Surviving the Long Night: Starting from the Gas Station and Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 66 Private Soldiers, Winning Hearts and Minds, and Treating Everyone Equally

After stating their needs, Lu Sheng told Cheng Qiushui and Su Caiwei the total budget, and then distributed a piece of paper and a pencil to each of them.

"Everyone, write down your ideas first, and then we'll discuss them."

After saying that, Lu Sheng also picked up a pen, leaned over the coffee table, and wrote down his thoughts one by one.

A moment later, all the papers were gathered in Lu Sheng's hands. He looked at them one by one and found that although there was some surprise, everyone's thoughts revolved around three themes: camp safety, food reserves, and long-term construction.

Su Caiwei, as a doctor, made suggestions that were largely the same as those previously seen by mainland students, focusing on improving the hygiene of the camp.

Jiang Shutong wanted to allocate a portion of the funds specifically for attracting investment, believing that the flow of people that roads could bring was limited, and that the campsite itself needed to be attractive for long-term development.

Lin Ran's suggestions were relatively conservative, and very similar to Lu Sheng's own, both focusing on strengthening infrastructure and resolving the energy problem as soon as possible.

One item in Cheng Qiushui's financial expenditures caught Lu Sheng's attention.

What does "special allocation for public security" mean?

He looked up at Cheng Qiushui; what she had written didn't seem like something their camp should have.

Cheng Qiushui didn't answer directly, but instead looked at the fortune-telling object in the corner:

"Boss, could you have Zhao Cai keep an eye on the surroundings to prevent anyone from eavesdropping?"

Lu Sheng nodded and sent a command to Zhao Cai through the bracelet, instructing him to issue an alert if anyone approached the house.

"Okay, can you tell me now?"

"Since everyone here is on our side, I won't hide anything. This part is money used to support a private army."

Everyone turned to look at Cheng Qiushui, who raised her hand, signaling them not to get excited.

"Boss, let me imagine a scenario: soon after, those family members come over and have a conflict with the workers in Liang Shan's team."

If you were to deploy sentries to stop the conflict, setting aside who is right and who is wrong, whose side do you think the sentries would side with?

"Help the workers, after all, the sentries are with them."

Lu Sheng drew a conclusion without hesitation, and Cheng Qiushui nodded in agreement, then continued to ask:

"So let's assume that Liang Shan and you, the boss, had a conflict. Regardless of who was right or wrong, the scene would be chaotic, as if everyone was drunk."

Whom will the sentries side with?

Lu Sheng fell silent this time, understanding what Cheng Qiushui meant.

Seeing that Lu Sheng did not answer, Cheng Qiushui expressed her thoughts:

"These sentries were originally Liang Shan's subordinates, but now, thanks to your arrangement, boss, they have been placed on watchtowers and can instantly kill anyone in the camp."

If a team like this doesn't clearly understand whose food it's eating, whose money it's taking, and whose work it's doing, the consequences could be dire.

Regardless of who they were loyal to before, they can only be loyal to you from now on.

Listening to Cheng Qiushui's story, Lu Sheng took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled:

"You've described a terrible scenario. Were you betrayed by someone before?"

Cheng Qiushui shook her head:

"Yes, there is, but it's not like that. If you want to hear about it, I can tell you later."

I'm not saying this out of fear of the wickedness of people's hearts. I believe in the principle of "one is influenced by one's company," and whether the sentry team is good or bad depends on who wins their hearts.

At this moment, everyone understood why Cheng Qiushui had asked Zhaocai to keep an eye on the area around the house before saying those words, to make sure no one got close.

If even one worker overheard these words, it would create a rift between Lu Sheng and them.

"I understand what you mean, I will consider it."

Lu Sheng nodded slightly, then took out another proposal:

"Now let's begin the formal discussion of expenses, starting with food..."

Later, amidst everyone's discussion, the camp's first financial meeting lasted for four hours.

After the meeting, Su Caiwei was arranged to rest in Lu Sheng's room, while Lu Sheng and Cheng Qiushui squeezed onto the sofa to catch up on sleep.

The next day, after being woken up by Lin Ran, Lu Sheng glanced at the time and found that dawn had passed and it was currently the first hour of daylight.

"Why did it take you an hour to wake me up today?"

"You rested late yesterday. There are so many things to do at the camp, and I don't want you to collapse from exhaustion."

"You're saying that, but none of you have done it less than a few times."

He yawned and waved at Lin Ran:

"Thank you this time. Remember to treat everyone equally next time."

"Okay, okay, we'll treat everyone the same."

Later, Lu Sheng ate something simple, during which Lin Ran told him where the others had gone.

After finalizing the spending plan last night, Jiang Shutong began contacting suppliers she knew to purchase some bedding.

Bed sheets, blankets, and pillows—these are basic amenities in a hotel, on a smaller scale, but on a larger scale, the temperature will continue to drop.

She was also put in charge of purchasing food. The current plan is to ensure that the camp always has two weeks' worth of food reserves. The most cost-effective way to achieve this is to use compressed food.

Su Caiwei wanted a variety of medications, as well as some medical equipment and special cold storage cabinets for storing medicines, and the storage capacity of nearby warehouses could not meet her requirements.

"So, what does she plan to do?"

Lu Sheng took a bite of the scallion-flavored biscuit and chewed it carefully. He remembered that all the major powers had strict controls on medicines and weapons, and it was not easy to find a way to obtain them in large quantities.

"They said they were going to contact some old friends to see if they could help out."

As Lin Ran spoke, she sat down next to Lu Sheng:

"Cheng Qiushui went out early in the morning, saying she was going to visit and investigate the camp to see what everyone needed."

What he said last night wasn't very pleasant, but his desire to help you, Lu Sheng, is genuine.

Lu Sheng nodded; he completely agreed with Lin Ran's statement.

At this moment, Lin Ran suddenly asked:

"Shutong suddenly asked me about my plans for the future. She's someone who can't hide her feelings, and she could tell at a glance that someone else had asked her to ask.

"It's you, isn't it?"

Lu Sheng was about to take a bite of the cookie when these words made him slowly pull his mouth back, then take a deep breath:

"It's not that I thought you'd leave once the camp was built, and I didn't mean to force you to stay; I'm just a little reluctant to see you go."

"Of course you'll miss me. I'll fix your house, connect the electricity, install the machine gun, and I'll have to dig up the ground to bury the wires in a bit. I'll be your slave every day."

Lin Ran began to complain in an annoyed tone:

"Let me guess, I'll be the one connecting the water pipes next, right?"

"You guessed right."

"..."

"No, I mean I'll dig with you today, so you won't have to work hard alone."

Lin Ran had spent the most time with Lu Sheng among the group in the camp, and knew that with his low emotional intelligence, he would find it difficult to say anything more pleasant, so she could only sigh:

"Forget it, you still need to keep an eye on the construction of the parking lot. I can handle the armored wiring myself. And don't let Shutong test me again. Anyway, I won't be leaving before winter."