Chapter 331: Love's Dedication

Actually, Xinquanzhen was not originally called Xinquan.

As a temporary settlement developed relying on the ruins of Quancheng, I don't know how many scavengers came here, just like ants in the wilderness, dense and dense, quickly decomposing the fallen giant whale.

Such temporary settlements are too common in the wilderness. A flood, a rainfall, or even an earthquake is likely to create a brand new settlement.

It can be foreseen that in the next ten, twenty, thirty years, as long as the ruins exist, scavengers will always be able to dig materials from them continuously.

The entire rough settlement was established in the chaos intertwined by all parties from the beginning, so the design cannot be said to be reasonable, and chaotic construction and dangerous housing construction are common, and the colors certainly cannot be said to be colorful, gray and black mixed.

Built against the mountain, a main road runs through it, winding around the side of the ruins, so it is named... Diaomao Town.

Even now, this overly popular name is still widely circulated. It has completely become a habit. Even in paper or official titles, the "Xinquan" taken by Ji Jue is adopted, but in the consciousness of the vast majority of people, the entire settlement is divided into two parts.

The large area of the settlement expanded is called Xinquan, while the existing part still uses the old name.

Now, the former is orderly, and it is a rare place of rules in the wilderness, while many things that cannot be brought to the table or even cannot be seen are still gathered in the old area...

To this, although Ji Jue doesn't look pleasing to the eye, he can't completely eradicate it—this kind of thing is not something he can change by shouting, and in the wilderness, many things have almost become common sense and fixed rules. The only thing he can do is occasionally find an excuse to kill a batch of greedy guys who have gone too far, so that this group of dog things won't be sunny and bright when they are given a little face, not knowing what they are.

Disgusting things can just stay in the sewer, but if anyone wants to cook up some other weird project and start a business right under Ji Jue's nose, he'd like to ask: just how many talented gems do you have who dare to talk to me like that?

To put it ugly, there is no tiger in the mountain, and the monkey is the king.

Now Coast Industry's momentum in the wilderness has a bit of a feeling of 'no heroes in the time, making the vertical son famous'. After all, killing from the civilian track into the military track and then suddenly killing into the wilderness, this dimensionality reduction strike is enough for Ji Jue to form a general trend in a short time, easily dominating the entire Xinquan, without any effort.

Occasionally, two gray-eyed guys who don't have long eyes want to jump out, and they don't even need him to do it. They are directly pressed to death by Jin Maozai, who was sent to Xinquan by the Wasteland Collection to manage things.

Big brother says who to mess with, I mess with who. Big brother says listen to Brother Ji, then whoever didn't bow their head when talking to Brother Ji, I will mess with who first. If you die, you deserve it. If you don't die, you are powerful, I will go home tomorrow to shake people and continue to mess with you.

Now, after several months of development, the scale of the settlement has expanded several times more than the original. Under Ji Jue's guidance, after cleaning up many remaining poisons in Quancheng, it has entered the periphery of the former ruins, and is still expanding further.

After experiencing the initial chaos, Xinquan has now become an affiliate of Coast Industry, and I don't know how many scavengers rely on the slag leaking from Ji Jue's fingers to live.

Although there is no profit to speak of, it saves Ji Jue I don't know how much effort. Now he doesn't even need to prepare himself. If he needs any conventional materials, just order it, and naturally countless people will chase and rush to send it to the door.

The vast majority of garbage, waste, scrapped alchemy works, and all fragments that can still be called valuable in Quancheng are being sent into his warehouse continuously day and night.

After production entered the right track, Ji Jue was already too lazy to come out to manage things, and continued to drill into the workshop every day, while the actual manager of Coast, Yan Yan Jian's status, went further, rising with the tide, becoming hot.

Yes, Yan Yan Jian also ran to Quancheng.

After squatting in Coast for so many years, it was not easy to raise his eyebrows and exhale once. As a backbone veteran, even if he did nothing, Haichao couldn't treat him badly. However, for so many years, Old Yan had been hurt, and he had seen it clearly long ago.

If there was no Ji Jue, he would probably still be the earth-bound spirit in the dilapidated factory area, guarding the pile of cakes that couldn't be finished, day after day.

Who let himself turn over,

Besides, working with Ji Jue is so damn refreshing, and it's in Quancheng, too—one person below, ten thousand above, doing whatever you want, building whatever you want; isn't that much more refreshing than running off to Chaocheng to be a mere ornament?

