A Maybach on a rainy night? Talk to my Levadin!

But then again, the candy he brought was really delicious.

What were you doing just now? Building a house?

Beagle ran up to Zhao Zizhan, tilted his head and asked, his eyes glancing curiously at the stack of modular panels behind him.

Zhao Zizhan smiled and nodded, "Yes, there are quite a few infected people in Rembiton's camp. They need a place to live that can shelter them from the wind and rain at night, so I brought some modular light houses over so that they can have a place to stay first."

"Modular houses? Are they safe?"

Hibiscus immediately pressed on, her brows furrowing slightly with worry, "And why not let them stay on the island? Rhodes Island may not have many rooms, but we can always squeeze in some!"

Zhao Zizhan gently shook his head and patiently explained, "They were just rescued from the disaster, and their bodies and minds haven't fully recovered yet. If we suddenly put them in our familiar ship, facing an unfamiliar environment and people, they'll easily feel insecure. Besides, a home they build themselves will feel more secure and comfortable, won't it? Watching their houses being built little by little will help them slowly regain hope for life."

“That makes sense… Zizhan, did you bring us any candy? We’ve finished all of ours, and Sister Jianlei told us to come find you!”

"Candy? Sure, I'll try to get you some later..."

Please help me

Just as the children were about to surround Zhao Zizhan, asking "When can we get the candy?", Raidian's gentle voice came from afar: "Alright, children, stop surrounding Zizhan. It's time for everyone to go eat dinner now."

"Ah! It's the evil four-armed monster! Everyone, run!"

"If I get arrested, they'll read my mind!!"

Several children scattered like startled sparrows, and the remaining children quickly greeted Raidian and hurriedly chased after him, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"You lot! If I ever hear you call Raidian that again, you'll never get candy for the rest of your lives!"

Zhao Zizhan shouted loudly in the direction the children had run off into, his tone serious but not really angry. He knew the children were just joking, but he didn't want Raidian to be upset by these jokes.

"Ah!!! No, Brother Zizhan, we were wrong!!"

From afar came the children's tearful responses, along with a few frantic cries of "We'll never call them again!"

"They're just kids, Zizhan, don't take it too seriously."

Raidian walked over to Zhao Zizhan and comforted him with a smile. In truth, she didn't care about these little jokes. Compared to the nicknames she had been given back in Ursus, "Evil Four-Armed Monster" was nothing more than innocent childish talk.

But Zhao Zizhan would make a point of protecting her feelings and caring whether she would be upset by these titles, which warmed Raidian's heart.

Moreover, through the electrical signals she sensed using Originium Arts, she could clearly tell that Zhao Zizhan was genuinely concerned about her when he said those words, without any perfunctory attitude.

It's not easy to find someone who truly cares for you in this life, which is why Raidian is so gratified.

"That won't do!"

Zhao Zizhan shook his head seriously. “Children are like blank slates. Whether they are kind or mischievous, their thoughts are very pure. But precisely because of this, they need proper education to guide their behavior. We cannot use ‘being young’ as an excuse to offend others. If they do something that might upset others and do not receive timely guidance, then the fault lies with us, their guardians. If we don’t teach them well now, they may gradually forget how to respect others.”

Raidian looked at Zhao Zizhan's serious expression and couldn't help but reach out and gently pat his head, smiling with narrowed eyes: "Our little Zizhan, you're so young, yet you look so old."

Raidian's gaze inadvertently swept over the modular housing panels piled up not far away. Suddenly remembering something, he turned his head and asked Zhao Zizhan, "By the way, did you bring those modular housing platforms from your hometown? I've never seen this design in Terra before. They're quick and easy to assemble, almost like they were designed specifically for temporary housing."

"Yes, this is a common temporary housing design in our area. When we went to the infected camp before, we saw that the infected were either crammed into drafty sheds or could only set up simple tents in the wild. It was cold and damp at night. Now that they are working with us, they can't be like they used to be. So I thought that before the formal accommodation area is built, I should first build them a simple but safe temporary accommodation area. This thing comes in handy."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, explaining in detail: "Look, all the parts are prefabricated. No complicated tools are needed. A few adults can assemble one in about half an hour. Moreover, I specially chose a thick polymer insulation layer in the middle, so even if Rembiton cools down at night, the room can maintain a relatively stable temperature and insulate against heat during the day. The outer panels are also waterproofed, so there's no need to worry about leaks when it rains. Whether in terms of living comfort or wind and rain resistance, it's much better than setting up a tent in the wild. At least they can sleep soundly without worrying about being woken up by the wind or getting soaked in the rain at night."

"However, this thing isn't perfect. The biggest problem is that its current strength is a bit weak. The climate here in Terra is much more complex than in my hometown, and considering the differences in physical fitness among different races, while the current material can handle daily use, it might not be strong enough in extreme situations. So I'd like to ask the engineers to help upgrade the material and structural strength of the material, so that it can maintain its lightweight advantage while improving safety."

"Upgrade materials?"

