Chapter 250
Given the numerous factors involved and the highly complex situation, Shi Lei will not publicly comment on this conflict. He is simply Messenger for Penguin Logistics, running errands and delivering goods.
From Shi Lei's personal perspective, he is not optimistic about the Rhodes Island led by Talulah.
First, there is a lack of organizational discipline.
While scanning the city from mid-air, he discovered many humanoid corpses that had lost body temperature.
It is clear that the Rhodes Island was not as friendly as the outside world claimed in its actions to expel non-infected people.
Secondly, there is no action plan.
Originally, both the Rhodes Island and the guerrillas lived in the snow fortress built by Shi Lei, so they didn't need to attack cities at all. But later, the two sides parted ways.
Shi Lei felt that many of Talulah's decisions seemed to be made on a whim. Perhaps she herself didn't even know what she should do next.
Furthermore, there is no clear strategic objective.
Such organizations are often very fragile.
Through various propaganda efforts, the infected learned that the Rhodes Island was an organization fighting for them. Most of the infected joined without fully understanding why.
But after they came in, they were confused about the direction of their efforts and didn't know what to do.
This can lead to confusion among grassroots members, upper-level cadres, and even leaders.
A team that lacks clear strategic goals, doesn't plan ahead, acts impulsively, and has no discipline or action plan is destined to go short.
Broca may have the power to Rhodes Island, but he hasn't done so. Perhaps he hasn't taken the initiative to step forward because of some concerns.
The two left the alley and returned the way they came.
The guerrillas did not go far; they all stayed here quietly, waiting for Divine Doctor Zhong to return.
W's Sarkaz squad also stayed, hoping to gather information about Shi Lei. However, the guerrillas remained tight-lipped, and none of them leaked any information.
Upon seeing Shi Lei and Texas appear, Broca forward to greet them. Even though their supplies were scarce, they had to offer them to the Divine Doctor today.
"Mr. Zhong, please follow me!"
Shi Lei followed him out of the square and through another exit to the guerrilla stronghold. Seeing that no one else was around, he spoke:
"I've already made an agreement with Talulah. She will provide the money, and I'll run errands to buy an equivalent amount of food to store for the winter. It will take about half a month to a month for the suppliers to prepare the goods. In the meantime, she can stay with you. I know that FrostNova actually has a lot to say to you. I'll take her with me when I leave after delivering the food."
Upon hearing this, FrostNova was deeply moved. It felt as if a warm current flowed through her entire body.
315 Zhongli, the God of Wealth? 3K
The people in the guerrilla stronghold were all our own.
W knew the Patriot wouldn't welcome their Sarkaz squad, but she still stood outside looking out.
Seeing that the guerrillas remained tight-lipped, she considered asking their leader Talulah, later.
A mysterious person who is highly respected even by 'Patriot' must possess considerable strength.
Strangely, they had never heard of this high-end combat force, which could potentially change the course of the battle, on the road.
As soon as Shi Lei and Texas entered the stronghold, guerrilla members and their families kept coming over to express their gratitude.
Some members, whose Originium-related illness had worsened due to excessive Originium Arts, wanted to take this precious opportunity to have a follow-up consultation with Divine Doctor. Zhong.
Shi Lei had saved them last year, so naturally he wouldn't refuse to help them a second time. Since they were already there, he figured he might as well have them line up and go into the designated room to have the Originium Particles in their limbs and blood vessels cleaned out again.
The guerrillas were eager to participate and responded enthusiastically.
After a round of examinations, Shi Lei found that most people were in very good health. Although there were still some diseased organs, they were within a controllable range.
After he removed the Originium from the bodies of several hundred guerrilla members one by one, lunch was ready.
Patriot ordered his subordinates to bring out a sumptuous meal to warmly welcome his Savior and his family.
Talulah just said today that the Rhodes Island doesn't have much food. Broca here is probably in no better shape. But to entertain him, the guerrillas served what they considered the best food.
