Chapter 256 Obtaining a Fiefdom

"Qiao Lan, I already know about your hiring. Are you planning to build that small town outside of City C? If so—"

Wei Jianshe stood up and put away his previous friendly and joking attitude.

He said seriously and earnestly, "As one of the five core decision-makers and on behalf of the government, I implore you to work hard to build a small settlement as soon as possible. Qiao Lan, please!"

This surprised Qiao Lan.

She thought that the old leader wanted to use her or her friends' special abilities to get things done.

Unexpectedly, she was asked to build the town?

Is this matter...

She was planning to clean up Blackwater Town and make it more comfortable to live in, but...

I don't want to work for the government, nor do I want to work for anyone else.

Feeling a little cautious, Qiao Lan rubbed his hands and smiled shyly, "Grandpa Wei, let me be frank. Regarding that town, Staff Officer Li from your patrol base has already agreed. From now on, it will be my private territory, so..."

"Yes, the town is yours. Xiaomei told me everything. Xiaomei is your Grandma Li." Wei Jianshe smiled when he heard that. "Don't worry, an old man like me will definitely agree to Xiaomei's guarantee."

After hearing this, Qiao Lan felt that the old man had a close relationship with Staff Officer Li.

She wondered, since the town had been given to her, what was the old man asking for? Would the government have anything to do with how she would make the town?

She tentatively took the initiative and said with a smile, "Now that you mention it, I'm relieved. If anyone causes trouble in the future, I'll say that Blackwater Town was given to me by you, an officially recognized private territory."

"Hahaha, you little girl." Wei Jianshe laughed. "In that case, you must do what I asked you just now and build the town well!"

"Don't worry, Grandpa Wei. I was planning to clean up the town, and now with your strong support, my enthusiasm has increased a hundredfold."

Qiao Lan rolled his eyes, revealing a hint of cunning. "Grandpa Wei, how about you help me get an official certification document, the kind with a big red official seal, to prove that Blackwater Town is under my management and no one is allowed to interfere. That way, if anyone makes trouble in the future, I can just throw the certification document in their face. It would save a lot of trouble, don't you think?"

Words are not enough, let's put it in writing. Don't look back and think that she has messed up the town, and then the officials go to pick peaches and let her work in vain.

When Wei Jianshe heard this, his bald brows immediately raised, "Hey, Xiaomei said you were smart, you really are a clever one."

He sat down, took out his communicator, and gave a few instructions.

Not long after, a subordinate came in and brought the document that Qiao Lan wanted.

It's not made of paper, but a new type of alloy. It's as thin as paper, but many times more flexible and strong.

A slightly etched inscription on it stated that Qiao Lan had been given full authority to build and manage Blackwater Town. She was to handle all matters on her own, and no other organization or individual, including the government, was allowed to interfere with the town's development and management. If the government wanted to intervene, it would require the signatures of at least three of the five top officials.

The time limit was clearly stated: Qiao Lan would occupy Blackwater Town for thirty years. Upon expiration, both parties would negotiate whether to renew the lease, depending on the circumstances.

After reading the document, Qiao Lan was very surprised and looked at Wei Jianshe in confusion.

Document certification has a different weight than a verbal promise. How could you give it to her so easily?

The pie is a bit big...

Wei Jianshe smiled and stamped the document on the spot. He also used his special powers to carve his name on the metal document and stamped his personal seal and official seal.

The old man handed the document to Qiao Lan and asked with a smile, "Are you relieved now? I, personally, and the authorities will fully support you."

He also explained that this wasn't just his opinion, but the shared aspirations of the five core leaders. The seal on the document was shared by all five, so even if all five died, the document would remain in effect.

After Qiao Lan waited for the subordinate who delivered the document to leave, he immediately put the document into his own space and kept it carefully.

With this document, Blackwater Town is definitely her fiefdom.

It has been officially stamped, so no one can take it away.

As for the thirty-year deadline, does it seem a bit short? Would "forever" be more appropriate? In the apocalypse, there's no need to talk about forever. Thirty years is far enough, enough for many earth-shaking changes to occur. The fact that the document boldly specifies the deadline so clearly shows that the authorities are serious about this matter.

This made Qiao Lan feel more at ease.

After all, it was only Ye Qi and Staff Officer Li who had previously made a verbal promise. Although they would most likely not go back on their word, it was ultimately just a personal decision, and if the higher-ups forcibly rejected it, it would indeed be very troublesome.

But with this document coming from the official core, things are different.

I remember that in my previous life, the government at that time only controlled about one-third of the territory before the end of the world. The rest of the country was inhabited by various complicated forces of varying sizes, with warlords fighting for power and constant wars.

The forces fought and annexed each other, making the survivors suffer terribly. Apart from deterring some excessive forces, the government was unable to govern many things and was relatively weak.

So far in this life, the official power is still relatively weak. However, it is obviously very different from the previous life.

After the decisive battle on the Eastern Front, Qiao Lan learned that during the ten days before she regained consciousness, the other theaters of operations had made significant progress in their counterattacks against the Temple. Before she arrived in Beijing, reports of victory from Chief of Staff Li arrived one after another. Although the official casualties were heavy, and the damage to the Temple's vitality was even more severe, the remaining Temple forces had been largely wiped out, and many other entrenched evil forces had also been dealt with.

The order in the core urban area of ​​the capital is also surprising.

There is also an official secret laboratory, and pharmaceutical research is progressing very quickly, much faster than in the previous life.

Overall, the official situation is more than an order of magnitude stronger than what Qiao Lan had seen in his previous life.

In the foreseeable chaos, if the official power can continue to strengthen, then it would be much easier for her to become the lord of the town with official recognition.

"Grandpa Wei, there are still some things I don't understand..."

Qiao Lan chatted with Wei Jianshe for a while, trying to clarify his rights and obligations.

To her surprise, she had no obligations or responsibilities, yet could seek help from the authorities whenever she encountered difficulties. Furthermore, she didn't have to bear any psychological burden: once the town was built, it was hers, and if the reconstruction failed, she wouldn't have to pay any compensation.

"Grandpa Wei, this..."

Qiao Lan expressed her embarrassment.

Wei Jianshe laughed heartily. "Rebuilding the town is tough work. We're hoping someone as strong as you can step forward! Actually, we should be the ones feeling bad about this. We just need to make a promise, and you'll be the one doing the real work. We're just getting something for nothing, hahahaha!"