In the following month, the shelter experienced an explosive growth period.
More than 500 survivors were successfully rescued, and their arrival, along with the remaining supplies scavenged from their settlements, injected fresh life into the shelter.
As the news spread, the reputation of the shelter, this impregnable city of hope built by the divine man Lin Feng, began to spread like wildfire to even more distant wastelands.
More and more groups of survivors, with their families in tow, are making their way through countless hardships towards this legendary promised land.
The gates of the shelter welcome new faces almost every day.
The population rapidly expanded from three thousand to five thousand, seven thousand, and finally, a month later, officially broke through the eight thousand mark.
Within the vast city walls, it was no longer an empty construction site.
Neatly planned residential areas have sprung up, factory chimneys are belching out thick smoke that represents productivity, and in newly cultivated fields, green crops are growing vigorously under the sun for three days.
The city streets are bustling with people and traffic. Although most people are still wearing simple work clothes, the expressions on their faces have long since changed from numbness and despair to anticipation and hope for the future.
Supplies were more plentiful than ever before. The granaries were piled high with golden wheat and dried meat, and the warehouses were stocked with various equipment and raw materials scavenged from the surrounding ruins.
The iron ore mines and newly built smelters are providing everything needed for construction.
Everything is getting better at an incredible speed.
However, within the heart of power, in that solitary and magnificent palace, the atmosphere was not always so harmonious.
Su Wanqing felt a sense of melancholy she had never experienced before.
She stood in her luxurious office in the side wing of the palace, and through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, she could clearly see the thriving city below.
Once upon a time, she was the most powerful woman in this sanctuary besides Lin Feng.
As one of the chief stewards in the palace, she was in charge of many core departments such as personnel, resource allocation, and intelligence. Most of Lin Feng's orders had to be conveyed and executed through her.
But now, with the scaling up and formalization of shelters, ministers have been appointed for various departments and responsibilities have been subdivided.
Li Xiangbin's Ministry of Construction, Tang Bao's Ministry of People's Livelihood...
Each person is like an independent cog in a machine, directly responsible to Lin Feng. Her power as the "Grand Eunuch" has been effectively stripped away, making her a role more akin to a "private secretary" and "harem manager."
What worried her even more was Lin Feng's attitude towards her.
She had tried several times to cross that invisible line and become his real woman.
But each time, her tenderness and attempts to be friendly were frozen by Lin Feng's cold and distant gaze.
He allowed her to serve him, but never accepted her intimacy.
Qian Xiaoxiao shares the same worries as her.
This former rich kid, with his intelligence and keen observation skills, managed to gain a place in the imperial harem.
Unlike Su Wanqing, who pursued power, her goal was simple—to become Lin Feng's most beloved woman.
Therefore, the open and covert struggle between her and Su Wanqing never stopped.
Today, one of them was carrying a freshly picked alien melon, and the other was holding a bottle of warmed golden barley wine. They "bumped into" each other outside Lin Feng's study.
"Oh, isn't this Steward Su? How diligent! Still trying to help the leader so late at night." Qian Xiaoxiao said with a smile, but her words were barbed.
Su Wanqing remained expressionless and replied calmly, "I dare not accept such praise. It is Miss Qian who goes out of her way to find delicious dishes for the leader every day. Such thoughtfulness is truly rare."
The two exchanged a glance, and it was as if sparks were flying in the air.
Just then, the study door opened.
Lin Feng came out. He had changed out of his fancy clothes and was now wearing only a simple black outfit, preparing to go out.
Seeing the two people facing off at the door, he frowned impatiently.
"Are you two very free?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling edge.
Qian Xiaoxiao's smile froze instantly, and Su Wanqing immediately lowered her head as well.
“I don’t need the drama of harem intrigue here.” Lin Feng’s gaze swept across their faces: “If you have excess energy, go work on the farms outside the city. What they need there are people to do the work, not people to flatter you.”
After saying that, he didn't even look at what the two women were holding, and strode away, walking straight between them.
Qian Xiaoxiao's eyes welled up with tears of grievance, while Su Wanqing's face was deathly pale.
