newbobooks Chapter 183 People from the South
Chapter 183 People from the South
On the morning of April 2nd, Li Chenglong had just arrived at his office when he saw Wang Xiao chatting with a smartly dressed girl with short, shoulder-length hair. Seeing Li Chenglong enter, Wang Xiao quickly said, "Captain Li, this is my sister, Wang Jie. She graduated from Capital University and then pursued a combined Master's and Doctoral degree there." Li Chenglong extended his hand with a smile and said, "I've heard Wang Xiao mention you many times. We at Shuguang City are currently very eager to find talented people like you. Please don't hesitate to give me your guidance in the future." Wang Jie shook hands with Li Chenglong shyly, then said somewhat timidly, "I wouldn't dare accept such guidance. Although I've graduated, I haven't had any actual work experience yet. I don't know if I can do a good job."
Li Chenglong said, "There's no such thing as doing well or not doing well. This is my first time being the city lord, and I believe I've done a pretty good job governing Dawn City. Of course, this is all thanks to everyone's great help. I'd like to keep you in the Dawn City office because you studied urban management and even had a master's degree in government management. You can use your professional knowledge to help me. If you don't want to, I can also put you under Deputy City Lord Ma Tiancheng, or in Chen Anbang's Urban Construction Department, Shen Menghua's Industry and Information Department, etc. You can choose whichever you prefer."
Wang Jie nodded: "I still want to be with my sister." Li Chenglong thought for a moment: "Okay, it just so happens that Wang Xiao has become a Level 2 Wood-type Ability User. From now on, she can focus on the Central Computer Room. You will be in charge of the work in the Dawn City office. I will also grant you a special privilege: if you find anything wrong with the future development of Dawn City, you can bring it up to me face to face. I only have one requirement: that Dawn City gets better and better. Okay, Wang Xiao, show her around the work, and then go to the Central Computer Room to help her update her identity card. Yun Lan should be there right now. I have already told her that she will grant Wang Jie the permissions here. I will be back in a bit."
Li Chenglong left his office and headed to the special forces team. The team had an important mission to carry out today, and he needed to give them instructions in person. He had already notified Yang Liu by phone beforehand, and they should be assembled in the team's courtyard by now. As soon as Li Chenglong arrived, he saw the special forces members standing neatly in two rows. Yang Liu ran up to Li Chenglong, saluted, and said, "Team Leader Li, 20 special forces members were expected, and 20 are present. Please give instructions."
Li Chenglong nodded in satisfaction: "Today I'm assigning you all a task. The largest base in Southern Zhejiang Province, Qingshui Base, has sent a delegation to discuss cooperation with us. Recently, the appearances of giant beasts and high-level alien beasts have been quite frequent, so I'd like you to pick them up. They are expected to arrive at Feiyun Base tomorrow. This mission is quite important, so please be careful. While ensuring your own safety, you must also protect the delegation from Qingshui Base." Yang Liu saluted and replied: "Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"
After speaking, the 20 people split into five cars and slowly drove out of the special forces' courtyard, heading towards the south gate of Dawn City. After leaving, Li Chenglong first went to the logistics department. Yun Qian led him to the Dawn Rice experimental field, which wasn't large, only five or six acres. Li Chenglong saw that the Dawn Rice was growing well; although it didn't grow as well as it did in his own spiritual energy space, it was sufficient. Yun Qian smiled and said, "We have five water-type ability users, and every three days we irrigate it with water infused with spiritual energy. So far, it's growing well." Li Chenglong affirmed, "If it really succeeds, then we can promote it, and then have 100 water-type ability users specifically in charge of this work."
Next, led by Yun Qian, Li Chenglong toured the Dawn City storage base. This was the most important facility in Dawn City, covering a vast area and housing almost all non-military supplies. Management here was naturally extremely strict, with two Level 5 ability users stationed there, along with personnel from the City Security Department and the Young Pioneers. Furthermore, the central computer's Skynet system ensured absolute security. All goods entering and leaving the premises were accurately recorded and signed by the relevant personnel, allowing for easy identification of any problems that might arise.
Now, Li Chenglong inspects at least one department every day, at random times and places, to more easily identify problems. However, he also knows the saying "too much clarity leaves no fish, too much scrutiny leaves no followers," so he sometimes doesn't say much about things that don't endanger the interests of the people of Shuguang City or cause any harm to the city. But when similar problems accumulate, Li Chenglong will notify the Discipline Inspection Department to handle them.
