Chapter 249: They are all ambitious people who are not content with the status quo
Qiao Lan not only took away his own villa, but also took away all the surviving intact villas around him, about ten in total.
This villa complex was nestled in a valley, perhaps due to the terrain's relative wind resistance, ensuring the integrity of most buildings during the raging storm. Later, the area was overrun by mutant beasts from the mountains, and no one approached for a while. Upon arriving, Qiao Lan drove away the beasts, released earthworms to dig the ground, and then cleared the houses, all in one go.
On the way back on the mechanical bird, she sighed silently.
After all, I have become stronger. Everything is different from my previous life. Life is getting better, isn't it?
Thinking back to her past life, when she was fleeing and wandering in the apocalypse, she'd returned specifically to look for her villa, wanting to see if it was still there and if she could live there. It turned out the house was there, but first it had been occupied by mutant beasts, then by powerful humans, leaving her no chance of moving in. She could only watch helplessly as the house, once hers, was taken away by other beasts. What could she do? Property rights in the apocalypse were a joke. Laws and regulations didn't apply; the stronger the stronger, the more powerful the rules.
Qiao Lan thought that once she had restored Blackwater Town to a state of prosperity and a flourishing market, she would establish her own rules. As the town's master, she had the final say.
It was already afternoon when we returned to the town.
Qiao Lan released more than a dozen villas in a deserted place outside the town, and found a group of obedient mice trained by Xiao Li and Cha Cha, and asked them to act as porters to carry the villas into the town.
The villa is so heavy, how can a few mice carry it? In fact, Qiao Lan uses his spatial ability to constantly expand and contract the villa, making the house flash continuously in reality. The weight can't bear the mice at all. They are just acting.
But the onlookers didn't know this. They just saw a group of rats carrying the big villa into the town and running away at a very fast speed. Everyone was stunned.
"Are mutant beasts so powerful?"
"This is even cooler than a crane!"
"Where did this villa come from, and why is it still intact?"
People were talking about it.
Qiao Lan directed the mice to place the villas and their foundations in the center of the town, with more than a dozen villas closely arranged next to each other.
Then the employment conditions were announced publicly.
Infrastructure workers were temporarily recruited, and their task was to clear the rubble and debris in the center of the town and create a 300-meter square open space so that she could settle these villas.
The construction period is limited to two weeks. Each person will receive three meals a day plus a midnight snack. Each meal consists of four dishes and one soup, guaranteed to include meat. In addition, each person will be provided with a set of work clothes, one pair of shoes, and three pairs of gloves. These items are personal property and can be taken away after work. Construction tools and hard hats are temporarily used and must be returned upon completion.
"Four dishes and one soup, guaranteed to include meat?"
"Half a month, four meals a day?"
"Are there any clothes to distribute?"
“This, this, this…”
The generous conditions stunned the onlookers.
Everyone is now working every day, cleaning up the town and building temporary residences. The workload is huge and the work is tiring, but every day, they can only eat two meals, which are watery and not even half full. They have to do heavy work on an empty stomach every day.
But there’s nothing we can do. This is the condition in the apocalypse. It’s good enough to be able to eat!
Some people came from nearby towns and villages, willing to work any hardship just to have food here. Because outside, finding food is too difficult, and if you're not careful, you'll be killed by evil people or mutant beasts. Here, at least there is a semi-official organization, which gives them a little sense of security.
Moreover, everyone harbored longing and fantasies about the prospect, announced by Ye Qi and Staff Officer Li, of "City C becoming a major government base." Who wouldn't want to return to their former stable lives? Just for this prospect, everyone was willing to work tirelessly, driven by love.
But……
However, when Qiao Lan started hiring workers with "high salaries" and favorable conditions, everyone immediately felt that the two bland meals provided by the government were no longer appealing, and the prospect of a large-scale base was too far away.
"Is it true? Can we trust her? Is she just kidding me?"