Shi Lei saw through their scheme but didn't say anything. He seemed to have eaten a lot of rice, but in reality, he hadn't eaten much. If you really wanted to stop them, you should have done so before the food was cooked. Letting them take the food back after it was all prepared would only ruin the cheerful atmosphere.
Shi Lei did not recognize the other cadres of the Rhodes Island and stayed at the stronghold all afternoon without going out.
As night fell, a grand bonfire dance was held at the outpost. Hundreds of people swayed and danced around the blazing flames, evoking memories of the winter of Year 1095.
Seeing that he remained seated, Texas took the initiative to invite him to dance.
Shi Lei said he didn't know how to do it, but she dragged him up to dance a song under the pretext of giving him a live demonstration.
The firelight was intense, and so were the gazes.
Texas wasn't angry at all despite being stomped on several times; in fact, she seemed quite pleased.
Shi Lei hadn't seen her like this in a long time; she wasn't even this happy when they went to Trimon Amusement Park.
He thought to himself that Texas liked to dance around campfires, and he would definitely invite her to any future dance parties like that.
W stood on the rooftop of a building a few hundred meters away, looking out at the jubilant scene inside the stronghold.
She hadn't seen this kind of atmosphere in a long time. She felt she had come to the right place this time!
The base was heavily guarded, and W couldn't sneak in. Moreover, attempting to infiltrate would be seen as having ulterior motives.
Talulah personally promised at noon that she would take them to the new base. However, she didn't follow up and had Alina, the logistics manager who had previously inspected the potatoes, do it instead.
W didn't care about this.
Her heart was set on the 'Babel,' and she only saw the Rhodes Island as a temporary refuge. She wanted to explore new possibilities within this organization full of infected individuals.
July 3rd, noon.
Talulah directed a pack animal to bring over twenty wagons full of valuables.
Like most cities, Schuratzburg City is divided into Pantalone areas, working-class areas, and Slums.
There's nothing of value in the Slums, so the residents of the working class take their valuables with them when they leave.
The wealth obtained by the Rhodes Island is usually unclaimed property found in the mansions of nobles who persecuted the Infected after they were executed.
The carriage contained only a small amount of jewelry, mainly Pure Gold, a hard currency recognized by various countries.
In fact, the jewelry and ornaments seized by the Rhodes Island cadres from the noble mansions were definitely more than just this.
Yesterday, when they received Talulah's orders to pay for food, they secretly kept a tiny bit of their money and handed over their worthless Pure Gold.
At the current exorbitant prices offered by Ursus merchants, one pound of Pure Gold can only be exchanged for one pound of rice or flour.
Even if we keep the Pure Gold, it won't buy much food at the current market price. It's better to follow Leader Talulah's call and hand over some.
The guerrillas hadn't participated in the siege, but they had some savings. They handed over everything, leaving nothing behind, and placed their unconditional trust in Divine Doctor Zhong.
Shi Lei didn't know the price of Pure Gold, but someone in Lungmen surely did. He summoned the Rock Constructs to transport all the Pure Gold loaded in the carriage to the expanded Rock House.
To the guerrillas, this ability was like controlling a piece of Pure Gold flying, a truly spectacular sight.
Fortunately, no other Rhodes Island cadres came, so the move did not cause a major upheaval.
Shi Lei led Texas into the Rock House, ascending vertically into the clouds at an altitude of three to four thousand meters. After adjusting their orientation and angle, they sped off towards Lungmen.
En route, Shi Lei picked up a piece of Pure Gold and studied it for a while. After sensing the structure of the mineral, he tried to create an identical object using Rock Element.
From their appearance, the two are almost identical in color, texture, and luster. The only question is the specific composition – is it gold or stone?
Pure Gold, refined gold bars, is the hard currency of Terra. Its biggest advantage over Lungmen Dollars is that it doesn't have a serial number.
Once it's confirmed that the component inside is gold, it can be directly printed as Pure Gold.
Yes, that's very much like the Rex Lapis.
Texas, who was resting on a rock chair, opened her eyes and was quite surprised to see him creating Pure Gold with his bare hands.