At 10 a.m., Li Chenglong returned to his office. Wang Jie was already working at her computer in the assistant's office, while Wang Xiao was sitting nearby, talking to herself. Upon seeing Li Chenglong enter, the two women remembered him. Li Chenglong gestured for them to continue working, then went into the city lord's office.
A moment later, voices could be heard outside. Li Chenglong listened carefully and realized it was Yun Lan. After a while, Yun Lan came in carrying Li Yunhao. Yun Lan smiled and said to Haohao, "Come see where your dad works. Let your dad hold you." Li Chenglong smiled and took the little guy in his arms. The little guy seemed very happy and kept smiling. Li Chenglong kissed him on the forehead and said to Yun Lan, "I still have some things to write. You hold him for a bit." Yun Lan took Haohao and said, "Didn't we recently set up a central computer office and add two more deputy city lords? Are you still so busy?"
Li Chenglong nodded: "Yes, because the population of Dawn City is increasing and there are still many things to deal with after the military expansion, so I've been a bit busy lately. The representatives from the Qingshui Base will probably arrive tomorrow night, and we'll need to handle our relationship with them and discuss cooperation. By the way, Hao Hao's one-month celebration is in a few days. What are your plans for it?"
Yunlan pondered for a moment, "I'd like to treat everyone to a meal at the government canteen. We've accumulated a lot of points recently, which we can use." Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Sure, I'll send out e-invitations when I'm free at noon. We can invite a lot of people this time, but let's not be extravagant. What do you think?" Yunlan rubbed her right cheek against the little guy's cheek and said, "Okay, whatever you say." She stayed there a little longer before leaving with Haohao. Li Chenglong, after finishing his documents, then sent out quite a few invitations.
The following afternoon at 6 PM, the visiting group from the Qingshui Base arrived smoothly at Shuguang City. Under Li Chenglong's arrangement, more than a dozen vehicles drove directly into the reception area. This area was specifically for accommodating people from other bases, and it was managed by designated personnel. Li Chenglong, Ma Tiancheng, and others personally greeted the vehicles at the entrance.
The delegation consisted of four SUVs and one bus, with over 40 people in total. Aside from a dozen or so special envoys and their entourage from the Qingshui Base, the rest were all individuals with supernatural abilities, responsible for their safety. Notably, Xu Qingming and Wei Huasheng also attended; their main purpose was to participate in the full-month celebration for Li Chenglong's child, for which Li Chenglong repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Yang Liu introduced everyone: "This is Li Chenglong, the city lord of our Dawn City. Next to him are Deputy City Lord Ma Tiancheng and Deputy City Lord Yun Qian. This is Gao Shixin, the chief representative of the visiting group from the Clear Water Base and also the second-in-command of the Clear Water Base." Li Chenglong and Sun Qingpeng, the top leaders of the Clear Water Base, had met Gao Shixin before.
Gao Shixin was a soldier before, but his unit was scattered after the apocalypse. By chance, he became a superhuman and gradually built up his own force. Sun Qingpeng was the director of the city's public security bureau. After becoming a superhuman, he led the citizens to become self-reliant and gradually formed his own power. The two hit it off, and their two forces merged, leading to the establishment of the Qingshui Base.
Gao Shixin first shook hands with Li Chenglong, Ma Tiancheng, and Yun Lan, then introduced his people to Li Chenglong one by one. Li Chenglong smiled and said, "Guests are always welcome. We have prepared a meal, please don't mind, just have some simple food." Gao Shixin also said heartily, "What are you saying? More than a year after the apocalypse, having a hot meal is already a great privilege, how could I possibly be picky?"
Throughout the journey, Gao Shixin praised Li Chenglong's special forces and Dawn City highly, even calling Dawn City the number one city in the apocalypse of China. Li Chenglong humbly replied, "I've long heard that your Qingshui Base dominates Southern Zhejiang Province, with a population of 20 and an army of over 6. You've also killed dozens of giant beasts, and you and Leader Sun Qingpeng have reached the late stage of level 8, almost reaching level 9." Gao Shixin smiled and said, "This is all thanks to the people of Southern Zhejiang Province."
