Chapter 366: Roaming Wonderland
Even Minister Xu Chang, who lived at the small ranch, could feel the intense and hardworking atmosphere of Taoyang.
After attending a meeting at the Taoli Building, Tang Huan and her daughter started waking up an hour earlier than usual just to feed the chickens and ducks.
During this time, Xu Chang thoroughly familiarized himself with every corner of Taoyang.
Its capabilities were beyond question—especially in infrastructure, where there were no flaws to be found. Even if officials from the Changjing City Construction Bureau came to inspect, they wouldn’t dare deny Taoyang’s excellence.
The only shortcoming was in armed forces.
As far as he knew, Taoyang only had a Security Department to barely fill that role. However, for an official settlement application, their current strength would meet the minimum requirements.
Xu Chang decided to apply for Taoyang’s official settlement status when he returned to Changjing.
Gaining settlement status meant receiving official recognition and came with numerous benefits—government support, talent transfers, shared scientific research, and subsidies for weapons and supplies.
It also offered protection. If Taoyang faced a crisis, like the incident with He Kang, Changjing would immediately dispatch troops to rescue them.
Moreover, if other bases attempted to rob or annex Taoyang, Changjing would intervene and issue a warning. If the aggressor repeated their actions, Changjing would respond with military force.
Of course, the level of attention and support Changjing provided depended on the settlement’s rank—higher-ranked settlements received more resources and protection.
This was why both the northern and southern factions tried desperately to win Xu Chang’s favor.
Xu Chang sought out Su Tao to inform her of his upcoming return to Changjing.
Su Tao was momentarily stunned and instinctively asked, “What about Alice?”
Although she knew Alice would inevitably return to Changjing with her father, she still felt reluctant to part with her.
Such a lovely and adorable little girl—once she left Taoyang, who knew how many years it would be before they saw each other again?
Sensing her disappointment, Xu Chang gently patted her head and said warmly:
“I’ll bring Hehe back to visit Taoyang often. Or, if you’re free, come visit Changjing and stay for a while—I’ll personally host you. How does that sound?”
Su Tao nodded. “I’ll come once things settle down here.”
“Oh, by the way, prepare the documents for Taoyang’s settlement application before I leave.”
Su Tao froze for a moment and replied honestly, “Taoyang doesn’t meet the requirements yet. We haven’t even been established for a year, and the minimum requirement is one year of operation…”
Xu Chang laughed heartily. “The time requirement isn’t that rigid. As long as other conditions are met, being operational for more than six months is usually enough. Besides, my face still carries some weight—if I recommend it, there shouldn’t be a problem.”
Su Tao was pleasantly surprised, almost at a loss for words.
But after calming down, she couldn’t help but say:
“Minister Xu, please don’t make an exception just because of Alice—no, Hehe. When I took her in, I had no ulterior motives and expected no return. I also don’t want to trouble you or jeopardize your reputation. It’s only six more months—Taoyang can wait.”
Xu Chang was momentarily speechless.
He hadn’t expected to be refused the first time he offered someone a “shortcut.”
Countless people wanted his favor, yet Su Tao was the only one to consider his reputation and future.
Amused and touched, he sighed:
“You really are pure-hearted. But trust me, this won’t affect me negatively. I’m not recommending Taoyang because of Hehe—I’m doing it because Taoyang is genuinely strong. Otherwise, I wouldn’t vouch for it.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Su Tao scratched her head. Maybe she was overthinking things.
But the awkwardness passed quickly, and she even asked Minister Xu to keep an eye out for scientific equipment in Changjing—Taoyang wanted to make some purchases.
Minister Xu readily agreed.
However, two days later, on the day of his departure, an incident occurred.
Alice wore a pretty little dress, her hair styled in twin ponytails. She smiled sweetly, waving goodbye to her father.
Minister Xu gently coaxed her, “Hehe, come home with Daddy, okay? Give me your hand—be a good girl.”
But Alice didn’t understand. She just kept waving happily, as if it were any other morning from four years ago when she would watch her father leave for work and wait for his return.
She couldn’t grasp why he wouldn’t leave for work today or why he kept trying to hold her hand.
Determined, Minister Xu picked her up, preparing to place her in the car. But the moment he did, Alice suddenly began to scream.
Her limbs flailed wildly in the air—she didn’t want to leave. She was terrified of the outside world, believing it was full of danger and bad people.
As she cried and struggled, anything near her began to swell and distort.
Street lamps, trash cans, rocks in the landscaping—everything seemed to inflate like balloons and drift skyward.
Even Su Tao wasn’t spared. She watched in disbelief as her own head and Zhuang Wan’s head inflated like giant balloons.
In the distance, parts of buildings turned into pixelated mosaics.
The scene was both eerie and dreamlike—like stepping into a surreal wonderland.
Realizing his daughter was having an episode, Minister Xu rushed forward, tackled her gently, and held her tightly while singing a lullaby.
His voice was deep and rough, making the song sound less soothing—but miraculously, the chaotic scene began to subside.
As his singing filled the air, Alice’s screams faded, and the distorted objects gradually returned to normal.
Su Tao patted her head, relieved to find it back to its usual size.
Everyone stood frozen in shock, watching the father and daughter in silence.
Due to the unexpected episode, Minister Xu had no choice but to delay his departure and stay to comfort his daughter.
Later that night, after a meeting with Dongyang’s engineers, Su Tao skipped going home and instead sought out Minister Xu.
“Uncle Xu, how is Hehe doing now?” she asked softly.
“She just fell asleep,” he sighed, motioning for her to sit beside him on a bench outside.
After a long pause, he spoke:
“When Hehe was little, she had some cognitive delays—but nothing like today’s outburst. About a year ago, she was diagnosed with a neurological condition called Alice in Wonderland Syndrome.”
Su Tao’s eyes widened. Was that an actual disease?
With a pained expression, Minister Xu continued:
“This condition severely affects her visual perception. When she focuses on something for too long, it may distort—suddenly growing larger or smaller, turning into a mosaic-like blur, or even causing her to perceive time and space differently.”
“Later… she mysteriously awakened a special ability. This power transforms her hallucinations into reality.”