She knew Lin Feng wasn't joking. He really would abandon them on the farm, like throwing away two unwanted ornaments.
That night, Su Wanqing tossed and turned, and finally made a bold decision.
She requested an audience with Lin Feng.
In the empty and desolate Chengtian Palace, Lin Feng stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking his kingdom.
The city lights, like stars, stretch into the darkness in the distance.
"What is it?" He didn't turn around.
Su Wanqing took a deep breath, knelt down behind him, her voice trembling slightly but exceptionally clear: "Leader. The sanctuary is growing stronger and stronger, and the people are loyal to it. But... a nation cannot be without its foundation for a day, and a ruler cannot be without his successor for a day."
She raised her head, her eyes filled with a resolute determination: "You are the only god of this land, and your bloodline is the foundation upon which the divine kingdom is passed down for eternity. Please... consider the matter of your offspring for the future of the sanctuary."
Inside the main hall, there was a deathly silence.
Lin Feng slowly turned around. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were like two bottomless ancient wells, making Su Wanqing feel a pang of fear.
“Offspring?” He repeated the word, a mocking smile playing on his lips. “A lineage maintained through a woman’s womb and blood is the method of mortal emperors. My kingdom has no need for such fragile connections.”
He walked up to Su Wanqing, looking down at her: "My will is the legacy. My words are the law. As long as I live, this kingdom is indestructible. After I die... what do I care about the deluge?"
Su Wanqing was so stunned by the absolute self-centeredness and coldness in his words that she was speechless.
Lin Feng realized he had said too much. He waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual calm: "I accept your loyalty. But this matter need not be mentioned again. You may leave."
“…Yes.” Su Wanqing retreated, dejected. She finally understood that she could never enter this man's heart. In his world, there was only himself.
Over the next few days, Lin Feng became increasingly irritable.
Su Wanqing's words were like a pebble, stirring up a ripple in his calm heart that he was unwilling to admit.
Offspring, inheritance... these words evoked his painful memories of that time on Earth.
That past where I was deceived, betrayed, and trampled into the dust.
The reason he was indifferent to all women was because that experience had built a thick wall of ice around his heart. He enjoyed their service and admired their beauty, but deep down he loathed and was wary of any potential emotional entanglements.
He would rather be a solitary god than return to being a mortal who could be hurt by emotions.
Just as he was feeling troubled, a small incident acted as a fuse, igniting a powder keg of the past.
That day, as usual, Tang Bao came to report to him on the city's defenses and the situation of the new population.
"Leader, a group of about thirty survivors came from the western desert today. They have passed the screening and have been properly settled."
Tang Bao paused, seemingly hesitant: "But there was one woman among them... who, after seeing your portrait at the registration desk, acted rather strangely."
"Oh?" Lin Feng asked casually, not paying any attention.
"She said... she knows you. She also said you're her ex-boyfriend." She carefully observed Lin Feng's expression.
Lin Feng's hand, holding the teacup, paused in mid-air for a moment.
"What's her name?" His voice was unreadable.
"Li Man".
"Snap!"
The celadon teacup in Lin Feng's hand shattered into countless powders, with tea and porcelain dust falling through his fingers.
The temperature inside the main hall instantly dropped to freezing.
Tang Bao was so frightened that she immediately knelt on one knee: "Leader, please calm down!"
Lin Feng ignored him, simply staring silently at his hands. The name, buried deep in his memory and deliberately forgotten, echoed once more like a malevolent curse.
Li Man...
The woman who gave him the sweetest fantasies during his most destitute and innocent time, and who also dealt him the most fatal blow.
The woman who took all his savings and saddled him with 400,000 yuan in high-interest loans, causing him to fall to the bottom of society and be hunted down by loan sharks like a stray dog.
He thought he no longer cared. He thought he was already standing on a cloud, looking down on that humble past.
But when that name reappeared, he realized that the scar had never healed. It had only been temporarily concealed by the guise of power.
"Where is she?" Lin Feng's voice was eerily calm.
"Because her words were disrespectful to you, even saying that you used to be... a food delivery driver. The guards believe she is defaming your divine power and have temporarily detained her in the interrogation room of the city garrison," Tang Bao quickly replied.
