Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!

Chapter 300 - 292: Underground City Construction 2

After planning all this, she couldn’t help but heave a great sigh of relief.

--Perfect.

Their new home finally had a place to belong.

Of course, her goal wasn’t just to build the underground city; the above-ground city also needed to be constructed. After the cold wave, they still needed to live on the surface.

Humans are creatures that thrive in the sun; they can’t live underground in dark, damp conditions forever. The underground city is merely a temporary fortress to avoid disaster.

Without checking the situation in the cave, she led a few people back to Taoyuan Village to prepare for arranging the construction of the underground city.

They returned to Taoyuan Village at dusk on the third day. As they traveled, the temperature became increasingly lower, the blizzards grew bigger, and the snow already reached above their knees.

Everyone’s face didn’t look too good. The temperature was dropping so fast. Could it really be like Mr. Cheng predicted, that an Ice Age was coming?

Could they really build an underground city in a short time so that everyone could move in?

Even though they actively cooperated with Mr. Cheng, it was also because the 132th Regiment was rich in resources and offered good treatment, without the oppressive exploitation of aristocratic families, or the forcible and luxurious seizing by officials and gentry.

Everyone earned work points based on their abilities. As long as they were willing to work, they wouldn’t starve or freeze to death.

For the common people, they saw fairness and justice, which gained everyone’s trust and approval, making them proud to be a part of the 132th Regiment.

This good result still came because of the opening of Taoyuan Village’s supply store. The night before Cheng Xiaoxiao went up the mountain, she took out many materials and gave them to Cheng Hao to open the supply store.

The store was divided into two parts; one part was for internal personnel of the 132th Regiment where they could exchange work points for abundant materials. The other part was essentials for living, available for purchase with Silver Coin, or through barter.

Those who temporarily worked for the 132th Regiment also earned work points, but for doing the same job, a 132 member could receive 20 work points, whereas others could only work temporarily, earning a wage of 10 work points.

So now, without Cheng Xiaoxiao’s promotion, everyone here saw joining the 132th Regiment as their life’s goal.

Didn’t those red-roasted sweet potatoes smell good?

Didn’t the smooth noodles smell good?

Didn’t the vegetables and bean sprouts you could eat in the winter smell good?

Weren’t the excellent cotton gloves and hats warm?

Once the supply store opened, it included all the daily necessities people needed, but to purchase these things required work points. Without work points, what could one do? Of course, they should perform well and join the 132th Regiment as soon as possible!

Of course, the items purchasable with Silver Coin in the store were just basic brown rice, aged rice, cereals, and basic seasonings, or some old cotton clothing, porcelain bowls, and plates.

Those enviable items only accepted the purchase of work points. A few who participated in the 132th Regiment’s allocated work received work point cards and bought polished rice and sweet potatoes with work points, gleefully grinning so wide they didn’t know which way was north, leaving others envious and jealous, boasting a bit in the village.

The people’s enthusiasm in the village was unprecedentedly high. For the temporary job postings, they flocked over, even causing fights, but it was only by implementing relevant regulations by Cheng Hao that peace was restored.

During the short few days Cheng Xiaoxiao was away, Taoyuan Village underwent significant changes. People no longer looked worried or frightened, everyone was full of energy, and the village not only had many sturdy houses, but the area also doubled in size. Additionally, they installed fences, watchtowers, and traps around the perimeter.

Cheng Xiaoxiao was very happy. That day she just mentioned it, not expecting her second brother and Uncle Beiniu to be so capable, doing such a great job. To be on guard even in peace is the basic requirement for every decision-maker’s capability.

Thinking leads to prevention, and prevention avoids trouble.

Even though they are in a relatively safe environment now, they must always consider the possibility of danger...

So early prevention is very necessary; actively and proactively anticipating and resolving crises can smother danger in the cradle to ensure a stable life.

She was very satisfied with this point.

Although there were more smiles in the village, the sudden drop in temperature also caused a considerable shock to everyone. Would the temperature really keep dropping?

This question always troubled the people of Taoyuan Village. Even though the 132th Regiment repeatedly emphasized that Mr. Cheng’s words were undoubtedly true, some still did not believe.

This type of person wasn’t genuinely disbelieving. They might emotionally believe it, but rationally they were unwilling to, as they didn’t want to see disaster, or to put it simply, they were avoiding reality. And with the recent weather developing toward the direction they had been avoiding, they became a bit distressed.

Cheng Xiaoxiao could understand the subconscious desire to avoid harm, but understanding is one thing, and reality another. Reality cannot be avoided just because they don’t want to face it.

So as soon as Cheng Xiaoxiao returned, she held a meeting for everyone, stating their determination to build the underground city.

She promised that as long as the workers involved in underground construction had no moral issues and had committed no crimes, they could join the 132th Regiment after the underground city was completed. Moreover, they could live in the underground city for free until the cold wave passed, with the option to exchange work points for permanent residency thereafter.

This policy immediately garnered a collective cheer, as if they saw the delicious food in the store waving at them.

Even Tie Niu and Quan Bin had their eyes lit up, thinking of the savory roasted rabbit meat, with their mouths watering uncontrollably again.

After the family had dinner that night, Cheng Xiaoxiao lay in bed and silently communicated with the system.

This communication was rather special.

What was Cheng Xiaoxiao doing?

Complaining~!

Yes, complaining to the system to trick it into complaining to its headquarters.

Cheng Xiaoxiao had already browsed through the System Mall; those small machines could be purchased, but her level wasn’t high enough, nor did she have enough System Coins. Furthermore, the small machines weren’t significantly helpful for the huge engineering project of the underground city.

Previously, she had already asked Cheng Sicheng to try his best to produce more explosives, but raw materials were limited, and the impact of earth bombs was also limited. They might solve some of her problems, but not enough...far from enough.

So she eyed the engineer shovel, not really knowing what kind of shovel it was but calling it an engineer shovel for ease of memory!

Overall, it was a divine tool even daggers that sliced through iron like mud bowed to. If everyone could have one...hehe! Then her underground city plan might be completed within a month.

"77, you must tell headquarters about our difficulties. We really have no way out here; the temperature is dropping fast, and soon we will freeze to death. Wouldn’t the big bosses at Tongzi’s willingly watch all the effort poured in going to waste?"

System: "..."

It also wanted to help, but communication with headquarters was not easy; it was just a small voice within the system.

Seeing the system remain silent, Cheng Xiaoxiao continued to push harder.

"Think about how hard the underground rock layer is; even in modern times, large steel-headed electric drilling equipment would be used to slowly chisel it. And here we are, in this backward era, expecting them to split it with axes? How many pieces of rock can be chipped away in a day? I’m afraid that before the underground city is completed, people will have already frozen to death."