"Old Lu is back?"

As soon as Lu Feng parked the car, he saw Yan Jian strolling around the factory grounds; one could still vaguely tell his gait wasn't very agile, but he was much fatter than when he was at the coast, and his once gaunt and sorrowful face now showed a hint of kindness, his face full of smiles all day long.

"That bunch of bastards, there isn't a single word of truth in their mouths..."

Lu Feng lowered his head to glance at his watch, and he couldn't help but let out a string of typical Yacheng-style cursing: "Before I left, they said everything was ready, but when I got there, there were problems everywhere; even the damn crane was broken. They wanted to get everything for free, wasting so much time."

"Hard work, hard work."

Yan Jian smiled: "In the last few days, I've dug up quite a few people from the old factory, so the manpower is much more abundant; the installation team won't add to your troubles with miscellaneous tasks anymore. However, I'm afraid I'll still have to trouble you with the collection work. After all, once you leave Xinquan, the road is never very peaceful."

"Easy, easy."

Lu Feng waved his hand dismissively and dropped his bags: "Where's Ji Jue?"

"He's waiting for you over there; he said don't rush, you'll make it." After Yan Jian pointed out the direction, he waved his hand: "Give my regards to the old lady."

"Hey, it's just a birthday, what's the big deal."

Lu Feng laughed, seemingly unconcerned, but his pace gradually quickened.

His heart was flying home.

The newly repaired, massive office building didn't look like a typical company with cubicles; there weren't many people working at desks, and certainly no exquisitely made-up office ladies. The very few people handling clerical work were all from Yacheng, while the accounting and finance departments occupied the largest area.

The iron fence was like a cage, separating inside from outside. The accountant sitting at the window looked up and saw the two bags Lu Feng threw over: "The first installment for that settlement on Bald Mountain in the north."

Soon, the two bags of fine gold dust were confirmed and registered, and then, through the window, one could see the precious metal being melted into ingots after passing through various stages, piling up in the vault and gathering into a covetous golden light...

Expecting these guys in the wilderness who have bartered for years to use Federation currency is really asking too much; in fact, when the other party actually pulls out Federation currency, you should be the one getting alert... Heaven knows where they got the color-shifting ink, the engraving plates, or even the anti-counterfeiting watermarks.

Since everyone knows each other's true colors and there is a lack of regulation, almost all large-scale transactions in areas outside the cities use precious metals.

With the growing prosperity of Xinquan and the gradual expansion of coastal industry, even if the profit margins were thin, the daily revenue figures gradually became more and more exaggerated as the volume increased.

More and more golden sand gathered, forming a sea of sand; in the end, even Lu Feng's eyes began to ache. Over time, Coastal Industry had become the largest gathering place for gold in the wilderness of the entire Haizhou... although most of it would soon be spent on various expenses, and it just looked scary in scale. Yet, Ji Jue had no intention of moving it into the city at all, instead letting all kinds of rumors spread and evolve.

By now, in the rumors of many wilderness settlements, the coast had almost become the number one "fat sheep" in the world, and who knows how many people were sharpening their knives, wanting to pull off such a heist.

"Wealth should not be exposed, don't you understand?"

Kicking open the door to Ji Jue's office, Lu Feng scolded him without ceremony: "Do you know how many people are eyeing you now? Can't you find a bank to deposit all that money? Do you have to show it off? You'll only be well-behaved once someone finally robs you!"

"Huh?"

Ji Jue turned his head blankly, still holding a watermelon and chewing it sweetly.

In the cold air of the air conditioning, he was wearing a tank top, big shorts, and slippers, having already blended into the classic style of Yacheng. His hair was still messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep—the very definition of unkempt. "Don't worry, the security measures are sufficient."

He waved his hand to reassure him: "It just looks like a lot, but except for the top layer, most of it is just gold-plated to look the part. Besides, I'd like to see which guy is so ignorant of death that he'd voluntarily run into my workshop for such a small amount of money."

Lu Feng retorted irritably: "Then can't you move it into the city?"

"Move? Move where? I can't move it."

Ji Jue got anxious, staring and shouting: "If I move the stuff back, where am I going to find so many new employees delivering themselves to my door?"

As he spoke, he picked up the remote control, pointed it at the display screen, and pressed it.