Raidian looked puzzled and raised an eyebrow, asking, "What are you planning to do? Do you want to promote this kind of temporary housing in more places?"

"Yes"

Zhao Zizhan nodded and said, "It's not just about promotion. I plan to apply for a patent for this modular, simple housing platform in Colombia after we complete the material and structural upgrades. Colombia is currently in the midst of a great era of pioneering, with merchants venturing into remote areas everywhere. When they lead their teams out there, what they lack most is stable temporary shelter. Tents are not windproof, and building their own wooden houses takes too much time. This modular housing can meet their needs perfectly and will definitely be very popular."

More importantly, I also want to use it to negotiate a big deal with Lungmen.

With Talulah's identity as his backing and the intelligence that Old Chen has been infected, Zhao Zizhan said, "Wei Yanwu, with both of your daughters in my hands, what can you do against me?"

Both Reunion and Rhodes Island now need a big deal that can make them famous.

A single stroke can influence the entire business of Longmen.

PS: Sorry everyone, I'm late. I'll post another chapter tonight as compensation for the PS I accidentally typed in the wrong place yesterday while I was still half asleep. Please remember not to watch any of those 4DX movies, my back almost broke from the jolting when I came out of the theater.

Chapter 150 Return.

"Little Zizhan has a good business sense... but we still need to ask everyone's opinion on this matter~"

She could clearly see the burning ambition hidden in the young man's eyes, as bright and intense as a newly lit bonfire.

This is not meant to be derogatory. This land has never lacked ambitious people. Some wage war for power, while others exploit infected people for profit. Their methods are full of calculation and coldness, completely different from the boy in front of us.

He was an ordinary person, yet he had no prejudice against the infected and even went out of his way to help them. He did not advocate for confrontation to solve the problem, nor did he encourage war to exacerbate the conflict. Instead, he was finding a solution through his own path. This child was a born Rhodes Islander.

ㄚi0?㈡樲汃⑶檪⑨汃

"Of course, after all, Miss Kelsey still needs to handle the patent application in Columbia."

"Our leader hasn't even given his approval yet, and you've already arranged everything for Miss Kal'tsit's follow-up work? Oh dear, Zizhan, what a display of official arrogance..."

Raidian deliberately dragged out his words.

"Raidian, please stop teasing me..."

……

Inside the command center, Amiya and Kal'tsit, along with a group of elite operators, sat at the conference table, while Mechanist was examining a piece of wood brought by Zhao Zizhan.

"interesting……"

Mechanist tapped the surface of the board with his knuckles, producing a crisp sound. "The inner layer is a polymer insulation layer that can absorb energy and keep the heat in place. There is a metal mesh in the middle to stabilize the structure, and the outer layer has a metal shell to protect against impacts... It's a very practical industrial design."

Mechanist broke off a piece of the insulation layer, examined it for a moment, and said, "If we want to increase its strength, we can only try to improve the outer metal casing. Perhaps we could try changing the material of the outer metal casing? ...However, I study mechanical engineering, so this is just a suggestion..."

“Not very feasible,” Wendy shook her head. “Or could we add some carbon fiber inside these insulation layers? That way, the weight of the module wouldn’t change much, but the structural strength would increase significantly.”

"Kroos, what's your opinion?"

"I think this plan is feasible, but we need to find the detailed proportions of this polymer first..."

"The formulation of the plan and its subsequent implementation will be decided after Rhodes Island clarifies its research direction. At the current stage, our top priority should be to clarify Rhodes Island's future path—this is more substantial than any unproven plan."

Seeing the engineering department operators start studying the new equipment, completely absorbed in their own world and oblivious to everything else, Kal'tsit could only offer a silent reminder.

"Ah...oh...okay." Several staff members from the engineering department silently placed the boards and sat up straight.

Mechanist also placed the small piece of insulation on the table, and because of static electricity, some of it stuck to his hand, so he had to shake it several times to get it off.

"So... regarding what Agent Zizhan raised..."

Before Amiya could finish speaking, Zhao Zizhan silently came to her side and added an extra thick cushion to her seat.

Now, Amiya's height while sitting is finally the same as Kal'tsit's.

There was nothing he could do. With a young emperor and a suspicious court, and the empress dowager exuding domineering power, he, as a loyal minister, could only think of some solutions.

"Thank you, Operator Zizhan."

Amiya turned her head, a smile in her eyes, and nodded politely in thanks, her two erect ears twitching.

"No need, no need, keep it up, leader!"

Zhao Zizhan made a "Fighting" gesture and then silently returned to his seat.

"What are your thoughts on the proposed temporary housing plan for the development zone and impoverished infected individuals, as suggested by Agent Zizhan?"

Amiya looked at the operators around her.

The officers from the Beijing camp, who had spent years living in the wild, immediately raised their hands, their tone filled with agreement: "I think it's excellent! These planks are lightweight and have a stable structure. They can provide shelter from the wind and rain in the wild, which is much better than those leaky wooden sheds and easily broken tents. The infected will definitely find them useful!"

