Chapter 192: A Sudden Cold Wind Rises

Everyone sat down before the large round table, first drinking some hot water, and Xu Xiaofeng came in after settling Gouzi.

Li Gang, Zhang Xiaoyong, and He Qizheng immediately went to the kitchen to help bring out the food.

Today's meal was also extremely sumptuous: braised pork knuckles, poached prawns, braised fish, and various stir-fried small seafood, all served in large basins, filling the two-meter-diameter round table.

"Uncle Liu and the others only arrived yesterday, too. It's not easy for everyone to gather together once, so today I'm calling the shots—we're drinking some white spirits!"

Xu Xiaofeng was truly generous this time, taking out half a case of Wuliang liquor directly, and the large-bottle kind at that.

Liu Mu was even surprised; she herself did not have the habit of drinking white spirits, and before the Burning, she had only stockpiled a few cases of common high-proof white spirits to use as backup disinfectant.

But she hadn't bought Wuliang liquor; it was mainly because it was expensive, and since she didn't drink it, it would be a waste.

"Big Sister, where did you get this?"

Not to mention, after working so hard for so long, and with the snow outside growing heavier, Liu Mu actually wanted to drink a little.

"It was sent by Brother Sanlin," Xu Xiaofeng knew of the relationship between Liu Mu and Luo Sanlin, and even at this moment, she still had some thoughts of playing matchmaker, though times were hard, so she wasn't in a rush.

"They said Father Luo did a big favor for a liquor boss, and the person managed to save some stock because their warehouse was underground. They gave him a case, and your Brother Sanlin managed to get half a case out of it."

"Old Luo is generous!" Liu Mu didn't catch the implication at all, just reaching out to take it. "Has he been here?"

Xu Xiaofeng had also opened a bottle in her hand and was pouring for the few people beside her. "He had someone bring it over half a month ago. You all came back together this time, right?"

"I sent them back first, then went back again. You have no idea, those mutated beasts outside are simply going crazy..."

Thinking of this, Liu Mu was full of frustration and immediately wanted to chat with everyone about it.

Seeing her so oblivious, Xu Xiaofeng shook her head with a bitter smile; she wasn't sure if Luo Sanlin had any intentions, but the younger sister before her truly had none at all.

Before they could even start eating, someone knocked on the door outside.

Liu Mu's ears twitched slightly, and she immediately smiled. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear!"

The gate opened, a jeep drove in, and who else could it be but Luo Sanlin?

"You're all here," he said, carrying two boxes inside and placing them directly against the wall. "My mom asked me to bring you some seasonings just issued by the Barrier; she said there's a master over at the salt field who managed to boil down oyster sauce."

"Sit here, we just opened the liquor our dad sent," Liu Mu added a stool beside her and beckoned him over; the latter didn't stand on ceremony and sat directly beside her.

"Isn't this the real liquor that fake liquor boss hid himself?" Luo Sanlin was freezing, and after Liu Mu poured him some, he drank half a cup first. "Everyone, I won't be polite. In this damn weather, the car's heater won't even warm up."

"Cars from the south are like that," Liu Fugui, as a veteran old hand, had long since seen through Xu Xiaofeng's matchmaker intentions. Thinking that it would be good if Liu Mu and Luo Sanlin could really make it work, he helped out very naturally.

After raising his glass, Liu Mu didn't continue talking about the beast herds, turning instead to ask Luo Sanlin, "What's wrong? Don't tell me you just came to mooch a meal."

If this were in the past, Luo Sanlin would have put on airs and lectured her a bit, but the experiences of the past year or so had washed away that bit of pretension in him.

It wasn't a classified mission, so he told her the truth. "It's said the Chief is preparing to set off to return. The Chief of Staff couldn't find you, so he asked me to come and tell you to go back to the Barrier to discuss how to go pick him up."

"What? He needs people to pick him up when he comes back?" Liu Mu really didn't want to work and was still hoping to rest for two days. "The General Command should send a special plane; he's such a big Chief!"

Seeing her look of reluctance, how could someone as understanding as Luo Sanlin not know her thoughts? "The General Command is holding him and won't let him leave. Leader Jiang said Chief Yang negotiated with them for a long time before they agreed to release him."

"How about I go along?" Li Gang interjected at this moment. "The surface projects are all stopped, and the underground ones aren't rushing either; I have time."

"I'll go too," unexpectedly, He Qizheng stood up, bumping the table with a jolt.

"Sit down!" Liu Fugui protected his bowl and chopsticks, giving him a swat as he did so. "Sit down and talk, what's the rush, young man?"

He Qizheng hurriedly sat back down, his face, stained black by the Coal Mine, flushing red. "The mine has stopped work too, I'll go as well, I have nothing to do anyway."

He was a little afraid that he had no value and would be kicked out of the small team later.

Liu Mu didn't object, but looked at Liu Fugui. The latter took a bite of pork knuckle and nodded. "No regular army. If we're afraid of accidents, it's safer to disguise ourselves as an ordinary team. What do you all think?"

She looked around at everyone; it was a coincidence, so Liu Mu nodded and said, "I'll go to the Barrier to have a meeting first and see the situation. You all shouldn't think you can just slack off; there's plenty to do here."

"Going again?" Xu Xiaofeng was a bit worried. "You just walked through the door, can't you rest for a bit? Does that so-called Chief have to come back?"

Liu Mu pursed her lips silently, two shallow dimples appearing on her face from her smile. "It wouldn't be good if he didn't come back, and I can't keep working for free, right?"

