Steel torrents pioneering a different world.

Chapter 328 When you're dealing with someone, you have to be completely open and honest! Things are steadily improving! (Bonus Chapter)

dong dong dong ——

The giant road roller emitted a deep roar, and with each roll of its steel wheels, it flattened the newly paved gravel road ahead.

With a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, Rotten Fish skillfully maneuvered his modified, low-slung JAC three-wheeled motorcycle.

This JAC brand special tricycle is his prized possession. In the beginning, there were no suitable tools available, so it was necessary to produce and research them in a specialized way.

His tricycle was specially made to fit his height of just over one meter.

As soon as the road roller moved away, he twisted the throttle, and the truck bed, full of building materials, jolted as it drove toward a newly planned path.

[Please be careful while reversing—]

[Please be careful while reversing!]

A emotionless, mechanical female voice rang out among the dwarves, and a new dwarf was dragged away in a daze.

An older dwarf next to him slapped him on the back of the head. "Hearing that sound means the human alchemical creations are retreating. We can't just stand there like idiots! Hey, go, get to work!"

The rotten fish came to a steady stop at the fork in the road. With a pull of the control lever, the truck bed tilted, and 500 kilograms of stones mixed with mud and sand poured down with a clatter.

The dwarf workers, wearing thick cloth masks, immediately surrounded him, wielding their picks and shovels, and quickly spread out the stones.

After more than ten days of work, they have become accustomed to this efficient assembly line operation.

As soon as the truckload of gravel was laid, the team responsible for mixing cement followed. The gray cement slurry was evenly covered, and a crossroads, a common sight in small parks, gradually took shape through the combined efforts of people and dwarfs, machines and physical strength.

Just as Rotten Fish was about to unload a truckload of materials, his walkie-talkie crackled to life.

"Construction Team No. 19, lunch is in fifteen minutes! Repeat, Construction Team No. 19, lunch is in fifteen minutes!"

"Team Nineteen received!" Rotten Fish answered, picking up the walkie-talkie.

Then he whistled loudly at the group of dwarves who were sweating profusely, "Guys! That's a wrap! Put the tools away before you go eat!"

The dwarves cheered and quickly gathered their tools together.

Rotten Fish inventoried and stored all the tools, then locked them with a large iron chain before leading the group in a grand procession toward the construction site canteen.

Today's meal was quite plentiful.

A large iron basin was filled with glossy, oily braised seafood and meat, while another large pot contained stewed lamb with big ears until it was tender and mushy, the aroma of the meat wafting far and wide.

There were also bright green bok choy, refreshing lettuce salad, a plate of golden and fragrant stir-fried eggs with chili peppers, and stir-fried eggs with tomatoes.

"Same as always, extra meat!" Rotten Fish grinned at the dwarf woman serving the food.

These dwarf-like cooks are much more efficient than the cafeteria ladies on some planet who shake their food when serving it.

He carried his mountain of food trays, found an empty seat, and sat down. He had just taken a couple of bites of rice and gulped down a mouthful of seaweed and egg drop soup when a dozen or so people suddenly walked in through the cafeteria entrance.

Because the visitors were of varying heights, Rotten Fish subconsciously glanced at them.

He paused in his eating, forgetting to chew the mutton in his mouth.

Those people weren't from the construction site.

The dwarf in the lead walked side by side with two serious-looking humans.

The dwarves weren't wearing their work clothes, but rather well-tailored, spotless silk robes, and their combat boots were polished to a shine.

Behind him followed several equally well-dressed dwarves—they stood out starkly from the bustling atmosphere of the dining hall.

The leading dwarf official's gaze swept around the dining hall, finally settling precisely on the area where Rotten Fish and his group were located.

A human official next to him leaned over and whispered something.

The dwarf official nodded, then strode towards the table of rotten fish.

Seeing that the other party seemed to be heading this way, Rotten Fish's heart skipped a beat.

