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Finally, he ended up wavering. Jiang Ci was also coincidentally absent from the base during this time, so he agreed to Liu Jun’s proposal to try and smuggle some out.
Although Jiang Ci wasn’t around, the keys were in Zhao Ping’s hands, and he usually kept a strict watch over them. All the vegetables would be stored immediately in the warehouse after they matured, and the poultry needed to be slaughtered at the slaughterhouse before being placed in the warehouse.
With Liu Yuan taking a long time to make a move, Liu Jun came over a few more times to urge him.
Two days before Jiang Ci returned, he met with Liu Jun again, assuring him that he would definitely find an opportunity in the next few days.
Today, Jiang Ci’s return made Liu Yuan nervous, but after seeing her stay for a while and then leave, he breathed a sigh of relief. Every time he met with Liu Jun, it was very discreet, and he always checked his surroundings to make sure no one was around.
Jiang Ci didn’t return for the entire morning, leading Liu Yuan to finally relaxed completely.
At noon, everyone was preparing to go for lunch when Zhao Ping suddenly had a stomachache, “You guys go ahead, I need to use the restroom first.”
As he spoke, he placed the backpack that he always carried next to the farming tools.
At this moment, Liu Yuan’s heart was pounding like a drum in his head. He knew that the keys to the warehouse and the main gate were in that bag; he had seen them many times.
Liu Yuan deliberately lingered behind for a while until all the employees who were going for lunch had left. Then, he quickly ran over and opened Zhao Ping’s bag.
Throughout this process, his hands couldn’t stop trembling. After successfully obtaining the keys, Liu Yuan quickly ran to the warehouse, opened the door, and was soon greeted by piles of vegetables and meat.
Liu Yuan hadn’t expected it to go so smoothly. Not daring to take too much, he quickly grabbed some vegetables and a skinned rabbit that had been cleaned, stuffing them into his bag before hurrying out of the warehouse.
He had just put the keys back when he saw Zhao Ping coming out from the direction of the restroom.
“Haven’t gone for lunch yet?” Zhao Ping greeted Liu Yuan, his gaze brushing subtly over his backpack.
Liu Yuan, who was still tense, didn’t notice this and just smiled, “I’m going right now.”
“Alright, you go ahead. I still need to tidy up some things,” Zhao Ping said.
“I’ll wait for you. The cafeteria must be packed right now,” Liu Yuan suppressed his urge to leave and waited for Zhao Ping, fearing that Zhao Ping might go to the warehouse to check.
As it turned out, Zhao Ping didn’t go to the warehouse. After packing up his things and confirming the keys were still in his backpack, he walked out with Liu Yuan.
It wasn’t until they left the farm that Liu Yuan finally felt the weight in his heart lift.
After the meal, Liu Yuan parted ways with the other employees, retrieved his hidden backpack, and sneaked off to the usual spot where he met Liu Jun.
Liu Jun had previously told Liu Yuan that he would wait around this area every day during this time to see if there were any updates.
Originally, Liu Jun thought he wouldn’t see anyone again today, but to his surprise, he soon heard footsteps.
He peeked out and, sure enough, saw Liu Yuan with a bulging backpack. Liu Jun’s heart leapt with joy, and he quickly approached him, “So, did you get it?”
Liu Yuan nodded, his heart still pounding. After catching his breath, he put down the backpack in his hand.
Liu Jun stepped forward and opened the backpack. Upon seeing the contents, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. The amount was too little. However, upon catching sight of Liu Yuan’s guilty look, he understood that it was his first time doing something like this and that he wasn’t accustomed to it yet.
“Don’t worry, Little Yuan. Even though it’s just a small amount, it will definitely still be able to fetch a high price. Just wait for your share of the crystal cores!” Liu Jun said.
Liu Yuan nodded, “Alright, but remember, keep it quiet. If Boss Jiang catches wind of this, we’re done for.”
Liu Yuan’s emotions were complex, with the anxiety from stealing the supplies and the joy of earning crystal cores intertwined, making his heart race without pause for a long time.
“Got it. Boss Jiang definitely won’t find out,” Liu Jun tidied up the backpack, ready to take it away.
“What can’t I find out about?” Just then, a voice came from behind them.
They were hiding in a corner, and only upon hearing the voice did they realize someone had approached.
Hearing this voice, Liu Yuan instantly broke out into a cold sweat, his face turning as pale as paper.
Jiang Ci, Song Jinchuan, Zhao Ping, and two other farm employees appeared around the corner, exposing the two men completely.
“Boss… Boss Jiang,” Liu Yuan looked at Jiang Ci, his throat seemingly clogged, making it extremely difficult to speak.
Liu Jun, clearly more experienced, only panicked for a moment before quickly calming down, “Boss Jiang, why are you all here? My brother works here, so I came to see him. Didn’t get in the way of your work, did I?”
“Why wouldn’t you be? After all, getting you all to jump into the trap yourselves does take a bit of effort on our part,” Jiang Ci said lazily, not bothering to waste words with him. She went straight for the kill, “What, you really thought I’d be running an operation this big without a single security camera?”
