Chapter 214: Gu Mingchi’s Visit
“Boss Su, why did you suddenly say that?”
Seeing Ding Heyu’s bewildered expression, Su Tao had no choice but to say,
“It just came to mind suddenly. If you think I was being abrupt, just forget I said anything.”
Ding Heyu didn’t think much of it. He just assumed she was giving him a well-intentioned warning, though the way she said it was a bit strange—almost like she knew something.
Before long, the transaction was completed, and Ding Heyu eagerly hauled a cart full of supplies back to Wutai.
At first, Mayor Ren Xunshun didn’t believe it when he heard that Ding Heyu had managed to buy supplies from Taoyang.
He suspected that Taoyang might have swapped in inferior goods—cheap, nutrient-deficient synthetic food.
But when he saw the ten thousand neatly packed bento meals, each one carefully balanced with meat and vegetables, lying in the truck’s cargo hold, he finally believed it.
Taoyang really had resources.
And they were real resources. Each bento box had a combination of meat and vegetables, with over twenty different dishes in total. Even the staple foods were diverse—not just white rice but also mixed grains, ramen, vermicelli, sweet potatoes, and small steamed buns…
Mayor Ren Xunshun couldn’t take his eyes off the bentos as they were unloaded.
The workers moving the supplies were equally stunned, the delicious aroma of the meals making them feel like their souls were being drawn in.
Besides the bentos, Ding Heyu had also purchased 100 cases of bottled mineral water, which were being moved into storage one by one.
Mayor Ren couldn’t help but open a case, twist open a bottle, and take a small sip.
The water was clean, free of any odors or foreign particles.
Unlike the underground water Wutai had extracted this year—it was all polluted. Even after layers of filtration and purification, it still had an off-putting taste that made it difficult to swallow.
He carefully took another sip before quickly tightening the cap. Then he turned around and asked Ding Heyu in disbelief,
“Are you telling me this really costs only 20 Federation Coins per bottle?”
Ding Heyu sighed, feeling like he was living in a dream—getting these supplies had been so smooth, too smooth, making him wonder if there was a hidden pitfall waiting for him.
He nodded. “Yes, just 20 per bottle. A whole case costs only 480 for 24 bottles.”
Mayor Ren gripped the bottle tightly, licked his dry lips, and muttered,
“I always wondered—Dongyang is just a tiny base built by a bunch of ex-military men, and its location is terrible. How did it suddenly turn into a resource powerhouse? First, they had water, then fuel… even the northern bases caught wind of it and started heading south in search of water.”
“I originally thought they had discovered underground water and oil fields…”
Looking at the half-full bottle of crystal-clear water in his hand, he sighed sourly,
“So it turns out there’s a low-key Taoyang behind all of this, supplying them. That old fox Xing Hongwen really hit the jackpot. If we had Taoyang’s backing, forget being the leader of Qingpeng’s five major bases—we’d be the top base in the entire South.”
Ding Heyu thought he was way too jealous and decided not to comment.
The more Mayor Ren thought about it, the more dissatisfied he felt.
“Go to finance and get reimbursed for the expenses you covered,” he instructed. “Then, send another team to Taoyang as soon as possible. If she wants eight crystal cores, we’ll give her ten—hell, even twelve!”
Ding Heyu figured that the extra crystal cores weren’t just a gift to Taoyang.
Sure enough, his boss continued,
“Make sure you highlight Wutai’s advantages to her. Compared to Dongyang, Wutai is far more worthy of Taoyang’s alliance. We help each other—mutual benefits, mutual gains…”
Ding Heyu understood.
This was an attempt to poach Taoyang from Dongyang.
He acknowledged the order but didn’t commit to carrying it out.
Mayor Ren seemed somewhat satisfied and waved him off.
“Alright, get a team together for another trip to Taoyang. But you’re staying here. Your ability is highly practical, so it’s safer for you to remain in the base and guard the city. In the meantime, I need you to patrol the city walls.”
Ding Heyu’s eyelid twitched.
He immediately recalled Su Tao’s warning—to stay away from the city walls.
A chill ran down his spine. But after thinking it through, he felt he was just being too sensitive.
Shaking off his unease, he accepted the patrol assignment.
Mayor Ren suddenly asked, “Isn’t the Southern Base Alliance Summit happening at the end of September?”
Ding Heyu nodded. “Yes, registration opens on September 1st. We should qualify this year, and as usual, we’ll likely get five participant slots.”
Mayor Ren pondered for a moment.
“Good. Once our registration is confirmed, send two of those spots to Boss Su.”
Ding Heyu was surprised.
It seemed Mayor Ren was serious about forming ties with Taoyang.
The Southern Alliance Summit was an incredibly valuable event—only the most powerful southern bases got invitations.
And even if a base was selected, it didn’t mean they got many slots.
Take Dongyang, for example. In the last twenty years, they had only been invited five times—and even then, they had been limited to just three seats.
Ding Heyu accepted the order.
As he left the office, he instinctively glanced toward the distant city wall—then immediately looked away, telling himself not to overthink it.
Meanwhile, Su Tao was in a fantastic mood.
She had just made two massive sales, earning a total of 240,000 Federation Coins, plus an extra crystal core.
Just as she was about to head over to Leopard Path’s construction site, her communicator suddenly rang.
She checked the caller ID.
It was Gu Mingchi.
The moment she answered, a cold, indifferent voice came through.
“I’m at the gate. Your people won’t let me in. Come pick me up.”
Su Tao: “…Why are you here?”
“Visiting my grandfather. Or do you have a problem with that?“
Su Tao narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“You’re not using this as an excuse to arrest Dr. Zhong, are you? Listen, he’s getting married on September 9th. It’s only a few days away. If you’re planning to cause trouble, at least wait until after the wedding—don’t be that guy, alright?”
Gu Mingchi, who was holding a wedding gift: “……”
He took a deep breath and said, “Come get me. I won’t mess with his wedding.”
Su Tao’s eyes lit up.
“You swear? As business partners, we need to be honest with each other—no deception, no tricks.”
Gu Mingchi sneered. “Zhong Gaoyi is already yours. Do we even still have a partnership?”
Their original deal was simple—he provided manpower, she supplied water.
But now, she had both the manpower and the water. What was left to negotiate?
Su Tao was momentarily at a loss.
…That was kind of true.
Feeling a little sorry for him, she quickly offered,
“Let’s switch it up—I’ll supply you with not just water, but also resources and fuel. My prices will be affordable, and I’ll only charge Federation Coins. If it were anyone else, I’d demand crystal cores as a membership fee.”
Gu Mingchi had been in a bad mood.
But hearing her say she’d give him special treatment actually made him feel better.
After thinking for a moment, he admitted that aside from land, his second biggest shortage was supplies.
Reluctantly, he muttered, “Fine.”
Su Tao pressed, “So you agree? That means no more arresting Zhong Gaoyi, right?”
Gu Mingchi hesitated before giving another reluctant “Mmm.”
“Come pick me up.”
Su Tao grinned.
“Alright, I’m coming now!”
