Chapter 403: Chapter 388: They Are All Smart People

Gu Xi didn’t get involved in the specifics of distributing the farmland. She delegated the entire matter to the newly appointed farm director, Mr. Wang. He was someone Li Ming had chosen for her—a classic example of a quiet, hands-on pragmatist.

Mr. Wang had probably been briefed by his superiors before taking the post. He seemed to have guessed Gu Xi’s temperament—her dislike for handling such tedious trifles. As a result, he only came to ask for instructions once. After that, he followed the base’s existing land distribution policies and swiftly implemented the plan.

This, in turn, saved Gu Xi a lot of trouble.

Even Qi Xiang privately praised Mr. Wang effusively several times.

’He really is a man of few words and a lot of action. I have no idea where our Gu Xiaoxi found such a capable person.’

After all, distributing land sounded simple. The official policies were clearly posted on the official forums of all the major bases. But in reality, the number of trivial, nitpicky issues involved was endless, and the disputes they caused...

For example, which plot of land was more fertile, and who got to pick first?

Or, how were the fruit trees on the ridges between fields to be divided?

Then there was the matter of scheduling the ability users. There were only a limited number of them, so who went first? Who went last? Would it delay the harvest?

And so on... In short, the matter was full of complexities.

What’s more, every single one of these issues was directly tied to personal interests. You could say that when it came to this, no matter how amiable a person usually seemed, they could turn into a total bulldog!

When all the gossip and petty squabbles of the fields and homes got involved... an ordinary person just couldn’t handle it.

Even a high-level ability user like Wei Heng had almost gotten his hair pulled out by a few brawling aunties, leaving him in a disheveled state.

Yet this Mr. Wang handled it all with remarkable ease.

He was a true talent, no doubt.

With the land distribution in Mr. Wang’s hands, Gu Xi no longer worried about it.

As for the ability users, however... Gu Xi thought for a moment, then invited Mr. Zhou over.

Mr. Zhou had helped them quite a bit recently, and considering their past connection in South City, Gu Xi understood the importance of returning a favor. She specifically had Wei Heng prepare a few nice dishes that day.

Mr. Zhou wasn’t one for formalities. The meal left him feeling comfortable all over, his mouth glistening with oil. He glanced at Wei Heng, who was still wearing an apron, and, holding a spicy rabbit head in one hand, gave a thumbs-up with the other. "Our Wei’s cooking is really second to none."

Wei Heng thought his cooking was pretty good too. He glanced at Gu Xi, pulled off his apron, and said to Mr. Zhou with a smile, "If you like it, please have some more. I’m going to go relieve Yang."

After Wei Heng left, Mr. Zhou looked up at Gu Xi. "Gu, you invited me over tonight. Is there something you wanted to talk to your Uncle Zhou about?"

Having survived in the apocalypse for so many years and being quite popular among the various Scavenger Teams, Mr. Zhou only looked rough on the surface. It would be no exaggeration to say he was sharp as a tack on the inside. He could tell at a glance that Gu Xi had something on her mind.

Gu Xi nodded. "There is something I’d like to confirm with you."

Mr. Zhou heartily downed a bowl of chicken soup, then heard Gu Xi say, "I heard from Wei Heng that on the trip when he found me, you were the one who proposed going out to scavenge..."

Hearing this, Mr. Zhou put down the chicken bone in his hand, his expression turning a bit more serious.

"That’s right." He nodded. "I organized that scavenging trip."

At that time, South City’s Camp No. 9527 had just been established, and a lot of equipment and supplies hadn’t arrived yet. He figured that sitting around the camp being idle was a waste of time, so he gathered a few old buddies who he often worked with and decided to check out the nearby area. With any luck, they might even find some useful junk.

For a Scavenger Team like theirs, this was just how they lived.

Back then, Wei Heng had traveled with them for a while, so they had gotten to know each other. That’s why Mr. Zhou invited him along as well.

This wasn’t exactly a secret. Anyone could find out by asking around at South City’s Camp No. 9527.

Mr. Zhou didn’t hide anything, explaining the whole situation in just a few words.

But having struggled to survive in the apocalypse for many years, and still managing to be so well-regarded in the very unique community of trailblazers, he was undoubtedly a smart man. He knew Gu Xi wouldn’t ask about this for no reason.

In fact, ever since Gu Xi had started to make a name for herself, Mr. Zhou had realized that this young woman Wei Heng had found might not be an ordinary person. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’There were some things she was bound to ask him about sooner or later.’

Mr. Zhou had long been prepared for this. He just hadn’t expected Gu Xi to be so patient, only asking about it today.

After a moment of thought, he said, "Gu, your uncle won’t hide it from you. Our decision to go scavenging nearby back then was truly on the spur of the moment. I can guarantee that no one was deliberately guiding us."

So whatever was behind this surveillance, it had nothing to do with ordinary people like them.

Gu Xi nodded, then asked, "Then who was it that suggested going to the NX1984 Area?"

Mr. Zhou shook his head. "No one mentioned it. We didn’t have a specific destination at first. We just wanted to check out a few of the small, pre-apocalypse towns nearby..."

He looked at Gu Xi and explained, "That’s how it is with us scavengers. We just go and see. If we don’t find anything, we keep moving forward. We’re not picky about the location..."

After listening, Gu Xi thought for a moment and said, "On your way, did you run into any other Scavenger Teams?"

Mr. Zhou paused for a second, then nodded. "Yes, we did."

Only two years had passed, so Mr. Zhou remembered it clearly. "We did run into several Scavenger Teams along the way. Some were local to South City, others were from neighboring Xiang City... Everyone was in the same circle, so they’d greet each other when they met in the wilds."

Speaking of which, Mr. Zhou suddenly paused. After a moment, he murmured, "Right, now that you mention it, I do recall something..."

Gu Xi looked up at him.

She paused, remembering the social graces Li Ming had taught her when she was younger, and stood up to ladle another bowl of chicken soup for Mr. Zhou.

Mr. Zhou stared at the bowl of soup before him, feeling that something was a little strange.

A moment later, it dawned on him. He looked at Gu Xi helplessly. "Gu, that’s really not what I meant..."

’It makes it seem like I was holding out just to get another bowl of soup.’

Mr. Zhou drained the soup, smacking his lips with lingering satisfaction. "Before we went to the NX1984 Area, we ran into another expedition team from out of town out in the wilds. They were all new faces..."

Mr. Zhou had been in this circle for decades. If he said they were new faces, then they were truly new faces.

Gu Xi knew the important part was coming. She thought for a moment and placed a chicken leg in his bowl.

’Thank goodness some of the post-apocalyptic mutant chickens grew eight legs. Otherwise, she would have had to give him a wing, but Yang Chi loved wings, and she had already promised to save them for him.’

Mr. Zhou looked at the new chicken leg in his bowl and fell silent for a moment.

Then he picked it up. "Ah, Gu, you’re just too polite. We’re all on the same side, really no need for this..."

As he spoke, he polished off the large chicken leg in a few bites, tossed the bone, and wiped his mouth. "Now, where were we... Oh, right, the unfamiliar expedition team. Their haul was pretty good. When we met them, their off-road pickup was already loaded with stuff..."

At the time, that got a few of the youngsters in their team all excited.

Later, when the two teams were resting and chatting, the other party didn’t hold back. They revealed directly that they’d just gotten lucky this time, finding a lot of supplies in a small town to the south...

Scavenging was, after all, a matter of luck.

There was nothing particularly strange about it.

So, after the two teams parted ways, Mr. Zhou’s team decided to try their luck as well and naturally headed in that direction.

"Was it the NX1984 Area?" Gu Xi asked.