"She's the legendary Miss Qiao. I can believe her, but if we work with her, will the government still want us in the future..."
"Where does she get so much food to hire people?"
"Look at her ability to command mutant beasts. Even a mouse can get her a little rice. How much food would all those mutant beasts need?"
"This is a ruthless person who can tame mutant beasts. If you follow her, you might actually get some meat."
People were talking about it.
Qiao Lan didn't care about everyone's reaction. She left the villa, found a useless table, put it up, put Cha Cha and the budgie on the table, and asked for the workers to sign up. Then she left.
The news of the hired workers spread quickly throughout the town, and before nightfall, tens of thousands of survivors had heard about it.
Aside from those injured in the previous battle and the chaos in the city, everyone else came to watch the excitement. The sight of a teacup dog leading a group of mutant rats, while a budgie maintained order through a megaphone, truly astonished everyone.
Some people were hesitant to believe it, some were worried, but more people signed up enthusiastically, crowding the registration table, just for those meals.
Even if I can only eat full meals for half a month, it’s worth it! This is the mentality of everyone in the end times!
"Joe, are you going to rebuild this human town?"
Heiyun Damao came to meet with Qiao Lan, and Xiao Li was still the simultaneous interpreter.
Qiao Lan smiled: "Yes."
She described to Heiyun what her dream town would look like.
The houses are neatly arranged, the streets are prosperous, there are shops and parks, there is no famine, no chaos, the air is fresh, the scenery is picturesque, and you can enjoy a convenient life in the town. Outside the town are vast farmlands and safe mountains and wilderness, where you can run around and play, relaxed and free...
"It's a paradise in the wasteland of the apocalypse," she said.
Is it wishful thinking? Can it be realized?
In her previous life, she would never have dared to hope for such a thing.
If it were last month, she wouldn't have had this belief.
The painting in her dreams is a million miles away from her. She doesn’t know if she can reach that paradise, but if she moves forward step by step towards her goal, she will get closer and closer.
"I want a town like this too," Heiyun said. "I'll help you build Blackwater Town, and you can help me build a similar animal habitat."
Qiao Lan was surprised.
Meeting Heiyun's clear and deep eyes, they stared at each other for a moment, and both the man and the beast smiled.
Both she and it are ambitious and dreamers who are unwilling to accept the status quo.
"To show my sincerity in cooperation, from now on, the beasts under my command will be at your disposal," said Heiyun.
"To show my sincerity, I will give you a gift when I come back from the capital," said Qiao Lan.
Her subspace division has a cooling time, and consumes a huge amount of mental strength and energy. After sending one to Yin Wanying, it will take at least ten days before she can send one to others.
Not only Heiyun, but also her companions and trusted friends, she is ready to give subspaces.
It is better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone. Let’s enjoy the portable space together and create the future together, hehe!
After agreeing on a partnership, Heiyun contacted Ye Qi. As the chief beastman, Heiyun and Ye Qi, the local human leader, held talks for a while. With Qiao Lan acting as the middleman, the two sides reached a preliminary agreement on an alliance. Qiao Lan, Ye Qi, and Heiyun divided the spoils from the previous battle, including crystal cores and supplies, evenly. Finally, Heiyun led a group of sturdy mutant beasts, carrying their share of the spoils, into the vast wilderness, disappearing into the night.
Xiao Li held the two kittens he left behind and wondered, "My sister has been awake for two days. Why didn't the Black Cloud leader come to negotiate right away?"
Qiao Lan said, "It's probably observing us."
"ah?"
"Black Boss is a very clever mutant beast. Its population will surely grow larger and larger in the future, and will no longer be limited to the southern suburbs of City C."
Hei Yun led his team to wait outside the town for more than ten days, definitely not just to wait for her to wake up. Qiao Lan could understand that this big guy was quietly observing Ye Qi's organization and the survivors in City C.
