Special Building, Special Development Route! (A Two-in-One Chapter)

Having finished his report, Su Mo adjourned the meeting.

In an instant, the management team, which had grown to more than twenty people on the deck, dispersed, leaving only Su Deben, who was controlling the robot.

Rolling its wheels, the robot approached with a smile, "Su Mo, you truly are the most unique administrator I've ever met."

Su Mo raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

After saying this, seeing the undiminished smile on Su Deben's face, Su Mo paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.

In a sense, I am indeed "special".

Unlike typical lords and administrators, Su Mo asked himself if he had any ambitions.

What is the meaning of wielding power over the world when awake, and resting on the lap of a beautiful woman when drunk?

My empire is everywhere I look, and everyone must kneel at my feet.

None at all.

on the contrary.

On a drizzly day, I leaned against the railing of the deck, watching the bustling crowd below and smelling the faint earthy scent.

Su Mo thoroughly enjoyed this kind of solitary joy, like that of an outsider.

"You're right, I am very special, but the world is forcing me to move forward."

"If there were a day when I could rest, I would really like to lie here, enjoying the cool breeze, sipping a pot of fine wine, and watching the winds and clouds rise and fall."

"Don't let anything bother me. It's great to be all alone like this!"

No! You're wrong!

Reaching out, Su Deben caught a few scattered raindrops, then slowly shook his head. "Su Mo, the kind of life you described is exactly what the kind of people you mentioned before can enjoy!"

"In all my memories over the years, and among all the people I've met, you are very special."

"I don't see any potential for success in you, but I do see the belief in success in you."

Su Mo grinned. "Belief? My inflated confidence?"

Su Deben blinked. "No, I don't think so. There are many qualities for success: the ambition to risk everything, the meticulousness to act with utmost care, and the courage to forge ahead without fear of anything. There are many, so many that I could talk to you about them all day."

"But in this wasteland, they all lost without exception!"

"They lacked the conviction to win. Although they charged forward, fought against creatures, and battled the world, their hearts lived in fear every night."

You are different.

I see it in you.

"Win?"

Seeing the slight surprise on Su Mo's face, Su Deben slid to the railing:

"The desire to win is contagious. Look at these villagers below. Can you see any despair about the future in them?"

"Look at these managers. Even though they know that hundreds of thousands of alien races are lurking around the depression, have they backed down even a little bit?"

"We can build houses, we can gradually construct Defense Facilities, and we can proceed cautiously, step by step, to develop our external strategies."

"But this belief will always be the most precious thing!"

Su Deben was referring to someone who was bold and decisive.

Although Su Mo wanted to say that just a few hours earlier, the panel that the system had sent back showed that all the villagers were still "pessimistic."

But in the end, he thought about Su Deben's expressed thoughts and the despair indicated by the system's prompts.

Su Mo held back from speaking.

He understood what Su Deben wanted to say.

"Uncle Su, don't worry, I'm not that easy to collapse. You're just afraid that the pressure on me will suddenly explode and the territory will collapse instantly, right?"

"Don't worry about that. I don't even consider those few alien races a threat."

"They are no match for us!"

More than a thousand people, compared to hundreds of thousands of other races.

Seeing Su Mo's confident expression, Su Deben smiled silently and nodded emphatically.

"However, even though we managed to secure two tons of coal this winter, the situation remains dire."

"We currently cannot meet the basic building material needs for more than a thousand people. If we temporarily collect timber, the weather is bad and it cannot be dried in time for use on the roof."

"Concrete would be fine, but we can't possibly gather enough steel bars and other raw materials. It's a bit of a problem."

On April 18th, the first disaster will strike the New Continent.

There are only fifteen days left until it snows.

Not counting today, there are only two weeks left for infrastructure construction.

During this period, the villagers need to complete the construction of their dwellings, camp walls, basic Defense Facilities, and basic workshops in sequence.

Time is of the essence!

In addition, since everyone is still living in tents, housing is the first issue that urgently needs to be addressed.

"It will rain again tomorrow, so even if we cut down the wood, it won't dry in time."

Building houses with wet wood is prone to problems such as insect infestation, warping, cracking, and splitting.

