Chapter 215 Jinjiang Exclusive Release
The gathering place of the five major forces was originally a small county town, Fengxian, which was located further south than Yunlu Village.
When the earthquake hit, most of the county town was swallowed up by the cracked earth, leaving no people, houses, or anything else.
The areas that barely survived happened to be wealthy areas where the houses were relatively sturdy.
But the wealthy families and small noble families who survived were frightened by the earthquake. They packed up their belongings and fled the county town overnight to seek refuge with their relatives.
Many of them headed for the provincial capital which was a little further away, but unfortunately the provincial capital was in a worse state than the county town. After the earthquake, the entire city was swallowed up by the emperor, leaving only a few broken remains.
Even so, few of those who left return to the county town.
However, survivors from towns surrounding the county town gradually arrived, filling up the county town, which had only two or three thousand people left.
The county government office was also located in the area that was engulfed by the earthquake. Therefore, from the very beginning, no official stood up to take charge of the situation in the county. People from different villages and towns formed their own groups, and the degree of chaos was evident.
When the disaster period begins with extreme heat and appears before the survivors, these people will not only face extreme natural disasters, but also challenges of human nature.
Robbery, murder, cannibalism due to starvation, and the struggle for power among people for the right to speak... It is no exaggeration to say that the survivors in Fengxian County have been playing a real-life survival game for the past six months, and the cruelty is far beyond that of Yangshan and Luochuan.
Yunlu Village is even more incomparable. It has been in a good place since the beginning and has hardly suffered any hardship.
Fengxian County is not located at a high altitude, but floods and blizzards always submerge the already shrunk county.
When there are floods, people go to the mountains to take shelter. When it snows, they are buried in the snow and rely on stored food to survive. Every time there is a natural disaster, there are many deaths in Fengxian County. The ratio of natural disasters to man-made disasters is about 73%.
The county town's walls were not as strong as those of the provincial capital, and more than half of them collapsed after the earthquake, making it unable to stop the influx of beasts. During the polar night, the death toll exceeded tens of thousands.
After the storm, Feng County was barely stable. The basic status of the five major forces was stable, and the replacement of small forces was not as fast as before.
[It seems that the survivors in Fengxian County were a bit unlucky.]
Even if half the city had collapsed after the earthquake, at least the survivors could have cleared the rubble and obtained a lot of supplies. Unfortunately, most of the city was swallowed up, leaving nothing behind.
This is how disaster victims, without any livestreamers cheating or government protection, survive in the face of disaster. It's truly cruel.
[That's totally unrelated. At least they still survived, tens of thousands of people. Compared to those who died at any time, they are already lucky.]
[Without a broadcaster and without government protection, the way the victims survived the disaster was truly cruel.]
After listening to the explanations of the five major forces, Lu Xuan also understood why the victims who bought the dumpling soup looked very thin, but their eyes were not numb. Instead, their expressions were more resolute than the victims he had met before.
Because those who are truly numb and have no hope have long been eliminated, and those who can survive to the new year are those who have adapted to the new lifestyle.
According to Hua San, Meng Xia and others, Feng County has had gambling dens similar to Feng Hu's.
The ruffians from various villages and towns and several vicious landlords united together and became one of the most powerful forces in the city.
This force committed rape, looting, and bullying men and women, and was capable of committing all sorts of evil, including cannibalism. Previously, only some people who really couldn't survive would covet the bodies of the dead, but these people, simply out of a perverted mentality, had to target their own kind even though they had enough supplies, and specifically picked on the tender-skinned children or women.
Eventually, they aroused public anger and were eliminated by other forces during the extreme cold season. The main culprit was hacked into pieces by the victims whose relatives had harmed them, and the rest of the animals involved were thrown into the beast herd.
After that, the atmosphere in Fengxian County was completely renewed.
Minor fights still exist, but cannibalism has almost disappeared.
While explaining to Lu Xuan, Meng Xia and others also reviewed the hardships they had experienced over the past six months, with some emotion and melancholy on their faces.
Hua San sighed and said, "To be honest, I didn't expect that I could hold on until now."
He used to be just a beggar leader in another town. All he had to do every day was to beg for food with his men, and to earn some extra money by running errands or gathering information for the rich.
Life is neither good nor bad.
But after the disaster began, although each extreme weather was not easy to deal with, he still gradually gained his own power with more and more brothers.
They no longer have to go hungry or live in leaky temples. Their "Beggar Gang" now occupies an entire street in the city and has more than a dozen large houses as their base!
In a sense, the disaster became an opportunity for him.
Of course, not all bosses are happy about this.
Yu Niangzi was originally the owner of a well-known opera troupe in the county. Her fame had spread to the provincial capital. The money she earned from being invited to perform every month and the bonuses and dividends received by several famous actors were enough for her to live a comfortable life.
When the disaster struck, the stable income was gone, and there were many girls in the troupe, making them easy targets. In the early days, they had a very difficult time.
Qiu Qi is the chief escort of a well-known escort agency in the county, and he can earn thousands of taels of silver every year by escorting the convoys.
