Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!

Chapter 289 - 281: Underground City Plan 1

The husband’s harsh words left her momentarily flustered, but after a few breaths, she calmed down a bit, though still defiant at heart.

"But..."

She had just begun to speak when her husband interrupted her.

"No buts, go and pack up." Ming Shan didn’t want to hear any more excuses. Using his uninjured arm, he picked up the bowl of porridge and started drinking, ignoring his wife’s unspoken words.

Yang Ying stormed out of the room angrily. She couldn’t understand why Brother Yang sided with an outsider, or why even her own husband was like this. It was utterly absurd.

She was the closest to them! She was only looking out for them, planning for the future, for their children to have a better life. Why couldn’t they understand?

Her heart was filled with imbalance, and her resentful gaze gradually turned venomous. Why should she hand over her hard-won power to someone else?

Ming Shan didn’t expect that his advice to his wife would backfire so badly.

His momentary compassion and reluctance led to extremely dire consequences later.

As soon as Yang Ying stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Cheng Xiaoxiao being surrounded and flattered from afar, attracting all the attention of the people in the group. The more she watched, the worse she felt.

Frustrated, she went to complain to her girlfriends, who were very sympathetic and thought she was being treated unfairly. They made some sarcastic remarks that made Yang Ying feel even worse, attributing all the unfair treatment she received to Cheng Xiaoxiao’s fault.

In no time, Cheng Xiaoxiao became a thorn in her side, and she was determined to make her suffer.

The system detected Yang Ying’s malicious intent but found no need to inform the host. In a broad community, there’s bound to be all kinds of people.

The host had also said she wasn’t likeable to everyone; as long as it didn’t interfere with her matters, she wouldn’t care too much.

The system also felt that this minor character wouldn’t cause much trouble and didn’t think a reminder was necessary.

These days, the host had been staying up late drawing plans for the Underground City and was already exhausted, so it didn’t remind her.

Early the next morning, nearly 3,000 people set out in a grand procession, trudging forward with great difficulty against the increasing wind and snow.

The road clearing had begun a few days prior, going as far as the base of the mountain where carriages could no longer travel.

Upon reaching the mountain’s foot, everyone started dismantling the carriages and carrying the supplies up the mountain.

Stumbling along the way, they finally reached Taoyuan Village before nightfall.

Outside, many of the brave men steadfastly holding their positions had families, and their children lived in the village. Upon seeing their fathers (or brothers) return, they all ran out joyfully, leaping into their loved ones’ arms, causing quite the lively scene.

There were kids with all sorts of names like Er Wa, Gou Dan, Xiaohua, and Xiaocao. The kids’ names were all over the place. In summary, one word described them: rustic.

It seemed that no matter where they went, the thought patterns of ancient people couldn’t escape this trope.

At the front, Tie Niu was also caught in a big bear hug, "Nini’s gotten heavier! Brother can’t even lift you now."

He set down the little girl, continuously stroking her smooth hair with a face full of affection.

Cheng Xiaoxiao saw this and couldn’t help but nudge Nolan’s arm, "Who would’ve thought, the tough guy has a tender side too."

Nolan blushed, "What are you saying? It’s got nothing to do with me, don’t tease me."

"Does sister not like that clumsy oaf? Fine, then let’s choose another. There are so many fine lads to pick from in the group, sister can choose at will." Yalan added fuel to the fire from the side.

"What do you mean by ’choose at will’, you little brat, aren’t you ashamed? Watch me not beat this little girl to death."

With that, the two sisters burst into laughter and playful fighting.

Yang Ying watched the scene before her with a sinister gaze.

Hmph, the girls in their group were all beauties, attracting the men and confusing them.

Thinking of this, Yang Ying’s thoughts shifted – there were plenty of bachelors in the group.

Since there wasn’t an immediate plan to deal with Cheng Xiaoxiao, she could gradually bring their people over to her side.

Wasn’t she good at attracting men?

Let her go ahead then, and thus an insidious and nasty plan was conceived.

Suppressing the malicious thoughts in her heart, she put on a seemingly warm and friendly smile and walked over in a few steps.

"Everyone’s tired from the long journey, right? Let’s get inside quickly; the wind and snow are heavy outside. Come inside to warm up. You newcomers don’t know how great Taoyuan Village is yet. Not only is it warmer than outside, but there’s also an underground river with clear, sweet water. The locals are also very hospitable, and they’ll surely be very happy you came."

Yang Ying’s words sounded noble and concerned for everyone, but she was actually declaring her status to everyone, asserting that she was the host here, while they were a group of guests.

Cheng Xiaoxiao gave a sardonic smile. This woman was truly laughable; the entire group now belonged to the 132th Regiment.

Guest, host? It wasn’t up to her to decide, was she trying to act as if she owned the place? Who gave her the right?

Seeing Yang Ying’s demeanor, the system couldn’t hold back any longer and told the host the conversation it had overheard.

Seeing that Brother Yang and Vice Captain Ming Shan were both upright and responsible people, how did they end up with such a sister (wife)?

Such a minor character was not worth Cheng Xiaoxiao’s special attention. She instructed the system to keep an eye on things and then stepped into a newly built hut.

Indeed, part of the production team had already been sent ahead to build houses a few days ago.

A meeting room was specially constructed. Cheng Xiaoxiao entered the meeting room where participants were gradually arriving.

Vice Captain Ming Shan was the last to be helped in, "No need for formalities, everyone, have a seat."

Looking around, the three-meter-long office table was filled with people. On the left were the various captains of the 132th Regiment, while on the right sat Fang Zheng, Lu Jingtian, Yang Fan, Ming Shan, Xu Zhilin, Han Xifeng, Lin Yiqiu, Quan Bin, and Niu Lizheng.

Xiao Yun served everyone a cup of tea before leaving.

"First of all, I’d like to explain that the subject of today’s meeting is the specific arrangements for the construction of the Underground City."

Upon hearing "Underground City," everyone became excited.

"I know most of you present don’t believe that such a catastrophic disaster could occur, nor do you believe in my foresight. There’s no rush to conclude; in two or three days, you’ll get some initial verification."

Cheng Xiaoxiao’s gaze deliberately or unintentionally swept over Han Xifeng.

Now, all other groups had joined the 132th Regiment, except Han Xifeng, who was still discussing with the elders about what tricks she had up her sleeve.

It was truly laughable. In a world where only one in ten survived, who had time for schemes and intrigues?

"I am not trying to cause alarm, nor do I seek personal gain. I just want more people to survive. The cold wave has quietly started, and every day from now on will be colder than the last. With Taoyuan Village’s current conditions, staying above ground will turn everyone into ice sculptures. Therefore, I propose building an Underground City, where everyone can take refuge during the cold wave and return to the surface life after it passes."