Chapter 113 Building a New City

Chapter 113 Building a New City

On the square, a large poster on a dark green military truck was particularly eye-catching, with bold fonts printed on it: "Guixu Base Recruiting Pioneering Residents, Brave the Frontier, Build a New Home Together! First Batch of Pioneers Exempt from Taxes for One Year!"

The poster briefly described the current location and status of Guixu Base, honestly listing its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages include its southern location, surrounded by mountains and water, offering relative safety. The weather is warm, with abundant rainfall and water sources, fertile soil, suitable for farming and living. The disadvantages are the extreme heat in summer, making it hard to venture outdoors, with many mutated snakes and insects, and cold, snowy extreme weather in winter.

Basic facilities such as water and electricity supply systems, water plants, simple medical stations, and security fortifications have been initially established. With official military presence, the basic living needs and security of residents can be met.

Below, the categories of pioneering residents needed are clearly listed.

Exploration and Guard Team Members: Physically healthy, possessing wilderness survival skills, skilled in combating zombies, wild beasts, and mutated creatures, brave in exploring unknown areas, and collecting mutated plants.

Infrastructure Construction Personnel: Talents with professional skills in construction engineering, water and electricity, photovoltaic solar energy, agriculture and handicrafts, computer science, and communication, tasked with enhancing and expanding the base's infrastructure, such as wall construction, water and electricity equipment construction, photovoltaic power generation, housing and roads, farmland and factories, information data centers, and communication infrastructure planning and construction.

Production, Planting, and Breeding Personnel: Talents with experience or professional skills in planting and breeding, able to handle crop cultivation, fruit, vegetable, and herb planting, as well as common poultry and livestock breeding.

Medical and Health Personnel: Medical staff with the ability to provide medical treatment, in charge of safeguarding the health and disease prevention of base residents.

Educational Workers: Professionals in literature, history, arts, and basic sciences, with a passion for education, with educational experience preferred.

Scientific Researchers: Researchers with in-depth research or interest in various fields, possessing independent research skills before the apocalypse.

All pioneering personnel can enjoy pioneer benefits and bring their families. Moreover, more notably, the base also accommodates long-term residents regardless of gender, age, or education, with no criminal history, who can also enjoy tax exemption for one year. For the elderly, young, sick, and disabled without support, the base will provide subsidies to ensure their livelihood. Those interested in long-term residence can sign up and will be arranged to travel with the stationed military.

This news drew the attention of all Central Base residents eager to change their current situation.

Many went to take photos of the base recruitment poster to study in detail. Sun Hengyi, just returned from the mine, tiredly got out of his car, passed by the square, and saw the flyer, his attention immediately caught by the "tax exemption for one year."

He walked to the poster, carefully read it, snapped a photo with his phone, and asked the military staff at the information booth some detailed questions.

Returning to a high-rise building at the edge of the base, he entered his home. Here, three families shared a suite, with three children, his mother, and wife waiting for him to return for dinner.

Dinner was served potato chunks and coarse grain rice, with a bit of dried fish. Each child was given a boiled egg. The weather had turned cold, and although it hadn't snowed yet, it was said that the north was already snowed in, and it would soon be the same here.

Thinking of last year's bone-chilling snow and the hungry winter, he carefully left the food for his wife, Yuan Lan: "I had a bun at the construction site, you eat." He saw his elderly mother, with poor eyesight and hearing, squinting while threading a needle to mend socks. His mother always deliberately ate last, wanting to leave food for the younger ones.

Yuan Lan said, "I heard from our neighbor Xiao Liu that the buns at the construction site don't fill you up. You're doing heavy work, you should eat more."

Sun Hengyi said, "I have something to discuss with you. Life at Central Base is too tough."

"We were rescued as refugees last year, not originally from Central Base, and have been in the refugee area for a year. We have to pay crystal cores for food and shelter, with many children and the cold weather. I'm thinking, now there's a chance to move to a warmer place in the south, to suffer less."

Yuan Lan asked, "Where to? Here is closest to the Alliance government, and they provide free aid and shelter for refugees. Other bases, especially private ones, are unstable. I heard the taxes are high."

Sun Hengyi took out his phone and showed his wife the poster: "Guixu Base in the south, Danlin City, near the coast, with warm weather. Although it's cold now and will snow, it's not as cold as here. The key is it's a new base, with tax exemption for one year, and children can go to school. Our eldest will be seven next year, it's time for school, and our niece is six, we can't neglect her. Although they can study here, I heard there are over a hundred students in a class..."

