A few people from the transport teams gathered nearby, watching the people from Lao Zhao's and Lao Zhang's teams working non-stop, not even sleeping. They couldn't help but exclaim, "Tsk tsk tsk~! The people from Team 23 and Team 31 are really crazy, we can't compare, we can't compare!"

"How about we pull off another heist?" someone suggested.

After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

I started to seriously consider this matter. After all, if you want to get ahead, you have to put in more effort than others. If you give up now, you will never have a chance to get ahead again.

Moreover, moving an extra truckload of supplies means you can eat an extra bowl of porridge, so at least you won't lose out.

Just then, Liu Long and his five men dragged their exhausted bodies back to the base. Their team was missing three people and had not yet been replenished. As a result, the task of moving two truckloads of supplies today took nearly twice as long as before. What was originally a 13-hour task for them took a full 20 hours.

"Look, those are the people from Team 37!" A sharp-eyed member of the transport team exclaimed in surprise when he spotted Liu Long and his group.

"Damn, didn't their team do a great job? Why are they still working so late?" a squad leader exclaimed. "No way, they're not arrogant even after doing such a great job, we can't keep slacking off like this. Brothers, come with me!"

The other squad leaders also rallied their men to join in unloading another truckload of supplies.

They realized that in this fiercely competitive and resource-scarce post-apocalyptic world, any slackening could lead to marginalization or even elimination. At that point, let alone gaining the appreciation of the lower-level leaders and rising to prominence, they might not even be qualified to remain at the bottom.

As they talked, the group each pulled their own sleds and prepared to set off.

As they passed Liu Long and his group, they all cast respectful glances their way.

This left Liu Long and his companions feeling somewhat bewildered.

As the saying goes, if you have a guilty conscience, you'll feel uneasy no matter what you see. These guys have now joined Chen Yu's plan to overthrow the Fire Seed Base, and they're doing something that could cost them their lives at any moment.

Therefore, seeing everyone's strange looks made me feel a little uneasy.

Finally, Liu Long couldn't help but pull aside a member of the transport team he recognized and whispered, "A-Dong, what happened? Why are you all looking at us like that?"

"Brother Long, stop pretending. Your team's deeds have spread throughout the entire base. You've made such a great contribution, and you're still working so hard. Are you trying to crush us?" A Dong said half-jokingly and half-seriously, his eyes full of admiration and a hint of teasing.

Liu Long and Zhou Yu were stunned upon hearing this. Merit? What kind of merit?

Seeing Liu Long and the others pretending to be stupid, A Dong couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.

What? Now that you've made it big, Liu Long, you don't recognize your old brothers anymore? Are you afraid I'll take advantage of you?

Thinking of this, he frowned slightly and said, "Brother Long, that's not fair of you. You had to raise your child, and you didn't even have enough to eat every day before. But tell me, when did I ever lend you porridge when you came to borrow it? Now that you're successful, you don't recognize us poor brothers anymore?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Long quickly waved his hand and explained, "Ah Dong, what are you talking about? Do you think I, Liu Long, am that kind of person? I really don't know what you're talking about regarding meritorious service. Are you referring to the matter in Wenshui Village?"

Ah Dong was speechless upon hearing this. Keep pretending!

Seeing A Dong's expression, Liu Long and the others exchanged glances, roughly guessing what had happened. Liu Long then explained to A Dong with a wry smile, "A Dong, I really don't know anything about this! We haven't received any notification from above. You wouldn't believe it, our team is short three people. We've been working ourselves to the bone to finish today's transport work."

Seeing that Liu Long's expression was serious and he didn't seem to be lying, A Dong's expression softened.

However, he seemed to realize something and said indignantly, "That Li Liguo is such a scoundrel! You're all from the same transport team, why does he get all the credit? He's become a hot commodity for the base's higher-ups, while you're still working yourselves to death moving supplies! And with nearly half the manpower gone, you still have to do the same work. This is just too unfair!"

A Dong was so angry because he felt a sense of shared fate. He couldn't help but wonder if his team would be treated differently if they were ever recognized by their superiors. Would the credit go to the captain, while they, like Liu Long and his group, would receive nothing?

Upon hearing A Dong say that Li Liguo had become a hot commodity among the base's high-ranking officials, Liu Long and the others were taken aback. What was going on?

Their captain, Li Liguo, and the other two were executed by Chen Yu's men long ago, weren't they?

Could it be that Li Liguo is not dead?

Li Liguo knew Chen Yu's true identity. If he really wasn't dead, wouldn't that mean they had been exposed?

Thinking of this, a sense of foreboding welled up in the hearts of the group, and their expressions became solemn.

Suppressing his panic, Liu Longqiang asked A Dong in a low voice, "A Dong, are you sure Li Liguo has become a favorite of the base's higher-ups?"

Upon hearing this, A Dong retorted irritably, "How could this be false? It was announced over the base's loudspeaker that Li Liguo deserves the greatest credit for the discovery of geothermal resources, thanks to his heroic act of reporting the news. The leader personally commended him, and now everyone in the base knows this."

"That's it?" Liu Long raised an eyebrow.

"Huh? Isn't that enough?" A-Dong said irritably.

Upon hearing this, Liu Long and his companions' expressions softened slightly, but they remained vigilant, as they were likely already exposed, though the base's higher-ups were simply keeping quiet.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!