Even if the wood from the low-lying area is of good quality, it will take at least half a month to process before it can be initially used in housing construction.

"As for concrete, the machinery is easy to handle. I have the complete blueprints here, and it's easy to modify it."

"But the challenge lies in the supply of subsequent materials. We currently do not have a stable source of aggregates, and even after the concrete houses are built, they will take many days to dry."

"Not very suitable for the current rainy climate"

Su Deben was taken aback. "So, all we have left to choose from are mud houses?"

"This thing is easy to build and works well for keeping out the cold, but the key problem is that it's difficult to dismantle and rebuild it later!"

Earth house.

It is an indispensable and important part of China's long history of architecture.

In ancient times, technology was backward, and Reinforced Concrete could not be produced. Productivity was low, and bricks, tiles, and timber were very expensive.

When people are poor, they rely on the mountains for sustenance.

Stone is scarce in the Northwest Plain, and it is difficult to process. In addition, bricks are expensive.

However, the soil layer in the Northwest is thick, with a large amount of good clay, and the soil is easy to process. Farmers can use molds to make clay bricks themselves, which is low-cost.

Therefore, adobe became the main material for poor people to build walls.

Until the 1980s, many families in rural Northwest China still used adobe bricks to build walls for their houses.

Later, with economic development, the houses gradually transitioned to Brick House and brick-concrete houses.

Unfortunately, this thing also has obvious flaws.

The adobe bricks also need to be dried for a long time; otherwise, if they become damp, their strength will easily decrease, leading to a tragic collapse.

Given the current weather, earthen houses are the first thing to be ruled out.

Therefore, the only options available, besides the shelters derived from the core gameplay, are "Uncle Su, do you know about prefabricated houses?"

A word that is both familiar and unfamiliar.

Seeing that Su Deben shook his head, Su Mo tried to gesture.

This time, Su Deben immediately nodded as if he had just realized something. "You mean mobile homes, the kind that are fixed together with steel plates?"

Yes, that kind.

"As for the steel plates, manufacturing them isn't a problem for us, and we can find a way to fill the middle with more Temperature Control material."

"Most importantly, this thing is very convenient; it's easy to assemble and disassemble."

"Furthermore, I need to connect the boiler for centralized heating, and using prefabricated houses can avoid the problem of everyone building houses of different sizes, which would increase the difficulty of heating."

Su Deben only took ten seconds to digest the two major plans that Su Mo had revealed.

During this time, his robotic eyes continuously emitted sharp light, scanning the ground below and detecting data.

At the eleventh second, the robot exhaled a breath in a human-like manner.

"The plan is indeed feasible. Our foundation is very stable, and with just a little preparation, we can create the conditions for building prefabricated houses."

"The difficulty lies in the steel plates and the construction."

Su Mo shook his head. "That's not a problem!"

"Tomorrow or the day after, I will try to talk to the Tree People. If they can send laborers to help us, the construction of the prefab houses will not require any mechanical power!"

It seems there is no plan.

In reality, everything was under Su Mo's control.

Even before arriving in the New Continent, he had already formed some ideas based on his speculation about the situation on the map.

Today, the tree is a pleasant surprise.

If cheap laborers can be found to replace mechanical power, the development of the low-lying area will skip the initial difficulties and directly enter a civilization leap mode.

At that time, the potential of this land and these villagers will be unleashed.

This will make everyone's eyes widen.

The relocation work continued until 6 p. m.

After the Brain Box and other research instruments were moved into the garage of the Underground Shelter.

Wiping the sweat from his head, which was mixed with rainwater, Su Mo opened his umbrella again and went outside.

Just like the weather forecast provided by the system, the light rain shows no sign of stopping, and it's getting heavier as time goes on.

The Mountain Road of Iron Stone Mountain packed with villagers transporting food and supplies.

Thanks to previous preparations, the interior of the rocky hill is able to isolate moisture, making it a good grain storage base for the time being.

On the distant land.

The Hope shrank rapidly the instant everything was unloaded, and then disappeared from everyone's sight.

Su Mo wanted to buy some time so that everyone could get into the cabin and get a good night's rest on this rainy night.

But the game is already impatient.

Everyone else assumed that Su Mo had simply put away his ships again, but only Su Mo himself knew that the thirty-day Ten Thousand Realms Passage had begun.

