352: Chapter 352 Arrival in Pingxi City

After the criticism meeting ended, Que Xin appointed a new Settlement leader.

Fifty thousand Soldiers rested briefly here.

At 10 AM, Que Xin set off again with his Soldiers, their next destination: Pingxi City.

Pingxi City is a prefecture-level city in Liaoshen Province, located east of Fengtian City and west of Andong City.

Pingxi City has three Settlements under its jurisdiction: Nangou Settlement, Beigou Settlement, and Xihu Settlement.

The geographical locations of the three Settlements are Beigou Settlement to the north, Xihu Settlement to the south, and Nangou Settlement in the middle.

Que Xin planned to bypass Xihu Settlement and head directly for Nangou Settlement, because the Mayor of Pingxi City was there; as long as he took Nangou Settlement, the other two Settlements would be easy to conquer.

The distance from Fengtian City to Pingxi City is 80 kilometers, and the extensive railway network saved them from the hardship of travel.

Taking Nangou Settlement was not difficult, the difficulty lay in the fact that Pingxi City was not under his jurisdiction; even if he conquered it, the people below might not obey him.

To gain the trust of the people in the Settlement, he had to do a good job of appearances, and package the attack as a righteous act.

For this, Que Xin already had a plan.

Around noon, the train arrived near Nangou Settlement.

Que Xin let most of his Soldiers rest on the train, and only took over a thousand people with him.

Mayor Lun Jianian of Pingxi City was not familiar with Que Xin, but they knew each other.

"Who are you?" As soon as Que Xin arrived at the city gate, the Security Guard patrolling the entrance asked loudly and vigilantly.

Because there were no zombie attacks during the day, the city gates of the Settlement would be open for a period of time; during this time, the Security Team was divided into two groups, inside and outside the city, for duty.

The Security Guard who was asking the question at this time was on duty outside the city.

"Little brother, I am Mayor Que Xin of Andong City, I have urgent business to see your Mayor Lun Jianian, please go report it," Que Xin said, feigning exhaustion.

When the Security Guard heard that it was the Mayor of Andong City, he did not dare to be presumptuous and immediately ran into the city.

More than half an hour passed, and the Security Guard ran back alone.

"What's going on, little brother?" Que Xin asked.

"Mayor Que, our Mayor Lun is not feeling well, so he won't be coming to greet you; he asked me to bring you over," the Security Guard replied, panting.

It seems that many Settlements still lack strong vigilance and are too easily letting the wolf into the house.

"It's fine, then you lead the way," Que Xin said it was no problem, his heart blooming with joy.

"Okay, Mayor Que, please," the Security Guard politely made a gesture to invite him in.

Just like that, Que Xin swaggered into Nangou Settlement with over a thousand armed Soldiers.

"Mayor Lun, it's been a while, how did you get so sick?" Que Xin asked with concern upon seeing Lun Jianian.

"Mayor Que, you're making fun of me; this is actually an old ailment, it's just gotten worse since this year," Lun Jianian said weakly.

"What specific illness is it?" Que Xin asked.

"Stomach cancer, late stage," Lun Jianian replied, not avoiding the topic.

"This... alas!" Que Xin shook his head, indicating that this disease was truly incurable now.

"Mayor Que, may I ask why you came to see me today?" Lun Jianian asked.

"Alas! Mayor Lun, I originally came to ask for your help, but now it's truly hard to speak," Que Xin sighed and shook his head.

"Mayor Que, you don't need to have any qualms; as long as I can help, I definitely will," Lun Jianian stated.

"Then I'll be direct. Our Five Dragon Mountain Resettlement was attacked by zombies last night, and many people died. I led the surviving people to flee all the way here, and now we are homeless," Que Xin said.

Lun Jianian was speechless after hearing this.

He regretted speaking too soon.

His promise to help Que Xin was based on the premise that he still had value. He knew his days were numbered and wanted to pave the way for his son before he died. Andong City and Benxi City were neighbors, and good relations would be very beneficial to his son.

But who would have thought that Que Xin was a stray dog; helping him for nothing was clearly not cost-effective.

"Then Mayor Que's meaning is...?" Lun Jianian pretended not to understand.

"Oh, I just wanted to ask Mayor Lun if you could take in the people of my Andong City?" Que Xin asked.

"Mayor Que, if I remember correctly, you Andong City still has another Settlement, called... it seems to be called Phoenix Mountain Settlement, right? Did you not go there to check?" Lun Jianian asked.

"To be honest, I just came from there. Phoenix Mountain also had an incident, and there isn't a single living person left now," Que Xin lied.

"Is it that serious?" Lun Jianian was a bit surprised.

"Yes! If not, why would I travel all this way to beg you?" Que Xin even used the word 'beg'.

"Mayor Que, as you know, Pingxi is a small place, with a small population and a small area. Even if I wanted to take you in, I don't have the capacity!" Lun Jianian was refusing.

"If Mayor Lun finds it difficult, it's okay; I'll think of other ways," Que Xin didn't mind.