Chapter 351: Chapter 336: Every Family Has Its Own Troubles

Liu Bo even saw several familiar names on the list.

These were people the Liu Family had gone to great lengths to install into the base’s management system years ago. But now... ’It seems we did all that work just to pave the way for someone else!’

"This list..." Liu Bo looked up at his cousin, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Liu Mo nodded. "It must have come from Mr. Li."

Li Ming.

Liu Bo fell silent.

In recent years, the Liu Family’s power had soared with the backing of the Gu Family, and they could now be considered a regional power in their own right.

But Liu Bo was one of the few who knew the inside story from back then, and he was no arrogant fool.

In fact, Liu Bo understood the capabilities of the Doomsday Squad’s former deputy leader far better than even his own uncle.

And the Doomsday Squad, even long disbanded, was not an entity the Liu Family could afford to cross!

But he couldn’t say any of this to Liu Mo.

After all, Liu Mo was his cousin in name only. In reality, he was the illegitimate son of the man in charge of the Liu Family.

"Second Brother, we can’t give up control of A City Base," Liu Mo said, his eyes narrowing. "Uncle’s intention is for you to handle this, since you’ve had the most contact with Tang You in the past..."

Liu Mo looked at his cousin. He knew this was a difficult task, but he also knew the man wouldn’t refuse.

His father had originally wanted him to handle this personally. But because he was an illegitimate son, he was destined never to enter the military and inherit his father’s authority. So, his "dear" father planned for him to go into politics, the better to support his "dear" little brother in the future.

But Liu Mo... instinctively did not want to go up against Gu Xi.

’That Evil God is the type to kill at the slightest disagreement!’

Liu Mo cherished his life dearly.

His mother had been his father’s first and legitimate wife, but then that woman from the Gu Family had taken a fancy to his father... Ah, his "dear" father. For the sake of power, he had actually abandoned his wife and son!

His mother had died under mysterious circumstances.

And he, who should have been the sole legitimate heir of the Liu Family, was now... a shameful, illegitimate son!

Liu Mo was filled with resentment.

He hadn’t avenged his mother yet. He hadn’t killed that woman from the Gu Family and gotten justice for his mother. How could he not treasure his own life?

Liu Bo gave his cousin a long, hard look.

’Every family has its own troubles.’ He had a good idea of what was going through his cousin’s mind.

’But... when you’re living under another’s roof, you have to bow your head. From the moment I chose the surname Liu, some things were no longer up to me.’

After a moment of silence, Liu Bo said, "I’ll give it a try." ’But Tang You... he might not be willing to help them anymore.’

...

Gu Xi and her companions had no idea what the Liu Family was scheming. Even if they did, they probably wouldn’t have cared.

’Worst case, she’d just have to kill a few more people.’

’It wasn’t as if she couldn’t still wield a blade.’

After speaking with Li Ming, Gu Xi, in her official capacity as City A’s administrator, openly took Wei Heng and the others on a tour of City A’s System 176.

Naturally, they found nothing.

At least, nothing on the surface.

By the time Tang You received the news and rushed over, Gu Xi had already finished inspecting System 176 and was preparing to leave.

Tang You wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, unsure if it was from the run over or from sheer terror.

"Miss Gu, it’s best if you stay away from here," he hinted.

Gu Xi gave him a long look but said nothing.

That night, just as Gu Xi returned to the temporary residence arranged for her in City A, she received a call from Zhou Yi.

Looking at the middle-aged man on the screen, Gu Xi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Mr. Zhou?"

To be honest, ever since she left South City, she had all but forgotten about its base commander.

For him to contact her proactively now was somewhat surprising to Gu Xi.

After all, even when she was back in South City, the base commander had never once contacted her on his own initiative.

Zhou Yi smiled. "Miss Gu, I heard you’ve taken over A City Base. I was wondering if there’s anything I can help you with?"

Zhou Yi was very direct, getting straight to the point. "I may be an ordinary person, but I do have some experience when it comes to managing a base."

Zhou Yi’s capabilities were undeniable. Otherwise, Li Ming wouldn’t have chosen him—an ordinary person—during the leadership change in South City.

"Actually, there is something I could use your help with," Gu Xi said with a smile. "I went to check out System 176 in City A this afternoon, and there are a few things I don’t quite understand. I was hoping to ask you about them..."

Her new management team in City A had been prepared for her by Li Ming ahead of time.

But how should she put it?

People’s loyalties were fickle.

And these people weren’t all Li Ming’s trusted confidants. After spending so many years in a complicated place like City A, it was hard to say how much loyalty they still held for Li Ming, let alone for her.

More importantly, some matters were best kept in her own hands.

This was a principle Gu Xi had understood since childhood.

"Miss Gu, that’s because System 176 is a highly independent operating system..." As a base commander himself, Zhou Yi was intimately familiar with how System 176 worked.

Thinking about how Gu Xi had never dealt with a base’s management system before, Zhou Yi worried she might not understand. So, he broke down all the intricacies for her, explaining them one by one.

Gu Xi was lost in thought after he finished.

Zhou Yi glanced at her, then paused before adding, "Miss Gu, there’s actually another reason I called you today."

When Gu Xi looked up at him, Zhou Yi said, "Your small farm in South City... I’d like to borrow it for a while."

Gu Xi was a little surprised. She didn’t know why Zhou Yi had suddenly brought this up.

To be honest, the small farm in South City had flourished under her care. But after she left, the hundreds of acres of land had been left to go fallow. Now, besides a few hills, the only part of the entire farm that was still productive was the small orchard.

And before she left, she had already given Mr. Zhao full authority over that small orchard.

So Gu Xi didn’t quite understand what Zhou Yi was getting at.

Zhou Yi was in a difficult position.

The grains and fruits Gu Xi had grown were considered absolute luxuries in South City. The moment they hit the market, countless people had flocked to buy them.

Wealth has a way of stirring people’s hearts.

The profits in the high-end market were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

But then Gu Xi left, creating a vacuum in that market.

As a result, many people set their sights on her small orchard.

But without Gu Xi, the orchard’s yield was extremely limited.

With so little to go around and everyone’s eyes on it, combined with Mr. Zhao’s stubbornness... the dispute had somehow landed right in front of Zhou Yi.

The vegetables, grains, and fruits Gu Xi had provided had also been instrumental in helping Zhou Yi secure his position as South City’s base commander when he first arrived.

So Zhou Yi had no other choice. He had to find Gu Xi and hope she would agree to let him, in his official capacity for South City, take over the small orchard from Mr. Zhao.

Everyone knew fruit was a precious commodity in the apocalypse, but Gu Xi had never imagined it would be *this* precious.

She thought for a moment, then said, "Alright. I’ll have a word with Mr. Zhao."

Now it was Zhou Yi’s turn to be stunned. He clearly hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly.

’On the surface, this was just about some fruit, but the web of interests and connections involved was anything but trivial.’

Gu Xi lowered her gaze, fiddling with a tiny green sprout at her fingertip without a word.

However, Qi Xiang, who had been listening in the whole time, smiled and said meaningfully to Zhou Yi on the screen, "Mr. Zhou, our Gu Xi has always been generous to her own."