Chapter 109: Decision and Planning

"Chase?"

Upon hearing Old Li's words, everyone present froze, even doubting if they had misheard.

"Old Li, you… you're not joking, are you?"

"Yeah! Old Li, you make it sound easy—chase? How can we chase? We don't even know which direction they went!"

"Exactly! Even if we ran our fuel tanks dry, we still couldn't catch up to them, right?"

"And even if we caught up, what then? Why would they take us in?"

For a moment, doubts rose from all sides.

In their view, this decision was nothing short of a fantasy, the talk of dreamers.

"Shut the fuck up, all of you!"

Old Li snapped his head back, shouting sharply:

"Not chase? If we don't chase, where can we go?!"

"Go back and wait to die? We survived this time, but what about next time? Right now, besides joining Xuanwu City, we have no other option!"

"Yeah…"

"Now, besides joining Xuanwu City, there's no other way!"

Suchen's Three Major Shelters were an overwhelming force for them, yet before that terrifying beast tide, their fate was no different.

Old Li took a deep breath, his tone easing slightly,

"I don't care what you think; I've made up my mind."

He pointed in a direction and continued:

"Moreover, I've observed the surroundings; from the traces, I can confirm Xuanwu City is heading this way!"

"As long as we chase in this direction, we'll definitely catch up!"

Although Old Li's words moved many, some still raised doubts,

"Old Li, have you thought about what we'd chase with? Sure, you know the direction Xuanwu City left, but given their speed, catching up won't be easy. If we encounter mutant beasts along the way, what then? A few might be manageable, but if there are many, we're surely doomed!"

This voiced the worries of many.

Old Li, however, shook his head,

"I don't know if you've noticed, but when Xuanwu City was here, within a radius of dozens of kilometers there wasn't a single mutant beast. Even now, after they've left for a while, no mutant beast dares to enter. So I infer that the aura left by Xuanwu City still strongly deters the surrounding mutant beasts!"

"As long as we follow this route in pursuit, we'll be safe for a short time!"

"Yeah!"

"How could they forget such an important point!"

"I… I'm with you, Old Li!"

The first to react was a burly man with a beard full of stubble; he gritted his teeth and said fiercely,

"Better to fight than wait here to die! I don't want to live in constant fear any longer!"

"Right! I'm going too!"

"Count me in!"

In a moment, the crowd's spirits rose.

Seeing the crowd's fighting spirit rekindled, Old Li's face broke into a relieved smile.

He waved his hand and shouted loudly:

"Good! Since everyone's decided, no more delays! We'll set out in ten minutes!"

"Target: Xuanwu City!"

Ten minutes later, a convoy formed by dozens of shelters big and small from Suchen set off, following the massive traces left by Xuanwu.

They didn't know exactly how far, but they knew this was their only chance to survive.

……

Lin Yue didn't rush to head for the next city.

The trip to Suchen, though the process had some setbacks, yielded a bounty far beyond his imagination.

Most importantly, after Xuanwu advanced to level 5, the usable area on its shell again experienced explosive growth.

Now, Xuanwu City's area equals that of a standard medium-sized county, its bounds unseen at a glance.

If we don't properly plan and use this extra land, it would undoubtedly be a huge waste.

""City Lord, you called for me?""

Wang Gongtou had just stepped into the room when he saw the huge sand table in the center.

At the same time, seeing the large blank areas on the sand table, he instantly grew excited, his eyes lighting up as he walked with vigor.

Over the past six months, as Xuanwu City continually developed and grew, he, the head of the Engineering Department, could be said to be the most idle.

After all, Xuanwu City's area used to be so small; everything that could be planned or built, he had already finished with his crew of artisans.

Several times he felt like a redundant idler, even entertaining the idea of telling Lin Yue he wanted to retire and return home.

But now, looking at this 'new continent' nearly a hundred times larger, he felt his whole body brimming with inexhaustible energy!

Heroes, at last have a place to put their skills to use!

""Old Wang, have a seat.""

Lin Yue pointed to the opposite sofa, wearing a gentle smile.

""This Xuanwu evolution has expanded the city's area considerably. I called you here to hear your ideas for planning this new region.""

""Ideas? I've got plenty!""

Upon hearing that, Wang Gongtou instantly sprang to energy, forgoing a seat as he lunged to the sand table, pointing at the vast blank area and launching into his grand blueprint with spit flying.

""City Lord, look! This area is perfect for large‑scale expansion of our agricultural zone! I reckon that with enough manpower, we can easily boost our current grain output a hundredfold!""

Also over here! This area is close to our living quarters; we can build a large livestock farm here! Chickens, ducks, geese, pigs… we'll arrange them all! By then, whether we eat them ourselves or trade them externally, it'll work!

Also the residential area! It also needs expansion! The current two-story small building is fine, but it takes up too much space. I was thinking, maybe we could try building a few high-rise residential blocks? That would also make it easier to accommodate more people!

Wang Gongtou grew more excited as he spoke, as if he could already see the future prosperous and flourishing scene of Xuanwu City.

Lin Yue listened quietly, not interrupting him, his face always wearing an approving smile.

As expected, professional matters should still be left to professionals.

"Old Wang's ideas are all good."

After Wang Gongtou finished speaking, Lin Yue slowly opened his mouth,

"So, I've decided to temporarily not go to the next city."

"We'll stay here and rest for half a year."

"We'll use this half-year to properly develop our Xuanwu City!"

"After half a year, when our first season's grain harvest is in and the raised chickens and ducks are ready for market, we'll then head to the next city, with greater confidence."

That decision instantly left Wang Gongtou stunned.

But after the brief surprise, he understood why Lin Yue made that decision.

"City Lord, wise!"

Lin Yue laughed and shook his head, then spoke solemnly:

"Old Wang, for the next half year I'll rely on you. I have only one request: in half a year I want to see a brand‑new Xuanwu City!"

"City Lord, just watch!"

Wang Gongtou patted his chest and solemnly promised.

PS: New book, please urge updates and collect!