NOVPUB
Chapter 238: Chapter 238: The Tycoon’s Base
The troops from Lingchuan Base arrived shortly after. The commander was a middle-aged man surnamed Peng, and leading the team was Hong Yun.
After the various bases converged, the desolate expanse came alive, with soldiers on patrol visible everywhere.
Beicheng had five thousand people, Lingchuan four thousand, Yunan four thousand, Chujiang three thousand, and Space-Time three thousand—totaling nineteen thousand troops stationed here. If one looked down from a high vantage point, they would see a massive dark spread of tents and soldiers. Come nightfall, with the lights turned on, one might mistake it for a small town.
Especially the Space-Time Base camp, encircled by a ring of Ice Wall on the outside, with rows of neatly arranged alloy modular houses inside, and emergency lights hanging under the eaves. The light shone on the crystal-clear walls, reflecting a pearly white glow that enveloped the entire camp in brightness and clarity.
The wind began to pick up at night, with a chilling blast at minus fifty degrees. The soldiers from each base stationed on the periphery were all shivering, and they couldn’t help but cast envious glances towards the direction of the Space-Time Base.
The soldiers from Space-Time Base didn’t even need to go out on patrols. It was all thanks to those Ice Type Superpower Users who had cast the walls. No one knew what method they had used, but they had managed to make the Ice Walls flat and smooth in such a short amount of time, with the perfect thinness and thickness, allowing them to see the outside through the ice. Hence, the soldiers of the Space-Time Base only needed to patrol inside the Ice Wall and didn’t have to step out into the cold wind!
Comparing people can really kill one’s spirit...
Just look at their houses, their weapons, and even the uniforms everyone wears look nicer.
As the soldiers in the Lingchuan camp came back from their shift and gathered around the fire to warm up, they inevitably started to chat.
"Isn’t Space-Time Base a private base? How come they have such good benefits... Ah, look at those houses, much warmer than tents, truly makes one jealous."
"I heard they have three hundred people just for logistics."
"Logistics soldiers, we have those too..."
"It’s not the same, ours doesn’t even reach a hundred... and most of them are ordinary people. Did you see those people building the wall just now? All Ice Type Superpower Users!"
"Yeah, if an Ice Type Special User were in our base, they would definitely be frontline combatants. Over there, they are actually logistics... tsk tsk, wealthy indeed..."
"You don’t know this, but to get into the Space-Time Base’s vanguard, you need to have a value of over a million!"
"My goodness, that high?!"
"Hahaha... if you got into Space-Time Base, I’m afraid even logistics would have a higher value than you! Hey, hey! Look, they’re coming out..." 𝙣𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Wei Jie quietly listened, then suddenly heard their tone rise sharply and couldn’t help but follow their gazes.
A group emerged from the camp of Space-Time Base, and Wei Jie was taken aback for a long moment before recovering.
——Liu Ling led the Ice Type squad out from the Ice Wall, followed by a young man who held a blueprint and patiently explained to her and the other team members, then Liu Ling tried to demonstrate.
The originally vertically angled Ice Wall began to deform at the top, slowly curving inward to a semicircular arc, and when it reached the right angle, the young man shouted something and Liu Ling stopped, both of them wearing smiles on their faces.
Wei Jie watched from a distance, feeling an inexplicable sense of sourness in his heart.
"Ajie, you’re here; I’ve been looking for you for quite a while."
Wei Jie turned back and saw Anke Wei.
The people gathered around the fire greeted Anke Wei and then continued their conversations.
"... What are they doing, making the top of the wall bend like that?"
"You don’t understand? It’s to reduce wind resistance. A slant between the wall face and the ground inside the camp will enhance the wind protection."
"Is it necessary to be so meticulous..."
Arm in arm with Wei Jie, Anke Wei chuckled, "That man is a famous architect named Lu Binyan. He used to spend some time in our Lingchuan. He’s known for his attention to detail, a real perfectionist. It’s just that, well... he doesn’t have a special ability."
