Chapter 286: Entering the City
Lei Xing frowned upon hearing that and said, “What does it have to do with you who I enter the city with?”
This woman had been annoyingly persistent over the past year. She had stopped troubling Leopard Path behind the scenes but had shifted her focus to pestering him personally.
Chu Ming was used to his tone and didn’t take offense. “Can’t I show some concern as a friend?”
Lei Xing was impatient.
What friend? He had no interest in making annoying friends.
“Do you have business with me or not? If you’re just asking about this, sorry, no comment!”
“You—”
Lei Xing hung up the phone and continued his conversation with Xu Chang as if he were a completely different person from when he was on the call.
“So, you don’t mind if I give that thing away, right?”
Xu Chang had already guessed who he wanted to give it to and waved his hand dismissively. “It’s yours now; you can give it to whoever you want.”
Lei Xing’s eyes lit up with joy.
The commission for this mission included not only crystal cores and federal credits, but Minister Xu had also given him something valuable—a portable single-soldier mobile camp.
It was a newly developed military supply from Changjing. On the outside, it looked like a small black box the size of a basketball, but once the switch was pressed, it expanded into a four-square-meter space with a sturdy exterior that was windproof, waterproof, and bulletproof.
Tests showed that even the blood scythe beast’s giant limbs couldn’t break through it.
For military operations requiring temporary camps, this eliminated the need to set up tents. One press of a button provided a safe, single-occupancy shelter.
Additionally, multiple units could be combined to create larger spaces.
If Lei Xing had been able to get more from Minister Xu, he would have loved to give Su Tao four of them to create an entire safe house on the road—much safer than her RV.
Thinking of this, he said to Minister Xu, “If more become available for purchase in the future, let me know!”
Right now, these were exclusively for Changjing’s military and unavailable to outsiders.
Minister Xu gave him a glance and said, “You’d better give up on that idea. This thing will never be sold externally. Honestly, I think that RV is quite comfortable. You should consider giving her something else.”
Lei Xing didn’t comment.
Comfort was nothing compared to safety. He was sure Su Tao would like this gift.
With that hopeful thought, he proceeded with the city’s entry procedures.
Su Tao and her group followed, completing their registrations one by one.
The administrative officer, not daring to delay for important guests from Changjing, processed everything with remarkable efficiency. In less than ten minutes, the entire group had smoothly entered the city.
At a glance, Su Tao immediately noticed the stark contrast between Dongyang and Xindu.
Even the outer city of Xindu had well-paved concrete roads, which were clean and wide enough to accommodate traffic.
There were even some basic landscaping efforts. While not as grand as Wu Zhen’s projects, it was already quite close to pre-apocalypse greenery.
The buildings were neatly aligned, unlike Dongyang’s tightly packed, crumbling structures with peeling walls.
If the outer city was like this, the inner city would only be better.
Su Tao had spent eighteen years in Dongyang and was deeply attached to it. Seeing how well Xindu was developed, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy about admitting Dongyang’s shortcomings.
She couldn’t understand—why, after twenty years of the old commander’s tireless efforts, was Dongyang still so far behind Xindu?
Where had things gone wrong?
Every bit of her expression was caught by Shi Zijin.
He patted her on the shoulder. “Are you wondering why Dongyang couldn’t develop like this?”
Su Tao nodded.
Shi Zijin didn’t intend to keep it from her. This was an open secret, and she would find out sooner or later.
“Do you know why people call us the ‘mud army’? It’s because the old commander chose to come to Dongyang alone. Changjing didn’t assign him any personnel. He had to organize everything himself, and people like us didn’t graduate from formal military academies.”
Shi Zijin spoke with a hint of self-mockery.
“Why?” Su Tao was surprised.
“Because not long after the apocalypse started, the highest leader passed away, and Changjing fell into internal conflict. They pressured the old commander to pick a side. One faction included his former comrades—people he had shared life-and-death experiences with. But he refused and was determined to go to Dongyang, which caused him to fall out with his old war buddies.”
“In the end, the old commander got his wish and went to Dongyang, saving most of its land and people. Changjing, meanwhile, resolved its power struggle, but the victor was his former friend.”
Su Tao hadn’t expected such a history.
So that was why—Changjing resented the old commander for not siding with them.
No wonder Dongyang had always received fewer resources and was frequently mocked.
On top of that, the old commander had prioritized long-term development, investing heavily in education and healthcare first, while infrastructure had to be put on hold.
Thinking about the run-down houses in Dongyang now, Su Tao suddenly felt a sense of affection.
It was fine. She was here!
She might not be good at everything, but she could definitely build houses!
Seeing her spirit reignite, Shi Zijin didn’t say anything more.
In fact, the old commander had already hinted at slowly transitioning Dongyang’s leadership to Su Tao. It was almost as if he had outright declared her the next leader of Dongyang.
Letting her learn about these things earlier could only help.
After entering the city, Minister Xu was soon greeted by someone who had come to escort him to his accommodation. Before leaving, he politely bid farewell to Su Tao.
“Thank you for looking after me on the journey. If you ever need anything, you can find me at the guest house.”
Lei Xing was a bit surprised. Minister Xu had a good impression of Su Tao—good enough to invite her to seek him out if needed.
Minister Xu held considerable status in Xindu since he was essentially Changjing’s official evaluator.
His reports on the city’s progress, performance, and potential had direct influence over its future.
Naturally, Xindu treated him like a VIP.
Su Tao, however, had no idea about Minister Xu’s official position. She assumed he was just being polite and didn’t think much of it. Smiling brightly, she replied:
“If you’re not comfortable at the guest house, you’re welcome to stay with us.”
She said it sincerely.
Once they found a place to settle in Xindu, she planned to renovate it properly for comfort.
She was confident that no guest house in Xindu could compare to what she could furnish with her system’s resources.
But to the staff accompanying Minister Xu, her words were nothing short of a joke.
These country bumpkins from Dongyang had no idea about the guest house’s high standards, did they? How could they think Minister Xu would be uncomfortable there?
Even Minister Xu chuckled and, looking at Lei Xing, said, “You don’t need to follow me. Go handle your own business.”
He had long noticed Lei Xing’s impatience—probably eager to deliver his gift to a certain young lady.
As an old man, he wasn’t about to get in the way of the young folks.
