12: Chapter 12 Consultation

Everyone entered the hotel, exclaiming in admiration.

"Not bad, squad leader! You've really struck it rich! Most people can't afford to stay in a place like this!" an older middle-aged man remarked with emotion.

"Not exactly struck it rich. This is my Boss, and all expenses are covered by him," Brother Zhang said, walking over to Oriental Chen to introduce him.

"Hello everyone, I'm Oriental Chen. Welcome to Binjiang City as my guests," Oriental Chen greeted simply.

"Hongfei, this is my Boss. How about it, did you meet him today?" Brother Zhang said, pulling someone over and introducing him proactively.

"Boss, this is Ji Hongfei. He found all the large warehouses we rented," Brother Zhang introduced to Oriental Chen.

"Oh, hello, hello!" Oriental Chen quickly stepped forward to shake his hand.

Before long, everyone was chatting lively.

"Xiao Chen is such a talented person!"

"Xiao Chen, do you have a partner?"

"What does Xiao Chen do?"

...

A group of middle-aged men surrounded Oriental Chen, asking him all sorts of questions, which directly made Oriental Chen feel depressed. So, he excused himself, saying he had something to do and quickly left, leaving Brother Zhang and his brothers and family.

That night.

The hotel restaurant's private room.

Including Oriental Chen, there were 25 people in total, filling two large tables.

Unlike the scene during the daytime meeting, everyone present was sitting up straight. No one was speaking, and all had serious expressions.

"The situation has been explained. What are everyone's thoughts? Please speak up!" Brother Zhang said after explaining the work, then commanded.

"Squad leader, you know me. I only have one arm and no special skills. 100,000 yuan a month is too much for me!" the one-armed man was the first to speak.

"Xinghua, that's not for you to worry about. I've discussed it with the Boss, and his intention is that everyone's salary will be the same for the first two months. Time is short and the task is heavy, so there's no time for special treatment. After two months, if there's still work, then we'll sit down and discuss it again. If there's no more work, then everyone goes back to their own homes and their own mothers!" Brother Zhang explained.

The one-armed man, Ruan Xinghua, fell silent and sat down with his head bowed.

"Squad leader, if there was work to be done, why didn't you tell us brothers before we came? You see, we brought our families, and now we're going to stay here for two months without any preparation," the older man stood up and said.

"I know your character! The few times I asked you to come and help me before, which time didn't you make all sorts of excuses not to come?"

Brother Zhang didn't hold back, dealing with each person who tried to challenge him.

However, it was also clear that Brother Zhang's prestige among these brothers was considerable. If it were anyone else, the gathering would have broken up long ago.

Oriental Chen was also sensible enough not to speak; the timing wasn't right. At this moment, everyone had their own thoughts, and he, a young man, wouldn't be listened to even if he spoke.

"Squad leader, to be frank. If us brothers came by ourselves, then there would naturally be nothing to say. But look now, everyone has brought their families. It's not appropriate for a whole family to stay here for two months! Even if you don't mind, us brothers can't feel at ease taking advantage of you! Moreover, it's called a salary, but can't us brothers know our own worth? 100,000 yuan a month! This is clearly just giving money to us brothers! We definitely can't agree to this!" another young man said.

Do you see? What a group of simple and unpretentious, yet radiating brilliant light, people! They are a group of trustworthy, amiable, and respectable people! They are a group of people who once fought bravely on the battlefield, sacrificing their lives and shedding blood for the peace of their homeland! What a group of straightforward and honest people!

The simple and unpretentious words made Oriental Chen's eyes moist.

Just as Brother Zhang was about to speak, the private room door was pushed open with a "bang"...

"Mr. Dongfang! Something's happened, something big!"

A man in a suit, disregarding his image, rushed in frantically, pushing the door open and shouting loudly.

Everyone's gaze turned to him, directly stunning the newcomer.

The person who suddenly burst in was Niu Xingwang, the director of Dingxin Real Estate.

Oriental Chen and Brother Zhang quickly left their seats and went to meet him.

"What's going on?" Oriental Chen asked.

Niu Xingwang looked around but didn't speak.

"Brother Niu, it's fine. They're all our own people, just say it," Oriental Chen explained.