The crowd responded, "Oh... The guy is pretty lucky; seems like he’s doing quite well for himself at Space-Time Base..."
Anke Wei looked towards Wei Jie, "Let’s go back to the tent; it’s really cold out here."
Wei Jie didn’t say much, just nodded, and the two of them left shoulder to shoulder.
When Anke Wei went missing, he had also participated in the rescue operation. At that time, he didn’t think about anything else, he just felt that when he was hit by a bullet and had a high fever, it was Anke Wei who had saved him, and he ought to repay that kindness. The rescue was not smooth, many people died, including Anke Wei’s suitor Zhang Lei. And Wei Jie himself, having awakened the rare Magnetic Control Special Ability, successfully rescued Anke Wei.
Anke Wei seemed to have received a great shock during her captivity, and after being rescued, she clung to him constantly; the two of them naturally became a couple.
Wei Jie glanced in the direction of the Space-Time Base, where Liu Ling was leading her team to reinforce and repair the perimeter of the Ice Wall, and the man beside her was following every step closely.
Wei Jie turned his head back, unwilling to look any longer.
...They had been separated for so long already. Unknowingly, everyone had their own lives, and their own... partners...
It took Liu Ling about half an hour to finish her work. She took a deep breath, turned around, and found that Lu Binyan was still there.
Liu Ling gave a bitter smile, "Mr. Lu, you could wait for us to finish before coming out to inspect. There’s no need to hurry..."
"I don’t have anything else to do anyway. Besides, didn’t I tell you? Just call me Binyan," Lu Binyan said, reaching out to brush the snowflakes off Liu Ling’s shoulder.
Liu Ling’s face turned red unnaturally, a hint of annoyance in her heart. This Lu Binyan, always so hands-on, it was easy for people to misunderstand, okay?
Sure enough, the nearby workers started to tease, "Captain, we’re going to head out first."
"Hey?!..."
Liu Ling glared at her fleeing teammates, feeling incredibly awkward.
Lu Binyan sighed deeply behind her, "Is it because I don’t have a Superpower?"
Liu Ling turned to look at the man behind her, puzzled, "What... what are you talking about?"
Lu Binyan looked at her with a faint smile and replied, "I’ve been pursuing you for so long, and you haven’t given any hints. Is it because I don’t have a Superpower?"
Liu Ling’s face grew hotter, "Nonsense, it’s not related to that..."
"Actually, I’m quite troubled too," Lu Binyan said.
"Ah?" Liu Ling looked at him.
"Before, architects were very popular," Lu Binyan’s tone became serious, "Now without a Superpower, it’s like I’m being shunned..."
Liu Ling hurriedly shook her head, "I’m not shunning you..."
"Really?"
"Of course, not." Liu Ling thought to herself, what right did she have to shun him? Even though he didn’t have a Superpower, he was a favored person by the leader.
Lu Binyan relaxed as if a weight had been lifted off his chest and suddenly took her hand, leading her toward the camp, saying as they walked, "It’s good you don’t shun me."
Wait, wait a minute! Why are you holding my hand?! Let... let go!...
Liu Ling struggled a bit, but couldn’t break free. Instead, it drew even more attention their way, so she followed Lu Binyan blushing, the hand he held hidden inside the wide sleeve, walking shoulder to shoulder with him.
Noticing she had stopped struggling, Lu Binyan glanced at her and smiled, "Do you agree then?"
Liu Ling didn’t make a sound.
Lu Binyan continued, "It’s okay if you don’t agree, after all, I’ve been pursuing you for half a year already; if need be, I’ll keep at it for another half."
Liu Ling turned her face away, not looking at him, and muttered something softly.
Lu Binyan asked, "What?"
"...I said, we could give it a try..."
To give it a try, to try being together... Hoping that this time, she wouldn’t make a foolish mistake again, hoping that this time, they could stay together for a long, long time without parting.