Yuan Lan said, "Even with many people, it's free education. Going to this Guixu Base would take many days, with zombies and wild beasts everywhere... We have the elderly and children."

Sun Hengyi said, "We would travel with the stationed military, with escort and security along the way. There are many benefits, especially since I'm in water and electricity, and you're in violin. The poster says they arrange jobs based on pre-apocalypse education and professional skills."

"Water and electricity are particularly mentioned as in-demand professions. Music, painting, and other arts are also mentioned as needed. The first batch of pioneers are guaranteed jobs, with priority in schools. Your education gives you an advantage, and if you're in a school, you can also take care of the children."

"It's better than now, without suitable jobs. We don't have psychic abilities, can't go out to kill zombies, can only do these simple physical jobs. Winter is coming soon."

Yuan Lan hesitated: "It says they're pioneers, I'm worried there might be nothing there, all the benefits sound good, but if we're deceived, it's so far away, we can't come back, can we?"

Sun Hengyi said, "Winter is coming soon, other bases may take in refugees, but can't guarantee jobs. Once it gets cold, we'll be like last year. In the south, at least it gets cold slower, as long as we can cultivate some beans and vegetables, we won't starve, and it's near the sea, with abundant seafood. I studied in the south before, the vegetables grow really well there."

"Also, the new base's commander is Guan Yuanfeng, the special forces captain of Central Base. You might not know, but he's incredibly powerful. I saw him kill a pack of wolves attacking the mine with a single lightning strike. He's willing to make promises, I believe he'll keep them, even if there are compromises, there should be other compensations."

"And this might be one of the few bases recruiting ordinary people, with pioneer benefits and military escorts along the way. It's a one-time opportunity; there won't be another chance. I checked, and we have three days before departure. I heard many have already signed up, mostly refugees like us who have been struggling in Central Base. With our elderly and children, missing this opportunity would make it hard to switch bases in the future."

Yuan Lan was convinced and quickly made a decision: "Then let's go! Things are already bad enough. With three children to care for, we must plan for the future."

Seeing his wife agree, Sun Hengyi said with relief, "Then I'll go sign up tomorrow. You pack our belongings at home."

===

Soon, someone from Central Base posted the recruitment poster for Guixu City on an online forum, but it was met with sarcasm: "In this day and age, there's still a new base recruiting ordinary people? And it's officially recruiting long-term residents, including the elderly, sick, and disabled. What kind of place is Danlin City? I checked—it's a county-level city. It seems like they're just dumping Central Base's burdens to the south, huh. A modern-day banishment. Why not just pick Hainan Island and get it over with?"

At first, there were only scattered replies, as most people were working during the day, and mobile internet required additional data fees. Those who could afford to go online were relatively better off.

Some agreed: "Tax-free for a year, and no requirements—it sounds like charity, but it's probably just a ploy to offload the city's burdens. Once they get there, with no internet and being vulnerable, they'll be left to fend for themselves."

"Most bases only recruit psychics, medical staff, and security personnel now, especially since winter is harsh. Suddenly, there's this new base in the deep south. It's clear the authorities are trying to offload their burdens."

"Choosing the south is probably because it's less likely to result in freezing to death. It sounds better. But looking at the situation, they don't even have walls constructed yet. Winter is coming, and even if the south takes longer to get cold, it's too late. Are they going to live in treehouses? Or caves? There are a lot of mountains there."

"A modern-day pig-selling scheme?"

"Don't be so self-righteous. Last winter, when refugees were accepted unconditionally, how many people surrounded the city hall? Now that they're well-fed, they act all high and mighty. Central Base has been overcrowded for a long time; it's time to divert people. And with military escorts, it's already quite considerate."

"Diverting should be to nearby bases, not somewhere so far away."

"Which nearby base would dare take more? They're already saturated. Food, energy—it's all pressure."

"Didn't you guys see who the military commander is?"

"The authorities just updated the information on Guixu Base. Anyone can see it."

"Finally, someone gets to the point. This guy just got into big trouble recently, and it was swept under the rug. Isn't this just exile to the frontier?"

"What trouble?"

"Spill the tea."

"Chair ready."

"Come on, tell us!"

