Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 105 This is a gift I'm giving to you

As they bid farewell to the school's extraordinary individuals, the sun was setting and the sky was ablaze with rosy clouds. Without pausing, Su Xun took Jiang Yi and boarded a car, heading once again towards the Haiqu Safe Zone.

There are some matters that need his attention, but most of them are going smoothly, and he only needs to listen to reports.

He met with the head of the security zone, or to put it another way—the commander of the Haiqu Division under the Taimeng Corps. He was a colonel in his forties, surnamed Song, with an upright posture, but his face looked somewhat haggard, suggesting that he had been under a lot of pressure recently.

He was the same guy who jokingly suggested Su Xun go on a blind date as an example last time. When reporting on his work, he was quite serious and earnest: "As of this morning, the number of members in my subordinate units has exceeded 80,000, accounting for 24% of the total population of the safe zone, mainly consisting of militia and workers."

Su Xun nodded: "We can continue to expand the scale. Now it's not the pre-apocalyptic world. We need to create an atmosphere where everyone is a soldier. As long as you want to participate in the construction of the Corps, we can appropriately relax the recruitment standards."

"I understand, but you can rest assured about that. We have provided ample supplies and benefits, and the people's willingness to join the Corps is quite strong. The main obstacle to our recruitment speed is the speed of establishing files under the paper-based office system."

Upon hearing this, Su Xun could only nod helplessly.

The Corps is not simply a military organization. Before the Great Cataclysm, it had a mature management mechanism that covered all aspects of production, life, military, and agriculture. It not only imposed obligations on Corps members but also guaranteed their livelihoods and even provided retirement benefits.

In other words, this thing is actually a formal establishment. The only remaining legion before the Great Cataclysm already required an exam to enter, and the selection process was quite rigorous. Times have changed, so the methods are different now. Since there is a shortage of people now, Su Xun and the others certainly cannot set such high thresholds.

Local matters within the safe zone are mostly handled by them. After exchanging words with the division commander for a while, Su Xun changed course and headed to the hospital. It was already night, and the division commander volunteered to drive Su Xun.

Seeing his eagerness, Su Xun smiled and shook his head: "I have to remind you, it won't work on you playing these tricks on me. If you want to get promoted at your level, you should drive Commander Qin Chang's car."

After the Taimeng Corps is fully established, Qin Chang will serve as its commander. Of course, even he cannot make the decision on the promotion of officers at the division level on his own.

Division Commander Song shook his head: "What are you saying, Commander-in-Chief? I was just about to go home and was just hitching a ride with you."

"Don't you have your own car?"

"No, fuel is precious and electricity is scarce. The division should set an example. If there's nothing to do, either take the bus or walk."

Su Xun turned his head to look out the car window and happened to pass by a bus stop crowded with people.

"It will be solved."

Without saying anything more, the car stopped at the hospital entrance a moment later. There stood a young girl who looked familiar to Su Xun. He remembered that she was the nurse from Chen Ming's ward.

She was somewhat surprised to see Su Xun and the others get out of the car, but a moment later she quickly ran and rushed into her teacher's arms.

"dad!"

It turned out to be his daughter.

Su Xun turned his head and glanced at the scene, only to see the commander pat the little girl on the head.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that in front of so many people?"

Su Xun smiled and teased, "What, you still have to keep your own daughter a secret? After the Great Cataclysm, shouldn't this be something to be happy about?"

“That’s right, that’s right, the commander-in-chief is right.” The nurse chimed in, but Commander Song sighed.

Looking at the pedestrians coming and going at the hospital entrance, he said in a low voice, "I still have a daughter, but many people don't. If you put yourself in their shoes, just seeing this scene must be a kind of hurt and pain for them."

Su Xun remained silent for a while, patted the other person on the shoulder, said no more, and turned to walk into the hospital.

Upon arriving at the inpatient department, he first found Chen Ming's ward. When he pushed open the door, Su Xun saw that the person inside had already sat up in bed.

"Did Squad Leader Chen know I was coming?"

"I heard you... Commander-in-Chief, what brings you here?"

"Lie down first, I just happened to be passing by and wanted to drop by." Su Xun smiled: "How are you feeling recovering?"

“I feel fine, but Nurse Xu and the others still won’t let me get out of bed.”

"Then listen to them. On the battlefield, you obey orders from your superiors; in the hospital, you obey the orders of the medical staff." Su Xun helped Chen Ming lie down. The recovery speed of superhumans is indeed much faster than that of ordinary people, but after all, Chen Ming is only at the first level, and his injuries are serious. He won't recover in just a few days.

"Plans can't keep up with changes. I told you before that I would wait for you to recover at the command post, but now I'm afraid I have to break my promise. I came here to apologize to you. You may need to come to the Taimon base to find me now."