The spoon holding the rotten fish hung in mid-air, and his heart clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he instinctively lowered his head, pretending to concentrate on eating, but his ears were perked up, trying to catch any sounds from the other side.

Damn it, the law enforcement team actually came here!

Could it be that some old, messy thing has been brought up again?

"That's it, might as well eat more rice! At least you'll die a well-fed ghost!"

With that thought in mind, his head buzzing, he forced food into his mouth.

However, the braised seafood that was just fragrant now tastes bland and tasteless.

He immediately lowered his head, feeling bitter inside.

Just as Rotten Fish was sinking into despair, the group of people had already passed through the noisy tables and chairs and walked straight toward his corner.

The surrounding noise subsided, and many of the dwarf workers stopped eating and looked at the newcomer with awe.

"Young man, is the food to your liking?"

A gentle voice sounded overhead.

Rotten Fish froze, slowly raising its head to see a wrinkled but energetic face.

It was Elder Bellegas!

He hurriedly stood up, causing the stool beneath him to slide backward with a piercing creak.

"It's to my liking! Elder, I'm eating very well!" Rotten Fish's voice trembled slightly, and he didn't know where to put his hands.

"As long as you're eating well." Bellegas chuckled, sizing up the young man, his gaze sweeping over his muscular arms and the overflowing plate. "I heard from my human friends that you were among the first to join their construction team. Good job. In a few more months, you'll be eligible for housing in our new city, right?"

Housing eligibility?

Rotten Fish was stunned, his mind a little slow to process what was happening.

He had assumed they were there to interrogate him and take him away for trial, but he hadn't expected them to bring this up instead.

His tense nerves immediately relaxed considerably, and he hurriedly explained, "Ah? Well—elder, not yet! I just wanted to contribute more to the clan, but there's so little work we can do, and my skills aren't great either—right, I also have elderly relatives to support, so I need to find a job!"

This statement was half true and half false; the language was positive, but the attitude was sincere.

"Sigh, you've all had a tough time these past years." Bellegas's smile faded slightly, replaced by a touch of melancholy. "Human friends are great. Working with them, I can learn things and have enough to eat. Living in the houses they build is a good thing too."

After saying that, he suddenly reached out and patted the hand that was holding the chopsticks.

"From now on, when you're tired, just rest well at the construction site or at home, and spend more time with your family."

Bellergas's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

As soon as he finished speaking, Rotten Fish felt a tightness on the back of his hand. Bellegas's seemingly withered palm was now exerting an undeniable force, squeezing his bones until they ached.

"Don't go to those messy, disreputable places anymore. I'm afraid some people might retaliate against you in a chaotic way!"

"Also, if you're staying here among humans, you must obey the law and absolutely cannot break it. Otherwise, you'll pay with your life, and blood will be used to settle scores!"

"Do you understand?"

As the other person spoke, their strength increased again.

Is this a hint?

"————Okay!" Rotten Fish nodded almost subconsciously, his mind blank.

Bellegas then released his grip, reverting to his amiable demeanor, and together with Dou Jiankang, the human representative beside him, they walked to another table.

Only after those figures had disappeared into the distance did Rotten Fish finally let out a long sigh of relief, plopped back down on the bench, his back already covered in a cold sweat.

The pressure from this elder was immense.

Wang Kaixuan, who was at the end of the line, glanced at Lanyu as he passed by. When he confirmed that it was Lanyu's face, his eyes flickered slightly, as if he understood something.

He quietly took two steps back, pulled out a human-shaped communicator, quickly typed a message, and then clicked send.

The atmosphere only warmed up again when only the workers remained in the restaurant.

"Ancestors above, why is our elder here for dinner again?"

"Again? The elder has been here before?" a newly arrived dwarf asked curiously.

"He came to inspect the place yesterday! But last time he just came to eat and chat with some random people! This time he actually chatted with Rotten Fish. Rotten Fish is really lucky!"

"Could it be that the elders think it's a bit inappropriate for us to work with humans?" a sensitive dwarf whispered, speculating.

