Chapter 154: Be the Most Profitable Merchant in the Apocalypse

"It naturally comes from the Logistics Minister who is wholeheartedly for the people. Once Yang Shuo had an incident, the other ministers were all scraping benefits for themselves in the open or in secret; only this Qin Han was wholeheartedly devoted to logistics. Even his low-key nature was exactly the same as Yang Shuo's, so I felt he was very special. I rummaged through his residence casually, and I really found good things."

Of course, it wasn't just a casual search. During the few days she was detained, she had Heitao A infiltrate the internal system dedicated to the Haicheng Barrier. Qin Han is a very cautious person, and only when synchronizing accounts with that side does he connect data to the network; he deletes the traces after using it. Ordinary people would have no idea he had diverted other supplies.

But Heitao A is not an ordinary system; anything that has ever appeared in the backward network within the Barrier can be recovered by it.

"Such a large-scale mobilization of supplies couldn't possibly fail to arouse the suspicion of others. How did Yang Shuo do it?"

Liu Mu didn't care about these things, only asking, "How many people do you think there are?"

"At least several hundred thousand. And look here, the same batch of rice has ten counts, meaning there are at least ten garrisons. No wonder you said Yang Shuo is an old fox. This is more than just an old fox; he is simply a... wait, that's not right. He hid so many troops, so why did he let himself be seriously injured so easily? Could it really be to protect the Survivors in the Barrier?"

Li Gang flipped through dozens of pages and saw the pattern in the data. He had some understanding of military supply consumption, and the calculated figures were startling.

Liu Mu's heart was not calm either. Heitao A could calculate the specific number of people based on the data, but even if she knew the monthly consumption of a single soldier, she couldn't estimate it in a short time. Having bought and sold scrap for years, her education might not be great, but her arithmetic was truly not weak. But Li Gang? He just looked at it once and almost immediately knew the approximate number. Was he... really just a special forces soldier in some unit while in the military?

I'm afraid he was a logistics cook.

"The old fox has the old fox's plans; we just reap our own benefits," Liu Mu said indifferently. "At worst, when he comes back, we'll set up a banquet and treat him to a meal."

"A banquet...?" Li Gang wanted to retort, but didn't say it out loud. When Liu Mu recruited him and the others, she had only prepared two basins of meat and a basket of steamed buns; a banquet was probably the highest courtesy in her book.

"Then we must act as soon as possible. In case his wounds heal quickly and he's in a rush to return, there won't be anything left for us."

"Brother Gangzi, you're catching on. Congratulations," Liu Mu pushed the tablet toward Li Gang with two fingers. "Take this. Keep the copied accounts; they will be of great use after I look over these ideas."

"As for the construction, it can start tomorrow. You must also keep a close eye on the project here. The fog suddenly stopped at sea, and I just feel uneasy in my heart."

"You're saying there's a problem at sea? And there are people from the Heaven Viper?"

"It's not necessarily the Heaven Viper. Brother Gangzi, I'm afraid the Mutation isn't just happening on land. The Giant Sun is truly too big, and there isn't just one. The pieces that shattered fell onto land, and also into the sea. It's always good for us to take precautions early."

"Mutation in the sea? In the last hundred years, due to ocean development, there are almost no large marine creatures in the coastal areas. As for the fog, it's more like it was caused by abnormal weather. If it were mutated creatures over such a large area, that would be too ridiculous!"

"Who knows if there are any 'big ridiculous' things? Alright, that's all for now. I'm going to check on Big Sister's situation, and later I'll go to the Barrier to urge them to prepare for construction."

Seeing she had just returned and was about to leave again, Li Gang said, "You're busy enough. Didn't Uncle Fugui come back? Let him help you."

"Uncle Fugui has his own things to do. Alright, I have a plan," Liu Mu waved her hand and jumped off the mound. While still in the air, her waist was wrapped by a vine that had burst through the soil, pulling her directly into the dirt.

Li Gang thought someone was attacking and stood up in a hurry, only to see a green leaf shaking on the ground toward him, as if it were a hand telling him not to get excited.

Seeing the familiar leaf, Li Gang slowly sat back down and sighed, his eyes desolate. "You still only care about her."

Just after he finished speaking, he looked again and the leaf had already retracted into the soil, leaving only a sizable pit.

Xu Xiaofeng's body was soaked in nectar, wrapped by floral filaments, with only her face exposed.

That round face was fair and smooth, more flawless than a peeled egg, which made Liu Mu feel a surge of envy.

"Big Sister, can this nectar also beautify the skin? Can I try it?"

"Don't touch it, it's poisonous," Xu Xiaofeng opened her eyes. Her pupils had actually turned a faint red, just like the nectar in the pool. "Are you leaving again?"

Liu Mu sat down on the side, her finger still having dipped a bit of nectar into her mouth. "It seems you heard everything I said to Li Gang. It's just a small matter; I'll be back once it's handled."

The nectar didn't taste very sweet when it entered her mouth; instead, it carried a rich fragrance. After tasting a little, she wanted to take a sip—no, she wanted to drink more, to keep drinking.

But the toxins were not fake; if it were an ordinary person, two or three drops would likely be fatal.

"These past few days, being alone underground, I often thought about the life the three of us had during the Ten-Day Burning. At that time, I prayed every day for the disaster to end sooner, not to burn underground, so that the three of us could live on well."

The floral filaments moved, and Xu Xiaofeng raised a hand to hold Liu Mu's hand, which was still trying to steal nectar. "Now we have survived, but as you said, the world has changed. I have also thought a lot recently. If we stay in our corner and don't fight or compete, I'm afraid we will only become targets for others to covet; it's impossible to live a peaceful life."

"So, I can understand you, Xiao Mu. Big Sister still says the same thing: I'll watch over the home, you go out and fight, go out and compete, and become strong. Just be sure to stay safe."

"As expected, Big Sister understands me best," Liu Mu held Xu Xiaofeng's hand back, feeling relieved only after it had warmed up. "This time, I'm taking the construction project for the Haicheng Barrier to make the Barrier and our Group Headquarters interdependent. Even if Yang Shuo comes back later, if he wants the Barrier to be peaceful, he will have to protect this place along with it. That way, even if I'm not around, you will be safe."

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Xu Xiaofeng slapped her palm. "You're about to head out; you're not allowed to say such unlucky things. I've finally understood you, girl. You're clearly helping others, yet you insist on putting on a selfish and fierce appearance, making everyone fear you, settling the accounts, and staying away from you."

"I'm not pretending that much; you're wronging me. As a merchant, of course, I only talk about profit. If I talked about sentiment with everyone, would I still be making money?"

"Then go do big business. Be the most profitable Merchant in the apocalypse, do the biggest deals, and let the Shengli Group and your name spread across the whole world!"

"Okay!"

Three months later,

The steel plant was completed. The blast furnace was billowing with thick smoke, and fire-red molten iron was churning in the furnace.

But the workers in the workshop had no smiles on their faces. Reflected by the firelight, their soot-blackened faces were all looking outside nervously.

From time to time, they would place their calloused hands behind their ears, wanting to hear some movement, only to put them down again and again.

The noise here was too loud; they couldn't hear what stage things had reached outside at all.

"Old Xu, do you think the new Factory Director Jiang can really handle those bandits? She won't fold on her first day of work here, will she?"