This time, the Hope was confiscated very decisively! "Chief, the ground is very damp tonight, and with the rain, our original tents are no longer habitable. We have no choice but to move up the mountain!"

"Fruit Tree Mountain and Iron Stone Mountain share the burden, the two mountains can accommodate most of the villagers!"

In the distance, Chen Shen, wearing a raincoat and carrying a waterproof flashlight, rushed over in a flurry.

When things are bad, it always seems to go wrong.

The Saline-alkali Land in the depression had cracked, and despite the potential for slow repair, it inevitably became loose and damp again under such rainfall.

Even with waterproof cloth, staying on the ground is still extremely uncomfortable, so the only option is to move to higher ground.

"Get the food on the stove right away. Make sure everyone has a hot meal, or they'll catch a cold!"

"It's in the works, it's in the works! We've caught the fish, and all the chefs are working on it. It'll be ready to serve in a little over an hour!"

Pointing to the waterproof awning in the distance, where smoke and fire were rising, Chen Shen wiped the water off his face.

Then, the two hurried off toward Iron Stone Mountain.

Along the way, I watched the villagers working diligently with respectful expressions, their bodies soaked with sweat.

Then, recalling the panel that the system displayed during the day, which showed all the villagers' "simple" yearning for a better future.

Su Mo opened his mouth, but in the end it turned into a long sigh.

The pressure on one person is completely incomparable to that on a thousand people.

Certainly, he can now return to his warm underground shelter, sip warm fish soup, and happily peruse books, leaving all the work to the management.

But just thinking about how these villagers are still dragging their tired bodies around in the rain, and having to sleep in damp tents at night...

How could anyone sit still any longer! "No wonder the system gave us the option to change the weather; the morale drop caused by this rain is no less than that of fighting a tough battle!"

I walked all the way to the top of the mountain and gazed at the rain curtain that stretched to the sky in the distance.

Gritting his teeth, Su Mo opened the Game Panel.

Thanks to the Hope, the game once offered three different special building options.

These are: Weather Station that can accommodate 20 people.

Farm Tool Production Center that can accommodate 300 people.

And Training Ground that can accommodate 450 people! Among these, the Weather Station was naturally the first to be eliminated because of the system.

Su Mo had previously hesitated over the remaining two options.

But now, because the Training Ground is completely outdoors, there is only one option left.

"In the game, I choose to create Farm Tool Production Center, and I'll place it there!"

He randomly pointed to a place not far from Iron Stone Mountain, and on slightly higher ground.

As Su Mo's mind stirred, a green building began to overlap with reality on the game's map.

Then, after a five-second confirmation period, the game interface disappeared.

Instead, a deafening roar filled the air!

In an instant, all the villagers standing on the Mountain Road stopped in their tracks and began to look curiously toward the source of the sound.

Unfortunately, not everyone has eyesight as extraordinary as Su Mo's.

In the dim light, they could only see blurry buildings rapidly taking shape at the edge of the ground! "Director... Director... Us..."

"I know, don't worry. After everyone has finished moving their things, we'll meet there. Tonight, everyone except those from Iron Stone Mountain can squeeze in and stay there temporarily."

Seeing Zhang Long rushing up in a panic, Su Mo smiled and led the way down.

The two places are less than a ten-minute walk apart as the crow flies.

From above, the courtyard appeared to be of average size, but upon closer inspection, Su Mo could only marvel at the immense power that came with authority.

The entire center covers an area of approximately 1,500 square meters.

It's marked as only accommodating 300 people, but if you really want to stay there, more than a thousand people can squeeze in.

There is a huge plaque at the main gate of the courtyard that reads: Farm Tool Production Center.

Eight steps and two solemn Stone Lion give it the feel of an ancient government office.

Once inside, it's much more ordinary; apart from a brick roof for rain protection, it's just an empty courtyard.

When the wind blew, it even felt like stepping into a house from a horror movie.

"Go, bring us our generator and spotlights!"

He urged Qi Qin to leave quickly, and with a flashlight in hand, Su Mo led more than ten people to explore the entire courtyard.

It's called the center, but there really is only one center.

Ignoring the surrounding walls and the ceiling, the interior of the house is essentially a large plaza.

