I Return From Hell

Chapter 34: Chapter 32: Sudden Wealth, Base Site Selection

Outside the city.

5:30 PM.

In front of an unfinished building.

”Yu, you’re finally here.”

When Xie Shaokun saw Xia Yu, it was as if he’d seen family. He stepped out from the shadows, his eyes darting around like a thief. ”I’ve been a nervous wreck all day.”

”Relax. No one followed me.”

Xia Yu handed over the few dishes Xie Shaokun had requested, then popped open the trunk. ”There are two blankets, some daily necessities, snacks, and self-heating meals in here.”

Xie Shaokun’s face lit up instantly.

So much good food. He could never have afforded this before.

But...

”Yu, this place is in the middle of nowhere. It’s so boring,” he said as he moved the items.

”Just stay put, unless you want to end up in jail,” Xia Yu’s expression hardened as she spoke coldly.

Xie Shaokun’s face fell. At least he could practice controlling his superpower, which would give him something to do and keep him from being too bored. He was just worried about getting caught. ”Yu, is this place really safe?”

”As long as you followed the route I gave you to leave the city, you won’t be found. Unless someone was tailing you,” Xia Yu said flatly.

”Well, no one was following me.”

Xie Shaokun had witnessed Xia Yu’s methods before. Seeing how composed she was now, he felt mostly relieved.

The two entered the unfinished building and walked over to a burlap sack.

On top of it lay the Blood Butterfly; underneath were neat stacks upon stacks of cash.

”The Blood Butterfly is amazing. Combined with my superpower, cutting open safes is like a hot knife through butter. It’s so simple, no password needed at all.”

Xie Shaokun glanced covetously at the Blood Butterfly before his gaze shifted to the money in the sack. His eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, ”Yu, I did as you said and exchanged all the gold bars for cash. It’s 23.8 million in total. And I bet Brother Li has more cash and gold bars stashed elsewhere. That guy was loaded.”

When the Apocalypse begins, money will become worthless. The value of jade, on the other hand, will skyrocket.

Therefore, all this money had to be spent before the Apocalypse.

”Take it to the car.”

Xia Yu picked up the Blood Butterfly, gave it a couple of casual flourishes, and put it away. Looking at the sack full of cash, she figured this would be enough to build the apocalyptic base she envisioned.

Xie Shaokun then loaded the sack into the car.

Xia Yu drove off alone, heading for Xia Family Village.

Returning to her ancestral home.

That’s right.

She planned to turn the old house her father left her into an apocalyptic base.

The reason was simple:

After the Apocalypse begins, immense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Power will flood the planet, and a massive number of humans will turn into Mutants. Crowded places like cities must be avoided; otherwise, even she would have a hard time surviving.

However, the cities also held many resources. To avoid starving or dying of thirst, one had to go into the city. Therefore, the best place to be was somewhere not too far from the city, but not too close either.

Xia Family Village was just that—not too far, not too close. It was both safe and convenient.

And before the Apocalypse, as things were now, it was easy to travel to and from the city by renting a car.

Of course, the most crucial part was that it was almost the New Year. Her uncle, who had always been decent to her and her younger brother, and his construction crew had just finished a project and returned home for the holiday reunion.

Entrusting the construction of the apocalyptic base to her uncle would save her a lot of trouble.

「Half an hour later.」

Xia Yu’s uncle, Xia Hongzhong, stared at his second brother’s eldest daughter, his brow furrowed. ”What did you just say? You want to build an iron cage at your house?”

’An iron cage?’

Xia Yu didn’t mind the term and simply nodded.

”Little Yu, what are you trying to do?”

Xia Hongzhong, having just finished his meal, leaned back in a traditional grandmaster chair, asking the question as he smoked his cigarette.

Nearby, her aunt was clearing the table, paying the matter no mind. To her, it all sounded completely unreliable.

”Uncle, I’m just doing a job for my boss. He told me not to ask too many questions.”

Xia Yu lied smoothly.

After all, she had no business or background to speak of. Suddenly producing so much money to build a base would only raise suspicion and cause trouble. A lie was more believable.

”A boss?”

Xia Hongzhong’s interest was piqued.

Who would refuse a major project right on their doorstep, especially one that could earn them even more money?

