Chapter 152: The Plan to Fleece the Official Authorities Begins

Jiang Hanzhong's face darkened, yet he did not know how to speak up. He could neither answer yes nor no; after all, he was unwilling to stay forever in this remote borderland far from the General Command, but if he said yes, it would mean his brain was full of dung.

Jiang Wenjun, who was leaning heavily against his chair, raised a hand to applaud, "That's right, the Acting Chief is correct. This is a century-long project that will benefit future generations of humanity, the country, and the people. Good, good, good—roads, pipelines, wiring, ventilation, it's all complete. If it can truly be built, *cough cough*, *cough cough*, then, then…"

"Then we won't have to fear any disaster," Liu Mu finished for him, not forgetting to reach out and press down his hand that was connected to an IV drip. "You should rest, Elder. Since they can't understand it themselves, I will explain it to them personally."

Jiang Wenjun's entire face was swollen. He wanted to nod, but the movement tugged at his wounds, and he dared not move at all. Even speaking a single word caused him pain, so he could only blink his right eye, which was uninjured but also so swollen it was nearly impossible to see through.

"Everyone, can you listen to me now?"

A fifty-year project for above and below ground—let alone them, even when Yang Shuo was around, he had only made five-year plans at most. How could they dare to interrupt now?

If Liu Mu hadn't produced this detailed holographic map, they could still refute her by calling it wishful thinking. But the problem was, she hadn't just produced it; she had an engineering plan, so they had no choice but to listen.

Among those present, besides Liu Mu, who had such great courage and far-reaching planning?

It could be said that, apart from those two ministers vying for power, the others had already begun to change their views on Liu Mu. Some even started to think that if this plan could truly be implemented smoothly, they should have recruited Liu Mu into the Barrier sooner.

"Alright, let's start with the construction of the first underground level…"

The most urgent matter at present was, naturally, the resettlement of nearly forty thousand Survivors.

As Liu Mu explained, the map, which had originally only shown linear structures, was constantly populated with data and text descriptions in various colors. It even precisely calculated the amount of materials needed for each location. As for the size and the facilities reserved for the next level, that went without saying.

Her speaking speed was fast enough, yet it still took half an hour to finish explaining the first underground level.

Just as everyone was listening with surging emotions, thinking she would continue to the second underground level, the map suddenly transformed into points of light as it had before, then moved upward to form the surface facilities.

"This is the surface defense portion of the bunker. I will explain the specifics to the military department at that time. Next, let's start with the simplest part: the sea salt drying plant."

"I'm sure you all know more about the country's wartime material reserves than I do, but those reserves will eventually run out. When that day approaches, what will humanity need first?"

Someone immediately answered, "Salt?"

Others chimed in, "Indeed, for humans to live healthily, salt is indispensable."

Others added, "Across the entire eastern coast, only our Haicheng Barrier is close to the sea, and it's a large-scale barrier. Salt drying certainly has the greatest advantage."

"It won't be sold to other inland barriers later; it's a big business!"

"That's right, why didn't I think of that before?" Jiang Hanzhong, who had been listening intently, slapped his thigh. Only after he finished speaking did he meet Liu Mu's meaningful smile, and he felt a bit sheepish, "Acting Chief Liu is quite the businessperson."

This snide remark immediately drew looks of contempt from many who were caught up in the moment. This time, they didn't even bother to hide it as they usually did.

Actually, Jiang Hanzhong had misunderstood; that was clearly a look of relief from Liu Mu. Finally, they had reached a simple part that these people could understand on their own. She had been explaining for so long and no one had even poured her a cup of water—it was truly… something that needed improvement!

"Next, let's talk about the Steel Mill…"

She paused, and seeing that everyone was still immersed in the salt drying plant and hadn't snapped out of it yet, she asked, "Does everyone know why the Steel Mill is being built in Long City?"

"Because there's coal over there, it saves on transportation costs!"

"Right, that's one aspect. What else?"

"There's iron ore in Mei City, it's close too—no, that's not it, there isn't…" Zhang Shirong realized he had said the wrong thing and didn't know how to correct himself.

There was iron ore in Mei City; Liu Mu knew that without him saying it. In her past life, after the apocalypse, a significant war had even broken out there.

The team she was in at the time was also the type to risk their lives for money, so they had insisted on joining the fray. Fortunately, she had hidden in the back and saved her own life, and even managed to get some rewards.

Of course, the various factions were fighting over the undisclosed iron ore in Mei Mountain.

In times of peace, unless a country was particularly foolish or poor, they generally wouldn't mine discovered deposits immediately. If the price was right, they would import from abroad and keep their own hidden away.

This site at Mei Mountain was one of those strategically hidden iron mines.

Its main characteristics were shallow deposits, ease of extraction, and high-quality ore—a prime spot for contention.

"There isn't what?" Liu Mu raised her eyebrows, her expression one that had already seen through everything.

Internal Affairs Minister Zhang Qingling glanced at his useless nephew and had to step in to smooth things over, "Since Chief Yang trusts the Acting Chief so much, surely this information is no longer a secret. The Mei City iron mine is only fifty kilometers from the site you chose for the steel factory; surely that was a consideration as well."

This was said flawlessly and even included a subtle compliment to Liu Mu. Anyone else who understood the ways of officialdom would have given him face.

But… Liu Mu was not that person, and she even gave him no face, "You all think quite highly of it, but my idea is actually very simple: I'm prioritizing environmental protection. It's sparsely populated now, so being further away is good for our environment."

Everyone: I'll be damned if I believe you!

Natural disasters have already killed off most of humanity, and now you're talking about environmental protection? Why don't you talk about protecting outer space while you're at it?

Of course, Liu Mu wouldn't say that these factory locations were primarily chosen to avoid future disasters, especially earthquakes. If she said that, she'd have to explain it, and that was a huge pain.

"These two factories and the first underground level project must be completed within the next year. How about it, who wants to take on the construction?"

The group fell silent, some even wanting to question Liu Mu's mental state.

What kind of times are these? Who would dare take on a construction project?

Even if they dared to take it, there were no materials to fill the gaps. Whoever took it would die!

A minute passed. Liu Mu was laughing inside, but on the surface, she let out a long sigh.

The sigh was so long that it made the two self-serving ministers' hearts skip a beat. Just as they were pondering that something wasn't right, they heard Liu Mu speak.

"Since no one has the courage to take it on, then it can only be us, Shengli Construction Company. No, no, no, Minister Jiang, Minister Zhang, you don't need to say anything more, I understand, I understand it all!

"You're worried that I'm under too much pressure, right? It's fine. Uncle Yang values me and wants me to take good care of the Barrier, so we have to bleed a little, don't we?

"Rest assured, Shengli Construction has the backing of Shengli Group and Sunshine Energy. Even if I have to pour the entire group into it, I will get this first phase of the project done!"

Liu Mu slammed the table on the spot, looking determined as if she were sacrificing herself and wouldn't turn back even if someone tried to stop her, 'shouldering' the matter herself.

"Since the first phase is settled, let's end the meeting here today. I will schedule separate meetings later if I need cooperation from any department. Meeting adjourned!"