In this apocalyptic world plagued by natural disasters and mutations, humans and animals will have to reconnect in a new world. What will the future hold? Qiao Lan doesn't know. Even she feels a certain curiosity and anticipation for the animal town Heiyun has envisioned.
In the middle of the night, Cha Cha brought the information about hiring workers.
Most of the survivors in the town signed up, and finally more than 3,000 people were selected, including ordinary people and awakened ones.
With so many people, they definitely wouldn't be enough to clear the several hundred meters of open space in the town center. Qiao Lan decided to use 100 people first, and the rest would be registered as candidates and hired later if there were any projects.
When the news was announced, those who were selected were overjoyed, while those who were not selected were very disappointed.
Qiao Lan drew up a project list overnight, writing down all the steps needed to completely repair the town. He filled up a large sheet of paper and posted it on the temporary bulletin board to give everyone a sense of anticipation.
Ye Qi then posted the news that the town would be under Qiao Lan's jurisdiction in the future on the bulletin board.
The next morning, people woke up and saw two announcements, sparking another heated discussion. Should they choose to follow Ye Qi's official base, moving to City C and receiving official support, or stay in the small town with Qiao Lan and become privately employed? The choice seemed difficult. Following Qiao Lan offered good food for now, but the long-term prospects were uncertain. Following the official base offered significantly worse living conditions, but wouldn't that offer greater stability? Everyone was torn.
Jiang Yue didn't dwell on it. He didn't care about those things at all. These past two days, he was only concerned with breeding issues.
As soon as he saw Qiao Lan was free, he quickly pulled her over to ask her about rice seedling cultivation techniques.
Qiao Lan was not shy about teaching him all the techniques he knew, and even carefully wrote a manual of more than ten pages, clearly stating the procedures, precautions, and security elements.
Jiang Yue hugged the instruction manual and burst into tears of gratitude.
"Don't worry, Miss Qiao. I will study hard and research diligently, and strive to cultivate the first batch of healthy seedlings before you return from the capital!"
"I'm optimistic about you."
Qiao Lan encouraged him.
He also discussed with Xiao Li and assigned him a group of mutant beast bodyguards to accompany him during his research at all times. This was to prevent the mutant rice seedlings from suddenly attacking, which an ordinary person like him would not be able to handle.
After hearing this, Staff Officer Li's wife assigned two of her own bodyguards to Jiang Yue to closely protect the breeding expert. The wife had more to consider. Besides the danger to the rice seedlings themselves, she also had to guard against sabotage, interference, or harm to the researchers.
"Girl, you've helped solve the food problem by breeding crops. You've been a great hero. I don't know how to thank you enough! Don't worry, not only did Ye Qi agree to give Blackwater Town to you, I also fully agree. From now on, this is your territory, and no one can interfere. The secret laboratory in the capital is ready. As soon as Comrade Tang Xiaoyao arrives, he will be resurrected immediately. You can take Comrade Tang Xiaoyao there without worry. I'll help you keep an eye on the town. The project will not be slack. If you have any other requests, just ask. Grandma will agree to them all!"
The old lady was so enthusiastic every time they met that Qiao Lan felt a little overwhelmed.
"I really don't have any requests. I'll tell you when I think of something later, Grandma Li."
"Okay, tell me anytime. If you have something to say, just tell me."
The old lady pulled her grandson over and said, "Take good care of Qiao Lan along the way, okay? If Qiao Lan loses a hair, I'll pull out a handful of yours, okay? Also, remember to take her to the nearby weapons depots to get ammunition, and load your fighter plane with ammunition before flying to the capital. Safety first!"
Feng Feng said helplessly: "I understand, grandma. I have more flying experience than you, so there is no need to tell me."
Qiao Lan brought a hard-shell sleeping bag, pretending that Xiao Tang was inside, and boarded Feng Feng's latest super-speed light fighter.
A group of people on the ground waved goodbye.
The plane took off and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
The sky is vast and the stars are shining. The distant capital city in the north is only a two-hour flight away.
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