Su Mu said he was going to the central town to check on this matter. When I left Jiajiang, I thought he was joking, but later he actually went.

But that's a story for another time.

On my way back to the research institute, I deliberately circled the road where I had previously met Yao Chengjie and his team several times.

I didn't think they would show up here, but when I had circled around seven or eight times and was about to go back, Yao Chengjie and his men appeared.

There were two of them. I recognized them as soon as they appeared; they were two of the people who had stopped me here before.

I drove up to them and asked, "Do you recognize me?"

The two nodded, and one of them asked, "Are you circling around here looking for us?"

I said, "I would like to meet Pu Weichao. If possible, could you take me to your place?"

"No." The two of them refused so decisively that I was speechless.

I knew it was impossible to get those two to change their minds and agree to my request. After all, even Ye Qian didn't know where Yao Chengjie lived, so it was even less likely that he would tell me.

I said, "Alright then, since that's the case, could you please tell Yao Chengjie when you get back that I'd like to meet Pu Weichao?"

The two of them didn't object to my request and readily agreed, so I drove away.

...

Two days later, on the morning of November 25, Yao Chengjie appeared at the entrance of the research institute.

Pu Weichao was not with him.

I went outside the research institute and asked, "Where is Pu Weichao?"

Yao Chengjie said, "Didn't we agree before that we wouldn't contact each other or meet for the time being? Why do you suddenly want to see Pu Weichao?"

I said, "Because I have some things I want to discuss with him. It would be best if we talked it over beforehand, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble later."

Yao Chengjie seemed to be thinking about something, and asked, "Could you tell me what it is first?"

I said, "What else could it be? It's about the central town, of course. I need Pu Weichao's analysis to determine our next course of action."

Yao Chengjie looked puzzled. "Didn't you say you didn't want to get involved?"

I said, "Things are different now. Anyway, could you let me see him?"

Yao Chengjie said, "Okay, but I hope you can explain the situation to me clearly at that time."

I said, "No problem, you'll understand when the time comes."

I got into the car with Yao Chengjie, and then we arrived at the bridge where we had been before.

When I got to the bottom of the bridge, I saw a person standing in the shadows. He had his back to us and was slowly smoking a cigarette.

That figure from behind looked extremely familiar.

Staring at him, I suddenly hesitated to go over, because I was a little scared.

It's been a long time since we last met. I had thought that I probably wouldn't have the chance to see him again in the future, but now this guy is standing in front of me. How should I face him?

"What's wrong? Come on over," Yao Chengjie said.

Pu Weichao, who was in the shadows, seemed to have heard our commotion. He turned around, saw me, and then I saw a slight smile appear on his lips.

I walked up to him nervously, and saw him throw away his cigarette, come up to me, hug me tightly, and pat me on the back, which left me a little stunned.

"Brother, it's been a long time!"

I smiled and said, "Yes, it's been a long time."

It has indeed been a long time. We were just a group of survivors who escaped from Hangzhou, but now everything has changed.

"How have you been these days?" he asked.

I said, "Well, it's alright. I almost died a few times, but thankfully I survived."

Pu Weichao smiled and said, "Did you come alone? I heard from Yao Chengjie that Sister Jing and Fei Lichao are also with you. Why didn't they come over?"

I said, "I haven't told them about you yet. I plan to tell them about you after things have calmed down. I came to see you today not to catch up, but to ask you some questions."

Pu Weichao asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

I said, "You should know a lot about what happened in Central Town, right?"

Pu Weichao asked, "You want to ask about this?"

I received: "Almost. I'd like to hear your analysis. I know that your side and the central town are in a conflict, so I'd like to know your analysis of the central town."

Pu Weichao wasn't stupid. After hearing my words, he immediately thought of something and asked, "Why are you asking about this? Is there something going on? Or do you know something about Central Town?"

I said, “Someone analyzed the current situation in the Delta for me before. I think some things are very troublesome. At first, I didn’t want to get involved in the conflict between Central Town and you. But now Central Town has started to probe towards Jiajiang. You may not know the situation in Jiajiang now, but I have friends there. I can’t let Central Town extend its reach into Jiajiang City.”

"Moreover, the person who analyzed it for me said that once December is over, Central Town will probably undergo a round of expansion, or rather, it will incorporate the entire raider team from the outside and then organize it into an army. I am very afraid that such a thing will happen. If Central Town really starts to expand, I am afraid that my current situation will make it difficult to get along with them. So I need your analysis."

Pu Weichao frowned, deep in thought. "The person who analyzed it for you is right. I had also thought about the expansion of the central town before, but because of our situation, their expansion will slow down."

Pu Weichao looked at me and asked, "Who is this person who helped you analyze this?"

I said, "She's in Jiajiang now."

"Oh, if it's in Jiajiang, then you don't need to worry about Jiajiang's safety. If there are people like this in Jiajiang, things won't be too bad."

I said, "Her situation is a bit complicated, so I'd like to hear your analysis."

Pu Weichao said, "My analysis is actually of little use to you. Yao Chengjie told me about your situation. The research institute you are currently living in is so far from the central town that even if a war breaks out between us, it won't affect your area unless you have some irreconcilable conflict with the central town. Otherwise, you don't need to worry about anything."

I was stunned. What Pu Weichao said was completely opposite to what Chu Yu said.

This surprised me a bit.

Pu Weichao continued, "In my opinion, if you don't want to get involved in this matter, you can completely stay out of it and not worry about it. As for the expansion of the central town, you don't need to worry too much. Once they start expanding, we will definitely step in to stop them, so you don't need to worry too much."

(End of this chapter)