Chapter 45: Expulsion! Fraud! Disfigurement! Kidnapping! The True Face of Taoyang
The next day, Su Tao unexpectedly received news from Shi Zijin, who had been missing for days.
His voice sounded a bit tired over the communicator:
“We’ll return this week. The construction materials we’ve secured should last about a year. We’re planning to first build the northern district’s defensive walls; we can’t manage the eastern district just yet.”
This was already a significant gain. With looming threats, all bases were tightly guarding their resources. He must have used various strategies and paid a hefty price to obtain them.
“Are you all okay? You didn’t encounter any danger, did you?”
Su Tao asked with her heart in her throat, fearing more bad news.
On the other end, Shi Zijin closed his eyes and rubbed his temples:
“Xiao Jian was injured. I’ve arranged for him to recover at the Shou’an base. The others are fine.”
Su Tao breathed a sigh of relief but frowned slightly.
Jian Kaiyu, the healing-type ability user, was supposed to help Chenxi with her face. Now, Zhuang Wan would have to figure it out herself.
“What about you? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just a bit tired. I want to go home.”
“Alright, your room is ready. Rest up when you get back before reporting in, got it?”
Shi Zijin suddenly felt less exhausted and chuckled softly, “Okay.”
This batch of building materials was a lifeline, giving Dongyang a much-needed break.
Pei Dong let out a long breath and spoke to the old chief, “Major General Shi has truly made a significant contribution. With these materials, the western district could have its defensive walls up in as soon as six months.”
Xing Hongwen’s aged voice responded, “Dongyang is still too weak. Without a pioneering force as its backbone, continuously supplying the base, Dongyang is like a toddler, unable to stand on its own.”
“Even with these materials, rushing construction won’t ensure that evolved zombies won’t take advantage of the situation. The danger is far from over.”
Pei Dong was silent for a while and then said, “Chief, you should move into Taoyang first. Dongyang is fraught with danger. You’ve stood guard over it for half your life. It’s time for you to find some peace and let us continue to hold the line.”
Xing Hongwen countered, “But you also live in Taoyang. Are you at peace? Can you let go of Dongyang?”
Pei Dong fell silent.
Xing Hongwen continued, “Zijin also lives in Taoyang, yet he still braves life and death for Dongyang. Did you know that on this trip, he nearly lost another brother? He himself was injured and barely made it back. You youngsters may be willing to die for Dongyang, but I am an old man with little time left. How could I seek comfort and safety while you stand on the front lines?”
His words grew agitated, and after a few coughs, he added, “I am bound to live and die with Dongyang. I was born here, and I want to be buried here. I won’t go anywhere.”
Pei Dong solemnly saluted, “Chief, I am willing to live and die with Dongyang alongside you.”
*
It was a beautiful day, and Su Tao brought her two little pets to the office.
Zhuang Wan was amazed, “They’ve grown so fast! It’s not even been a month, and they’re already so energetic. When you first brought them, they were only palm-sized, and their eyes weren’t even open.”
As she spoke, the black sesame kitten trotted over to sniff her. Recognizing a familiar scent, it lay on her shoe, playing with her shoelace.
The white sesame kitten clung to Su Tao, wary of everyone else.
Su Tao laughed, “Black Sesame is the brother, White Sesame is the sister. One loves to play, and the other is shy. But they’re both very smart. I only had to teach them once, and they learned to use the toilet by jumping onto the toilet seat.”
Elder Mei widened his eyes, “Cats before the apocalypse were rarely this smart. Being able to bury their waste without getting dirty was already impressive. But using a toilet at just one month old is extraordinary.”
Su Tao thought nothing of it, simply believing her pets were exceptionally smart. She chuckled, “They’re also very well-behaved. They understand when I tell them not to scratch or bite. Even during baths, they don’t scratch—only the first time they were scared and needed me to hold them. But after some comfort, they calmed down.”
Elder Mei fell into thought. This didn’t quite align with his pre-apocalypse understanding of cats.
After playing with Black Sesame for a while, Zhuang Wan got back to work. Before dinner, she handed Su Tao a list, “This is the candidate list for new tenants. Take a look?”
Su Tao skimmed through it and felt reassured, “Alright, go ahead and arrange it. By the way, did that couple who delayed their move-in finally settle in?”
Zhuang Wan frowned, “They said they’d come this afternoon, but then they told me they needed more time to think. I asked if they had concerns, but they wouldn’t say, and then they stopped responding.”
Su Tao found this odd. There had never been such hesitation before—most people were eager to move in, afraid of losing the spot.
It seemed this couple had serious misgivings about Taoyang.
Suspecting something, Su Tao asked, “Have the number of applications decreased?”
Zhuang Wan nodded, “Yes, but only by about 10%. It hasn’t really affected our leasing.”
Su Tao sensed something was off. She called Pei Dong directly and asked bluntly, “Sister Pei, is there anyone or any organization in Dongyang with a lot of rental properties? I think I might’ve stepped on someone’s toes and they’re targeting us.”
Pei Dong paused and said, “Hold on. I’ll have someone send you some information. It’s likely Gu Mingchi, the big shot of the eastern district.”
After hanging up, Zhuang Wan was stunned, “Boss, are you serious?”
Su Tao remained calm, “Pretty sure. When something unusual happens, there’s always a reason. I just need to find out what tricks they used to sway people’s opinions about us.”
Half an hour later, Su Tao received a digital file containing information on Dongyang’s private landlords.
She forwarded it to Zhuang Wan, “Filter out those related to the eastern district.”
However, before Zhuang Wan could act, negative news about Taoyang exploded online.
The first to see the slanderous video was Aunt Qian. She rushed to Su Tao’s office, shouting, “Boss Su! You need to see this! That arsonist Jiang Ze is smearing us again! He’s saying we took his rent and kicked him out, even beat him up! Pah! And that old hag Wen claims we disfigured her and abused her!”
“They’re making Taoyang out to be a den of thieves, preying on survivors, only interested in making money!”
Before Aunt Qian even finished, Su Tao had already seen the headline that had shot to the top of the news: “Expulsion! Fraud! Disfigurement! Kidnapping! The True Face of Taoyang—A Former Tenant Exposes the Truth.”