Du Chenghai is a businessman, and his businesses make as much money as the previous two.
Meng Xia won the title of Jieyuan in the provincial examination and originally planned to go to Beijing to take the examination this year and pass it in one go, and then rise to a higher position in the future.
When disaster strikes, stable life and bright future are all gone.
Even if it is now one of the five major forces in the county, so what? That is not what they want.
What's more, over the past six months, many of their relatives and friends have died from natural disasters or man-made tragedies.
If given a choice, they would still prefer to return to the peaceful and stable days of the past.
But Lu Xuan brought news that the disaster would continue.
To be honest, if Lu Xuan hadn't brought them a large amount of supplies, they all wanted to beat him up to vent their anger.
The group muttered inwardly for a moment before Du Chenghai asked, "Come to think of it, Boss Lu hasn't told me where you're from yet?"
"Right." Hua San asked while eating the beef jerky he had just traded for. "Your accent doesn't sound like someone from our mansion. Since you're here, do you have some understanding of the situation outside?"
Meng Xia asked, "We previously speculated that the higher-ups hadn't sent anyone to provide disaster relief. Was it because the earthquake affected such a wide area? Was the capital also affected? Has Mr. Lu ever been to the capital, or does he know the current situation there?"
Lu Xuan: "I don't know the current situation, but the disaster is indeed affecting the entire world. Someone told me that the emperor died in the earthquake."
Everyone: “!”
"hiss!!!"
“The Emperor is gone—!?”
Gasps echoed in the living room. Hua San said in disbelief, "Isn't His Majesty the Emperor protected by many people in the palace? How could this happen?"
Lu Xuan said calmly: "No one is special during an earthquake."
So what if there is someone protecting it? Will a collapsed house choose people to fall on it?
In the face of natural disasters, no one can escape, no matter whether you are a king or an ordinary citizen.
The people from the five major forces were speechless.
It's not that they didn't understand this truth, but the feudal ideas they had been taught since childhood made them subconsciously think that the emperor's existence was transcendent. When they suddenly learned that the other party had been killed in the earthquake early like other victims, they were shocked for a while and could hardly recover.
Lu Xuan: "It has been over half a year since the emperor passed away. The new emperor should have ascended the throne. However, the capital is probably overwhelmed by the disaster and will not be able to restore contact with other places in a short time."
When he leaves, that will be another matter.
The living room was quiet for a moment, and then Lady Yu suddenly said, "It's impossible for us to see the emperor anyway. It doesn't really matter whether the emperor is old or new. The emperor is far away, so just take care of yourself."
When others thought about it, it seemed to be true.
"Knock knock knock—" There was a sudden knock on the door.
Hua San looked through the window and saw that the number of people outside had obviously increased. He said, "People from other forces in the city must be here."
For Lu Xuan, these words meant new business had come to him.
Because there were too many people, Lu Xuan divided these forces into five batches to come in and discuss business.
Also, because the people from the five major forces wanted to know each other better and were unwilling to move, only the leaders or senior leaders of these small forces could come in alone each time.
Some of these people are clan leaders/village chiefs/elders of a village, while others are doctors in medical clinics, blacksmiths, and local thugs.
Lu Xuanlian did not waste any time talking to the five major forces and directly made transactions. Naturally, he did not waste time with them. He directly showed the list of goods, and then Hua San volunteered to explain the usage of the high-tech goods to the leaders of the small forces.
The astonished leaders did not bother to test Lu Xuan's background and rushed to make deals.
Many of these small forces are reluctant to give out too many supplies, or simply want to take advantage. They have originally planned to lower the price as much as possible when facing outsiders, or even sell or give away the goods at half price.
However, the usefulness of these products far exceeded expectations. The five major forces didn’t know how long they had been taking them away, and they didn’t know if the remaining ones were enough for them to share.
There was no time to bargain when there were so many people bidding.
Anyone who really dares to open his mouth will be the first to be kicked out, which will just reduce one competitor.
The people from the five major forces had already guessed that the total amount of supplies in Lu Xuan's hands was probably far beyond what they could imagine, but they did not remind these small forces, allowing them to end up spending 50% or even twice as much as their own price.
This is the price they are willing to pay, but it is not the price offered by Lu Xuan, so it is naturally not the case that Lu Xuan is black-hearted.
A total of 52 small forces came and went in the five batches. The sizes of these small forces also varied. The number of disaster victims under their jurisdiction was approximately between 300 and 1,000. In the end, the total amount of supplies purchased was basically one-tenth to one-fifth of the average purchase volume of the five major forces.
The greenhouse area ranges from 100 acres to 300 acres.
The final total amount of grain sold was as high as 20 million jin.
Even if we don't count the transactions between the five major forces, the transaction volume of these small forces alone is already far greater than the transaction volume of the provincial capital.
【!!! Small forces can also make a lot of money! 】
[This is mainly because these small factions, like the five major factions, are quite lavish in purchasing supplies.]
