National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

"Mr. Chu,

I’m completely baffled by what you’ve just said.

Is there some kind of unknown danger hidden in that land,

or is this entire development project just an elaborate trap from the very beginning,

waiting for us to foolishly jump right in?"

Zheng Qifeng’s face was a mask of confusion, his brows knitted tightly together.

His eyes were filled with doubt and bewilderment as he pressed on, his heart racing with anxiety.

"Based on my speculation, it’s highly likely the problem lies with the land itself.

Think about it. What kind of land development project

would require relocating the entire population of a county with such great effort?

Besides, in these times of extreme turmoil, danger lurks everywhere like a constant shadow.

In this kind of environment, isn’t the White-Red Empire worried at all

that their massive investment will vanish without a trace, a complete and total loss?"

Chu He lifted his chin slightly, his gaze profound and piercing,

like a cold star twinkling in the night sky, as he unhurriedly posed a series of rhetorical questions.

"Until I see the true face of that land with my own eyes,

everything is just speculation. Nothing can be set in stone.

But right now, I have a faint premonition

that this land might be the very key I’ve been searching so hard for.

As for the White-Red Empire, they are most likely planning

to use you to develop the land and then strike a fatal blow,

eradicating all of you from the Great Xia Empire, leaving no one alive.

Only by doing so can they completely silence any potential witnesses

and bury the world-shattering secret hidden there in eternal darkness, unknown to the world."

Chu He’s analysis, delivered like a bombshell,

instantly left Zheng Qifeng, Xiang Xiufang, Zheng Bolan, and Zheng Xuezhen stunned and speechless.

Their faces turned ashen, and a category-twelve typhoon seemed to be raging in their hearts, leaving them unable to calm down for a long time.

The land development company they ran was, in the context of Chiyoda City’s development industry in the White-Red Empire,

merely a second-tier firm, modest in scale and limited in power.

On a normal day, their roster of contracted permanent workers, even including all the temporary laborers,

amounted to only a few hundred people at most.

However, whenever they happened to land a large-scale project or a highly profitable job,

Zheng Qifeng, relying on the connections and resources he had accumulated over many years

of struggling and hustling in the White-Red Empire,

could always, as if by magic, quickly assemble

over a thousand workers from the Great Xia Empire

to throw into the fervent construction work.

After all, in the lands of the White-Red Empire,

people from the Great Xia Empire who had left their homes to struggle for a living were as numerous as crucian carp crossing a river—simply countless.

Given enough time, Zheng Qifeng was even confident he could recruit far more laborers.

This was the survival strategy for their land development company, struggling to make it in a foreign land.

After all, as outsiders from the Great Xia Empire,

trying to get a slice of the pie in the White-Red Empire’s land development sector

and compete for business against local companies with deep roots and extensive networks,

was undoubtedly a difficult journey down a path full of thorns.

Every step was filled with hardship and challenges, requiring far more effort and sweat than the average person.

"If the White-Red Empire

already plans to treat our company, founded by people from the Great Xia Empire, as disposable pawns,

to be sacrificed at will,

then why are other land development companies from the White-Red Empire still pestering us relentlessly,

tripping us up both openly and secretly?

They even went so far as to viciously attack my son behind my back.

If they hadn’t merely been trying to give me a warning,

my son’s corpse would probably be lying on the streets of Chiyoda City by now."

Zheng Qifeng’s expression was terrifyingly grim, as if shrouded by a thick, dark cloud. It was an ugly sight.

A furious fire burned in his eyes, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

His rage was palpable.

In his heart, his family’s position was irreplaceable, their safety paramount to everything else.

Compared to this major project, which seemed tempting but was fraught with hidden dangers,

his family’s lives were undoubtedly more precious, more important,

a rare treasure he would protect at all costs.

"The secret this land conceals is heavier than you can possibly imagine."

Chu He narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep and distant as he spoke slowly. "In ages past,

Xu Fu once submitted a memorial to the throne,

claiming that in the vast, misty sea,

stood three Immortal Mountains—Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou—where Immortals were said to reside.

When Qin Shi Huang heard this, he was greatly pleased,

and he immediately dispatched Xu Fu with several thousand young boys and girls,

along with three years’ worth of provisions, clothing, medicine, and farming tools.

They boarded a magnificent fleet of ships known as the ’Mirage Tower’,

and resolutely set sail into the vast ocean on a quest for the Immortals,

spending an incalculable fortune in the process.

Xu Fu and his followers drifted on the turbulent seas for several years

but never found the legendary divine mountains and immortal isles.

It was not until later, after setting sail once more and enduring countless hardships,

that Xu Fu finally reached a vast and boundless land of plains and marshes.

He saw that the climate here was mild and pleasant, the scenery picturesque, and the local people simple and friendly.

It was like a paradise, so he resolutely decided to stay,

declaring himself king and meticulously teaching the local populace skills such as farming, fishing, whaling, and papermaking.