Extreme germ phobia

Chapter 353 Saint Va Island

In the early morning, sunlight shines on the sea, creating shimmering waves.

Several lush islands are bathed in the warm morning light. The second island from the left is the most prosperous, with buildings of all sizes scattered across the island. All kinds of boats fill the harbor, and even outside the island, a large number of ships are moored.

Although it was still early, many early risers could already be seen on the island.

Ouyang, witnessing this scene, was somewhat lost in thought—he couldn't remember the last time he had seen such a peaceful and serene sight.

The Hua Tuo ship sailed straight toward the island on the far left.

Zhu Yiming stared greedily at the main island: "How do we get this way?"

There are some buildings and boats over there, but their numbers are only a fraction of those on the main island. It's like a poorly developed ugly duckling standing next to a beautifully dressed swan.

Lu Wei smiled and said, "The island on the left is our destination."

Ouyang pointed curiously at the main island: "What is that place?"

“That’s St. Colucci Island, the main island of the Canon Islands, and the temporary capital of Eguardour! The epidemic in South America is too severe. The entire territory of Eguardour has fallen, leaving only these few islands.” Lu Wei sighed. “There aren’t many native inhabitants on the islands. Most of these people now are wealthy people from their own country and neighboring countries who fled after the outbreak of the epidemic.”

Zhu Yiming suddenly realized: "No wonder there were so many yachts!"

Lu Wei pointed to the island on the left: "That's Saint Coridova. We thought the name was too long and too convoluted, so we just call it Saint Coridova Island... The government has agreed to give the provisional government some support in exchange for the right to use Coridova to resettle our evacuated compatriots. In addition, they are also planning to put the research center from the ship on the island."

"I see!" Ouyang understood.

Saint-Va Island has no port at all, only a simple dock, where two unmanned transport ships are moored side by side, and a group of workers are using cranes to unload containers from the ships and neatly stack them on the open ground.

A little further away, a group of construction vehicles were leveling the land and laying asphalt, and the road was extending into the island at a visible speed.

Xu Yi's voice suddenly came from behind the group: "Everyone, listen to me for a moment... No need to be so serious, I'm just saying something casually."

He paused deliberately, waiting for everyone to look over before continuing: "This island is our destination. As you can see, the infrastructure on the island is very poor. There is still a lot of work to be done to make use of this island, but we are severely understaffed!"

"So, starting today, all non-essential personnel on the ship will come ashore to help. Those with skills, whether carpenters, bricklayers, or electricians, will all be assigned. Those without skills are fine too; we'll have experienced workers mentoring newcomers to get them up to speed as quickly as possible... Remember, this won't be free work!"

Zhu Yiming immediately perked up, but because there were so many people, he couldn't ask directly. He quietly nudged Ou Yang's lower back and asked, "What does this mean? Are you paying me?"

Ouyang hesitated: "Maybe!"

He still had some rice dollars, but they depreciated too quickly and were now barely worth any money.

"Alright!" Xu Yi clapped his hands. "Hurry up and eat, we'll arrange to go to the island soon!"

The crowd dispersed in twos and threes, and Zhu Yiming asked again, "What technology do you know?"

Ou Yang felt a little stifled and shook his head: "What about you?"

"An electrician, I guess," Zhu Yiming had already decided. "I'm good at that. Sister Wei, what about you?"

"Me?" Jiang Yuwei was a little confused, unable to think of anything she was good at. "I'm a girl, and I'm still in the lab, so I shouldn't need to go to the island, right?"

Zhu Yiming immediately objected: "No, why don't women have to go to the island? Isn't this supposed to be gender equality? Is this how equality works?"

Jiang Yuwei immediately lost her temper and kicked him, saying, "Zhu Yiming, are you out of your mind?"

Zhu Yiming laughed loudly and ran away.

Ou Yang couldn't help but smile: "Don't mind him, this kid is just a show-off, the more you care about him, the more energetic he becomes." Jiang Yuwei brushed a stray hair behind her ear and suddenly smiled: "Ou Yang, I know what you're good at."

Ou Yang was taken aback: "What?"

Jiang Yuwei bent her arm and made a gesture to show off her biceps: "Strength, this is perfect for you."

Ou Yang's face darkened: "So, all I can do is be a laborer, huh?"

Reaching out to grab her, Jiang Yuwei laughed and ran away, leaving behind a string of cheerful laughter.

Ou Yang shook his head and chuckled, then followed after him.

I've known Jiang Yuwei for quite some time, but this is the first time I've discovered such a lively side of her.

Well, it wasn't exactly a disguise; it was just that the atmosphere in the epidemic area was too oppressive. In that heavy atmosphere, no matter what kind of personality you have, you will be affected by the environment.

Now that we are far from the epidemic area and safe, my mood is gradually relaxing and I am slowly revealing my truest self.

After breakfast, Ou Yang and Zhu Yiming found Lu Wei and explained their respective strengths.

Zhu Yiming was alright, but when Ou Yang said he was stronger, Lu Wei was speechless: "No, we have excavators, backhoes, and cranes. No matter how strong you are, can you beat the machines? Can you compete with hydraulics?"

Ou Yang gave him a "I trust you" look and said, "Anyway, that's settled. You decide what to do!"

Lu Wei sighed: "Alright, come with me."

"where to?"

"Where else can we go? Let's go get our equipment!" Lu Wei said irritably.

"Huh?" Ou Yang was taken aback. "Aren't we supposed to be doing engineering work, like beasts of burden? Why would we need equipment?"

"Of course, it's better to be prepared!" Lu Wei said as he walked. "This place doesn't prohibit guns, it's not much better than the US."

Ouyang still didn't quite understand: "This isn't the main island, isn't it deserted?"

"Who said that?" Lu Wei retorted. "There are at least 30,000 to 40,000 locals on this island, of which more than 20,000 are natives and the rest are outsiders. However, they are all on the west side of Saint-Va Island, while our focus is on the east side. Also, the infrastructure here is too poor, so wealthy people are unwilling to come. Those who are willing to come have to be more or less wary of it."

Ouyang immediately understood that a loud drum doesn't need a heavy hammer.

South America, with its lack of gun control, is a haven for underground organizations and drug traffickers.

He really couldn't understand what the local government was doing. They had made such a mess of the country. He felt that if they had just brought a few students from the country, things wouldn't have gotten this chaotic.

"Didn't we rent the whole island?" Ouyang asked in surprise.

“It’s the whole island, but we also have to take care of the island’s native inhabitants. The interim government is eager to dump the burden on us.”

How could they abandon their own people to foreign countries? What kind of makeshift team is this?

Ou Yang's thoughts raced: "The rich are all on the main island, and the poor are all on the edges. Is this a form of differential treatment?"

“Capitalism, there’s nothing strange about it.” Lu Wei chuckled meaningfully.

Ou Yang suddenly noticed a strong sense of pride emanating from Lu Wei, a pride that was both reserved and self-restrained.

(End of this chapter)