Chapter 157: The Factory—A Showdown Between Man and Beast

Milk’s body was all soft flesh and thick fur, so falling onto the floor didn’t hurt at all. But being thrown down twice in a row, even a little animal would get angry, right?

Annoyed, it rubbed its head against the floor. Just as it was about to open its eyes and complain to its mistress—a little tantrum always worked as well as acting cute, since its soft-hearted mistress could never bring herself to scold it and was at a total loss with it—

Heh, as expected, females are easier to deal with. No, to be precise, Xiaobian is the cutest. Her soft, warm, wood-type embrace was just like her—always making Milk feel comfortable to its very bones.

Lost in these idle thoughts, a cold, deep male voice suddenly interrupted, startling Milk so much it froze and jerked its head up.

Gu Xu was holding a cup of barley tea, poured before he came upstairs. The faint smoky aroma was surprisingly pleasant.

He leaned against the railing, one arm crossed over his chest, the other holding the cup. He took a leisurely sip, his calm, indifferent gaze fixed on Milk, meeting its pretty, grape-like eyes.

Bian Changxi said this was his pet, but he didn’t really see it that way. From the beginning, Milk had always followed her. Still, the idea of helping her raise a pet sounded nice, so he gladly accepted it.

Besides, for some reason, this odd little creature always felt familiar to him, and he was quite fond of it.

But no matter how familiar or tolerant he was, there was one thing he couldn’t stand.

“Out in the wild, things are dangerous, and you dare to act on your own? Is this how a sidekick should behave?”

Yesterday, Milk had suddenly dashed out to hunt. Gu Xu wasn’t angry for any other reason, but because this careless creature dared to leave Bian Changxi alone. Judging by the situation, this wasn’t even the first time.

Milk glared back at him, but eventually gave in, turning its back in a huff—just like before, except now its brown mouse butt had become a fluffy white one.

Gu Xu was both exasperated and amused. “Quite the temper, aren’t you? And you think you’re in the right?”

“Come with me.”

His last words were soft but brooked no refusal. Milk tilted its head, hesitated, but eventually trotted after him.

The next morning, when Bian Changxi came downstairs, she saw Milk sitting upright on its haunches, forepaws raised, looking proud and imposing at Gu Xu’s feet. Its fluffy tail swished behind it, exuding the same sharp, proud aura it had when hunting.

Gu Xu, dressed casually, sat on the sofa reading a document, long fingers flipping pages, profile focused and elegant. Milk looked just like his loyal… dog.

Well, what she really wanted to say was, they both looked quite impressive.

She was stunned and slowed her steps. “Milk?!”

When did you ever sit so properly? Usually you’re either sprawled out or curled up, as if you don’t have a single good bone in your body.

Milk turned its head, eyes lighting up. It stuck out its tongue, lifted its butt, and rushed over, its regal aura instantly shattered.

But Bian Changxi’s next words were: “Did you get fatter again?!”

With a “thud,” Milk, eager for comfort, flopped dramatically onto the floor, rolled over in a huff, and refused to acknowledge her.

Suppressing a laugh, Bian Changxi scooped up its plump, warm body and sat on the sofa, turning it this way and that. “Alright, maybe you’re not fatter, just a bit bigger. How did you change so much overnight?”

Its fur was whiter—probably thanks to Gu Xu washing it. Thicker—maybe the result of a wash and blow-dry. Heavier—probably from overeating again. But its whole shape had grown…

She poked its now larger, wider, soft ears, then pried open its mouth to check its bigger, sharper teeth. She looked at Gu Xu in confusion.

Gu Xu glanced up from his papers. “It probably absorbed a lot of essence blood yesterday.”

Bian Changxi suddenly understood. “No wonder it never seemed to grow before—so this is how it gets bigger.”

It needed essence blood? But judging by how Milk looked down on most animals, there couldn’t be many animals with essence blood around, so wouldn’t it grow very slowly? As she muttered to herself, she sneakily squeezed its soft, warm belly fat and whispered, “Still, you did get fatter.”

Milk bared its teeth at her.

Gu Xu nodded in agreement from across the room. “It needs more exercise. I plan to take it for two laps every day.”

Bian Changxi nodded, then hesitated. “Will running help?”

It was lazy, sure, but when it needed to, it could run just fine—and it never got any thinner.

Gu Xu paused, looking at Milk, who was listening with wide eyes. “Then… how about a diet?”

Milk immediately turned anxiously to Bian Changxi. She hesitated—this little thing was such a glutton, and for the sake of its “glorious image,” it always snacked in secret. Just the other day, it was sitting on her pillow, happily munching on chips and chicken legs.

She sometimes suspected it stuck around her just because her food stores were plentiful and she was generous with them.

