Chapter 87 Taicheng - 1 Lu Yi is in the driver's seat...
Lu Yi was in the driver's seat. Tang Bufan also wanted to confirm the route, so he said to Wan Bing, "Brother, you sit here. I'll go to the driver's seat to look at the map."
"Alright, Madam, go ahead." Wan Bing laughed heartily. After Tang Bufan entered the driver's seat, he quickly took out a booklet with a map of Taicheng from his old backpack and secretly looked at it closely.
Taicheng is very large, divided into an inner city and an outer city, with 12 districts in each city, for a total of 24 districts. Wan Bing had only been to a few districts in the outer city, but he didn't dare let Lu Yi and Tang Bufan know.
Kaige thoughtfully closed the metal partition door between the driver's cab and the passenger compartment, giving both sides a private space.
Lu Yi sat in the passenger seat, a map displayed on the glass screen in front of him. After Tang Bufan sat down in the driver's seat, the map enlarged and moved towards him.
Tang Bufan began to look carefully. Although Shandong is located on the North China Plain, the area around Mount Tai is actually a hilly region with many peaks. Beishan Town is located at the foot of one of the peaks on the edge. The inner city of Taicheng surrounds the main peak of the Mount Tai mountain range and then expands outwards to form an outer city.
Thinking that Lu Yi was visiting Taicheng on behalf of the Western Federation, Tang Bufan asked the orc beside him, "Does the Western Federation have a diplomatic mission in Taicheng?"
“No.” Lu Yi turned to look at him: “Due to the paralysis of transportation in the apocalypse, the three federations are now very independent and have not made any special effort to develop diplomacy.”
Thinking that the Western Federation was building aircraft, Lu Yi added, "Once the aircraft appear and the exchanges between the federations become closer, they should find a piece of land to build a diplomatic mission."
Tang Bufan understood, then lowered his voice and asked, "Where will we stay when we get to Taicheng? Wan is in our car right now."
He is mainly concerned with Wanbing.
“It depends on how the Guo family treats us.” Lu Yi said based on his experience: “Generally, they invite us into their own home, but they may also arrange for us to stay in other places. However, our family invited us directly into the manor.”
Manor? Tang Bufan was somewhat intrigued by this word, as it was something he, coming from a poor family, had never encountered before: "Your family owns a manor?"
“Yes.” Lu Yi looked at Tang Bufan, who looked bewildered, and thought he was really cute: “The heads of state’s families all have their own piece of land, so theoretically they won’t let us live elsewhere.”
At this moment, Evelyn spoke gently: "The Guo family lives on the top of the main peak of Mount Tai. Their mansion is called the Guo Family Compound, which covers an area of about 14,500 square meters, with dozens of courtyards and hundreds of rooms. There is also a separate courtyard for entertaining guests."
"14,500 square meters...that's small," Lu Yi commented upon hearing this.
Tang Bufan was slightly taken aback, while Evelyn said, "The area on the mountaintop is limited and cannot compare to the manor on the ground. The Guo family's private farmland is at the foot of the mountain."
Lu Yi understood, raised his hand and tapped the screen in front of him, and saw a satellite image of the Guo family compound. It was a Chinese-style compound with a topographical difference, and indeed it had many courtyards of different sizes.
Tang Bufan was still staring at Lu Yi when Lu Yi turned his head, puzzled. Only then did Tang Bufan recover his shock and pretend to be calm as he looked at the satellite image.
He was only now beginning to grasp the reality that his fiancé was a young master from a prominent family; the conversation between the human and the AI earlier had left him feeling out of place.
"So we'll be staying in one of the small courtyards here tonight?" Tang Bufan asked, looking at the satellite image of the courtyard.
“Hmm.” Lu Yi continued to swipe on the glass screen and found that the buildings in the inner city were arranged in a staggered manner, with many overpasses suspended in the air, making it look like a mountain city with a complex network of roads. The buildings on the mountainside were the most modern, no different from those before the apocalypse, and gradually returned to their original simplicity at the foot of the mountain.
As for the outer city, it consists of rows of neatly built cement buildings, clearly the result of a special plan.
“These are public rental housing units in Tai City,” Evelyn explained to the two. “The residences in the outer city belong to the Federation. The rent is one of Tai City’s main sources of revenue. You need to apply to the Federation to rent a house. With a residence permit, you can freely enter and leave Tai City. Without a residence permit, you can only enter temporarily.”
The satellite images on the glass screen continued to change, revealing fields, orchards, factories, and military areas. Each area had its own public rental housing and canteen, making Tang Bufan feel more and more that it resembled a giant industrial park of a super company.
Thinking that the head of state is hereditary, Tang Bufan suddenly complained: "Isn't the Federation actually a financial family disguised as a country?"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yi turned to look at him thoughtfully: "Does the teacher think a normal country should be like an underground city where the chairman is elected?"
"Hmm...more or less," Tang Bufan said thoughtfully.
"But there are many royal countries in the 21st century, right?" Lu Yi didn't share Tang Bufan's dilemma.
“…Indeed.” Tang Bufan then remembered that the West is a region with many royal families, such as Britain, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway… a whole bunch of royal families.
“Human royalty has vanished with the apocalypse, and everyone has become an equal resident of the dungeons. For orcs, bloodlines have a greater influence, making it more difficult to break down family hierarchies.” Lu Yi said, “After all, you can’t expect a lone wolf to submit to a cat or dog.”
“In that case, I think the true lineage of Chinese civilization is in the underground city of the East District.” Tang Bufan looked at the picture of Tai City in front of him with a solemn expression: “Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny? I don’t really approve of this kind of society where bloodlines are fixed and classes are dead.”
