binnovel Chapter 125 Entering Xuzhou City
Chapter 125 Entering Xuzhou City
The small village was more than 30 kilometers away from Xuzhou, the largest city in the Chinese Federation. Walking was definitely not an option. Li Chenglong and Wang Shuang were quite relaxed, and Jiang Hui, after his training in Shuguang City, could also walk such a long distance without difficulty. However, Li Qiang was a different story. He was only twelve or thirteen years old, and due to long-term malnutrition, he was very thin. He was already panting heavily after walking for a short while, and the crying he had when saying goodbye to his grandfather had left him with even less strength. However, it was comforting that although the little boy was panting and drenched in sweat, he hadn't once asked Li Chenglong and the others for a rest. Instead, he clenched his fists and kept up with them. Li Chenglong nodded secretly. Then he stopped and said, "You guys rest for a bit. I'll see if I can get a car. Jiang Hui, get some energy bars for Li Qiang."
After saying that, Li Chenglong quickly left. Jiang Hui took out two energy bars from his backpack and handed them to Li Qiang, praising him, "Little guy, you have quite the perseverance. You know, my cousin and cousin are both athletes, and they walk very fast. Sometimes even I can't keep up, but you can keep up. Not bad, not bad." Li Qiang took the energy bars and asked Wang Shuang if she wanted some. After Wang Shuang waved her hand and refused, he carefully took one out and ate it, while putting the other one in his shirt pocket.
Li Chenglong arrived shortly after, driving the same car he'd come from Shuguang City. This time, he drove himself, with Wang Shuang in the passenger seat and Jiang Hui and Li Qiang in the back. Following the map, they arrived at Xuzhou City in less than fifty minutes. Numerous fortifications had been erected there, with bunkers and pillboxes scattered throughout a kilometer radius outside Shuguang City. Even Xuzhou City itself was surrounded by a massive wall—likely the construction by the strong laborers the old man had mentioned. Because there were already several checkpoints ahead, the city gate inspectors didn't check carefully, only glancing at the issued resident identification cards. However, when they checked Li Qiang, he clearly didn't have one. The inspector said, "Do you want to get a replacement card? If not, he can't enter. A replacement card will cost three crimson crystals."
Jiang Hui clicked his tongue in surprise: "So expensive?" The man said impatiently, "Take it or leave it. If you don't, you definitely won't be able to enter the city." Li Chenglong handed over three crimson crystals, and the man immediately beamed: "Very good. You can go in now." Before leaving, Li Chenglong spent another crimson crystal to buy a detailed map of Xuzhou City. Jiang Hui said in surprise in the car, "We haven't even done anything yet, and we've already spent so many crystals. Each person has paid so much. How much have they saved up?" Li Chenglong looked at the map of Xuzhou City. It marked some major facilities in detail. He also checked the time and said, "Let's find a place to stay first, then inquire about some information before making a decision."
After driving through a maze of turns, Li Chenglong finally arrived at a small inn. He chose this relatively secluded place because many inns in the area were state-run, and they had missions to complete. Better safe than sorry; alerting the enemy wouldn't be good. So, he found this privately owned inn. Although the inn was small, Li Chenglong sensed two superhumans inside even before entering—one level two and one level three. However, he quickly understood. In the apocalypse, with its turbulent situation, robberies and thefts were inevitable. Having one or two superhumans guarding the inn was only natural.
As soon as the four entered, a young man approached them and greeted them: "Are you here for a meal or lodging? Our place is small, but the rooms are clean, and the food is delicious and inexpensive." Li Chenglong, remembering they had set off early and hadn't eaten, said, "Let's eat first, then we'll decide." The man then asked, "Would you like a private room or to eat in the main hall? A private room costs 20 white crystals, or we could exchange for other supplies." Li Chenglong said, "We'll pay with crystals. Please take us to a private room." The man happily led them to a small private room and then took out a menu. Li Chenglong smiled and said, "We won't look at the menu. Boss, please recommend some cheap dishes that will fill us up."
The man immediately put down the menu: "Alright, we have stir-fried pork belly with green peppers for 20 white crystals, braised pork with cabbage for 15 white crystals, spicy and sour cabbage for 5 white crystals, stir-fried bean sprouts for 5 white crystals, and rice by weight, 5 white crystals for one pound of cooked rice. We also have steamed buns and pancakes, all guaranteed fresh." Li Chenglong listened carefully and thought the prices were reasonable. He had originally wanted to exchange various vegetables grown in the natural area of his storage space for food, but considering he couldn't reveal his abilities, he gave up. Li Chenglong ordered four dishes, several pounds of rice, and some pancakes. The man noted them down and then left. A little while later, a young woman came in with a kettle, poured them tea, and said as she poured, "This isn't the tea we usually drink. It's dandelion tea that my husband picked. We washed and dried it to make this tea. I hope you won't find it offensive." Li Chenglong smiled and said, "What's there to complain about? Thank you for your hospitality."
Half an hour later, four dishes and rice cakes were served one by one. Li Chenglong paid with crystals and then invited the group to eat. Li Qiang was initially a little timid and didn't dare to eat the dishes, only mechanically shoveling rice into his mouth. Later, with encouragement from everyone, he loosened up a bit. Li Chenglong was quite satisfied with the taste of the food. He finished his meal first and then went out. The young man was tidying up some drinks at the counter. Seeing Li Chenglong come out, he quickly said, "Did you enjoy your meal, guests?" Li Chenglong nodded: "The food was very good. I'm quite surprised that you and your wife, one a level three and the other a level two, are willing to run a small inn. I believe that with your abilities, getting a minor official position would be a piece of cake."
The man's expression paused for a moment, then he smiled and said, "I didn't expect you to see through me. It's true, we could indeed become minor leaders based on our abilities, and our lives would definitely be better than they are now. However, the upper echelons of the Chinese Federation are currently in a state of chaos. The higher-ups are corrupt, and the lower-level officials are exploiting the people in various ways, and they're even colluding with some criminal gangs, acting as their protectors. We don't want to become like that, so we didn't go." Li Chenglong nodded approvingly, then said, "How many guest rooms do you have left? If you need more, I'd like three." The man nodded, "Yes, yes, they've all been cleaned. I'll take you up to see them in a bit."
By 11 a.m., the group had settled in. Since the guest rooms weren't large, Li Chenglong took one by himself, Jiang Hui and Li Qiang shared a slightly larger room, and Wang Shuang occupied the remaining one. Li Chenglong wasn't sure how long he would stay, so he paid for three days' worth of accommodation—six white crystals per person per day. After saying goodbye to Li Chenglong, Wang Shuang left to gather information. Li Chenglong left Jiang Hui with Li Qiang and then went out himself.