Would dieting be a death sentence for it?

Gu Xu added lightly, “If it gets any fatter, its joints will get stiff. Out in the wild…”

Bian Changxi immediately said, “Then let’s try dieting and see how it goes.”

Milk buried its head in her arms, grumbling and nudging her. How could they do this? What’s wrong with a few snacks!

Gu Xu smiled faintly, then quickly composed himself, closed the document, and handed it to Bian Changxi. “Take a look.”

Bian Changxi took it, glanced over, and immediately shifted her attention from Milk to the document, sitting up straight to read.

Milk fussed for a while, but when Bian Changxi ignored it, it turned to glare at Gu Xu. Gu Xu’s gaze was clear and calm as he glanced at Milk, who bared its teeth, glared, and swished its tail in frustration. Gu Xu got up and brought a cup of milk and a plate of bacon toast from the kitchen, setting them in front of Bian Changxi.

Milk’s eyes went wide, instantly looking pleading as it crawled over, acting like a total suck-up.

After skimming the document, Bian Changxi looked up in surprise. “They’re working fast.”

Yesterday’s strange tree—the one later known as the Xuan Iron Tree—Gu Xu had given a small sample to his people. Overnight, they’d listed out dozens of data points: density, hardness, strength, ductility, conductivity, and more, along with various analyses and suggestions for use. To Bian Changxi’s delight, someone had even proposed using the material to upgrade current firearms and increase their power.

She checked the name on the proposal: Luo Jiuqing. She remembered him—he’d worked at the Su City Base Research Institute in her previous life, later moving to Tengyang Base. He was talented but eccentric, not very popular, and not as well-known as Qu Yi.

Recently, Gu Pei had wanted to expand his operations, so Gu Xu simply set up a studio for him. The team included people analyzing phenomena, researching regulations, and developing new technologies. Naturally, they needed to recruit, but since they hadn’t openly advertised for technical talent, most applicants were office workers, and only a few with a hint of research background made it through.

Bian Changxi had donated the big “Da Ge Da” communication device confiscated from the Jiandai Tunnel. When she delivered it, she happened to catch Luo Jiuqing’s interview and kept him on the team.

Gu Xu nodded. “The proposals still need to be discussed in a meeting. We’ll pick the most valuable and feasible ones to develop detailed plans. The next step is testing. Do you have any suggestions?”

Bian Changxi smiled. “I think Luo Jiuqing’s idea is pretty good. We got twenty-four Xuan… trees yesterday, totaling seven or eight tons. Not all parts are usable, and after tests and experiments, there won’t be much left for actual production. For vehicles or buildings, it’s not enough, but for firearms and bullets, the material goes further.”

Gu Xu agreed and gestured for her to eat. “Besides firearms, making knives and axes is also a good option. But that’s all precision work. Ah Pei said even cutting this material is tough right now. There’s still a long way to go before mass production.”

“Mm.” Bian Changxi bit into the bacon, only then noticing the others weren’t around. She looked around. “Where’s Ah Pei?”

“He’s busy—left early this morning.”

Qiu Feng and Qiu Yun were gone too. Ah Nan was walking Wu Dalang in the yard, and Aunt Zhao had just taken breakfast to the Shadow Room. Sigh, such a big villa felt empty with so few people.

She glanced down and found Milk sitting properly at her feet again. Curious, she wondered how it had suddenly become so well-behaved.

Gu Xu asked, “Do you have plans today?”

“I’ll check on Old Wu and Shadow, then go to the hospital. After that, nothing. I was planning to come back and do some gardening, inventory the supplies, and maybe add some furniture to the villa. You?”

“I need to go to the factory. Want to come?”

The so-called factory was a facility run by Jiangcheng’s own people, built on land Gu Xu had fought hard to secure.

Inside, Gu Xu’s management team oversaw everything. They hired managers, designers, business experts, negotiators, and top talent from all fields, then recruited suitable workers. Their main tasks were solving Jiangcheng’s water and electricity issues, renovating sewers, building and repairing houses, producing new clothes, making weapons, refurbishing old furniture and tools, and even repairing vehicles and transporting goods. Meat, hides, bones from mutant beasts, and edible plants from outside could also be processed in specialized departments.

It wasn’t about making huge profits. The main purpose was to provide jobs, solve people’s daily problems, circulate resources, and boost everyone’s motivation and initiative. In short, the factory was a major hub. It might not yet connect all 400,000–500,000 residents of Jiangcheng, since it was still small, but it gave people a sense of having their own center for work and activity. Production meant progress, meant life was improving. It was a shot of confidence and a powerful signal that things were getting better.

PS:

Thank you to “Le de Xihongshi” for the pink ticket!"