Seeing that Oriental Chen had expressed his stance, Niu Xingwang no longer hesitated and spoke:

"Binjiang City is going to be under martial law! The notice just came down, starting at midnight!"

"What's the situation? Why martial law?" Brother Zhang asked in surprise.

Brother Niu glanced at him but didn't answer. He turned to stare at Oriental Chen, thinking that Oriental Chen must know what was going on.

"Brother Niu, if there's martial law, will it affect our project?" Oriental Chen asked.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about. Our project might have to stop," Niu Xingwang said.

"Does it have to stop? Is enclosed construction feasible?" Oriental Chen asked, frowning.

"Mr. Dongfang, it's not a matter of enclosed or not. I just received a notice that the company's construction team and mechanical equipment will all be requisitioned starting tomorrow! In that case, we will have no one available here!" Niu Xingwang explained.

"Is there no way to coordinate?" Oriental Chen continued to ask.

"No way. This is a death order!" Niu Xingwang shook his head.

"Then what is the current progress of the project?" Oriental Chen wondered if the project couldn't be completed, as long as the main structure was finished, a slightly rough environment would be acceptable, and it could be improved later.

"The main structure is basically complete, but the walls and floors haven't been finished yet," Niu Xingwang said.

"Sure enough!" Oriental Chen also breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Niu Xingwang's answer.

"Then that's the only way. There are still a few hours until midnight, Brother Niu, you'll also need to help arrange a few large trucks, I have an urgent need," Oriental Chen said.

He had a premonition that once the virus developed to a degree that required control, it must already be quite serious. To prevent further complications, the supplies they had purchased over the past month must be transferred to the underground base as quickly as possible.

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away. However, Mr. Dongfang, I have one more humble request!" Niu Xingwang stammered.

"Oh? Brother Niu, speak!" Oriental Chen looked at him and said.

"Mr. Dongfang, if something truly is going to happen, I hope... I hope you can take me in," Niu Xingwang pleaded.

His words were a bit too humble. Niu Xingwang was a prominent figure in Binjiang City and was not so desperate as to need someone else to take him in. He said this to arrange a fallback plan for himself.

"Brother Niu, you exaggerate. If I'm not mistaken, your construction team being requisitioned means they must have other things to do, so it wouldn't come to needing someone else to take you in," Oriental Chen was somewhat surprised to hear Boss Niu say this.

"Mr. Dongfang has keen insight! To be honest, my intuition tells me that following Mr. Dongfang will be safer," Niu Xingwang said awkwardly.

"Alright, Brother Niu, since you've put it that way, then there's naturally no problem. Now, quickly arrange the vehicles; I have some things that need to be transported to the base as soon as possible," Oriental Chen said.

"Okay, I'll go right away." Seeing Oriental Chen agree, Niu Xingwang was very happy and rushed out the door excitedly.

At this moment, everyone else in the private room gathered around, looking at the two with curiosity and tension.

"Now it's settled! No need to argue, now you can't leave even if you wanted to," Brother Zhang said, spreading his hands helplessly.

"What's going on, squad leader? Why is Binjiang City suddenly going to be under martial law?" the one-armed youth Ruan Xinghua asked urgently.

"I don't know either, ask the Boss. The Boss definitely knows," Brother Zhang looked at Oriental Chen and replied.

Brother Zhang used to call Oriental Chen "Xiao Chen," but after his brothers arrived, to establish Oriental Chen's prestige, he no longer directly called him Xiao Chen. There was also another reason: he wanted to stand on the same line as his brothers and avoid creating class divisions.

"Everyone, come and sit down. Since the matter has been revealed, I think it's time to tell everyone the true situation," Oriental Chen gestured for everyone to come and sit, speaking as he walked.

"Time is short, so I'll make a long story short. The situation might sound too shocking, and I hope that even if you can't accept it immediately, you can cooperate to complete the upcoming work. Tonight will be a sleepless night," Oriental Chen stated before speaking.

"Xiao Chen, don't worry! Our brothers here have all been tested and will definitely not drop the ball. Just tell us!" Brother Zhang assured him.

Everyone else also nodded in agreement.

Oriental Chen nodded, looked at everyone, and began:

"The story starts with a virus..."