Chapter 197: “Promotion—You’re a Genius!”

The person in charge at the gate hurried over, but was blocked from getting close to the car. He stood a few meters away from the window and spoke humbly, “Major Gu, we’ll handle this right away. We’ll have these people cleared out immediately. Please wait just a moment longer.”

Gu Xu sat in the car, staring straight ahead without saying a word.

Outside, a burly, cold-faced soldier was guarding the vehicle, looking down at the manager. “We can’t say much for your efficiency. Blocking the gate like this, do you know how many people you’re holding up? Since we’re here, we might as well help you take care of this!”

He jerked his head. “Take them down!”

Not only the manager, but also the crowd blocking the base gate were stunned. Even the bystanders were shocked by the soldier’s cold, decisive order—were they really about to open fire?

Before anyone could react, and without giving the troublemakers any chance to prepare or fight back, the soldiers on the military trucks cocked their guns with a series of sharp clicks, aiming as if ready to shoot. All eyes and pounding hearts were fixed on those gun barrels—but in the next instant, what shot out toward the terrified faces were not bullets, but whiplike vines and water whips. In a flash, the silent but bold troublemakers at the front were bound up and flung aside like sacks of potatoes.

Only then did the troublemakers react, scrambling to get up or break free, but the two hunting squads—forty people in all—moved even faster. They rushed forward with swift, practiced movements, pinning down, knocking over, or handcuffing the troublemakers at gunpoint. In the blink of an eye, everyone was subdued.

The manager was dumbfounded.

These people had knives and guns and looked like real tough guys, but they didn’t even have a chance to fight back before being taken down?

The black-uniformed members of the hunting squad weren’t done yet. Dozens more rushed out, rounding up those who were making a scene, those secretly egging them on, and those spreading rumors. Innocent bystanders were herded to the sides of the road.

Once things had quieted down, Gu Xu finally spoke, “I’ll hand these people over to Colonel Xiang for you. Make sure not a single one is missing—let him interrogate them thoroughly. If anyone thinks they can block the gate and cause trouble over a bit of dissatisfaction, what rules does this base have left?”

Xiang Ting was the highest-ranking officer in charge of the base’s four gates. Though only a colonel, his authority was real. He didn’t belong to any of the base’s three major factions—he’d been parachuted in from the capital’s general staff. Unlike Gu Xu, he’d been here for two or three years and had already established his own network in Su City Base; otherwise, he wouldn’t be trusted with such a crucial post.

Because of their similar backgrounds, Gu Xu had interacted with him a few times—they got along reasonably well.

Hearing his superior’s name, the manager broke out in a cold sweat. Gu Xu didn’t look at him again. He raised the window, and the lead military truck cleared the way. The convoy rolled in grandly—no one even bothered with the air scanner or the usual health checks.

Bian Changxi couldn’t help but marvel—this was the benefit of having power and influence. You could throw your weight around whenever you wanted. It looked easy now, but if it had been anyone else—someone with less status or less capable subordinates—it wouldn’t have been so simple.

Gu Xu noticed her sigh and glanced at her inquiringly. She replied earnestly, “It feels great to be a crab—hitching myself to you is the best decision I’ve ever made.”

A crab…?

Did people really say that about themselves?

But the second half of her sentence put Gu Xu in an unexpectedly good mood. He almost wanted to say, “I wouldn’t mind if you hitched yourself even closer,” but in the end, he kept it to himself.

Bian Changxi was about to ask what their next move was when a booming broadcast rang out: “Auction House Street, No. 18—Jiangcheng Water Plant opens this afternoon! All purified water half-price on opening day! Tier 1 white cores can buy up to 8 liters. First 50 customers get 8 liters free! Top 100 get 45% off! Top 200 get 35% off…”

She froze, then pressed herself against the car window to look outside. She hadn’t misheard or misseen—it was really coming from the loudspeaker on the military truck behind them, where a soldier in full uniform was enthusiastically shouting the promotion.

Her mouth twitched in disbelief as she turned to look at Gu Xu.

Gu Xu shrugged and told Qiu Yun, the driver, to open the roof. They saw that some of the vehicles behind them had even put up banners: “Low-price water for every household,” “For the best water, come to Jiangcheng,” and the most outrageous one: “Want water? Come to Jiangcheng!”

The banners were made from torn-up clothes, stitched together over a fire, or from scraps of tent fabric, or just scrawled directly on the truck panels.

Bian Changxi looked as if she’d seen a ghost.

Gu Xu looked a bit embarrassed, coughing lightly into his hand. “I just told them to think of a way to promote it.”

“Just now?”

“Yeah.”

No wonder he’d mysteriously asked her what was most important before opening.

