speeding up, she cleared away the upper layer of dirt and debris, revealing several long rectangular bluestone slabs, contrasting sharply with the compacted soil. Hua Jin wouldn't believe it if there wasn't something fishy under them.

Thinking about the letter she sent overnight to the county town, she just didn't know if the items were still there.

Just looking at the tightly fitted bluestone slabs, Hua Jin raised an eyebrow. But a few stones wouldn't trouble her.

With tools in hand, she appeared in the space and began picking and choosing, finding various types of crowbars. Adding her unmatched strength, there wasn't much problem opening it.

After testing several, the bluestone slabs opened as she expected, she took out a cutting machine from the space since there was an orderly row of timber beneath the bluestone slabs.

The wood seemed very dry, without traces of rain erosion, which pleased Hua Jin and made her quicken her pace.

Soon, a hole large enough for one person to enter appeared.

Dark, pitch black, nothing visible; that was the impression in Hua Jin's eyes, but her lips curled upward as her spiritual power spread out.

Then, a long wooden ladder appeared in her hand, which she carefully placed in the hole, fixing it firmly, then took out a flashlight from the space and eagerly descended the wooden ladder.

Apart from a persistent musty smell from long-term non-ventilation, the secret room was well-preserved. Speaking of which, the waterproof sealing here was exceptionally well-done, not a single trace of water immersion.

All visible to the naked eye were shelves, packed with weapons, surpassing the previous time.

Hua Jin was delighted, proceeding with a sweep, leaving nothing from the shelves or corners untouched, even pulling out all the nails from the walls.

These, when melted, could forge plenty of arrowheads!

In just moments, the secret room became empty.

Even after leaving the secret room, Hua Jin couldn't suppress her inner excitement.

Then it was another round of digging, with so many weapons in the iron shop not yet transferred, implying the shopkeeper left in a rush. Hua Jin wouldn't be content without thoroughly looting the place, although she felt a bit sorry for the shopkeeper. But zero-cost procurement was inevitable this time.

An hour later, a satisfied Hua Jin put down her shovel.

This place was indeed a treasure for her; the results of a night's search were not as bountiful as the metal found in one corner here.

Having gathered a pile of iron, Hua Jin was satisfied and prepared to leave; next destination, the original shop.

Presumably, the trend she started that year would lead these shopkeepers to seize the opportunity and bring in another batch of raw stones.

Again, she wasn't disappointed, making a substantial gain.

Thus, traveling and collecting all the way to the outskirts of town. Unlike a typical night, the smile on Hua Jin's lips never faded.

Task completed beyond expectation, eager to return home, she entered the space for a round of washing, change of clothes, and disinfection without stopping.

Fortunately, she had already warned her mother and grandmother about her long absence, otherwise, the family would be hysterical.

The newly acquired weapons and piles of ironware, though rusty, would remain unaffected once treated. Even if she faces mother's scolding upon returning home, it's worth it.

In Shanggu Town, Hua Jin did not prepare to dig, as there were few iron shops and no opportunity for bargain-hunting; the diligent county chief had already dispatched people to clean it up. Useful items were long gone.

Racing at top speed, she compressed an hour's journey into just over half an hour, returning to Shanggu Town before dawn.

Thinking of her actions in the county town, she didn't want to neglect Shanggu Town, she drove straight in, like a ghost shuttling to every well, integrating the stream water in the space.

Similar to the county town, the final stop was the official residence, where she was gratified to find it much better than the county town, at least the people here had not fallen yet, and patrols were still conducted within the premises, although the main gate was tightly shut.

With an rampant plague, she'd also keep the main gate shut, not idling recklessly.

At least there were no corpses seen on Shanggu Town's streets.

Next was the surrounding villages, as long as there were wells and living people, Hua Jin didn't miss them.

As for villages already wiped out, Hua Jin directly controlled the bodies to gather in one place and set them ablaze.

Even the village where Qin Shu was, which had already become silent, she gathered them together, poured cooking oil, and burned them all.

These things had been restocked in the space many times; Hua Jin used them without hesitation. But if it were gasoline, she'd be reluctant given its scarcity.

At this late hour, even if thick smoke rose, no one noticed; even if they did, they'd be powerless.

The entire process lasted a long time until the sun rose high. Only then did Hua Jin reach the outskirts of Hua Village, entering the space for washing, disinfection, clothing change, and eating before resting. It was already afternoon.

Admiring the barricaded Hua Village, Hua Jin greatly revered Qin Shu and his father, describing them as formidable, even the specially reserved gate area was blocked by several broken trees, making entry difficult.

The afternoon sun was still scorching, but they, including the only woman in the family, were tirelessly laboring.

Though exhausted, they seemed spirited, even appearing plumper; seeing the cheeks no longer so sunken, Hua Jin felt relieved, believing she wasn't exploiting them excessively.

Retracting her spiritual power, Hua Jin climbed over the people-high unfinished walls, heading towards her home behind the village.

Such intense labor, mere scraps of food wouldn't suffice.

With a glance at the family working fervently, Hua Jin arrived at her own front door, but didn't enter; in a flash, various items filled the wooden table in the yard.