Chapter 208: The So-Called Half-Price
Su Tao couldn’t help but chuckle. “That father and daughter duo are quite interesting.”
Mist’s loyalty was unwavering—nothing mattered more than his boss.
Meng Qian, on the other hand, was sentimental—every little kindness was etched in her heart.
There was no right or wrong in this.
But it was likely that both of them thought the other had handled things poorly.
Su Tao didn’t dwell on it.
She had already decided how to deal with Qu Jingwen.
If she held no grudges and was willing to submit, she’d be given a harmless position in Taoyang to observe her for a while.
But if she harbored resentment and sought revenge, then eliminating her would be the simplest solution.
Now, she was just waiting for Ma Dapao’s report after his attempt to persuade her.
“Who’s interesting?”
Just as Su Tao was lost in thought, a deep voice rang out beside her—it was Lei Xing.
She looked him up and down. “You’re the interesting one today. It’s rare to see you dressed so conservatively.”
Lei Xing usually wore whatever kept him cool—tank tops and shorts, showing off his tanned skin and blinding everyone’s eyes.
But today, he was actually dressed properly in a full khaki workwear outfit.
Lei Xing grinned. “Do I look good?”
Su Tao gave an objective nod. “You do. You’re tall, so work pants and boots make your legs look even longer.”
Lei Xing was very pleased with this evaluation. Happily, he said, “But I can only wear this here. The moment I step out of Taoyang’s gates, I’d probably faint from the heat. By the way, does my land have this kind of protection too?”
Su Tao: “…It does, but that costs extra.”
Each 1,000-square-meter protective shield cost one million Federation credits.
After building Taoyang’s shield, she was completely broke. Not just a million, she didn’t even have ten thousand left.
Because of this, the canteen renovation, the expansion of Panliu Mountain, and the new Tao Chi development were all on hold.
Oh, and she still needed to save up another six million credits for the next upgrade…
Lei Xing was brimming with confidence. “How much? Is ten million enough?”
Su Tao: “……”
She cried out in frustration, “Why are all of you so rich?!”
Lei Xing seriously considered her question.
“Maybe because we spend little and earn a lot.”
Su Tao couldn’t help but ask, “Is mercenary work really that profitable?”
Maybe once Taoyang had its own army, they could branch out into this business too.
Lei Xing didn’t downplay it.
“Well, that’s just us, Leopard Path. We’re famous in the south. The ones who hire us are all powerful figures willing to pay well and provide resources. Regular small mercenary groups struggle to even survive—some don’t even earn enough from a mission to cover their medical expenses.”
Su Tao thought for a moment. If that was the case, she might as well take advantage of it. After all, when it came to overcharging, it was best to target acquaintances.
“Alright, I’ll give you half off—five million.”
Lei Xing was deeply moved. “You don’t need to give me special treatment. Just charge the normal rate.”
Su Tao wasn’t so heartless as to scam him at ten times the price. She quickly waved her hand.
“No, no, just five million. Anything more would be too much.”
Lei Xing wasn’t afraid of spending money, but he did worry about Su Tao treating him like an outsider. Without hesitation, he agreed and had Dazui transfer the money to her that very day.
Seeing her account balance return to five million, Su Tao felt both relieved and a little guilty.
So, she immediately moved Leopard Path’s land development to the top of her priority list, planning to start construction as soon as Master Mei finished the design plans.
But before that, she had another task—building homes for Nie Sibai, Xu Qi, and Alice.
Nie Sibai and Xu Qi were both willing to move their families to Taoyang.
Su Tao arranged a three-bedroom and a one-bedroom apartment for them based on their family sizes.
Their salaries would be deducted based on different rental rates.
They were easy to settle in. The real headache was Alice.
Su Tao found her impossible to communicate with—she was even harder to deal with than Fang Zhi back in the day.
The moment she was brought to Taoyang, she ran around causing havoc. She even took one of Old Master Gu’s chess pieces and rolled it around like a toy, making the old man furious enough to chase her with his cane.
Seeing this, Old Mei immediately secured his own chess set and quietly slipped away.
Grandma Cen, feeling sorry for Alice’s mental illness, took her home and gave her a meal.
Who would’ve thought that the meal would lead to disaster?
Alice suddenly started convulsing, rolling on the floor, and screaming while holding a spoon. Grandma Cen was so startled that she stepped back, hit a chair, and fractured her tailbone.
Thankfully, Doctor Zhong was around and managed to treat her before she suffered too much.
But after this, Taoyang’s residents started to reject Alice.
After much thought, Su Tao decided to move Alice to Tao Chi.
She had Wu Zhen plant a giant banyan tree and built a fully furnished treehouse in its branches.
Sure enough, Alice loved it. She stared at it, stunned, before immediately climbing up with excited cries.
Xu Qi chuckled and suggested, “Boss, you should try giving her permission to use her abilities. Something interesting might happen.”
Curious, Su Tao did exactly that.
Within ten minutes, she was gaping as dozens of little white rabbits appeared around the banyan tree, hopping about. Some even wore glasses and hats—one was carrying a pocket watch.
She reached out to touch a rabbit, but the moment her fingers brushed it, it vanished.
What shocked her even more was that Alice, standing beneath the tree, suddenly started inflating like a balloon.
Just as Su Tao thought she was going to explode and was about to scream, Alice began floating like a hot air balloon—
Then, she gently landed on the treehouse roof, her head slowly shrinking back to normal.
Su Tao was utterly dumbfounded.
Xu Qi let out a sigh of wonder. “Every time I see this, I feel like I’ve stumbled into a surreal fairy tale.”
Su Tao wholeheartedly agreed, closing her mouth and nodding.
With Alice settled, Su Tao immediately spent 2.4 million credits to build protective shields over Panliu Mountain, Tao Chi, and Leopard Path’s leased land.
Now, all the territories under her control were fully protected.
No more threats from Bone Wings or Crawlers.
Finally, Su Tao could relax—no more living in fear of unknown dangers.
At this point, there was probably no place safer than the lands she managed.
Just as she lifted the security alert, Zhong Gaoyi was met with someone’s furious outburst—
“It’s the 25th, Zhong Gaoyi! You really didn’t take my words seriously, did you?!”
“Shuifu District has just fallen! It won’t be long before the zombies attack the Eastern District! I only have 3,000 people, Zhong Gaoyi! Three thousand! Are you just going to watch them all march to their deaths?!”
“And the brothers Old Zhan brought back—the oldest is only 22, the youngest just 12! There’s no place for them in Dongyang! To find them a home, I have to fight, to seize land—blood will be spilled! Can you really bear to watch them get wounded and crippled for life?”
Zhong Gaoyi’s fingertips turned white, but in the end, he remained silent.