Liu Yuan never expected that this would be a trap set up by Jiang Ci and her team. In an instant, the words “it’s over” flooded his mind.
“Boss Jiang, you’re really quite the schemer,” Liu Jun said angrily at the thought of the crystal cores he had almost secured slipping away.
“I may have set the trap, but it was up to you to fall into it. If you hadn’t harbored any ill intentions, how could anyone have possibly caught you?” Jiang Ci replied with a smile.
“Boss Jiang… I was momentarily blinded by greed. Please give me another chance,” Liu Yuan suddenly seemed to regain his senses and fell to his knees with a thud.
But there wasn’t a trace of pity in Jiang Ci’s eyes. “When you joined, I made it very clear to you. Never do anything that harms the interests of the hotpot restaurant. If you do, you must bear the consequences yourself.”
Seeing the usually gentle Boss Jiang now with a stern face and icy eyes, Liu Yuan collapsed to the ground.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Liu Jun was immediately thrown out of Gourmet City, and Jiang Ci publicly declared that he was now blacklisted and banned from entering.
Refusing to believe it, Liu Jun tried to force his way back in after Jiang Ci left, but the door quickly started beeping before a red light that had never been seen by the survivors before suddenly started flashing.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a powerful electric current surged through his body, causing him to convulse and collapse. He was then dragged out of the base by the scar-faced man, Chen Mo and Luo Rui, who were on patrol in the yard.
The survivors who witnessed this firsthand finally understood what it meant to be blacklisted. This was clearly a warning to others harbouring the same ill intentions.
Liu Yuan and his mother were promptly evicted from the staff dormitory. Mother Liu initially tried to stay, but she was soon forcibly removed by Luo Rui and his team.
As they carried her out, Mother Liu was still cursing Jiang Ci, the gourmet city, Zhao Ping, and even Liu Jun.
She blamed everyone but never thought to reflect on her own actions.
The survivors shook their heads in disbelief. Working here was a dream come true for them, and this mother and son duo had even managed to squander that opportunity.
However, this also meant there was now an extra open position, and the survivors soon began to stir with anticipation.
Mother Liu and Liu Yuan were thrown outside the gourmet city along with all their belongings. Before they could leave, they saw Jiang Ci post a job notice, only able to watch helplessly from behind as the survivors crowded around it.
Mother Liu’s eyes reddened with anger. That was clearly her son’s job!
“Little Yuan! This is your job! How can they just let someone else take it? Wait here, Mom will go and make a scene at the entrance. I’ll make sure she can’t do business anymore until she lets us back in,” Mother Liu said through gritted teeth.
“Enough, Mom!” Liu Yuan scrambled to his feet, looking disheveled and frustrated. “Don’t cause any more trouble.”
Mother Liu stared at her son, who looked both defeated and impatient. “But… I did it all for your own good.”
“If you really care about me, then stop this! Stop doing these things anymore!” Liu Yuan couldn’t help but shout. But after his outburst, he crouched down, holding his head in his hands. Though his mother was the one causing trouble, he had to admit that it was also him who had been swayed by her words. In the end, the matter was still his own fault.
After being expelled from the gourmet city, Liu Yuan and his mother could only slink back to their original base in shame.
However, upon learning about their actions at the gourmet city, their original base refused to take them back, fearing that Jiang Ci would blacklist the entire base if she found out.
With nowhere to go, the two had no choice but to leave C City. Since then, no one has seen them again, and it remains unknown whether they found another base or perished on the way.
Meanwhile, after Liu Yuan and his mother left, Jiang Ci was surrounded by a crowd. There were quite a few spots up for grabs during this batch of recruitment, with some positions requiring only physical strength, giving many survivors hope of being selected.
Luo Rui and Chen Mo, along with a few others, helped to maintain order and prevented the scene from descending into chaos.
At the site of the base construction, Jiang Ci was looking for people who were skilled in constructing buildings. The survivors had been forced to learn various skills after the apocalypse, and building was one of the most basic of them. Most of the bases in the apocalypse were constructed by the survivors themselves.
So even though they knew it was just a temporary job, many survivors still signed up. Jiang Ci was generous, selecting a group of people to build the base quickly so that Xie Ling and the others could move in.
These workers would receive two meals a day and upon completion, could choose supplies equivalent to their wages as a bonus.
This offer was highly attractive, and the survivors were fiercely competitive over these positions.
After selecting the construction team, Jiang Ci also chose a few people to man the fast-food restaurant. The newly built train station also needed staff for ticket sales and onboard services, requiring a slightly more specialised personnel. For the farm, after discussing the difficulty of the work with Zhao Ping, Jiang Ci decided to hire a few more people as well.
The recruitment process alone took Jiang Ci three days. A week later, she stood outside the newly constructed train station, cutting the red ribbon with a large pair of scissors, officially inaugurating the station’s operation.
The survivors stood outside the train station, a bit dazed. They’d known that for some time now, something had been under construction here, as the whole area had been hidden behind tarps and barricades.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
