Chapter 669: Chapter 669: Going for a Ride

"Speaking of rabbits," Evelyn Ford rolled up her sleeves and headed outside. "I’m going to catch one. What’s a picnic without some rabbit meat?"

At one in the afternoon, Liam Sterling returned. He had gone to the administration building that morning to invite Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe to the picnic, and both had readily agreed. The base hadn’t been particularly busy lately, so Rhys Chase had a lot more free time.

After lunch, Evelyn Ford dyed Ronan Kendrick’s hair. It grew so fast that it needed to be trimmed and bleached almost every month.

The ingredients for the picnic were already prepared. Officer Graham and the others were in the kitchen, roasting tea leaves. The tea plants, which had previously been planted by the river, were ready for harvesting. Even though they were grown in the space, it was just after the Qingming Festival according to the traditional calendar, the time when tea leaves are most tender. The roasted leaves produced a tea with a sweet, lingering aftertaste. It would be perfect to bring some of the fresh tea along for the afternoon picnic.

"Liam, what’s the weather like outside today?" Miles Vaughn asked, handing him a glass of cool tea. Liam Sterling was covered in sweat after running around outside for several hours.

"It’s a little sunny, but the weather is great. Since it’s the weekend, it looks like a lot of people are out and about."

"Should we go early and save a spot? If there are a lot of people having picnics, all the good places will be taken."

"The steppe is huge, no need to save a spot. Oh, right, Mr. Chase told me that residents from Central Base have been arriving at the Eastern Steppe. They split into two groups—one went to the Central Plains, and the other came to the Khoros Steppe. Eldoria can’t accommodate any more residents, so they’re settling down in the Eastern Steppe. Apparently, the tectonic shifts created a lot of lakes and deep ravines over there. By the way, two months ago, the base sent some people out to look for survivors. Some of them have returned recently. Not only did they bring back a good number of survivors, but they also found several mines."

"How far is the Eastern Steppe from here?"

"It’s at least a ten-hour drive, probably around eight hundred kilometers. The steppe covers a huge area, and Eldoria is located in its southwestern part." Liam Sterling paused for a moment before continuing, "Mr. Chase said Central Base wants to borrow some machinery and equipment from our base, along with grain seeds, herbs, medicine, and weapons. Their territory is right next to Rivenia, where the soil is fertile, so growing crops shouldn’t be difficult."

"Is Rhys Chase going to lend it to them?"

Liam Sterling nodded. "We have to. But the question is how. Both sides will need to sign some agreements regarding things like sharing the steppe lands, dividing up territory, and so on."

"To be honest, if Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick hadn’t gathered all the base’s supplies into the space, the great earthquake after the tectonic shift would have been a complete disaster. It shattered the land, buildings crumbled to dust, countless residents were killed or injured, and the supplies were completely unsalvageable. Every base suffered devastating losses. If they hadn’t collected the supplies beforehand, it would have taken at least twenty to thirty years to recover after the quake."

Quincy was speaking the plain truth, and Liam Sterling nodded in agreement.

It had only been a few months, yet the base had already recovered sixty percent of its former strength. In another year or so, it could be restored to its pre-earthquake prospects.

Seriously, if Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick hadn’t stored all the food in the space beforehand, who knows how many people would have starved to death during the migration.

Evelyn Ford cleared her throat. "Honestly, Rhys Chase deserves more credit for this. Don’t forget, he was the one with the foresight to realize an earthquake was coming. He’s the one who asked Ronan Kendrick and me to gather the supplies. And frankly, if he hadn’t been so generous as to offer a twenty percent cut, I wouldn’t have helped."

"There’s no point comparing who did more or less. If you ask me, the three of you are the saviors of the base. At the picnic this afternoon, you’d better eat your fill."

"Alright. This afternoon, you all are in charge of the barbecue, and the three of us will be in charge of eating and drinking."

Before leaving for the picnic, Evelyn Ford changed into a black tracksuit, tied her hair up, and put on a baseball cap, making her look full of energy. Ronan Kendrick silently took off his black overcoat and found a matching tracksuit to change into, his intentions obvious without a word.

Evelyn Ford had originally planned to have the others wait in the space while she and Ronan Kendrick drove to pick up Rhys Chase and his group, after which they would find a spot on the steppe for the picnic. But it turned out everyone wanted to go for a ride. Since the wind wasn’t strong today, a little joyride sounded nice.

Leaving the small courtyard, the fifteen of them set out in three tricycles, one after another, toward the administration building. The trip was supposed to take fifty minutes, but Ronan Kendrick drove his tricycle at the speed of a race car, causing the terrified passengers in the back to cling to each other while cursing him out.

"This isn’t a joyride, this is eating wind and dust! Ronan, slow down! I’m gonna throw up!"

Ronan Kendrick ignored Quincy and kept accelerating. He ended up making the fifty-minute trip to the administration building in just twenty-five.

When Quincy climbed off the tricycle, his legs were trembling.

"Ronan, this road was just paved! How could you drive so fast? Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"Weren’t you the ones clamoring to go for a ride?"

"You call that going for a ride? That was more like a mad dash! Ptooey! I ate so much dust."

Ronan Kendrick’s lip curled into a smirk. He had done it on purpose. Who told them to be so rowdy in the vehicle, chattering away the whole time? He had tried to talk to Evelyn Ford, but these third wheels kept interrupting him.

Evelyn Ford looked at the two of them, speechless. "Could you two be any more childish?"

"Ronan’s the childish one! I’m the victim here."

"It’s your own fault for being so talkative."

Quincy was speechless.

After waiting for over ten minutes, the other two tricycles finally arrived. Just then, Rhys Chase and Ryan Rowe emerged from the administration building.

"Sorry, a last-minute meeting came up and held me for a few minutes." Rhys Chase was dressed quite casually today. Seen like this, he looked surprisingly younger.

"The timing is perfect, we just got here too. Are you two okay with riding in the tricycles?"

Rhys Chase shrugged. "I have no problem with it. I thought you’d be walking to the steppe."

Evelyn Ford smiled. "Walk? You give us too much credit. With the old and the young in our group, who has the energy for that?"

Rhys Chase climbed into the tricycle and reached out to poke Zoe’s high ponytail. "I never had the time to congratulate you on your new house after you all moved to the courtyard. Have you settled in alright? I’ve been thinking about moving over there myself. I wonder if there are any empty houses near you."

"There should be some empty ones. If you decide to move, just let us know beforehand. We can help you clean up."

"Great, thanks, everyone."

The tricycles set off again. By the time they reached the steppe, it was already five o’clock.

There were many people out for rides and picnics today. As far as the eye could see, the steppe was filled with laughing, playing children and wisps of cooking smoke. The orange-red sun still hung near the horizon. Zoe was practically buzzing with excitement, cheering at the sight of a single wildflower.

"Let’s set up camp here. It’s sheltered from the wind, relatively cool, and we can watch the sunset," Evelyn Ford said, pointing to an empty patch of ground ahead. No one had any objections.

After the tricycles stopped, everyone worked together to pitch the tents and set up the tables and chairs. Evelyn Ford took out the grill, while Taylor Vance and Officer Graham donned aprons and started the fire for the barbecue.

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