The Dragon City Rises

Da Xiong sat with his head lowered on a chair in the休息室 (xiūxīshì, rest area). The bright light from the ceiling illuminated his facial contours, making them appear sharper and more three-dimensional.

To those familiar with him, a close look at Da Xiong would reveal subtle changes in his features. However, this wasn't due to plastic surgery to conceal his identity.

When he first stepped into the boxing ring, his poor foundation, clumsy physique, and late start resulted in a record of ten losses in ten fights. He underwent six surgeries, had teeth knocked out, fractured his cheekbones, had three nose surgeries, and suffered permanent hearing loss in his left ear.

Life is hard, but Da Xiong's life was several times harder than that of ordinary people. The stain he was forced to bear and his congenital physical defects made him tread carefully in every step of his life.

After relaxing, Da Xiong left, taking with him a bonus of 60,000.

...

The next morning.

Su Tianyu was called to Zhao Wei Hu's office by a guard immediately after finishing breakfast.

"I'll take you out for a spin today," Zhao Wei Hu said, wearing his military uniform and with his hands behind his back.

"...Brother, what exactly are you planning?" Su Tianyu felt a bit lost.

"Let's go, you'll know when we get there." Zhao Wei Hu invited him with a smile, and left the headquarters with Su Tianyu and the guard.

Around nine o'clock in the morning, more than a dozen heavily armed pickup trucks carried everyone westward.

On the way, Su Tianyu gradually relaxed. He turned his head to look at the mountain scenery around him, feeling an indescribable joy.

The ecological environment of Mo Nan was excellent, almost like a paradise. The mountains were covered with trees, the water was crystal clear, and the bright sunshine made it look like a landscape painting.

Sitting in the car, Su Tianyu even saw many wild animals moving through the woods. Deer and raccoons flashed by among the trees.

"It's so beautiful here," Su Tianyu exclaimed.

"It would be even more beautiful if there were no wars," Zhao Wei Hu said softly. "Recently, the rebel army has been retreating, and the inland areas have been relatively stable, so many wild animals have run to places where people can see them. But once the cannons start firing, you won't see anything."

Su Tianyu nodded slowly, "There's no way around it; this place has never been peaceful."

The history of Old Mo has always been rather "painful." Before the Age of Exploration, it was colonized by the Old West, and then invaded by the Old French. Even in relatively peaceful times, a wall was built to separate it from the outside world.

This outcome was due in part to objective historical factors, but more to the nation's character. The people here are more lazy and have a low sense of belonging to their homeland.

Zhao Wei Hu, Zhu Bajie, and Su Tianyu chatted all the way, arriving around noon at a small town called Hua Lei.

This small town of Hua Lei was not large, with a population of about thirty to forty thousand. It was located in a mountain pass, making it strategically advantageous from a military point of view, belonging to a terrain that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

After Su Tianyu followed Zhao Wei Hu into the town, he suddenly noticed that Chinese compatriots were everywhere, and many of the dilapidated shops had signs written in Chinese.

This caught Gou Liu Zi's attention, and he asked curiously, "Why are there so many of our own people here?"

"Some of these people are the families of our Chi Army soldiers; some are laborers who escaped from the Dragon City; and the rest want to do business here," Zhao Wei Hu explained softly. "Black people make up 40 percent of the population, and most of them ran here from war zones."

"A paradise?" Su Tianyu asked with a smile.

"Not really. They're all poor people, coming here to make a living and find jobs." Zhao Wei Hu explained as he walked. "The People's Military Government allocated me more than ten million in resettlement funds some time ago, which is actually for this town. With this place, our logistics are guaranteed. The Chi Army relies on it for food and basic supplies."

"Relying solely on allocations from above, this town has no ability to generate its own wealth?" Su Tianyu frowned and asked, "If you want to continue in the long term, you still have to build factories and infrastructure to get the internal cycle going."

"Hehe!" Zhao Wei Hu looked at Su Tianyu and suddenly showed a strange smile. "Worthy of being a top student, you're right, we have to be business-oriented."

Su Tianyu felt that Zhao Wei Hu's smile was a bit malicious, so he didn't respond.

"Let's go, let's find a place to eat first," Zhao Wei Hu said.

The group set off, accompanying Big Brother to the Chi Army Road battlefield hospital.

The street names in this small town were very random. Names such as Garrison Road and Regiment Headquarters Street could be found on the street signs.

However, it's not that the Chi Army is uncultured, but that this town has changed hands so many times due to the war. The former town management association had long since run away, and the town's cultural heritage had been cut off. Therefore, after the Chi Army was stationed in the surrounding area, they could do whatever they wanted.

In the battlefield hospital on Chi Army Road, while Zhao Wei Hu and the others were waiting for dinner, they made a special trip to the wounded soldier dormitory area.

Su Tianyu had no idea what Big Brother was going to do, so he could only follow him around.

Inside a row of connected bungalows, Su Tianyu frowned as he looked at the very simple medical equipment around him and asked, "Can this...can this save people? There isn't even a sterile environment!"

It was not surprising that Su Tianyu asked this question, because this place was more like a warehouse in a factory than a hospital ward.

Although the walls of the bungalows were relatively strong, the environment inside was extremely simple. Each bed was less than five meters apart, separated only by dilapidated iron or wooden boards, with a stand for intravenous drips next to it. That was considered an individual treatment space.

There were no devices, instruments, or emergency exits, and even the garbage cans for the wounded were not one per person, but one shared by five beds.

Zhao Wei Hu turned to look at Su Tianyu and pointed to the dilapidated beds, saying, "At least a few hundred of my brothers have been healed here. At least it can shelter them from the wind and rain, and there's a bed where the wounded can lie down and rest."

Su Tianyu was silent.

"The war zone in Mo Nan is different from when you fought in District One. Here, every screw is unique. If you run out, you may not be able to replenish it." Zhao Wei Hu looked around and suddenly asked, "Do you know why I asked you to come?"

"Brother, if you want me to donate some money, just say it directly. We don't need to run more than a hundred kilometers and come to see it in person," Su Tianyu replied speechlessly, "I'll donate two hundred thousand so that the brothers can all have garbage cans and new quilts!"

"Haha!" Zhao Wei Hu laughed, "Do you think I'm like Tang Zhengde, trying to extort you?! You still don't understand me enough. If I wanted to ask you for money, I would just rob you."