Time passed very quickly.
Before Bai Zemin even realized it, he had remained in the same position, in the same spot, for a total of five whole hours.
However, time was relative. When a person was doing something they found boring, the pointers of the clock seemed to stagnate in place, barely moving.
But when a person was doing something they liked or loved wholeheartedly, the pointers of the clock seemed to be in too much of a hurry to make countless turns.
Wasn't it ironic?
The moments we wanted to pass quickly were the ones that seemed to last forever while those moments we would like to last forever seemed to be over in a second.
Although five whole hours had passed, with only two more hours to go before the sun began to descend on the distant horizon, Bai Zemin continued to contemplate the image in his hands with eyes filled with longing and overflowing affection.
In fact, he was so absorbed with the faces captured in the photograph of each of them that he did not even notice when someone approached him, only realizing it when they entered a range of ten meters distance.
For the first time after so many hours, Bai Zemin stopped looking at the picture in his hands and looked down from the tree he was sitting on.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at him from the ground. Her clear eyes as cold as millennial ice but strangely, with a small enchanting flame within them, briefly glanced at the picture in his hand before looking him directly in the eyes again.
Although she couldn't see the faces in the portrait clearly due to the angle, she had managed to make out four people; two male and two female. Even without asking it was quite obvious to Shangguan Bing Xue that this must be his family.
Still, she couldn't help but ask, "Is that your family?"
Bai Zemin looked at her for a moment before nodding slightly. He turned the portrait so she could see it better and slowly pointed, "My father, my mother, and my little sister."
The picture had been taken more than twelve years ago, so it was somewhat old. However, Shangguan Bing Xue noticed the care with which the small picture had been treated as, while it was a bit faded in some corners, it was mostly in perfect condition.
"I see." She nodded slightly. Her voice was indifferent, but it was not an indifference meant for arrogance, but an innate indifference that seemed to come from her very soul, "You all seem very close."
Bai Zemin found her last words a bit strange, but he didn't think too much of it as he simply replied, "Of course we are. We are family after all."
Shangguan Bing Xue stared at him for two seconds before nodding and turning her eyes back to the picture once more.
The couple who were then in their early thirties looked genuinely happy with smiles on their faces as they hugged the two eight or nine year old children. The little boy had a mischievous look shining in his eyes while the little girl was clinging to a small gray stuffed rabbit, her eyes looking as limpid and pure as the clearest water in the world.
Shangguan Bing Xue's eyes sparkled strangely for a moment before she closed her eyes and turned away. As she walked out of the forest again, she remarked, "Although it's kind of late, we decided to prepare something to eat since we're kinda hungry. You should eat something too."
Bai Zemin followed her slender back with his eyes until she disappeared into the thick forest trees and scratched his head while muttering, "How strange...::"
However, he soon began to feel hungry so he decided to follow the advice she had given him. After all, it had been many hours and after the quick breakfast he had had while leaving the military camp, he had not eaten anything; basically, since the previous night's dinner, Bai Zemin had not had a proper meal.
After climbing down from the tree with a nimble jump, he landed softly on the ground and walked towards the outside of the forest.
* * *
The wait seemed to take forever.
While Bai Zemin's group waited for the arrival of the group of survivors to begin work, none of them had anything particularly appealing to do so they simply chatted among themselves, devising plans to improve the power of the Beginning Village.
They also brainstormed about what to do next.
In the end, the idea most liked by Bai Zemin, Shangguan Bing Xue, Wu Yijun, and Chen He, turned out to be the same; move in a southerly direction and move into Baiquan Camp.
The Baiquan Camp had been established by the mayor of the Baiquan sub-district of the Yanqing District. In addition, according to the radio broadcast, the military had managed to establish a large security perimeter, currently with more than ten thousand survivors.
Bai Zemin had decided to make a trip to Camp Baiquan personally. In addition, Wu Yijun had insisted on going with him; something Bai Zemin accepted after careful consideration.
Wu Yijun was the granddaughter of the Premier of China and knew many powerful people. Perhaps, her presence would make things easier for him in case he decided to negotiate with the high command of Camp Baiquan.
As for Shangguan Bing Xue, she also wanted to go as she wished to see with her own eyes the place set up by the government. However, Bai Zemin rejected her outright telling her that he needed someone powerful protecting the Beginning Village.
If a First Order beast appeared, Chen He and the rest could repel it if they united and worked as a team. However, if two First Order enemies or a high-level enemy appeared among the First Orders, then only Bai Zemin himself and Shangguan Bing Xue had the power to defend against such existences.
In the end, Shangguan Bing Xue stopped insisting as she knew that Bai Zemin's words made sense. Therefore, she and Chen He together with Fu Xuefeng and Kang Lan would stay behind protecting the house while he was away.
...
Time went by and in the blink of an eye it was already 6 a.m of the next morning.
The sun had not yet fully risen and the sky was almost completely black. Only the faint glow of the sun could be seen appearing far away, so far away and faint that the stars were still visible.
Bai Zemin, who was sleeping in a huge military tent brought from the military camp, opened his eyes when he heard the sound of engines gradually approaching in this direction.
A few meters away, Shangguan Bing Xue's blue eyes opened and a cold chill flashed within them.
A few seconds later, Chen He also woke up just at the same time as Wu Yijun, followed by the soldiers who quickly picked up their guns lying at their sides.
"No need to worry." Bai Zemin waved his hand and slowly stood up. His bones creaked softly and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of pleasure before calmly saying, "They are here. It's time to get to work."