He was getting old. If it weren’t for earning enough to buy his grandson a house in a dual-school district, he would have retired years ago to farm and fish.

”That’s right.”

Xia Yu nodded again. Dressed in a woman’s business suit, she perfectly embodied the look and demeanor of a secretary.

Not even Zhao Guohui could have found a flaw in her performance, let alone Xia Hongzhong with his cataracts.

”From what you’ve just described, this project sounds quite expensive.”

Xia Hongzhong continued, ”And you want me to manage everything—buying steel, hiring workers, drawing up the designs... all of it. Plus, it has to be done in three months. The pay for that can’t be low.”

”Uncle.”

Xia Yu gave a sweet smile. ”It’s precisely because the pay is good and the profit margin is high that I thought of you, Uncle. Since someone’s going to make this money, why shouldn’t it be you?”

’Profit margin?’

’This little girl sure knows a lot.’

Xia Hongzhong revealed a set of yellowed teeth in a grin. ”Little Yu, I guess I didn’t dote on you for nothing.”

Xia Yu cut to the chase, opening her backpack to reveal stacks of cash inside. ”Five hundred thousand. This is the down payment.”

”As for the cost of materials, just bill me.”

”Once the job is done, there’s another five hundred thousand as a bonus.”

HISS.

At the sight, Xia Hongzhong sucked in a sharp breath, causing the smoke ring he’d just exhaled to get sucked back into his lungs.

A lifelong smoker, he was actually choking on his own smoke.

Nearby, the aunt’s eyes lit up, her wrinkled face crinkling into a wide smile. She was suddenly much more enthusiastic. ”Little Yu, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

”I’ll go make you something. What would you like? Don’t be shy.”

”Thank you, Auntie, but there’s no need. I’ve already eaten.”

Not wanting to waste time, Xia Yu pulled the conversation back on track. ”Uncle, let’s talk business first. My boss is waiting for an update.”

”If you’re not interested, I’ll have to find someone else.”

Xia Hongzhong snapped back to reality and declared with a resonant voice, ”I’ll do it. It’s just...”

His wife kicked him hard and shot him a frantic look.

Xia Hongzhong could only swallow the words he was about to say.

Xia Yu acted as if she hadn’t seen a thing, her smile growing even sweeter, though a faint sense of detachment now tinged her expression.

After that, the two parties discussed some more details.

The entire conversation was recorded, a contract was signed, and thumbprints were pressed. It was all very official.

Xia Yu’s conduct was professional, her presence commanding. There was nothing to fault.

”All transactions will be in cash.”

”You must guarantee the quality. That is the absolute top priority.”

”Also, this is a work matter. Don’t come looking for me at my family’s home. If you need something, just call me. I’ll drop by from time to time to check on the project’s progress.”

After giving these final instructions, Xia Yu left.

And now, Xia Hongzhong and his wife were in a state of disbelief. Had they really just negotiated a project worth over ten million?

Between the wages and the profit margin, a rough calculation showed they stood to pocket over a million!

Earning over a million in three months—it was like a pie falling from the sky.

”Our grandkid’s school district house is finally within reach.”

The aunt was beaming.

”Why didn’t you let me remind Little Yu just now that our village is slated for demolition to build a highway?”

Xia Hongzhong asked guiltily, ”Her boss is buying Second Brother’s old house and putting on this whole show... he’s probably just trying to get a bigger demolition payout.”

”Are you stupid? Have you been living under a rock all these years?” The aunt poked Xia Hongzhong’s head forcefully and cursed shrewishly, ”If you remind Xia Yu, she might not sell the house! Then the project would fall through, wouldn’t it?”

”If the project falls through, where are you going to make this kind of money?”

As she spoke, she silently added in her heart: ’Dearest niece, I’m sorry. Your aunt has her own family to look after, too.’

”You... Sigh.”

Xia Hongzhong sighed, took a harsh drag from his cigarette, and got up to leave.

”Where are you going?” his wife asked.

”What do you think? To find people.”

Xia Hongzhong retorted with displeasure, leaving with his hands behind his back.

”What’s with the attitude.”

The aunt cursed under her breath, fondly stroking the money in the backpack, her smile like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Having reached the main gate, Xia Hongzhong glanced back at his old lady, then took out his phone...