Zhong Heng, Peng Yue, and others had ample experience dealing with such matters.
Seeing these people gather, before they even got close, they announced through the vehicle's loudspeaker:
"We are a combat team out to encircle and annihilate a criminal syndicate, and we are currently on a mission. We cannot take you with us."
"However, when we return, we can take you back to Jiangcheng Sanctuary along with the victims rescued from the criminal syndicate's control!"
Hearing the words from the loudspeaker, these people cheered.
Yet, a good number of them, while cheering, continued to converge towards the convoy.
"There's no need to come closer. Our vehicles are filled with weapons and ammunition, with no spare water or food. We are only resting here briefly before heading out to annihilate the criminal syndicate. Those who approach will be shot."
However, the voice from the loudspeaker made them stop in their tracks once more.
After getting out of the car, Tang Li saw that the door of the large bus responsible for logistics was open. Those who had disembarked from the armored vehicles went over one after another, and after being sprayed with delta particle decontamination agent, they took turns boarding the bus to eat.
Those remaining who had not yet had their turn continued to maintain guard on the periphery.
Some also alighted to use the service area restrooms.
Concurrently, from within the logistics bus, individuals emerged carrying protected containers, delivering them to two other large buses and a minibus.
"Captain Tang, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and get in the car to eat."
Inside the minibus, Lin Xi saw Tang Li looking at the other people in the service area and said to her.
Upon hearing this, Tang Li quickened her pace, sprayed herself with the delta particle decontamination agent, and boarded the vehicle.
"Captain Tang, this is your first time seeing such a scene, isn't it?" a uniformed personnel in the vehicle asked with a smile.
Tang Li nodded, "You could say that."
"Ah, you get used to it after seeing it a few times. They are already fortunate to encounter a combat team on a mission. Who knows how many others have died in the wilderness, their remains never found," another uniformed personnel sighed with a heavy expression.
"Let's not talk about that. Regardless, life must go on, and we must eat."
Seeing the conversation turn somber, Lin Xi quickly urged everyone to sit down and eat.
Tang Li glanced at the four dishes and one soup on the table.
They were mostly meat dishes, with barely a few pieces of leafy vegetables visible.
The four dishes were braised pork belly, sweet and sour pork ribs, shredded pork stir-fried with chili, and scrambled eggs with onion. The soup was pure chicken broth.
Even then, the chili and onions in the dishes were only scattered bits, merely for flavor.
For some time, Tang Li had been taking ingredients from her spatial dimension to cook for Tang Guo, and she hadn't realized that vegetables were now more precious than meat.
After inquiring, she learned that the reduced electricity supply had significantly decreased the output of the vertical farms, leading to a shortage of feed.
This in turn caused a lack of feed for the penned poultry and livestock, as well as insufficient electricity to maintain suitable living environments. They had to be processed quickly.
Once the current batch of processed poultry and livestock was consumed, meat would become even harder to procure.
Rice, however, was abundant.
Storing grain also required electricity for cooling.
If it spoiled due to improper storage, even if it could be fed to rice weevils, there would be losses. It was better to open up the granaries.
Although the land outside could no longer be used for growing grain, thanks to the rice weevils, Song Pinxuan had also directed He Xiao to gradually develop various flavored insect dishes and meat dishes. Therefore, there was no fear of having nothing to eat after the stored grain was consumed.
In this regard, it was different from her previous life.
In her previous life, along with the great drought, there was also a great famine.
It wasn't until September when the Japanese developed rice weevils, and insect cakes became available, that the famine began to alleviate.
In this life, due to the emergence of rice weevils, in places where order had not collapsed, the authorities would still not let people starve.
Just as Tang Li and others were eating, a commotion suddenly erupted from outside.
Peng Yue alertly put down his chopsticks, stood up, and pulled aside a corner of the minibus window curtain to take a look outside.
Seeing that it had nothing to do with his combat team, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"It seems like there's a conflict among people at the service area. I'll go check the situation. You all continue eating."
After Peng Yue said this, he got out of the car.
A while later, he returned to the car, his expression somber.
"What's wrong?" everyone asked curiously.
"Yesterday, a child couldn't hold on. After dying, they were buried behind the service area. Fearing the body would be eaten, the child's mother poisoned the corpse and clearly marked it as 'poisonous, do not eat'."
"However, last night, someone still dug it up and ate it. After eating, those people also died."
"Now, the families of those people are causing trouble for the child's mother, demanding compensation..."