Chapter 106: Boss Gu, Aren’t You Trusting Me a Bit Too Much?
Su Tao was momentarily stunned, only managing to respond after a long pause.
“Boss Gu, are you joining in on the chaos too? You own about as much property as I do, don’t you?”
Gu Mingchi replied, “It seems a lot of people are asking today, so I won’t beat around the bush. I want to cut the line and reserve a one-bedroom apartment. But before you rush to reject me, hear me out—I can offer you something that no one else can.”
Su Tao was amazed by his audacity. He made cutting in line, backdoor deals, and bribery sound so righteous and justified.
So she replied just as boldly, “Who are you reserving this for? Yourself? Because if it’s you, you’re not welcome here.”
Gu Mingchi’s tone remained unreadable:
“I don’t need to hide away in your territory. It’s for my grandfather. Right now, nowhere is truly safe except Taoyang. And recently, the Eastern District has been attacked multiple times—it’s too chaotic and dangerous. My grandfather is too old for this. I don’t want him living on the edge in this lawless world.”
That caught Su Tao off guard. She had never imagined someone like Gu Mingchi to be so filial.
“Boss Gu, aren’t you trusting me a little too much? We’re just business partners. You’re leaving such an important person in my hands—aren’t you afraid I’ll use him as leverage against you?”
The other end of the call was silent for two seconds, then Gu Mingchi answered with certainty, “Others might. But you’re Su Tao. You wouldn’t.”
Su Tao laughed in frustration. “Oh, so you think I’m kind, huh? In times like these, kindness isn’t exactly a compliment. Don’t assume I wouldn’t do it.”
Gu Mingchi replied, “Don’t twist my words. Let’s get back to business. Just treat this like a transaction. Help me book a one-bedroom apartment, and I’ll offer you two options for payment.”
“Option one: I’ve raised a group of young ability users and highly skilled individuals. I can give you a list, and you can choose one—I guarantee absolute loyalty.”
“Option two: I’ll give you five evolution zombie crystal cores.”
When she heard the first option, Su Tao was tempted but unimpressed. She could build her own team over time.
But when she heard the second option, her expression almost cracked.
Five?! That was… a lot.
“You can think about it or haggle like you usually do,” Gu Mingchi continued. “But just so you know—if you pick the second option, you can try asking for extra perks, but the five crystal cores are non-negotiable. They’re the only five I have, and they cost me the lives of hundreds of my men.”
Su Tao rubbed her face. “Is your grandfather easy to deal with?”
Gu Mingchi hesitated for a moment before saying, “He has Alzheimer’s. He often mistakes people for someone else. He loves singing— the same song on repeat. You can decide for yourself if that’s easy to deal with.”
Su Tao opened her mouth, then closed it again. “…You’ll send a caretaker, right? No one here has time to take care of him.”
“Of course. The caretaker is reliable—I personally vetted him. He won’t cause you any trouble.”
Su Tao scratched her head. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”
After hanging up, she explained the situation to Zhuang Wan and Qian Rongrong.
Zhuang Wan said, “I don’t like Gu Mingchi, but being objective here—if we’re renting the apartment out anyway, it doesn’t really matter if it’s to an old man, as long as Gu Mingchi doesn’t make trouble.”
Su Tao thought about it and agreed. Plus, five crystal cores were a huge gain.
With the one she already had, she’d have six in total. Once she saved up to ten, she planned to leave Taoyang and expand her territory.
A plantation… she really hoped Wu Zhen could sort things out before then.
After deciding, Su Tao immediately messaged Gu Mingchi, “I’ll take the second option. Have your grandfather sent over within three days—but you don’t need to come personally. I’ll have the apartment prepared. Rent must be paid on time. I’ll have Zhuang Wan send you a copy of the rental agreement—make sure the caretaker reviews it in advance.”
Shortly after, Gu Mingchi replied, “Got it. Looking forward to working with you, Boss Su. I’ll have someone deliver the five crystal cores along with him.”
Guan Zining, who had suddenly appeared, peeked at the message and clicked her tongue in amazement.
“Wow, who would’ve thought? That Gu guy is quite the filial grandson. Five evolution crystal cores—that’s an astronomical price, and he just handed them over like that.”
Zhuang Wan added, “Even the worst people have family—have weaknesses. If I were Gu Mingchi, I’d rather suffer outside myself but do whatever it takes to send my family to Taoyang. Here, they get good food, clean water, and no life-threatening danger. That’s peace of mind.”
Qian Rongrong rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window. Downstairs, a group of tenant children played jump rope, their laughter filling the air. The scene was peaceful.
“Yeah… outside, there’s war, famine, and a water crisis. But here, life goes on as usual. It doesn’t even feel like we’re in the same world.”
The three of them sighed in unison. Thank goodness they lived in Taoyang and didn’t have to endure the suffering beyond its borders.
That evening, Pei Dong personally returned with Ye Xiaqing’s military cap and ashes.
The sight of the blood-stained cap and the small box was too much for everyone to bear—they turned away, unable to look.
Su Tao took the urn and cap and walked through the entire office building, pausing for a moment at each window.
In the end, she returned the ashes to Pei Dong but placed the military cap on a bookshelf in the office’s display area, where it overlooked the entire building.
After everything was done, Pei Dong suddenly stood at attention and saluted Su Tao and Zhuang Wan.
“On behalf of Xiaqing, thank you for helping her fulfill this final wish.”
Su Tao and the others frantically waved their hands, feeling unworthy of such a gesture.
But Pei Dong insisted. She also informed them that next week, there would be a mass funeral where everyone could attend and bid farewell to Xiaqing and the other fallen soldiers.
Watching Pei Dong’s car disappear down the road, Su Tao suddenly thought, When will this apocalypse finally end?
Then she sighed. It seemed like it had only just begun.
That night, Su Tao stayed up late to install a new elevator in Apartment Building No. 2 and opened up two more one-bedroom units.
One was reserved for Grandpa Gu, and the other was listed for rent.
She also did a property audit—Taoyang currently had 64 rooms, housing 97 tenants in total.
Meanwhile, Panliu Mountain had exactly 50 rooms, enough to accommodate 65 people at once.
This number fit the upgrade requirements she needed.
She quickly calculated—if Panliu Mountain reached full occupancy, daily rent income alone would be 28,000 federal credits.
In a month, that would be 840,000!
And that didn’t even include profits from food, fuel, and other services!
Panliu Mountain was going to be her personal gold mine.
Su Tao felt a rush of excitement, itching to open for business right away.
But she forced herself to stay patient and teleported to Panliu Mountain with Lin Fangzhi and her cat-dog companion.
Last time, she’d run out of funds and couldn’t build a laundry room.
Once the hotel opened, they’d need to wash bed linens after every checkout to maintain cleanliness and hygiene.
She built the laundry room on the second floor of the staff dormitory, equipping it with: Three washing machines, three dryers, a sink and mop station along the wall and storage shelves mounted on the walls for cleaning supplies
The entire setup cost about 10,000 federal credits, most of it spent on the washers and dryers.
After finishing, Su Tao walked around the hotel, making small adjustments here and there. The more she looked, the more satisfied she felt—she couldn’t wait for opening day!
As always, Black Sesame, her curious companion, was fascinated by new things.
It poked its head around the laundry room, inspecting everything like a tiny patrol officer.
Su Tao chuckled, watching as it jumped onto a washing machine.
Then suddenly—
Her vision shifted.
This time, she clearly felt it—her perspective had become Black Sesame’s.
As the creature leapt from the washing machine to the sink, her own vision jumped with it.
The shock made her legs go weak, and she collapsed onto the floor.