"Bring her here."
"yes!"
Inside the interrogation room of the city defense office, Li Man sat in a chair, looking irritable.
She wore tattered clothes and her face was covered in dust, but her inherent pride and discerning nature remained undiminished.
"How many times have I told you! That Lin Feng really is my ex-boyfriend! You bunch of blind fools, why aren't you taking me to see him right now? Once I become the leader's wife, you'll all be in for a world of hurt!" she yelled at the guards.
The guards, spears in hand, stood expressionless, but their hearts were filled with contempt for the madwoman.
Insulting a great leader is tantamount to courting death.
Just then, Qin Lan, dressed in a black uniform, with a tall and straight figure and a cold and beautiful face, walked in with two bodyguards. The atmosphere in the interrogation room instantly froze.
"You're Li Man?" Qin Lan's voice was as cold as her expression.
Li Man sized Qin Lan up and down, noticing her well-tailored uniform and imposing aura. Her tone softened slightly, but still carried a condescending tone: "That's right, it's me. Who are you? Did Lin Feng send you to pick me up? Hurry up, I don't want to stay in this lousy place for even a second longer."
A flicker of disgust flashed in Qin Lan's eyes. She had already learned the whole story from Tang Bao.
As one of Lin Feng's most loyal followers, she harbored a natural hostility toward anyone who might threaten or tarnish the leader's dignity.
"The leader wants to see you," Qin Lan said coldly, "but before that, I need to confirm a few things. You said you were the leader's girlfriend?"
“Of course!” Li Man immediately raised her chin, as if it were an unparalleled honor: “We were so in love back then. If my family hadn’t forced me, I would never have left him. He was a bit poor back then, just a food deliveryman, but he was so good to me.”
She deliberately used the words "deliveryman" to highlight her special relationship with Lin Feng in front of Qin Lan.
Qin Lan's gaze grew even colder. She ignored Li Man's boasting and continued, "How much money did he have saved while he was delivering food?"
Li Man paused for a moment, then recalled, "It seems to be... a little over 130,000, less than 140,000. What's wrong?"
Where does he live?
“In the urban village, there’s a place called Ping’anli. Those dilapidated houses only cost 300 yuan a month in rent.”
"Does he have any special markings on him?"
“A mark?” Li Man thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. “Yes! He has a scar on his lower back from being scalded by boiling water when he was a child, about the size of a palm!”
Having asked this question, Qin Lan had no more doubts.
What this woman said is true.
But this honesty did not make her agree with Li Man at all; instead, it fueled her anger.
What kind of woman would betray and hurt a man when he is most sincere and open-hearted?
Qin Lan could even imagine how the leader of that time, after being drained of his last drop of blood and sweat by this woman, faced that endless abyss alone.
"Very good." Qin Lan nodded, but a cold sneer appeared on her lips. "Now that your identity has been confirmed, come with me."
"Hmph, it should have been done a long time ago." Li Man stood up smugly and straightened her tattered clothes.
Qin Lan led her out of the oppressive interrogation room and into the palace grounds.
When the magnificent and miraculous palace complex came into view, Li Man was completely awestruck.
Her mouth gaped open, and her eyes blazed with a greedy, burning light.
"Oh my god...this...this was all built by Lin Feng?" She excitedly grabbed Qin Lan's arm. "Tell me quickly, I'll be living here from now on, right? Which room is mine? Is it the biggest one?"
Qin Lan disgustedly shook off her hand and said coldly, "Don't forget, you've already broken up with the leader."
"Break up?" Li Man sneered disdainfully, her self-righteous sense of superiority exploding once again: "That was because I was young and ignorant, I was the one who wronged him. He loved me so much, and now that he's successful and the king here, he'll definitely forgive me! I just need to coax him a little and shed a few tears, and he'll give me anything. Men are all like that."
Qin Lan felt nauseous upon hearing these shameless remarks.
She stopped speaking, quickened her pace, and led the woman, who lived in her own fantasy, toward the great hall that would ultimately determine her fate.
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