"I heard he was a hero on the front lines during the disaster relief, but someone framed him with an investigation. The hero got angry, flipped the table, and walked away unscathed."

"Unscathed? Clearly, he's been pushed out of Central Base's power center. Who would dare use him now? Rebelling against superiors."

"A promotion in name but a demotion in reality—typical dirty tactics. But with him as the commander, Guixu City's security and defense are definitely not something to worry about."

"All of this is naive. It's just blatant power struggles. What hero? The Tan faction used one of their own to push the Ye faction out of the central government. But don't think the Tan faction can dominate everything. Without the right skills, don't take on the task. The world is in chaos, and the great unification is being ruined by a few selfish people."

"Naive? We only care about who actually does the work to keep us fed and clothed. Who cares about which faction you're from? Captain Guan has been doing all the hard, dirty work. With him gone, can Central Base's security be guaranteed?"

"It's the apocalypse, and they're still fighting internally. Haha."

"Even with just two people, they have to pick a captain. When dividing the spoils, they still want the bigger share. Forget it. If you have psychic powers, you're fine. If not, just be content with being a lower-class citizen."

"Tsk, so bases that still willingly take in ordinary people now are considered kind."

"Sharing Central Base's pressure is real, but that place might not be so bad. Logically, at least safety isn't a concern, and the weather is an important factor—better than the freezing north where not even grass grows. Central Base is indeed under a lot of population pressure. A city has a limit to how many people it can support. Diverting and building other bases is a reasonable approach. Besides, it's all voluntary; no one's forcing anyone at gunpoint."

"Haha, voluntary. The word 'voluntary' makes me laugh. If you don't go, you'll be a second-class citizen in winter, getting nothing. So, are you going or not?"

Soon, it was peak activity time, and the forum thread was deleted.

But soon someone provided another piece of information: "Has no one noticed that the lord of Guixu City is Dongjun? The Dongjun?"

Quickly, someone asked: "Which Dongjun?"

"Any wood psychic ability user would know—Dongjun, the president of the Planters' Guild, the one who invented the joint use of natural forces by multiple people."

"Not just wood psychic abilities, but as far as I know, the Planters' Guild has expanded to include members with water and earth psychic powers."

"It's unfair; everything needs the sun, so why not allow light psychics to join?"

The discussion increasingly veered off-topic, with many uninformed netizens asking questions, and enthusiastic individuals answering. Soon, some curious individuals forwarded the post link to the internal member area of the Planters' Forum, asking Dongjun: "Is the lord of Guixu City, Dongjun, the president?"

Dongjun promptly replied, "Yes, and I welcome all knowledgeable individuals to join Guixu City in building a beautiful home together."

The news that the lord of the new base, Guixu City, was the president of the Planters' Guild, Dongjun, quickly spread.

Gradually, some realized: "The commander is the former captain of the special operations team, at the peak of combat power, and the lord is the president of the Planters' Guild, skilled in planting. With these two in place, perhaps Guixu City isn't such a bad destination?"

"At least the most important aspects of safety and food are secured."

====

The breeze was gentle, the clouds sparse, and the autumn sky crisp and refreshing.

Amid the whirlwind of discussion, Guan Yuanfeng and Zhou Yun were fishing by the reservoir in the mountains.

Technically, Guan Yuanfeng was fishing, while Comet dashed along the reservoir bank, occasionally veering into the mountains to chase pheasants and wild birds.

Zhou Yun stood by a cluster of cacti, picking fruits and juicing them manually, then adding ice to make a chilled drink. Next to the cacti was a banana tree, heavy with bananas, from which Zhou Yun had already picked a few.

Guan Yuanfeng occasionally glanced his way, and Zhou Yun laughed: "What are you looking at?"

Guan Yuanfeng was straightforward: "Your ability to summon mutated plants is unique; other wood psychic ability users don’t seem to possess it."

Zhou Yun said: "Li Xiong should be able to do it. It’s likely because I consumed mutated lotus seeds the night the red fog appeared."

Guan Yuanfeng was startled: "No wonder I occasionally catch a faint lotus scent on you."

Zhou Yun: "..." He was puzzled: "How could that be?"

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Really, it's very faint. I thought you might have picked lotus leaves by the pond, but that didn’t seem to be the case."

He thought for a moment and said: "It makes sense; Li Xiong fused with mutated poppies, gaining their traits, including the ability to confuse people. Since you fused with lotuses, you must have inherited some of their traits."

