Chapter 77

Since the signing of the northern subsidiary town agreement, the population has increased from 550,000 to 750,000, with a shortfall of 250,000 to reach the upgrade.

However, this is not a difficult task. After receiving the reward mission, the mayors of the two affiliated towns will surely speed up the process of population expansion.

At present, Ye Qing has only provided one medium-sized supermarket to the two affiliated towns, but if they want to have more facilities, they can only rely on themselves.

Zhucheng in the south wants a restaurant, and Beicheng in the north wants a game hall. Ye Qing promised them that every time they recruit 100,000 people, they can get a prize. The more they recruit, the greater the reward.

After hearing the news, the two teams were energized and vowed to complete the mission as quickly as possible. After enjoying two days of comfort in Taoyuan, they returned to their shelter with a trainload of supplies.

The small train first delivered goods to Beicheng, and then returned to take Lu Zhicheng and others back to Zhucheng. The round trip made them arrive home two days late.

Before I got close, I saw Mr. Zhu and his group of conspicuous old men waiting anxiously at the door. They seemed to have heard the noise and turned their heads to look over. When they saw the familiar train, they showed relieved expressions.

Ever since the old men had politely expressed their reconciliation last time, Lu Feng and Lu Yun had changed their views on Zhu Lao and his men. When they reached the city gate, they stopped, opened the window, and asked in confusion, "Zhu Lao, what are you doing at the city gate?"

One soldier said quickly: "They are worried that the city lord will not come back because of his happiness. They are very anxious~"

Old Zhu glared at the soldier, his beard twitching with laughter. "He's talking nonsense! How could the city lord abandon us to enjoy his life? We guessed you would be back today, so we came to greet you."

Lu Feng twitched the corner of his mouth, and did not expose the little thoughts of these old men. He just asked them to get in the car and go into the city together.

Last time, Mr. Zhu and others had only looked at this long vehicle from the outside and had not experienced it from the inside. After this group of people came up, they touched and commented on it, showing great curiosity.

Zhu Laodao: "I took the train before the apocalypse, but it wasn't this convenient. It didn't even require rails."

Others also sighed: "Yes, everything has changed now~"

Lu Zhicheng, who was sitting in the front row, had no idea what the world looked like before the end of the world. He thought it was curious and listened a lot, even raising his eyebrows when he heard something interesting.

Life before the end of the world?

If they work hard, they can live such a good life.

After arriving at Fengyun Supermarket, Lu Feng and Lu Yun took people to move the goods.

The last batch of supplies we purchased were sold out in less than two days. Everyone was afraid of starving and worried that they would never be able to buy them again, so they stocked up like crazy. Even if they were buying in limited quantities, they still had to transport them back and forth many times.

Now that we see supermarkets starting to restock, the initial worries have been dispelled and we believe that we can last a few more days.

His younger brothers and sisters helped to move the goods, while Lu Zhicheng called an emergency meeting of all the officials in the city.

He got straight to the point: "Today we have two topics, both concerning the Taoyuan Sanctuary."

Taoyuan Shelter has become a hot topic in the city this week. Everyone stopped and was shocked, straightening their backs to look at City Lord Lu who was in the lead.

Lu Zhicheng continued, "The first thing is to recruit residents. Boss Ye gave us a target: for every 100,000 residents we recruit, we will receive a corresponding reward."

Someone below excitedly asked, "Is it a reward like the one at Fengyun Supermarket?"

Everyone guessed that the mysterious supermarket was the work of the amazing boss Ye.

Lu Zhicheng nodded: "Yes, I need a leader to take full responsibility for this matter."

After that, the air was silent. They looked at each other and discussed quietly. Most of those present had worked with Lu Zhicheng's parents and were relatively old. It would be difficult for them to take charge of such a huge and laborious task.

Just when Lu Zhicheng was having a headache, Mr. Zhu raised his hand: "Can I...can I recommend?"

Lu Zhicheng: "Okay."

Mr. Zhu: "I recommend my grandson Zhu Yuanze."

Everyone looked at him, and Mr. Zhu hurriedly explained, "My grandson has been following me in my work. He is sensible and capable, and he will definitely get it done."

An upright young man emerged in Lu Zhicheng's mind. Zhu Lao's only son and daughter-in-law both died heroically in a beast tide. Since then, he has been living with his young grandson.

Lu Zhicheng had met that young man several times. He was the same age as Lu Feng, but much more mature than Lu Feng and Lu Yun. He was a good material.

Lu Zhicheng nodded and said, "Okay, if he does a good job, I'll give him a first-level military merit."

As soon as these words were spoken, the scene suddenly became lively. It was a first-level military merit, which could be exchanged for a one-year use right of the radiation vehicle.

Many people felt upset and regretted not raising their hands earlier like Mr. Zhu.

In the strange atmosphere, one person said, "City Lord, Zhu Yuanze can't handle such a big thing alone. It would be better to add a few more people to assist him."

The others' eyes suddenly lit up, and they all echoed: "Yes, City Lord, Grandson Zhu is too young and I'm afraid he can't take on such a big responsibility."

"I recommend my grandson Li Xiaoxiao."

"My nephew Zhang Fangfang is also very good."

Old Zhu's face immediately turned dark. These people didn't stand up before because they were afraid of trouble. Now that they have gained benefits, they want to share the credit of his grandson. No way!

Just as he was about to argue with these people, Lu Zhicheng spoke up: "Well, there must be assistants, but there is only one person in charge. Those who want to participate can sign up with Zhu Yuanze and obey his command. If you do well, you will also receive military merit."

The city lord's move actually confirmed Zhu Yuanze's leadership. Although others felt regretful, they could only settle for the second best. Although they could not get the first-level military merit like the leaders, having military merit was better than having nothing.