Lu Yi fell silent. Tang Bufan suddenly realized what was happening and quickly said to him, "Of course I'm not saying your family is bad..."
“…I didn’t care about that.” Lu Yi looked at Tang Bufan, who was hurriedly explaining to him, and his tone became a little strange: “I wanted to tell you… what you just said, teacher… is another major idea of the resistance faction.”
Tang Bufan was stunned. He looked at Lu Yi and then pointed to himself, saying hesitantly, "So... I'm actually a member of the resistance?"
Lu Yi thought for a moment and said tactfully, "I think I'm a neutral person who leans towards the resistance faction, because although you don't approve of the Bloodline Wheel, you don't think about eliminating the orcs either."
Tang Bufan was deeply moved after hearing this. He leaned back in his chair and suddenly understood why the resistance movement had continued for hundreds of years.
"So those who think 'Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?' are also part of the resistance faction... Indeed, once you crossbreed with orcs, the class of your descendants is fixed." Tang Bufan muttered to himself.
Even if the offspring are sub-orcs, the sub-orcs will gradually lose their fertility over generations, and there is a real problem with the orc race.
Seeing Tang Bufan deep in thought, Lu Yi suddenly felt a little nervous. He thought about how Tang Bufan came from a very fair and just 21st-century China, and he himself was a teacher with upright morals...
A sense of panic arose in Lu Yi's heart, and he had a strange feeling that Tang Bufan would be taken away by that organization.
It wasn't forced; it was voluntary.
“Teacher, let’s… let’s think about how to get into the city.” Lu Yi immediately interrupted Tang Bufan’s thoughts: “You haven’t registered your marriage with me yet, so I may need to fill out some documents to vouch for you.”
After Lu Yi finished speaking, he swiped the glass screen to put away the satellite image of Taicheng, and then raised his wrist to ask Evelyn: "Evelyn, tell me the relevant procedures."
Being in Taicheng is different from being outside. It's true that Lu Yi is the son of a high-ranking orc and Hans, but in someone else's territory, you still have to follow their rules.
Of course, if things don't go smoothly, Lu Yi won't allow the people from the Eastern Federation to forcibly take Tang Bufan away.
"Information retrieval in progress..." Evelyn's gentle electronic female voice sounded, then slowly said, "No cases of cross-federal criminal bailing were found. It is recommended to consult higher federal authorities."
Tang Bufan's attention was indeed diverted by his wanted status, so he became serious and looked intently at the virtual screen in front of Lu Yi.
Lu Yi's superior was his father, but he did not want to contact Hans, so he said to Evelyn, "Help me contact General Angus."
"Dialing... General Angus is in a morning meeting and will call back in half an hour."
The driver's cab fell silent for a moment. The two sat in the spacious driver's seat, looking at each other. Lu Yi felt uneasy and was afraid that Tang Bufan would notice something was wrong, so he turned his head to look ahead.
After the image on the glass screen disappeared, the windshield revealed the road ahead. They were driving along a mountain path, with some scattered snowdrifts and bare northern trees on both sides.
A ragged orc suddenly appeared in front of the path, carrying a tattered sack on his back. He turned around when he heard the car, but the RV quickly drove past him.
Tang Bufan and Lu Yi both glanced at the orc through the rearview mirror before continuing to look ahead. Tang Bufan couldn't help but start thinking again about the fact that he was actually a member of the resistance faction. He had always considered himself a neutral party, but now he suddenly realized that he shared the same mindset as the organization he had hated for five years, which greatly shocked him.
Lu Yi suddenly asked, "Teacher, do you want children?"
Tang Bufan was slightly taken aback and turned to look at him in surprise, only to find that the 18-year-old orc looked uneasy yet very serious.
"And mine."
Tang Bufan was a little embarrassed. He avoided looking ahead and said, "Why are you asking this? This matter... is still a long way off."
Lu Yi stared directly at him, and he felt uneasy, which is why he decided to ask her now.
“My mother is unwilling. My father stubbornly says that she loves him, but is bound by her identity as the leader of the resistance faction. But she is unwilling, and no matter what my father says, he is forcing my mother.” Lu Yi said in a low voice, then looked sincerely at Tang Bufan: “It doesn’t matter if we don’t have children. I just want to be with you, teacher.”
Tang Bufan felt a slight tightness in his chest as he listened. Looking at the sensible and well-behaved young beastman in front of him, he couldn't help but reveal a gentle smile.
“I like you, Lu Yi.” Tang Bufan looked at him with mixed feelings: “I can kiss you, and I can sleep with you... but having children... I don’t think we’re both ready yet.”
After he finished speaking, he thought about it seriously and added to the orc in front of him: "But I want children, specifically children that I will give birth to myself. This is different from what I thought before... But I want children, regardless of bloodline or class, I just want a child between you and me."
Tang Bufan emphasized, "I think our child will be very cute."
"!" Lu Yi's eyes opened slightly, then the corners of his mouth turned up, and a bright light appeared in his eyes. He felt relaxed and happy.
"Me too!" Lu Yi exclaimed, her voice slightly raised, "I also think my child with my teacher would be adorable!"
Looking at the young orc who had been amused by his coaxing, Tang Bufan couldn't help but smile.
At that moment, Evelyn's voice rang out: "General Angus has sent a video call."
Lu Yi immediately sat up straight: "Connect."
A virtual screen popped up, and a general in his fifties with silver hair and eyes, dressed in a crisp uniform, appeared on the screen.
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