Chapter 140: Panliu Mountain Really Has Something
Qian Lin was momentarily stunned. She quickly walked in and saw that her office had not only everything Wu Zhen mentioned but also a glass display cabinet filled with her favorite floral teas.
For a brief moment, her eyes welled up. Her boss truly put a lot of thought into taking care of employees—remembering even her personal preferences and preparing such a thoughtful little surprise.
She couldn’t help but imagine—during her breaks at work, sitting on the sofa in her private office, enjoying the cool air conditioning, sipping fragrant floral tea, and gazing out at the bountiful farmland and greenhouses outside the window…
What a truly comfortable life!
For a moment, Qian Lin wondered what she had done to deserve such a lifestyle in the midst of the apocalypse.
Just then, Wu Zhen excitedly called out from the doorway:
“Manager Qian, you absolutely have to check out the terrace on the second floor! The view is amazing. When we have time, we should plant some peach blossoms here—after all, we can’t let ‘Taohua Tower’ be just a name! And the conference hall on the third floor—it even has a wall-mounted TV that not only connects to the internet but also links to communication devices…”
As he spoke, his excitement dimmed slightly. If only Minda and the others were here in Taoyang too.
Such a wonderful place, and yet they would never have the chance to see it.
A few other technicians eagerly gathered around Qian Lin, chatting nonstop about all the great things in Peach Blossom Tower.
Some even took photos and sent them out in group messages, eager to let the whole world know just how fantastic Taoyang’s office environment was.
Qian Lin stopped them. “Alright, enough. I’ll check it out after work. Get back to work! With such a great office, slacking off would be an insult to Boss Su!”
Everyone knew she was joking, so they laughed and quickly got back to work.
Meanwhile, Su Tao had a meal, then went back to her room and fell into such a deep sleep that she only woke up when it was completely dark outside.
Yawning, she stepped out of her room and saw Lin Fangzhi sitting on the sofa, staring blankly at two crystal cores on the coffee table.
Su Tao instantly became alert. “Are you feeling that strange sensation again?”
Lin Fangzhi looked up at her weakly and said, “It’s always there. Tao… help me… can you take them away?”
Su Tao rubbed her forehead. “I can’t keep them. Black Sesame will dig them out and run off with them—it loves crystal cores. If I lose them, I wouldn’t even have a place to cry. Sorry, but you’ll have to deal with it.”
Last time, she had hidden a core deep inside her wardrobe, but Black Sesame still managed to find it. If she hadn’t caught it in time, who knows where it would have ended up?
Besides, that little creature roamed outside all the time. If it took a core beyond Taoyang’s borders, there would be no way to recover it.
Hearing that she might cry, Lin Fangzhi immediately put the cores away. “Not a problem. No crying.”
Su Tao sighed and unwrapped a candy for him.
“I’ve already asked Sister Pei to look into your condition. Sorry for making you feel so uncomfortable.”
Lin Fangzhi leaned against her and shook his head, as if trying to say, “Don’t apologize.”
Su Tao ruffled his hair and changed the subject. “How’s your learning with Teacher Xiao Sheng going?”
Lin Fangzhi replied, “Finished learning pinyin. Now practicing strokes—horizontal, vertical, left-falling, right-falling.”
As he spoke, he reached for Su Tao’s hand and carefully wrote the pinyin for “Tao” in her palm.
Su Tao was pleasantly surprised and praised him. “That’s right! Fangzhi, you’re amazing!”
Sheng Yulan was truly a great teacher. In such a short time, she had taught him so much. Su Tao made a mental note to send her a bonus soon.
After playing a bit more with pinyin, Su Tao’s phone suddenly rang. It was Qi Yunlan, and her voice sounded serious.
“Boss Su, I honestly didn’t expect this. On our very first day, we already spotted three suspicious individuals. They claim to be a small merchant team from the north, but they only ask questions without buying anything. Asking about fuel prices and parking fees is understandable—they might just be checking affordability—but asking about fuel and water storage levels? That’s definitely suspicious.”
“I even had someone approach them to discuss business, but all three of them avoided eye contact and hesitated with their answers.”
After finishing her report, she sent over some surveillance footage with the suspects marked.
Qi Yunlan continued, “I haven’t alerted them yet—I wanted to check with you first. Should we drive them out or detain them for questioning?”
Su Tao immediately suspected that these people were scouts sent by the old station. She responded, “No need for drastic action—just handle it coldly. If we encounter similar cases in the future, report them to me directly. Only those who actually cause harm or damage should be dealt with—let Xiaobo’s team drive them out or capture them on the spot.”
As it turned out, those three were indeed sent by Tan Yong to gather intelligence.
When Tan Yong received their report, his face twisted through a spectrum of expressions.
Curious, Qu Jingwen asked, “Brother Yong, what did they find?”
Tan Yong’s hands trembled as he read through the details. Finally, he took a deep breath and sneered, “Gu Mingchi wasn’t lying. Panliu Mountain really does have something special.”
He tossed the communicator to Qu Jingwen.
She caught it and, as she read, her eyes widened in disbelief.
“No way. Selling fuel that cheap? How is she making any profit? And water—giving away one bottle per person for free? Is she insane? Does she even know how to run a business?”
Then she saw the interior of the single and double rooms at Panliu Mountain and immediately fell silent.
This environment… was miles better than their old station.
Tan Yong irritably lit a cigarette. “Panliu Mountain takes in about seventy to eighty people a day. That means a free bottle of water per person… That little girl is spending a fortune just to provoke us. And she even set up a restaurant. According to our sources, they serve freshly cooked vegetables every day, and the prices aren’t even high.”
Qu Jingwen was speechless for a long time. Her heart clenched with bitterness.
She had worked at the old station for years, fought hard to reach her position, yet the guests of this small Panliu Mountain were eating and living better than she was.
It was a crushing realization, one that left her breathless.
But when she looked at Tan Yong, that frustration faded.
As long as he was around, a little hardship was nothing.
Tan Yong smoked three cigarettes in a row before his expression hardened. He crushed the last cigarette and said coldly,
“This time, we’ll act like real bandits. Leaving all these treasures untouched would be idiotic! Jingwen, go make a list of our strongest ability users.”
Qu Jingwen hesitated. “Including Gu Mingchi’s people? He’s got quite a few ability users in our camp, and they’re all top-notch fighters. If we don’t use them, we might not have enough manpower.”
Now that she had seen how valuable Panliu Mountain was, she was certain it had strong guards.
Gu Mingchi was a bit heartless, but he had brought many skilled fighters to the old station. With his people, their chances of taking Panliu Mountain would be much higher.
Tan Yong’s face darkened. “No! Not his people! If we don’t have enough, we’ll hire mercenaries. Go talk to Leopard Path. They may be crazy, but they’re strong and straightforward. If they won’t take money, tell them they’ll get 40% of the spoils when we take Panliu Mountain.”
Her perception of Panliu Mountain had completely changed.
With so many valuable resources there, it was likely guarded by a fair number of ability users as well.
Gu Mingchi might be a bit cold and indifferent, but he had plenty of skilled people under him. He had helped the old station quite a bit, and if they added his forces, their chances of taking down Panliu Mountain would be much higher.
Tan Yong’s expression darkened. “I said, not his people! If we don’t have enough manpower, hire mercenaries. Find a time to talk to Leopard Path. Those guys might be a little crazy, but they’re strong and straightforward. If they don’t want money, tell them that once we take down Panliu Mountain, they’ll get 40% of the spoils.”