After arriving at the reception restaurant and everyone was seated, Li Chenglong instructed the kitchen to bring out the dishes and fruits. A dozen or so people brought out bowls of food and fruit, arranging them neatly. Li Chenglong said, "There's plenty of food and drinks. I originally wanted to make them in individual platters for convenience, but since those with superpowers tend to have large appetites, I thought we could make it a buffet. Everyone can take as much as they want, and if they're not full, they can get more. What do you think, Brother Gao?" Gao Shixin nodded, "That's perfect. I hate all that formality, so I won't stand on ceremony." He then took a plate and began serving himself.
The dinner didn't involve any substantial discussions; they only briefly outlined tomorrow's arrangements. After the dinner, they went to the reception area to rest. Li Chenglong, Xu Qingming, and Wei Huasheng chatted for a while longer, discussing the recent developments at the two bases and future combat operations. Xu Qingming and Wei Huasheng also expressed their desire to purchase five more crystal generators and one superalloy blade manufacturing machine. Li Chenglong considered it and agreed, saying he would send someone to deliver them to them before they left.
The next morning, Li Chenglong met with Ma Tiancheng, Yun Qian, Shen Menghua, and Gao Shixin's team to discuss the cooperation in detail. Qingshui Base is currently under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Military Region, comprising two armies and six divisions. Gao Shixin, as an 8th-level Wind and Earth dual-awakener, is one of the strongest in their base. Not only is he powerful, but he is also the commander of the 18th Army, holding the same rank as Li Chenglong—Major General—and was promoted around the same time as Li Chenglong.
The morning meeting went very smoothly. Li Chenglong suggested that Wang Bing and Jiang Hui lead their tour group to visit some departments and facilities in Shuguang City, a suggestion Gao Shixin readily agreed to. Upon learning that tomorrow was Li Chenglong's son's one-month celebration, Gao Shixin presented Li Chenglong with a blue crystal as a gift. Li Chenglong, unable to refuse, accepted it.
After an afternoon of touring, Gao Shixin gained a deeper understanding of Dawn City. If his previous assessment of Li Chenglong as the premier city of post-apocalyptic China had contained some flattery, he now genuinely believed it truly deserved the title. To gain a more comprehensive and direct observation of the lives of ordinary people in Dawn City, he specifically visited many remote areas. However, the people there were not much different from those on the streets outside. Some even told him that they lived here because it was too noisy outside, finding it more peaceful.
Their final stop was a military camp. Currently, the two divisions of the Dawn Army are stationed in Military Region 1 and Military Region 2 respectively, with the Joint Logistics Support Department and Information Support Department also stationed in their respective regions. This time, Gao Shixin's delegation was from Wu Gang's 7th Division. Because Gao Shixin is a Major General, Wu Gang and his group saluted them. Gao Shixin told everyone not to be shy, that they were just guests, and that Wu Gang should continue training as usual.
Hearing the distant gunfire, he felt the sound was unfamiliar, not like a standard military weapon, so he and the visiting group went to the shooting range. There, he saw some new recruits practicing with a different rifle, using the common 5.56mm ammunition. Gao Shixin borrowed a rifle from a soldier, examined it for a moment, and fired a few shots.
He handed the rifle to the soldier with delight, then asked, "Commander Wu, what model of rifle does your Dawn Army use? It's so different from ours. It's powerful, has a long range, low recoil, and excellent ergonomics. After firing several shots, the barrel barely gets hot, and it's very quiet." Wu Gang smiled and said, "This is the Type 20 fully automatic assault rifle specially issued to our Dawn Army. It can fire both ordinary bullets and crystal bullets. It has many advantages and almost no disadvantages, except that it's relatively expensive to manufacture."
Wu Gang continued, "Currently, several bases around us have also started importing this type of rifle from us, such as Qianyun Base, Feiyun Base, and Heijincheng." Gao Shixin had his adjutant also handle the Type 20 rifle for a bit, and then the two of them talked about something together.
The two sides held a second meeting in the evening. This meeting was significantly more practical than the one in the morning, and they discussed some very specific issues. In the end, Dawn City, Flying Cloud Base, and Clear Water Base signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation alliance agreement. From now on, Clear Water Base will also be an unbreakable strategic ally of Dawn City.