Is this really Pure Gold?
"I don't know, we'll have to go to Lungmen to get it tested."
"Let me see, may I?"
Texas drew her Rock Sword, intending to cut open the gold bar to see what was inside. But then she remembered that it was a sword made by Shi Lei, so she put it back and exchanged it for a new Bronze Sword made by Miss Cheng.
The two gold bars were easily cut apart, Texas compared them back and forth for a long time but could not find any difference.
Is that why you don't bring any money?
"Ah?"
She thought Shi Lei hadn't heard her clearly, so she repeated it again.
He then realized what was happening and nodded in response:
"That might be the reason. Whether it's gold or not, we need to have it appraised by professionals."
Two days later, on June 5th, Shi Lei, controlling the Rock House, returned to Lungmen.
He skipped the security check process and instead parachuted directly into the Lower City to find Lin Gerei.
With the help of the Rat King, these jewels and Pure Gold were exchanged for 30 million Lungmen Dollars.
The 'Rock Red Gold' made by Shi Lei has been identified by experts as gold bars of extremely high purity. It contains no impurities and is even purer than ordinary Pure Gold.
The experts also inquired about the refining methods used to maintain the gold bars' purity. Shi Lei simply smiled and said he didn't know, easily brushing the question off.
30 million Lungmen Dollars is enough to buy a lot of food to stock up for winter. Even if you buy out all the supermarkets in Lungmen, you'll still have a lot of money left over.
Shi Lei then approached Chen, asking her to make purchases through various channels under the official name of the Lungmen Guard Department. If she were to act as an individual buyer, it would easily arouse suspicion.
Upon learning of the Rhodes Island's food shortage, Chen agreed to help. She spent several days traveling around, negotiating with major suppliers in Lungmen on behalf of the Lungmen Guard Department. Even with appointments booked a month in advance, they still hadn't spent all the money.
Shi Lei estimated that they were in dire need of cold medicine, painkillers, and other medications at the Frontline. So he had Chen purchase some medicine, barely managing to spend the 30 million yuan.
On July 1st, Shi Lei started afresh.
First, transport the 30 million worth of goods to the Lower City, then take advantage of the night to load them into the Rock House and lift them into the air.
Texas wanted to go, but he refused.
The reason is that Lisa has a closing ceremony before summer vacation, which requires a guardian to be present. The two of them were away on business for three months at a time, so someone really needed to stay behind.
Anyway, Shi Lei will come back after delivering it and won't stay in the same place. The round trip will take four days.
Mudrock expressed his desire to go, but was also refused.
Shi Lei was just a tool this time; he delivered the food and left, so there was no need to bring an extra guide.
Mudrock felt sullen but helpless. Watching her master's departing figure, she suddenly remembered what he had promised her and what she should ask for.
July 3, 1096.
Shi Lei controlled the Rock House and flew to Schuratzburg City.
This time he didn't get lost. After determining his location, he quickly landed on the same plaza where he had landed before.
Upon seeing Divine Doctor Zhong descend from the sky, the guerrillas Broca.
Upon hearing the news, the latter quickly came out to greet him.
Looking at the food and medicine that almost filled the square, Broca thought that he could have a good New Year this year.
Ample food supplies mean that Rhodes Island can outlast Ursus. Strategically, they will become more proactive.
Broca someone to inform Talulah and to divide up the portion of their money that should be exchanged.
Shi Lei didn't stay there for long. After chatting with Patriot for a while, he took FrostNova and flew away in the Rock House.
They left for about seven or eight minutes before Talulah finally arrived. Seeing the square overflowing with food and medicine, she felt a mix of emotions.
Talulah looked around but didn't see Shi Lei, and asked:
Where is Mister Zhongli?
"He left these things and went back. If you want to find him, you'll probably have to wait until next time."
"Okay, then it's fine."
Talulah summoned the other Rhodes Island cadres to come and collect their respective portions of food and medicine.
If stored properly, this much food should last until next spring.