Bian Changxi was both shocked and a little regretful that she hadn’t paid more attention to Gu Xu’s instructions earlier. Then she realized that only a few minutes had passed since then, and yet these muscle-bound warriors had come up with all those slogans—“Want water? Come to Jiangcheng!”

She wanted to laugh, but felt it would be unkind. Looking at the soldier with the loudspeaker, she saw his face was expressionless, as if he were dying of embarrassment. The guys holding the banners either hung their heads or looked away, their faces saying, “I don’t know you, and you don’t know me.”

Bian Changxi felt like she’d taken internal damage.

Looking at the people on the street, clearly drawn by the commotion—some skeptical, some amazed, some excited and eager to follow the convoy for more information—she couldn’t help but give Gu Xu a thumbs-up. “You’re a genius!”

Gu Xu, for once, looked a little embarrassed. Bian Changxi, on the other hand, was excited. “Where to next? It’s already past four-ten. Are we heading straight for Auction House Street?”

“Yeah, we’ll open as soon as we get there.”

“But won’t all these people block the street? And if water is this cheap and there are tons of buyers, we don’t have enough staff in the shop.”

Gu Xu laughed. “That’s not a problem. Of our thousand-plus people, plenty have water abilities—they can help out. If that’s not enough, we’ll just recruit from the army and the hunting squads.”

Wow! Free labor, basically!

Bian Changxi was thrilled. With such a big show of force, she could hardly wait.

The base gate was a long way from Auction House Street, and with such a huge convoy, they could only travel on the widest roads. Along the way, some non-water-ability people or those not needed quietly dropped out, and some of the big trucks peeled away, leaving just a few lead vehicles. The convoy shrank, but the promotional atmosphere only grew stronger—almost every remaining vehicle had either a loudspeaker or a banner. Some clever folks even filled water bottles and displayed them on the car roofs as samples—the piles of clear, sparkling water were eye-catching. Some people following the convoy plucked up the courage to ask questions.

“Is it true? You’re really opening a water plant? Selling water? At that price?”

The guy who’d come up with the sample idea wasn’t shy, answering with a hearty laugh, “Yep! Jiangcheng is opening its own water plant, and it’s opening soon. Come buy—first come, first served, more discounts the earlier you arrive!”

As for whether it was really cheap—how would he know? He’d only just heard about the water plant himself. Better to keep quiet about that.

Bian Changxi and Gu Xu exchanged a glance—this guy was pretty sharp.

More people started asking questions, and those on the trucks began answering. The conversation gradually shifted: “Where are you guys from?” “Is it dangerous outside the base?” “Did you get good loot?” “It’s nice to have an organization like yours.” The Jiangcheng folks answered what they could, joked about what they couldn’t. People realized these legendary Jiangcheng members were actually pretty friendly, and their fear faded. More and more people joined the convoy, curious to see the water plant, eager to buy discounted water, or just wanting to see where these people were headed.

By the time they finally reached Auction House Street, it was past 4:30. The other water shops had already set off firecrackers, put out flower baskets, and shouted their promotions, but had barely made a few sales.

Then this massive convoy rolled in—what a spectacle! Everyone came out to watch. Passersby quickly stepped aside, worried about trouble, but when they saw the banners and heard the slogans, they were stunned, then delighted—what a grand display!

People quickly realized: this was a water plant, not just a water shop. The difference in scale was obvious. And since it was Jiangcheng’s doing—this legendary group with its rapid growth, great benefits, and famous leader—everyone was both curious and eager. After all this time, people had developed a kind of reflex: if Major Gu wanted to do something, it would get done.

Now, hearing that Jiangcheng was opening a water plant with special discounts, those short on water were ecstatic, the onlookers were excited, and even those in the middle of buying water elsewhere stopped and rushed over to see.

Some people even ran ahead to spread the news, giving the exact address—No. 18 Auction House Street. Quite a crowd had already gathered, waiting.

Qiu Feng had heard the news early on. After a deep sigh, he got ready to open for business—there was no going against the tide now. But then he thought: with such a spectacle, a normal opening ceremony would be too boring. So he just had everyone in the shop stand by, and when the convoy arrived, he led the staff out to greet them.

The vehicles stopped, and Gu Xu got out with Bian Changxi. “Get ready—let’s begin.” He had the soldier who’d done the broadcast explain the promised discounts to Qiu Feng.

Qiu Feng took one look at the huge crowd and got the picture. Most of the shops on this street hadn’t opened yet, so there was plenty of empty space out front. He had people move out desks at intervals, so the water-ability users could dispense water outside and sell it on the spot. With such big discounts, he knew people would rush in—a single storefront couldn’t possibly hold them all.

Bian Changxi immediately said, “No need to move anything. Whatever we need, I’ll just take it out of my space.”

PS:

Thanks to Blue Butterfly for the pink ticket! l3l4"