Zhou Yun laughed: "What traits do lotuses have? Coolness? Or the idea of 'the lotus root breaking but the fibers staying connected'..." He suddenly paused, thinking of the folk legend of Nezha being reborn from a lotus.

Guan Yuanfeng, noticing his expression, said sharply: "Don’t experiment with limb regeneration or the 'lotus root fibers' concept on your body—it’s not safe."

Zhou Yun came back to his senses: "No, I was just speaking offhand. I was just thinking about shadow hemp’s previous use. I’d like to find a king-level shadow hemp to attempt fusion."

Guan Yuanfeng's expression became serious: "That’s reckless. The shadow attribute counters all others. What if it disrupts your original water and wood crystal cores after fusion?"

Zhou Yun: "..." He felt a bit guilty: "I just wanted to try."

Guan Yuanfeng said: "Experiment all you want, but don’t use your own body as the test subject." He stared at Zhou Yun, very serious, and Zhou Yun said: "I understand." But shadow hemp really seems useful...

Guan Yuanfeng thought for a moment: "I’ll speak with Lady Liang about finding a king-level shadow hemp for your research. But you must promise me not to tamper with your own crystal cores." He couldn’t relax; Zhou Yun’s curiosity was too great—he’d nearly lost a battle just to observe high-level water psychic powers and often neglected his own well-being.

Zhou Yun regretted bringing up shadow hemp to divert Guan Yuanfeng's attention and had to promise: "I understand, I won’t mess around."

Just then, a plane flew overhead, and Zhou Yun looked up: "You mentioned yesterday that the fighter jets, pilots, and special operations team members were arriving today, right?"

Guan Yuanfeng finally succeeded in diverting his attention: "Yes, Xiao Jiang and my dear will both arrive today, and then we'll take over the construction of the military camp. Ge Chen will also have less to worry about. The city walls are almost fully enclosed, so we can start clearing the zombies inside the city."

Zhou Yun said, "With Tang Anchen, the earth-type psychic (a psychic with earth manipulation abilities), here, Shen Lan will also have an easier time. They've already erected earthen walls in some critical spots, but I heard from Shen Lan that they plan to have the earth-type psychics from the Tianlang squad come to work. However, they're worried about causing you trouble, so they wanted to find a chance to ask you, but they haven't seen you these past few days."

"There are twenty-four people in the Tianlang squad. How do you think we should handle them? Keep them over there growing herbs? It's a bit of a waste, really, since they're all psychics. But we can't fully trust them either."

Guan Yuanfeng frowned and said, "I'll go ask for their opinions tomorrow. I'll explain the situation clearly. Those who wish to return to Ye Yuqing can leave without any pressure. Those who are willing to stay, I'll register them. They might not even know themselves that they're not on the alliance's military registry. They're effectively Ye Yuqing's personal troops."

Zhou Yun said, "I'm afraid more of them will choose to stay. Aren't they afraid of being silenced if they go back?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "Everything's out in the open now. What's there to silence? They don't know anything, and besides, some of them probably still have family on the other side. Forcing them to stay would just cause trouble. It's better to send them back."

Zhou Yun asked, "Aren't you worried that those who stay might have divided loyalties?"

Guan Yuanfeng said, "There will always be those who betray for personal gain, even within families. Right now, we need all the help we can get. We're just building a city, trying to live our lives. Those who don't want to live peacefully will be dealt with according to the rules if they cause trouble."

He looked at Zhou Yun and said, "Don't stress over what hasn't come to pass. You overthink everything, always striving for perfection, but it's unnecessary." Given Zhou Yun's family background and personality, he didn't seem like the type to be so cautious and guarded. What had he experienced that made him so wary of strangers, always on guard and unable to open up to others?

Zhou Yun chuckled wryly, "You're right." With Captain Guan around, he felt a sense of security.

The sky was exceptionally clear, with a few faint wisps of clouds. A refreshing autumn breeze blew past, causing the water's surface to ripple slightly. The wind carried a hint of autumn chill and the damp, earthy scent of aquatic plants. In the forest, the leaves and grass rustled against each other, producing a crisp, soothing sound.

He pulled the manual juicer, mixing the beautiful pink juice with crystal-clear ice cubes, and handed it to Guan Yuanfeng: "Enjoying the present is what matters most." The future holds promise, but the present is where true beauty lies.