[Except for the small factions of the village led by the elders and old patriarchs, who are a bit more conservative, the other factions seem to be very committed to enjoying life in the moment.]
[Limited quantities of fruit and seafood are being snapped up like crazy, and the prices are going crazy too.]
I originally thought this gathering place was too small to make much money, but I never expected that!
[The anchor made a lot of money this time. ]
Lu Xuan calculated the profits that the Fengxian gathering place could bring him, which was as high as more than 6 billion.
Together with the income from Yangshan and Luochuan, it was enough for him to buy warships.
As the audience said, it was really profitable.
The leaders of the small forces who had obtained a large amount of supplies looked at Lu Xuan with eyes that were no different from the eyes they looked at the God of Wealth (Uncle).
…
The next day, the five major forces prioritized choosing a suitable location outside the city to build a greenhouse.
At the agreed time, the disaster victims in the city who received the news arrived on time, but Du Chenghai and others arrived almost a quarter of an hour late, and they looked obviously tired. Hua San even kept yawning.
"I'm sorry, I overslept and am late." Hua San had just finished speaking when he exclaimed, looked around, and said, "Why don't I see Boss Lu?"
Meng Xia and others who arrived just after Hua San shook their heads. Just as they were about to say they didn't see it, they heard a buzzing sound.
A few people subconsciously looked back and saw Lu Xuan riding on a strange-looking silver-black monster running towards them at a rapid speed.
There was a commotion among the victims, and Hua San and his companions were also startled, "What is that? A horse...?" It seemed something was not right.
Qiu Qi squinted his eyes and observed for a while, "It's not a horse. It's much faster than a horse."
While they were talking, the person who was at least a mile away from them came up to them in the blink of an eye.
The black motorcycle in low-suspension mode turned and stopped sideways a few meters away from the crowd. He lifted his long legs and got off the car in a neat and tidy manner.
Lu Xuan took off his helmet and casually placed it on the front of the car. He glanced at the few people whose brows were full of fatigue and raised an eyebrow, saying, "I think I've arrived just in time?"
Lady Yu's eyes flickered slightly, and she chuckled, "From what the boss said, you know we're late?"
Lu Xuan said calmly: "It's not difficult to guess."
After all, dozens of new players suddenly appeared in the holographic game world last night.
With the number of people from the Huo family army present, no one in the village might notice this increase in numbers, but since he paid special attention to it, he naturally would not fail to notice it.
It goes without saying how addicted people will be when they enter the holographic world for the first time. Not to mention staying up until midnight, it is expected that they will stay up all night long.
A holographic helmet cannot replace sleep. So what’s so strange about people who haven’t gotten enough sleep waking up late?
When Lu Xuan expressed his speculation, everyone looked awkward and unnatural.
He almost neglected his work because of playing games. It doesn't sound reliable.
Lady Yu was more calm, smiling broadly as she said, "Holographic games are really addictive, but when I want some precious items, I always have to pay for points. How do I get these points?"
Lu Xuan said: "Exchange the supplies with me and I will transfer the points to you."
Several people seemed to understand, "So that's how it is."
So by selling a holographic helmet to them, Lu Xuan can make double the money, or even more?
Du Chenghai's eyes were full of brilliance. He knew that the value of the holographic helmet was underestimated!
He secretly decided to keep some helmets to sell after the disaster. It would be a big loss to sell such precious things to ordinary disaster victims with just a few supplies!
While he was thinking about this, Yu Niangzi and Hua San had already taken some food or supplies for Lu Xuan to use to "recharge his bankroll".
They used their own supplies, and most of the food Lu Xuan gave them had to be kept for seeds and could not be taken away.
Perhaps they thought that Lu Xuan would not stay long, so in order to avoid running out of points after he left, both of them topped up a lot of points at once.
Du Chenghai followed closely and also changed some.
Finally, there are Meng Xia and Qiu Qi.
One of these two people is a talented scholar, and the other is a middle-aged escort with strong fighting skills and a calm personality. Neither of them looks like someone who would be addicted to games, but in fact, the number of points they have recharged is no less than that of the other three.
After finishing the topic of holographic games, the five people began to count the number of people. After Lu Xuan took out the greenhouse materials, he shouted to the victims who were shocked by the large amount of large glass materials to start working.
The five major forces cannot control all the people. Even if they use nutritional supplements as compensation to hire them, they still have to exclude the elderly, the weak, women and children, so there are even fewer people available, only 8,000 in total.
With fewer people, efficiency naturally decreases, but this does not prevent them from building a few acres of "model houses" first to see the finished product.
In order to save trouble, the five major forces not only bought plant protection machines, but also bought several tillage machines.
With these machines, Lu Xuan no longer has to stand out and show off his supernatural powers.
Despite this, when the small but highly efficient tiller quickly loosened the hard soil, leaving behind rows of ridges that were more regular than could be made by human power, Yu Niangzi and her five companions, as well as the disaster victims who came to help, still stared with wide eyes.
When the plant protection machine filled with herbicide slowly rose into the air, everyone at the scene except Lu Xuan was stunned.
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