Chapter 156: Transformation into a Leopard
Ma Dapao asked, “Boss, what should we do with him?”
Su Tao replied, “Hand him over to Qi Yunlan. Give him all the miscellaneous tasks—don’t let him have any free time. Also, make sure he doesn’t come into contact with any alcoholic beverages.”
So, you like being lazy and slacking off, huh?
Isn’t he fond of drinking?
She wasn’t going to let him have a single drop.
Hearing this, Xiong Tai momentarily forgot the pain from the scratches on his face and loudly protested.
Ma Dapao stuffed a piece of burlap into his mouth. “Save it. Just do your job properly, or Lord Cat will scratch you.”
Black Sesame bared its teeth and hissed.
Xiong Tai immediately fell silent, his face gradually taking on a look of utter despair.
Before long, Qi Yunlan arrived to take him away.
Su Tao quietly instructed her:
“This guy is now under your department. At first, just assign him the dirtiest and most exhausting odd jobs—wear him down. If he shows any signs of repentance, if he realizes he needs to work properly and not be a drunkard, then you can start giving him real tasks and pay him a small amount each month. Repeat the cycle.
“If he stays the way he is, just kick him out. You can’t help someone who refuses to improve.”
Qi Yunlan understood immediately and chuckled. “Boss, you have a broad mind.”
Su Tao teased her, “Dapao has corrupted you; now you even know how to flatter people.”
Ma Dapao quickly defended himself, “I only go to Director Qi to learn! We only speak the truth. If the truth happens to be flattering, what can we do about it?”
Su Tao was speechless at his smooth talking. “Enough. Come with me to find Lei Xing. We still have to deal with that old station esper we captured.”
When they found Lei Xing, he didn’t immediately bring up business. Instead, he scrutinized Su Tao from head to toe.
“You look much better now. Next time you lose your cat, come to me.”
Su Tao instinctively asked, “Why would I come to you? My cat reacts to you like it’s seen a ghost—scared to death.”
As she spoke, she noticed two furry ears emerging from Lei Xing’s short golden hair, and his pupils narrowing into vertical slits.
He bared two sharp fangs and said, “Boss Su, cats and leopards are family… I’m very familiar with your little black one’s scent.”
Su Tao was stunned and asked, “I’ve never asked—what exactly is your ability? You look like a monster…”
Lei Xing retracted his ears and reverted to his usual tanned, handsome appearance.
“It’s called ‘Leopard Transformation,’ a type of mutation ability. You probably haven’t seen it before. If you think of me as a monster, that’s fine—I really can turn into a leopard. In this form, my senses and speed are greatly enhanced. I’m a born hunter.”
He smiled brightly, exuding a wild charm.
Su Tao added another piece of knowledge to her understanding of abilities. “Thanks for the explanation. By the way, keep the Mist Esper locked up for now.”
Then, she turned to Ma Dapao.
“Send a message to the Old Station. Tell them we’ve captured Mist. If they want him back, they have two choices: One, they stop selling water and fuel. Two, they can continue selling, but they have to give us half the profits.”
Ma Dapao was dumbfounded.
“Boss… If we’re talking about being ruthless, you take the crown. If this gets back to the Old Station, Tan Yong is going to be so furious he won’t even be able to get it up.”
Lei Xing, curious, asked, “What’s the story behind this?”
Ma Dapao recounted how the Old Station had once sent Qu Jingwen to cause trouble for them:
“Back when Panliu mountain was just starting, the Old Station sent that woman Qu to make things difficult for us. She threw two choices at me: either we weren’t allowed to sell water and fuel, or if we did, we had to give them half the profits. Otherwise, they’d make life miserable for us. Of course, we didn’t agree—it was blatant bullying…”
Lei Xing laughed heartily. “Boss Su, you and your cat really hold grudges.”
Su Tao said, “Business is all about reciprocation.”
Lei Xing laughed so hard his eyes curved into crescents.
That afternoon, Su Tao worked as usual, staying with her team until 8 p.m. before heading home.
After a quick wash and meal, she immediately started drafting a construction plan.
Once she finished, she posted an announcement in the tenant group chat:
“Tonight, Taoyang will undergo a major renovation. Everyone, just sleep as usual. If anything unusual happens, don’t worry.”
As soon as the message was sent, discussions erupted in the group, filled with anticipation.
At midnight, Su Tao took out the residential planning map given to her by Old Mei and activated the system to start building.
First, she rebuilt all the apartment exteriors according to Old Mei’s design.
Each type of apartment was housed in a separate building, with at least two elevators per building for convenience.
Since the buildings would get taller in the future, elevators were a necessity.
Building 1: Single rooms
Building 2: Double rooms
Building 3: One-bedroom apartments
Building 4: Two-bedroom apartments
Building 5: Three-bedroom apartments
She reserved 2,500 square meters specifically for the residential zone.
All buildings faced north to south, with narrow green belts between them. Later, Wu Zhen could plant decorative greenery when he had time.
In the center of the residential area, she placed the small fountain that had been built earlier.
For now, the cafeteria and clinic were located behind Building 5.
The Taoli Building and Taohua Building, used for office work, were positioned with the greenhouse behind Building 1.
With this setup, entering Taoyang from the main gate led to a wide stone-paved road, flanked by neatly arranged apartment buildings.
Walking further in, one would find the cafeteria and clinic, followed by the office and farming areas.
After the reconstruction, everything looked much more organized and aesthetically pleasing!
The next step was to expand the office buildings, clinic, and other public facilities.
With the increasing number of tenants, expanding public infrastructure was a must.
However, land was running out again.
Su Tao took out her small purse, reached into Fang Zhihua’s tiny pocket, and retrieved all her crystal cores—nine in total.
She had her eye on a 900-square-meter area next to the office buildings.
According to Old Mei’s plan, the entire 1,200-square-meter zone would be transformed into an office and leisure area.
Looking at the blueprint, she envisioned a future where this space wouldn’t just be for work—after hours, people could go to the gym, watch movies…
Next to it was the commercial district planned by Old Mei.
In the future, that area would house various shops and restaurants, not only improving the quality of life but also stimulating consumption and creating more job opportunities.
Su Tao was filled with anticipation—first, she had to secure the 900-square-meter area and build the office and leisure district!
[Detected: Nine Level-1 crystal cores. Energy is being collected… Congratulations, Host! You have obtained management rights over this land. Please check.]
Su Tao immediately opened the map. The previously flashing red 900-square-meter area had turned green, merging seamlessly with the adjacent office building zone.
Time to sleep!
She’d deal with this land tomorrow night.
*
The next morning, the tenants of Taoyang were collectively stunned as soon as they stepped outside.
A new apartment building had been added, dispersing the residents and easing the pressure on the elevators.
Previously, during peak hours, waiting for an elevator took forever.
Zhuang Wan was still marveling at the change when Chen Xi ran downstairs, looking up at the transformed apartment complex and shouting excitedly:
“Mom! Come down quickly! Our building looks so nice and organized now!”