"I also……"

"Would this type of housing also be a good option as a temporary field hospital in the future?"

The operators were buzzing with discussion, but Zhao Zizhan remained calm and unperturbed. He couldn't think of any reason why Amiya would refuse such a profitable deal.

……

At the integrated sports camp, no one spoke; only the sound of wind whipping snowflakes against the tent fabric filled the air with an unyielding anxiety. They were waiting—waiting for their family members who had gone to "work" to return, waiting for news that would put their minds at ease.

No news at this moment is the worst news.

Finally, someone couldn't help but break the silence: "Do you think... they can come back?"

The speaker was a woman huddled in the corner of the tent.

A bearded infected man next to him scoffed, his tone full of pessimism: "I doubt it. I haven't heard of any bases being built nearby. Maybe...maybe they've all been taken away and disposed of."

"What do you mean? Are you questioning whether the leader is in cahoots with those old men?"

One of the infected people nearby was furious upon hearing this.

"I didn't say that!"

The bearded man immediately waved his hand, but still stubbornly insisted, "I just felt something was off, it's just a reasonable guess!"

"A reasonable guess? You're ungrateful! If it weren't for the leader, we would have died in the ice field long ago, at the hands of those pickets!"

The infected person was about to step forward when the people around him quickly pulled him back, and the scene immediately became chaotic.

"Stop arguing! Stop arguing!"

Suddenly, a child's voice rang out. He pointed into the distance, his eyes filled with surprise, "The vehicles are here! They're tracked vehicles! They're back!"

The infected people rushed toward the tracked vehicle, with countless people harboring all sorts of questions: were all those enticing conditions they had been promised really true?

Dust billowed in the distance as several tracked vehicles slowly approached.

As the rumbling of the tracked vehicles grew closer, the doors finally opened, and the first group of members heading to the Rhodes Island camp to work stepped off. Most of them looked exhausted, but the anxiety they had felt at the start of their journey was gone. They were carrying bulging bags—containing the boxed meals that would be distributed that evening.

Almost everyone chose to return to the Reunion camp first. It wasn't that they didn't trust Rhodes Island, but their families and comrades were there, and their only personal belongings were still at the camp: a patched-up coat, a water bottle that had been used for many years, and even a few pieces of compressed biscuits that they couldn't bear to eat.

To survive in the wilderness, every resource must be carefully considered. The poorer they are, the more they like to hoard these "worthless" things. Even if they may not need these things in the future, it hurts them more than cutting off a piece of their own flesh to give them up.

"We're back!!"

These infected individuals wore cotton-padded coats on the outside, but underneath were brand-new Rhode Island uniforms.

Something called hope began to slowly grow from the frozen soil.

PS: I finished writing this in the middle of the night and fell asleep. Luckily, I woke up with a start, otherwise I would have broken my promise to post it at 10 a.m.

Chapter 151 Talulah can actually be womanly?

The tin sheds in the camp hummed in the cold wind, but couldn't drown out the shouts that rose and fell. The infected, wrapped in tattered cotton quilts, crowded on both sides of the hatch, some standing on tiptoe to peek inside, others rubbing their hands, which were red from the cold, their voices exploding like a pot boiling over.

"You're back!! How was it? How's the situation over there?"

"Is what they're saying true?"

"What are you holding in your hands? Is it food?"

"Oh dear, why are you wearing an extra layer of clothing?"

The construction workers, still sweating from the sweltering heat of Rembitton, shivered as soon as they stepped out of the tracked vehicle. A biting wind, carrying snowflakes, seeped into their collars, and they instinctively pulled their new clothes tighter around themselves—arguably the most valuable thing they owned.

Logically speaking, with such a huge temperature change, these workers should have stayed in the warm tracked vehicle for a while longer to adapt to the temperature difference before coming out. However, they were thinking about their families in the camp and couldn't wait to go home. As soon as the vehicle stopped, they rushed out.

Considering that the people of Terra are generally quite resilient, this temperature difference is nothing to these guys who do heavy work all year round. Since they are eager to go home, we let them go.

"I don't know exactly where it was, but I remember it was so hot I could hardly breathe, and I was constantly sweating. I only felt better after drinking some ice water..."

A man with a thick beard wiped his face, his tone still carrying a lingering fear of the sweltering heat.

"what??"

A gasp rippled through the crowd; they were so used to the harsh cold of Ursus that they couldn't imagine what it felt like to be "sweating from the heat."

"Yes, Rhodes Island is full of our infected brothers, just like us."

The bearded man changed the subject, a smile spreading across his face. "They weren't lying. When we went, everyone got new clothes and could even take a nice, relaxing shower."

A thousand words are not as real as the simple statement that the other side are all infected brothers. For the infected members of the Reunion Movement, they may not understand other things, but they can understand that infected people do not betray each other. As soon as they heard that they were all their own people, their tense nerves relaxed instantly, and the wariness in their eyes lessened considerably.

"New clothes and showers too???"

Someone murmured the same thing over and over, as if confirming the truth of the statement.

"What about the three meals a day you promised?"