Chapter Twenty-Three: The Underground Base Officially Begins!

“What are you doing?” Qin Lihua stared in astonishment at the scene before her, unable to accept it for a moment. But then she remembered—her son was no longer a child, and at his age, energy was only natural.

Wang Lulu, upon spotting Qin Lihua, scrambled to her feet, but in her haste, she stumbled and fell straight into Chu Xiao’s arms.

Acting on instinct, Chu Xiao quickly caught her.

“Um, you two carry on!” Qin Lihua quickly closed the door behind her.

Chu Xiao set Wang Lulu upright. “Stand properly! Behave yourself!”

He made no attempt to explain to Qin Lihua, believing it was best to deal with this troublemaker first.

Wang Lulu pouted, looking thoroughly displeased. “Oh! I didn’t do it on purpose! Besides, you were the one who came to my office first!”

“Miss Wang Lulu, I hope you understand this is not the time for romance. Please mind your conduct,” Chu Xiao said sternly, his gaze leaving no room for defiance.

Wang Lulu was taken aback and lowered her head. “All right, I understand.”

Seeing her contrition, Chu Xiao sighed. “Enough. Please invite Miss Qin and Governor Zhang in. There are matters I need to discuss with them.”

“Okay,” Wang Lulu replied, then left.

Chu Xiao watched her retreating figure, an unexpected sorrow rising in his heart, but reason quickly suppressed it.

All for the sake of Jiuzhou!

Moments later, Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli entered the office; Wang Lulu did not return.

“What’s going on?” Qin Lihua was the first to ask.

Zhang Fengli followed, “Director Chu, what’s happened?”

Instead of answering directly, Chu Xiao unveiled a model nearly half a meter tall before them.

“This is the underground base I proposed yesterday. The model is complete, and I hope construction can begin today with dedicated scientific personnel assisting.”

“Additionally, I will notify the relevant departments to allocate manpower. If possible, I want construction finished in two months, so we can use the remaining time to stockpile food.”

“Remember to guard against insects and mold.”

Both Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli nodded in unison. “You can count on us.”

Chu Xiao handed them the blueprints. “I entrust this to you both. Jiuzhou will not forget your service.”

The two nodded solemnly.

“Do you have any suggestions for the location of the underground base, or any good ideas?” Chu Xiao asked.

“Well…” Qin Lihua was not too familiar with this matter.

Zhang Fengli pondered a moment. “I do have one suggestion—Buger Village would be suitable. There was once an underground laboratory there, now completely abandoned.”

“An underground laboratory? Excellent! We can expand on that foundation. Using Buger Village as the center, we’ll include the surrounding five kilometers of villages within the base’s perimeter.”

“Miss Qin, I’ll leave the relocation and resettlement of the villagers to you,” Chu Xiao said, turning to her.

Qin Lihua nodded. “All right.”

Chu Xiao then looked to Zhang Fengli. “Governor Zhang, you’ll handle personnel assignments and the transport of all required equipment.”

“Understood. Don’t worry.”

“I want all these preparations completed within five hours. Is that possible?”

“It is!” they answered together.

As Qin Lihua exited, she glanced back at her son, her eyes filled with love and concern—her son had truly grown up.

With orders given, only manpower was lacking.

Deep in thought, Chu Xiao dialed the number of the top leader.

“Hello, this is Chu Xiao.”

“Yes? What is it?” The leader knew that whenever Chu Xiao called, it meant something important—never just a casual chat.

“I need people. As I told you yesterday, I’m building an underground base. The model and blueprints are ready, but we’re short-handed. Please assign more personnel.”

“If possible, I’d like to dispatch teams from both Yanjing and Pearl City.”

“About twenty thousand people.”

This was only Chu Xiao’s initial estimate. If it wasn’t enough, he’d request more—speed and quality were paramount.

“All right. They’ll arrive within three hours,” the leader replied after a brief calculation.

“Thank you for your effort.”

After ending the call, Chu Xiao had a quick breakfast before heading to inspect the base.

Standing atop a high vantage point, he watched as a steady stream of large vehicles came and went—like ants transporting their home, an impressive sight. Suddenly, one of the trucks overturned, its cargo of oil spilling out.

The oil spread across the ground, turning it into a canvas stained like ink—a dangerous, yet strangely beautiful spectacle.

But Chu Xiao sensed the danger lurking within.

If the oil was accidentally ignited, every warehouse could be lost to the flames.

“Don’t move!” Chu Xiao shouted as he rushed down from his perch to the ground.

“Nobody move! No open flames!” Chu Xiao commanded coolly, his eyes constantly flicking toward the overturned truck.

If it exploded, the fire would spread too quickly to contain.

“Everyone, follow my instructions: some of you fetch fire extinguishers, others get containers—large barrels, anything you can find.”

“The rest will help me rescue the trapped driver. Once that’s done, every drop of oil must be collected. No hesitation!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than everyone hurried to their tasks.

Most had no idea who the young man was, but the moment he gave orders, his presence compelled their obedience.

Chu Xiao reached the driver still pinned inside. “How are you feeling?” He called out several times, but there was no response; the man had clearly lost consciousness.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get you out!”

By now, others had prepared fire extinguishers and a range of tools. The professional rescue team arrived just in time.

Chu Xiao directed the handling of the oil and pitched in himself.

An hour later, the driver was rescued and all the oil safely contained in barrels.

What would normally take several hours was accomplished in just one—this was the power of a great nation.

“Thank you all! Get the injured to the hospital right away!” Chu Xiao called out.

Meanwhile, the tasks assigned to Qin Lihua and Zhang Fengli were proceeding in an orderly fashion.

A large construction team would arrive in two hours.

The construction of the underground base was about to begin!

The people of Jiuzhou were gathering here, united to safeguard their final hope.