novelraw Chapter 753: The Tunnel Path is Gone
Chapter 753: The Tunnel Path is Gone
It was abnormal for robbers not to carry weapons, so the question arose: where had all the weapons and supplies gone? Moreover, according to the intelligence he had, it was highly probable that these people possessed homemade hand grenades of immense power. Thus, he had been prepared for the worst throughout the journey but had never anticipated such an outcome.
Had these monsters eaten everything? Or... Wang Zhibao shook his head as he looked at the innocent and cheerful Jing Shu. He gave some instructions and personally escorted Jing Shu back to the Xinlan Inn. Such an important person could not afford any more mishaps.
Before leaving, Jing Shu handed the original liquid from the woman’s hand back to Factory Director Wang. "This time, you must keep it safe."
"Thank you, thank you, President Jing!"
What others might perceive as a shocking robbery barely made a ripple for Jing Shu. She didn’t even mention it to her family and was in the mood to enjoy a lavish dinner. These past few days on the road, they had only been reheating pre-prepared ingredients. While delicious, they couldn’t compare to freshly cooked food.
So, tasting the newly boiled corncobs and freshly made golden pancake rolls with leek and shredded meat was simply delectable.
Jing Shu quietly worked her way through the food on the table while Wu You’ai recounted what she had seen and heard at the Xinlan Black Market that day. The family was immersed in joyful togetherness.
However, starting from that day, Jing Shu, under the pretext of a reassessment, recalled 20 Hulks to strengthen their defenses. She also assigned an additional "following" Hulk to each of her parents and expanded the surveillance perimeter of the rotten mermaids. Until Qi Guanyi was captured, she had to remain vigilant.
The first phase of the mission failed; who knows when the second will begin?
As for that woman... I’ll need to extract some intelligence from her in the upcoming days.
Setting off from Xinlan and heading south for another 500 kilometers, they would reach Han Zhong. Before the apocalypse, this journey would have taken about eight hours on the highway. In the past, due to various complications, the people of Wu City had taken a full month to make the trip. Now, with the tunnels, Jing Shu and the convoy completed it smoothly in just ten days.
Their speed was already quite fast, and they had even outpaced the walking group by a small margin. It was worth noting that the walking group’s daily distance had increased from 20 kilometers to the current 40 kilometers, which had unfortunately led to some casualties.
The convoy could actually cover 80 kilometers a day. However, if they got too far ahead of the main contingent, mutual support would be impossible if problems arose. Therefore, the authorities mandated a staggered migration, organized by departments and regions.
The Food Department was a single unit and could not be divided. Consequently, the convoy usually departed in the morning and reached their destination by noon to rest and regroup.
Han Zhong served as a dividing line, signifying that the migration was more than halfway complete.
Another crucial point was that south of Han Zhong, there were no more tunnels.
It had taken Jing Shu half a year of effort to dig the tunnels as far as Han Zhong, which was already a remarkable achievement. After enduring the frigid temperatures of minus 70 degrees Celsius in Wu City, the weather improved the farther south they traveled; at least no one would freeze to death anymore.
With the tunnels, navigation was foolproof. There would be no roadblocks, no getting lost, and no encountering major dangers, as those encountered during the earlier tunneling had already been dealt with.
Without tunnels, the journey would be arduous. The walking group would have no shelter, many roads were completely ruined, vehicles would need to take detours, and tectonic plate shifts had even occurred.
When Jing Shu’s lead convoy arrived in Han Zhong, they were immediately met by Jun Bao, the leader of Wu City, who was already prepared for them.
Han Zhong is an ancient city. It marked the end of the tunnel-assisted migration and the beginning of the true test for everyone. The real journey of migration, one might say, began here.
"Everyone is to stay at the Hanzhong Guest House and prepare for departure," Jun Bao announced. "Wait for the subsequent teams and replenish supplies for the journey. From now on, there will be no more tunnels. Therefore, all other supplies are to be halved, and food supplies are to be halved. Except for essential items, all other supplies will be discontinued."
The people on the group-purchase buses expressed the most concern, and sighs and complaints echoed among them.
"Huh? Even food rations are being halved?"
"What’s this? Does it mean we’ll have to sleep in the vehicles from now on? No more tunnels to sleep in?"
"Oh, come on, be grateful. At least sitting on the bus is restful. Look at those walking behind us—they have to cover 40 kilometers a day."
"I... I don’t have enough Virtual Coins. Can anyone lend me some?"
"If you’re out of money, you’d better give up your seat..."
Jing Shu’s RV was parked inside the Hanzhong Guest House, providing an added sense of security because the Wucheng Town Government had reserved the entire guesthouse, which was surrounded by hundreds of armed patrol guards.
Even so, three miniature Hulks stayed close to Jing Shu, just in case of any unforeseen incidents.
As soon as Jing Shu and her family got out of the RV, they were invited to a large conference room on the second floor for a meeting.
"Your... these... Hulks cannot enter," the staff member at the door said, looking troubled.
"Of course. They’ll wait by the entrance."
The staff member breathed a sigh of relief, finally meeting the legendary figure. Her entourage is rather impressive... although, when you think about it, the richest man in Wu City always has dozens of bodyguards. So, just a few monsters with this young lady isn’t that bad, right?
Thus, a group of bodyguards and several Hulks stood guard at the door, creating a surprisingly harmonious scene.
The conference room was already filled with hundreds of people. Jing Shu immediately spotted several familiar faces: Police Squad Captain Li Yuetian; Wu City’s richest man, Qian Duoduo; the head of Natural Company, Su Malie’s father; and members of the Niu Disciplinary Committee, among others. Most of Wu City’s important figures were present.
Seated at the head of the room was Wu City’s current leader, Jun Bao. He looked much thinner than when she had last seen him, and his facial features were more pronounced. He no longer had the kindly and gentle demeanor he once possessed. Instead, his face now bore a few traces of gloom. It seems coordinating the migration hasn’t been going smoothly, Jing Shu mused.
As Jing Shu’s family entered, a slight smile appeared on Jun Bao’s face. "You’re here," he said. "Just find a seat anywhere."
They obviously couldn’t just sit anywhere. The seats reserved for them were the third ones on the left-hand side, a clear indication of their importance.
The conference hall grew a little noisier.
Those who knew Jing Shu nodded at her, while those who didn’t listened to the tales circulating about her.
"Is that the family who dug the tunnels?"
"Not only that. The red earthworms are also theirs. No one starved during this migration, thanks to the Insect Cakes stored in the reserves."
"I don’t know about the Insect Cakes, but the tunnels are certainly a great thing, saving countless lives. Our rapid arrival in Hanzhong was largely thanks to the tunnels. If only they had dug more."
"The tunnels are warm and convenient. Ah, it’s going to be tough without them."
"Next, it’s going to be hard for our material support team."
"Our transportation department is going to have a tough time too."
"Right now, the supply points aren’t completely covered yet, and we still need to get food to the remaining locations... It’s troublesome."
Jing Shu’s lips curved slightly upward. She was feeling quite good until she heard Jun Bao ask everyone, "The road from Hanzhong to Nanming has been obstructed by an unidentified tectonic plate shift. What do you think? Is it better to take a long detour, or to attempt to cross the unknown barrier directly?"