Chapter 963: Chapter 173: Refugees Arrive
营地的清理工作持续了整整三天.
Under the round-the-clock operation of large autonomous robots and Steam Knights, the collapsed prefab houses, twisted metal frames, and tents buried under debris were finally cleared one by one.
Mechanical arms precisely fetched debris, and Steam Knights used their steam armor-enhanced strong arms to transport large building materials. The entire camp echoed with the roar of steam engines and the sound of metal clashing.
Thanks to the camp being originally built on cleared urban ruins, this reconstruction eliminated the most time-consuming land leveling work.
Engineers found that although the surface facilities were heavily damaged, the foundation didn’t need restructuring. The already leveled land required no rework, saving at least 30% of the reconstruction time.
The temporary buildings showed their advantage at this moment—no need for foundations, just assemble on flat land, naturally speeding up reconstruction compared to permanent buildings.
On the first piece of cleared land, workers erected ten military tents within half a day.
By the evening of the second day, rows of prefabricated temporary houses were neatly arranged like building blocks.
These temporary shelters were crude but sufficient to withstand wind and rain.
The medical team prioritized housing the elderly, children, and the injured, and warm lights gradually illuminated the night, bringing a long-lost sense of security to the frightened survivors.
With basic shelters settled, the camp faced severe material shortage issues.
The granary was nearly half destroyed in the previous disaster, stored grains and dry food were mostly consumed by flames from explosions, and the remaining parts were stained by acid rain and corrosive slime, emitting an unbearable stench.
The stock of medical supplies was nearly depleted, bandages and disinfectants were long gone, even the most basic pain relief pills became scarce resources, leaving the injured to grit their teeth in agony.
As for the city’s original water supply system and underground water, Perfikot directly chose to abandon them.
The reason was simple: during the previous attack by Evil God believers, although Perfikot destroyed the summoned abominations and captured all attackers, the pollution had seeped underground, tainting the water source.
This left the camp managers exasperated. At the material allocation meeting, the Missionary Group leader frowned, the list in hand clearly showing the remaining food only sufficient for three days, while water purification equipment was even scarcer.
Luckily, Perfikot was present, and she could make decisions on many matters, preventing camp management from descending into chaos.
Under Perfikot’s orders, various advanced alchemy instruments were put to use, providing the camp in Seven Hills City with various urgently needed supplies.
The industrial production line of the Floating City module operated day and night, producing compressed biscuits and nutritional agents, temporarily alleviating the food crisis.
As for the vital water source, Perfikot personally crafted a large-scale water purification device, ensuring stable supply.
This device used an alchemy matrix and steam power to filter and purify contaminated water layer by layer, ultimately producing clear drinking water. Though the output was limited, it at least kept the camp from panicking due to water scarcity.
But just as everything was proceeding in order, the Steam Knights on perimeter patrol suddenly triggered a sharp alarm - an unidentified large group of people appeared in the distance with ruins, slowly advancing towards the camp...
The built-in loudspeaker in the Steam Knights’ armor spread the alarm across the camp. The piercing buzzing noise made survivors halt their tasks.
Some panickedly looked around, some instinctively hugged the children beside them, while others reached for the makeshift weapons hidden under their clothes.
Facing the unexpected crowd, the peripheral Steam Knights dared not slack off, immediately raising huge shield towers and muskets, posing a defensive posture.
The heavy tower shields slammed into the frozen soil with a dull thud, while the loading sounds of muskets were crisp and piercing.
The Steam Knights formed a steel defense line, white mist sprayed from armor joints turning into frost in the cold wind.
"Maintain vigilance!" The Knight Commander issued orders through the armor communicator: "Any attempt to breach the defense line, kill without mercy!"
Although they did not drive away or attack these people, they exhibited an unwelcome and resistant attitude.
The eyes under the Steam Knights’ helmets stared closely at these unexpected guests, fingers on triggers, ready to handle potential assaults.
Obviously, for a camp that had just suffered an attack, these suddenly appearing people posed an extremely high threat.
They might be Evil God believers disguised as refugees, corrupted humans, or even some new type of monster.
The survivors in the camp began to whisper, fear spreading among them like a plague.
Regardless of whether they would pose a threat to the camp, their presence itself was a threat at such a time.
The camp had just experienced a catastrophe, with scarce supplies and incompletely repaired defenses, unable to endure any additional risk.
The Steam Knights stood ready, prepared to defend this hard-won refuge with steel and fire if necessary.
Fortunately, they were not dangerous elements; they were simply fellow survivors.
But not survivors from Seven Hills City; instead, they came from nearby towns.
They were dressed in rags, stumbled and staggered like leaves blown away by the cold wind.
The front row used sticks as crutches, leaving varying footprint depths on the freezing soil; those behind supported each other, each step taken with great difficulty.
Women wrapped babies with tattered cloth, men pushed creaky makeshift carts carrying the little belongings left.
Those towns also suffered attacks from Evil God believers, and although not being the main target, losses were not substantial, yet they lost the assurance to keep living.
Thus, under the guidance of missionaries sent by the Empire, they headed to Seven Hills City, seeking refuge.
"Regent, shall we accept them? As for the current camp situation, we’re afraid we cannot bear so many people," the Missionary Group leader sought Perfikot’s guidance, also identifying their immediate predicament.
However, for Perfikot, it was rather easily solved. She pondered briefly and then replied, "Have them settle nearby; the camp is still undergoing reconstruction, a mess unsuitable to house them, and there is nowhere to place them.
Let them emulate the camp, construct their own camp, with the Energy Tower and building materials, the Empire will provide."
"Yes, Regent," the Missionary Group leader bowed in acknowledgment.