"Nonsense! Elder Bellegas said it himself, it's to solve our food problem! So many of our people have no work, so following our human friends means they'll have meat to eat, what's wrong with that?"

Rotten Fish silently ate his rice, not missing a single word of the surrounding chatter.

The more he pondered the elder's actions in seeking him out today, the more he realized that things were not so simple.

Elder Bellegas's words, and that final firm grip, were definitely a reminder to him.

Don't go to those messy, disreputable places anymore.

He recalled the underground taverns he used to frequent, and the black market channels once used by the old nobles who had been purged.

Rotten Fish's eyes flickered uncertainly as a thought, chilling him to the bone, gradually surfaced in his mind.

"Did the elder know what we did before?"

"so----"

"Captain, it's time to eat!"

"oh oh----"

After a satisfying meal and a short half-hour break, the roar of machinery returned to the construction site.

In order to catch up with the progress of some infrastructure projects, I have been working from 8 am to 8 pm every day, which is more than two hours longer than usual.

The dwarves had no complaints about this. They had work to do, received full wages, and even received extra subsidies for overtime work. This was something they would never have dared to dream of in the past.

As night deepened and the whistle signaled the end of the workday, the dwarves, their legs feeling like lead, returned in twos and threes.

Rotten Fish had just locked his tools in the storage room and hadn't even had time to wipe the sweat from his face when a human engineer called out to him.

"Lavro Rotten Fish, don't go yet, someone over there wants you to come over."

Rotten Fish's heart skipped a beat; his heart, which had just calmed down, started pounding wildly again.

Come again?

He was terrified that his misdeeds would be exposed. If humans discovered what he had done, he would definitely be kicked out of the construction team.

This job is very important to him.

Feeling uneasy, he followed the human to the temporary office not far away.

When they arrived at the destination and opened the door, Rotten Fish froze completely.

Instead of the stern-faced law enforcement team he had imagined, the room was filled with familiar faces.

His family, his best buddy whom he had hung out with a few days ago, and their elders.

They're all here!

"What...what is this for?" Rotten Fish's mind went blank.

"Rotten fish! What are you standing there for, you idiot?!" One of the workers rushed up and punched him hard, his face beaming with barely suppressed elation. "We got our stone houses ahead of schedule! They were given to us by our human friends! Real stone and cement houses, not those makeshift tin shacks we used to live in!"

Humans initially provided the dwarves with only temporary insulated prefabricated houses and public bathrooms, which were better than many of the dwarves' original dwellings, but were ultimately temporary.

After the initial novelty wore off, the dwarves began to notice many of its shortcomings.

However, they were envious when they heard about the new house.

But in the minds of all the lower-class dwarves, those sturdy cement buildings under construction were intended for nobles and important figures; they, the peasants, should be content to live in prefab houses.

Who would have thought that happiness would come so suddenly!

"Look at how scared you are, your face turned pale. Did you think you were going to be dragged away and beheaded?" another friend chimed in.

"Hahaha—" Rotten Fish laughed awkwardly.

Then, surrounded by a crowd, he followed along, feeling dizzy, to see the house.

When he pushed open the brand-new wooden door, smelled the faint scent of lime and paint, and saw the smooth, flat walls assembled by the quick-fit suit, as well as the bright glass windows, a surge of emotion welled up in his eyes.

He reached out and touched the smooth wall as if caressing a precious treasure, his fingertips seemingly feeling a heavy sense of security.

This will be his home from now on.

In the blink of an eye, a thought flashed through his chaotic thoughts like lightning.

"They found us, but didn't deal with us! And the humans gave us houses?"

"By the way, have you heard about Rotten Fish?" the waiter beside him said in a low voice, mysteriously. "This afternoon, that guy in town who was 'Jett Sawyer's white glove' was personally ordered to be disposed of by Elder Bellegas! The body's already cold, what a relief!"

The rotten fish shuddered.