Suddenly, unlike the factory floor above—in the underground workshops one, two, three, four, five, and six, rows of assembly lines, and even the 'employees' on those lines with shackles on their feet and IV drips in their hands, were revealed before Lu Feng's eyes.

In the dead silence, Lu Feng couldn't help but gasp several times.

Under the indifferent gaze of the cameras, everyone's predetermined workload, work efficiency, and even the number of times they were distracted or slacking off appeared on the display screen above their heads, turning into strings of cold, ruthless numbers and indicators.

In the details on the screen, one could occasionally see a string of electric sparks appear under the pale lights, followed by screams; the slacking employee would fall to the ground twitching, but the people on both sides would turn a blind eye, working with their heads down as if they were mere tools. Even the person screaming wouldn't dare lie down for too long; as soon as they regained their senses, they would immediately crawl up, crying as they threw themselves back onto the production line.

!

Crying counts as time, too.

These uninvited, eagerly signing-up employees burst forth with a passion and drive that even Ji Jue hadn't anticipated, repeatedly creating miracles.

Although before this, they were all trash wandering the wilderness, criminals with more than one life on their hands, including many heinous, unforgivable wanted criminals or robbers, but now, under Isis's friendly communication, they had all turned over a new leaf, becoming the backbone of the Coastal Automobile Factory and Ji Jue's brotherly employees.

Three hundred and sixty-five days a year without rest, working eighteen hours a day, with no need for wages or social security, conscientiously dedicating themselves to this world.

Burning themselves to illuminate others!

What is this?

This is damn selfless devotion.

Besides, Ji Jue isn't exactly a devil.

As long as people are alive, mistakes are inevitable, and one must always give people a chance to turn over a new leaf—he also pays them according to the official minimum wage standards of Yacheng.

As long as they compensate for the losses caused by their attacks and looting through their own hard work, and after deducting tool usage fees, bed rental fees... food expenses, medical expenses, and even management fees, they can naturally take off their explosive collars, regain their freedom, and become a person truly useful to the world!

Move? Move what?

After moving, where would Ji Jue find so many nuclear-powered donkeys to pull the millstone and work for him with such peace of mind?

As long as this rumored golden mountain remains, there will be a steady stream of employees coming to Xinquan to report for duty every day, dedicating their beautiful youth to the beautiful vision of revitalizing the wilderness.

"Look, how happily they are smiling."

Ji Jue pointed to the model employees on the screen with tears in their eyes, "This is sacrifice, this is devotion, this is the fulfillment and satisfaction of the soul, don't you understand?"

"..."

In the long silence, Lu Feng looked at him, unable to speak anymore.

He finally understood why Ji Jue always nagged him to leave survivors...

At the time, Lu Feng had complained that this damn job had too many requirements and was too soft-hearted, making it really inefficient to carry out. He hadn't expected that after he lifted his gun barrel an inch, there were so many of Ji Jue's great favors waiting behind it.

"Quancheng is still better, after all."

He patted Ji Jue's shoulder, speaking earnestly: "At least Quancheng doesn't have streetlights."

If this were in Yacheng, the Security Bureau's KPI for several years might be fulfilled by Ji Jue alone... He really didn't dare to imagine what this dog of a guy could do once he went completely insane.

"It's already damn 4:30, you'd better be able to make it."

He took one last look at his watch: "Mom doesn't say anything, but that little brat Lu Ling can be really nasty when she talks about people."

She was already stinging enough when she got sarcastic, and after getting into university, it became even worse...

"What's the rush?"

Ji Jue finished the watermelon with a calm and breezy air before wiping his mouth: "Anyway, she doesn't scold me."

One of us is going to get scolded; guess who it is?

"You damn Ji..."

Lu Feng's blood pressure shot up, his fists clenched hard, but then he saw Ji Jue, who was walking in front, push open a door out of thin air and beckon to him.

"Hurry up, let's go."

After saying this, Ji Jue had already vanished into thin air.

By the time he took a step out, Xinquan was already gone, and the door closed silently behind Lu Feng.

In an instant, he had already arrived on the deck of the Prosperity.

And immediately after, the waves were towering, the sea breeze was howling, and it rushed toward his face!

Lu Feng was dumbfounded, forgetting the salty, fishy taste of the sea spray landing in his mouth.

"Holy crap—"

(End of chapter)