In addition to marking the distances on the ground and dividing it into three hundred large squares of five square meters each.

The game is so stingy that it doesn't even give away any tools.

But this empty courtyard became a "lifeline" for the villagers in this kind of weather.

After the generator was brought in and spotlights were installed to illuminate the interior without leaving any blind spots, the interior was thoroughly cleaned.

The villagers, having finished their work, also opened their umbrellas and, following instructions, curiously rushed over.

Upon entering, feeling the warmth and dryness inside, everyone's eyes welled up with tears.

Then, it was as if they had a tacit understanding.

No one rushed in to grab a spot. Instead, they stood quietly in front of the door, changed into a new set of dry clothes and shoes, and then carefully walked in.

Looking at Su Mo and the management team standing in the middle, the villagers spontaneously formed circles around them.

Apart from leaving a passageway in the middle for people to walk through, it took less than half an hour for more than a thousand villagers to enter the courtyard.

"That's wonderful, things will only get better from now on!"

From the faces of every villager, Su Mo saw simple "happiness".

Despite having no shelter, no meat to eat, and no hot bath, they were unable to take a proper bath.

But in this kind of weather, having such a dry courtyard to rest in, and warm walls to Temperature Control, means you don't have to stay in a damp tent.

That is the greatest happiness!

"Let's go, let everyone rest, we management will go get the fish soup!"

He put on the raincoat beside him and, under the silent gaze of the crowd, Su Mo took the lead and walked out.

Then, less than ten meters later...

As expected, the courtyard, which had previously been filled only with the sound of breathing, suddenly became filled with a denser array of sounds.

"Thank you, Director! It's so damn cool to be hiding here in this kind of weather!"

"I slept in a tent all night, and my skin was covered in heat rash. I can finally get a good night's sleep tonight."

"Ah, this feels so good! It's not damp at all here, and lying on the floor is even more comfortable than with blankets."

"It would be so great to have hot pot, especially in this kind of weather."

"Hey, don't even dream about it. In this weather, I'd take off on the spot if I could just have a bowl of meat soup!"

"I think I smelled something, it smelled a bit like fish soup, it smelled so good that I was almost delirious."

"Really? Fish soup?"

"."

Their words were filled with the villagers' beautiful visions for tomorrow.

Hearing these sounds, Su Mo continued walking, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After a while, the first bucket of fish soup was carried to the open space in the courtyard, emitting an incomparable aroma.

Amidst the excited cheers of the crowd.

For the first time, Su Mo felt a heavy responsibility and an excitement that overflowed from his heart! Unlike the cold, hard numbers of residents in the simulation game, Su Mo felt a different kind of emotion in the courtyard.

A sense of collective honor! An emotion rooted in human genes.

"Perhaps this is the true transformation from a lone wolf to a lord."

"But this feeling is strangely kind of exciting!"

With a command given, it was announced that dinner could begin. Looking at the smiles on everyone's faces and the trembling hands holding their bowls, I saw...

Su Mo sat on the high platform, his thoughts drifting away.

Before this, he hadn't decided what route to take in the depression or what goods to use to facilitate trade with the surrounding races.

But at this moment, I looked at all the villagers who had drunk the fish soup, their faces filled with happiness.

Su Mo suddenly made a decision.

If a region is to develop, it cannot stick to old ways; it must follow a distinctive development path.

Let's follow the path that the Chinese people excel at most. "Delicious food!"

"I will conquer all the alien races on this continent with the most exquisite cuisine."

"Attributes, taste, effects, selling points—since no one has ever tried this path before, I'll be the first to take the plunge!"

"With the help of those permissions, I refuse to believe there's anything in this New Continent I can't overcome!"

After drinking the fish soup that Shen Ke handed him, he thought of the scene where all the alien races of the New Continent began to crave the delicacies of the lowlands.

Su Mo laughed "viciously"!

Thank you all for your monthly tickets and tips! The extra 600 words are a bonus~ There will be a post of my thoughts at the end of the month. Also, the Book Friends Circle event is still going on! Just post a screenshot of your full subscription to enter a prize draw and get a title~ (The title can be modified, and we'd love to hear your opinions on that too [grinning face])