Old Zhu enjoyed the envious looks of the crowd, with a smug smile on his face. His grandson was an outstanding person, and he was sure to get the first-level military merit.

Lu Zhicheng was very satisfied. He thought that through this mission, he might be able to promote some young people. Zhucheng was in need of manpower at that time.

"Okay, that's the first thing. The second thing is that Boss Ye gave us control of ten residential buildings in Taoyuan. I'd like to ask what everyone thinks."

The right to control, then you can live wherever you want!

Comfortable bed, warm shower, delicious food, novel entertainment facilities, beautiful attractions...

Every item there was the stuff of everyone's dreams, and now they were told that they could actually experience it, and everyone was so excited that they were in tears.

"How many rooms are there in Building 10?"

“Should we allocate it directly to individuals or rent it out?”

"If it's distributed among individuals, officials like us should be given priority. We have dedicated our entire lives to Zhucheng, and now that there are benefits, we should be the first to enjoy them."

"You're not right. If everything is distributed, what will happen to the ordinary people in the city? They also have the right to enjoy it!"

Everyone had different opinions and argued from different angles, just like in a debate.

An hour later, the final plan was finally determined.

Lu Zhicheng looked at the notes he had compiled and said, "Our goal is to ensure that all residents enjoy their rights. Furthermore, we also took into account the principle of more work, more pay, so we decided—"

"All rooms belong to Zhucheng. Those with military merit have priority in renting them. Each room costs 0.5 military works. Owners of first-level military merit are not restricted by regulations and can choose any time of the day. The city will cover the cost of the room. The remaining rooms are open to residents for selection on a first-come, first-served basis."

"The rental period starts on a weekly basis, starting from the time the train delivers the goods and ending when the next delivery is made."

After Lu Zhicheng finished speaking, many people still had some big questions.

"I used my military merit to exchange for a room. Can I bring my family with me?"

Lu Zhicheng: "Of course, you can bring as much as you want as long as there's room for you."

"Are we going by train? How much is it?"

Lu Zhicheng: "Yes, 30 crystal cores are enough for a round trip, and children are free."

After asking about the details, this compromise plan was recognized by almost everyone present, and they discussed it happily.

"Oh, I only have 2 military merits left. I shouldn't have been so careless last time."

"Oh, if you don't have it, you can earn more."

"Do you think military merit is so easy to earn?"

"Then you can still buy it like everyone else. It's first come, first served, and you have equal opportunities."

"Yeah, that's what you said."

In the front row of the conference room, several old men gathered together and excitedly discussed: "Mr. Zhu, how many military merits do you have left?"

Mr. Zhu stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes: "As for me, I still have 10 left."

"Oh my god, you can still use it for a long time~"

Zhu Lao couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth: "It's okay."

"That's nothing. If Grandson Zhu does a good job on this mission, he'll get a first-level military merit. That first-level military merit gets you free accommodation anywhere you want."

"I really envy Mr. Zhu."

Zhu Lao waved his hand and said, "Oh, what's there to envy? Look, didn't Niu Lao Da from the soldier camp also get the first-class military merit? You can learn from him."

The others shook their heads and sighed. Boss Niu was at the peak of his combat power. He contributed the most during every beast tide. His military exploits were not something others could easily imitate.

"Okay, this meeting is over. This train is leaving at 12 o'clock tonight. It's too late to open it up, so let's give priority to those with military merits. Everyone, spread the news among various departments. If you have any ideas, please contact my assistant as soon as possible to exchange them." Lu Zhicheng saw that everyone had almost finished discussing it and was ready to end the meeting.

"Hurry, hurry, tell everyone this good news."

"Assistant Liu, wait for me, I need to redeem a military merit."

Lu Zhicheng looked at the messy conference room behind him, chuckled, shook his head and walked out. As the mayor of Zhucheng, he didn't have to compete with them for a room, and the room he was assigned was in the front row, with a very advantageous location.

The news of priority purchase quickly spread throughout the official team of Zhucheng, and even the soldiers guarding the city gate heard the news.

A 20-year-old soldier took advantage of the fact that no one was passing by to have an excited discussion with his partner.

"Have you heard?"

"I heard about it! Do you want to go?"

"Yes, our boss said we can take turns going. It happens to be our turn this week. My wife has been looking forward to this for a long time. She saw a coat at Fengyun Supermarket last time, but the quantity was very limited. It was sold out as soon as it was put on display. Now she can buy as much as she wants and even make some money by shopping for the neighbors."

"Your idea is great! I just wanted to buy some Fort Canning. Our supermarket only has topical medicines, not as comprehensive as the Taoyuan hospital. I heard there's a machine that can detect any problem if you put your hand in it. It's amazing!"

"Really? Then I'll go take a look too!"

"Last time I participated in resisting the beast tide, I earned a military merit that allowed me to go twice. I have to use it sparingly."

"Yeah, we can only earn military merits by participating in the beast tide. You don't know that guy next door who didn't participate because he was afraid of death. Now he regrets it because he has no military merits. It must be very difficult to compete with hundreds of thousands of people for those rooms~"

"Yes, the city lord is fair to everyone. If you haven't paid, you certainly can't enjoy priority!"

"Then let's go and exchange it as soon as we get off work."

"OK!"

The news of room reservations at Taoyuan Shelter has spread in Zhucheng, and it has become the hot topic of discussion recently. The news has spread to surrounding shelters, and many people have come here to visit.

Assistant Lu Zhicheng is in charge of exchanging military merits, while ordinary reservations are made at Fengyun Supermarket, jointly operated by Zhu Yuanze and Lu Feng.

There is a restriction for booking a room. First, you have to be a registered resident of Zhucheng. In order to grab this opportunity to grab a room, they have left their original household registration and become Zhucheng residents. The population has increased rapidly amid the publicity.