At noon, Elder Bellegas gave a pointed warning and a firm handshake.

That night, this unexpected and generous reward was enough to make any dwarf envious.

In addition to this news—

All the clues connected in his mind, and a startling guess made him break out in a cold sweat.

They know everything!

Whether it was the "side jobs" he and his coworkers did, or the potential trouble that might follow, it was all under the watchful eyes of those big shots!

Is this house not a reward, but a peace of mind payment? Or hush money?

The rotten fish shuddered, all hope gone.

"Looks like there are some places I absolutely can't go to anymore, or I won't even know how I died!"

He clenched his fists, glanced back at his brightly lit new home and the joyful tears on his family's faces, and only one thought remained in his mind.

Working with humans is not bad.

From now on, you have to be completely open and honest with me.

As night fell, Wang Kaixuan brewed himself a cup of "Grandpa Doesn't Make Tea" and then began organizing the documents he had to work on during the day.

Although Dou Jiankang and his team had handled a lot of things, Wang Kaixuan's side needed to reclassify and organize everything.

dong dong dong~

"Come in!"

"Secretary Wang, arrangements have been made for Dwarf Lavrov and the others. We will also conduct appropriate re-education work regarding their illegal and criminal activities!"

"Okay, sure. Are they satisfied with the house?"

"Everyone expressed great satisfaction!"

"That's good!" Wang Kaixuan smiled. "Initially, we'll provide basic bare-bones apartments. Once they're suitable, we can do the interior decoration."

.

Since Bellegas came in person and specifically spoke to that Lavro Rotten Fish, then everyone should have a tacit understanding.

Although some of Lavro’s actions were rather radical, this has always been the way dwarves do things.

What humanity needs to do is not to push out rotten fish and others, as that would discourage others.

As long as Bellegas provides protection and everyone maintains a tacit understanding, then some of Lavrov's actions will not occur.

This is precisely the kind of choice that some adults have to make.

After that was dealt with, Wang Kaixuan continued to organize and file today's tedious tasks.

Bellegas punished the Nari family, who were the ringleaders, today. His swift and decisive actions made Wang Kaixuan and the others feel the cruelty of the other world once again.

But this only strengthened my resolve to pursue my dream of being a revolutionary marvel.

During dinner tonight, Bellegas also spoke quite a bit with the humans.

It wasn't a heartfelt conversation, but the subtext was clear—as long as it's legal and compliant, and brings positive results that benefit more dwarves, then feel free to do it.

He shouldered the pressure from the dwarves.

This led Dou Jiankang and Wang Kaixuan to believe that Bellegas was a person they could get along with.

If the other party wants to be king—

This distance is too far to consider.

However, humans can work with Bellagas to transform the tranquil port into a model city.

The three-race alliance and the human army of over 30,000 are currently working together to resolve the issue of the celestial convergence.

Although the daily consumption of military and logistical supplies is enormous, the reclamation team is not backed by the Russians, so there is no need to worry about logistical supplies. The energetic reclamation team is sweeping away the anomalies in a thorough manner.

Perhaps it won't be long before the danger is brought under control.

In addition to this, the first batch of supermarkets for the dwarves has been completed and is now waiting for the right time to open for business.

As Wang Kaixuan processed the documents, he saw that the bridge construction connecting the Ningjing Port base to the Pangule Fortress base, dozens of kilometers away, had been completed.

It's not some grand bridge, but a steel structure that can carry hundreds of tons of weight and has a lifespan of several decades.

Once these structures are completed, it will mean that humanity can transport supplies from the time portal at Pangolier Fortress more conveniently and quickly via ground-based methods, instead of relying on air power.

"Unfortunately, the Time-Space Cube consumes too much electricity. In some time, when human ships can transport and navigate in the Devil's Sea, that will be the time when the Time-Space Gate closes."

After Wang Kaixuan finished dealing with these matters, he stretched and sent the information to his superior, Li Weiguo.