"Working for free?" Luo Sanlin looked at his old classmate, not knowing how to comment on Liu Mu's thick skin. "It's just a few main leaders discussing it together. Should I bring them over?"

Liu Mu rolled her eyes at him. "What kind of talk is that? The leader is picking up food and you're spinning the table. It's fine, I'll go once; it doesn't mean we have to leave immediately."

Unfortunately, things went against her wishes; once the Barrier's high-level meeting started, she really did have to leave immediately.

According to Jiang Wenjun, Yang Shuo's injuries had long since healed, but the General Command side kept refusing to let him go, and no one knew the reason.

What other reason could it be?

Liu Mu couldn't be bothered to argue with those two singing a duet; besides that old man Qi wanting to keep him, wasn't everyone else just wanting to get their hands on the navy he controlled?

She wanted it too, but the two old foxes in front of her were guarding it too tightly; it had been so long and they hadn't leaked a single bit of information.

However, wasn't the opportunity coming now?

She had to go in person. "The land route cools down too fast; we have to go by sea."

When the feast was almost over, Liu Mu suddenly said this.

Liu Fugui was the first to reveal a knowing smile. "The Boss is right; taking the waterway is safe."

Xu Xiaofeng understood afterward, but that was because Liu Mu had mentioned to her before that Yang Shuo had a navy under his command.

These two were smart and understanding enough; the third to realize it was Luo Sanlin.

"You," Luo Sanlin shook his head slightly and stood up. "I'll go warm up the car."

"Alright, I'll say a few more words to everyone," Liu Mu understood that sigh, deeply feeling that he was worthy of being the person she had known the longest.

"The shifts at the Coal Mine should be rotated on time, and the supply of materials will be arranged uniformly with the Steel Factory. Additionally, regarding the prevention of the virus at the time..."

Liu Mu was arranging the upcoming work in an orderly fashion; of course, those present also spoke up actively to eliminate information gaps.

Just as they finished discussing, they heard the startling sound of the big jeep's horn outside.

"What's this young man in such a rush for? If he's cold, he should just come in." Liu Fugui knew Luo Sanlin's background, but he had a bit of the same elder's affection for Liu Mu as Xu Xiaofeng did; although he valued profit, he also hoped that Liu Mu, who was constantly running around everywhere, could rest for a while.

"Something's wrong!" Xu Xiaofeng suddenly stood up. "The wind has picked up at sea—no, that's not it, it seems to be fog, that's not accurate either."

Seeing her expression, Liu Mu was already striding toward the outside, but as soon as she pulled the door open, a strong cold wind hit her in the face, almost knocking her over backward.

"What the hell?" Liu Mu braced herself against the wind, immediately considering that the others in the house wouldn't be able to handle it. "You all go to the underground first; I'll go to the seaside to check the situation."

Li Gang, who had intended to follow, stopped his steps and simultaneously blocked the others. "There is a tunnel leading to the sea surface underground; we'll go from below."

The door had already been shut, and the liveliness brought about by a hearty meal had already been scattered by the cold wind.

Yang Pingxi, who had not participated in the discussion, noticed that the flames in the fire bucket used for heating in the room were flickering and extinguishing at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the leftover soup at the bottom of the basin congealed into a layer of meat fat in this short half-minute.

"The temperature is dropping," he concluded almost immediately, "has something happened at sea?"

Xu Xiaofeng nodded slightly and went to open the door leading to the basement, "Let's go down first."

……

The small building was about three kilometers away from the seaside, where Duiduichang had been built.

The yard extended to the left and right; besides the roads ensuring transport, one side was a residential area converted from the former Food Street, and the other side was large warehouses.

Luo Sanlin was driving, heading toward the seaside from the road on the right side of the yard, but when he had only gone halfway, the car suddenly stalled.

There was ice on the road surface and the car speed was not fast, but the moment it stalled, it slid out due to inertia, and no matter how he tapped the brakes, it eventually flipped over and rolled into the drainage ditch by the side of the road.

"Are you alright?"

"Are you alright!" Liu Mu was strapped in mid-air by her seatbelt; smelling the scent of blood, she hurriedly turned her head and saw Luo Sanlin covered in blood, "Don't move, I'll get out first."

She smashed the car window open with a single punch, then pulled the car door and slipped out like a swimming fish.

After a rough glance at the condition of the car, seeing there was no oil or electricity leakage, Liu Mu turned to the other side, pushed the car to flip it back over, and with another burst of strength, the several-ton jeep was lifted back onto the road by her.

She opened the driver's side door and met Luo Sanlin's shocked gaze, "Can you still move?"

Stunned for a moment, Luo Sanlin moved his arms and legs, "Just some flesh wounds on my head, I'm fine everywhere else."

"I'll have Niu Boyi pick you up and take you back; don't worry about the car," the cold wind outside was strong, and the hair exposed on Liu Mu's head was covered in ice shards like winter willow branches.

"Be careful!" Luo Sanlin had wanted to go with Liu Mu, but the reality was that he truly could not hold on, and going would only be a hindrance.

Closing the car door, Liu Mu whistled in the direction of the small building, and she saw a massive black shadow leap out from within the several-meter-high wall.

If it were just a storm at sea, there would be no need to go and check at all; after all, under the arrangements of Xu Xiaofeng and Li Gang, all people and property that could be moved had already been transferred underground, and even the large ship obtained from the Sky Viper had been sailed into the nearest bay to preserve it from the Extreme Cold as much as possible.

However, amidst the wind that scraped across the earth like sharp blades, she heard shouting.

The sound was hazy and indistinct, as if it were calling out, and even more like it was crying for help; the key was that Liu Mu recognized this voice.