"No, Commander...it's alright!" Chen Ming's tone was even a little panicked. Su Xun smiled and patted his shoulder: "You are our combat hero. Take good care of yourself. I have other things to do, so I'll be leaving now."

"Remember to listen to the doctor and don't overexert yourself."

After Chen Ming's repeated assurances, Su Xun walked out the door. The head nurse, surnamed Xu, was standing at the door. Su Xun asked, "Is there anything unusual about the patient I asked you to keep an eye on?"

"No, everything is normal. If I had to say anything, I would say I recovered very quickly and am basically ready to be discharged now."

Su Xun nodded: "Then let's take him home from the hospital tomorrow. We'll need you to keep an eye on Sergeant Chen afterwards." "It's our duty."

After saying goodbye to the head nurse, Su Xun and Jiang Yi walked together to another ward, where the Pingyang native named Yin Danyi, who had been taken in by Chen Ming and the others, was staying.

Upon entering, the person was asleep, but Su Xun's attention was drawn to another figure—a nurse who was looking at a record book in the ward.

Su Xun came without informing the hospital. The nurse seemed surprised to see the commander-in-chief of the Kuafu Project, whose name was printed in the handbook, and was startled when she looked up. She stood there almost too afraid to move.

"Am I that scary?"

Su Xun smiled and glanced at the name tag hanging on the other person's chest: "Your name is He Xiaoyu?"

He Xiaoyu nodded quickly, and Su Xun said, "Don't be nervous. You may not know, but I've actually seen you before. Please have a seat."

He asked He Xiaoyu to sit on the stool, and Su Xun sat on the empty hospital bed himself. He turned his head and whispered something to Jiang Yi. He Xiaoyu didn't hear it clearly, but Jiang Yi nodded and went out.

Yin Danyi, who was standing to the side, had already woken up and was watching this scene with curiosity.

Su Xun's next words shocked He Xiaoyu even more.

How are things between you and your boyfriend? When are you planning to get married?

She opened her mouth, then instinctively said, "I...we're fine, marriage...we haven't thought about it yet..."

"Why shouldn't we consider it? We should consider it. I see you're all getting on in years."

Su Xun slapped his thigh, his face full of heartache: "In this world, you must cherish the people you meet."

Next, He Xiaoyu listened in a daze as the commander-in-chief explained the benefits of marriage to her, from the safety zone subsidies to personal feelings. In fact, he explained it very clearly, but she felt that her brain was starting to not be able to understand what was happening in front of her, and everything went in one ear and out the other.

Fortunately, this situation didn't last long. Jiang Yi, who had just gone out, returned quickly with a book in her hand—a survival manual. Su Xun took it from Jiang Yi and asked He Xiaoyu, "What's your boyfriend's name?"

"His name is Sun Qi."

Which one is strange?

"Strange Qi, Commander-in-Chief."

“Hmm… it’s the ‘miracle’ of ‘miracle’.” Su Xun smiled: “In this era, finding a suitable partner and being able to come together safely and smoothly is no small miracle.”

Looking down, Su Xun took a pen from Jiang Yi and opened the manual.

"Then let's keep it simple."

As Su Xun read, he quickly wrote a line on the title page: "Wishing Comrades He Xiaoyu and Sun Qi a lifelong bond of love, peace, and prosperity."

After advancing to the extraordinary realm, Su Xun gained more precise and meticulous control over his body. The characters he wrote were no longer the same as when he was first reborn. He had been writing a lot for work recently and had already developed excellent handwriting.

After signing his name under the congratulatory message, Su Xun capped his pen and handed the book to He Xiaoyu: "There's not enough time, otherwise I would really like to attend your wedding. I think it would be very meaningful."

"Consider this book my early wedding gift to you. Life is a battle, and I hope you can overcome all difficulties and keep going."

He Xiaoyu was completely stunned; she herself didn't know how she caught the book.

"Alright, you can go ahead and get back to work. I have some things to discuss with this patient."

Seeing that He Xiaoyu was too nervous, Su Xun smiled and let her go first, then turned around to look at Yin Danyi.

"What are you looking at? You want one too?"

Yin Danyi snapped out of her daze, her eyes lighting up: "Yes, am I eligible?"

"No, if you get married now, I might consider it."

When this was mentioned, Yin Danyi's eyes visibly dimmed. Seeing this, Su Xun stopped talking about it and changed the subject.

"I'm here to check on your injuries. If everything is alright, I'll arrange for someone to pick you up from the hospital tomorrow, and you can transfer to the Taimon base with us."

"I'm fine! I can do it!" The man cheered up and even patted his fractured area. "I feel like I'm completely healed. I can go with you now without any problems."

"Stay here for the night, no rush. I'll come pick you up when it's time to leave."

His injuries were the least severe among the people in that vehicle, and as a second-tier superhuman, he had indeed recovered almost completely.

(End of this chapter)