A pale red sunset blanketed the ground.

After the rain stopped and the sky cleared, the weather in the wasteland turned around. The sun blazed for several days in a row, giving off a sweltering heat.

The moment he opened the workshop door, the oppressive heat jolted Su Mo wide awake.

He went from room to room until he reached Sun Quan’s workroom next door.

After a few whispered words, Sun Quan heard that the energy stone tools had been developed successfully and was so excited that he almost jumped for joy.

Su Mo smiled cryptically, then had Sun Quan lock up the workshop door with him, and the two of them left early and headed straight for the canteen.

Although Sun Quan hadn’t touched a computer in eight years, once the memories sealed in his mind were awakened, his recovery speed was exactly in line with the intelligence he had always shown.

In the past few days, Su Mo had handed the main control program of the fully automatic harvester over to Sun Quan, and it was now finished.

Su Mo was extremely satisfied with the result, which even exceeded his expectations.

Of course, the program would still need further system upgrades and compatibility work before it could be put to use.

Still, since survival points could only be spent and never saved up, being able to save tens or even hundreds of them was truly invaluable.

“Hey, Master Su, going to eat?”

“Master Su, you came really early today. Did you hardly eat anything at lunch?”

“Haha, it isn’t easy to see a busy man like Master Su here today.”

“I admire Master Su’s dedication to his work more than anyone’s!”

On the way to the canteen, groups of workers walked past. When they saw Su Mo, they all came over to greet him warmly.

Su Mo didn’t hold back his smile either, and answered each of them cheerfully.

After Zhang Min left, Zhang Bowen had grown more familiar with him, and during breaks Su Mo would now and then share some business tips with the boy.

There were tips on how to increase a store’s revenue and how to cultivate future talent.

There were tips on how to manage employees with a few tricks, and even more tips on how to protect yourself in cutthroat competition.

When Zhang Bowen had learned these things before, even his father Zhang Da had not truly understood them. Most of it was experience Zhang Da had picked up through trial and error, which often left Zhang Bowen confused, and naturally he had shown no talent for it.

But now the boy was being trained by Su Mo himself.

Zhang Bowen listened attentively and had actually tried it out himself more than once.

Although he was unfamiliar with the process, the results still fell short of what Su Mo had first hoped for.

Compared with the deserted state Zizai Liang Lane had been in before, it had recently managed to take in thirty to fifty new workers every day.

In just three days, the number of people in the Lane had passed 150, and at last the place had become a little lively.

“Brother Su, if you said you were the manager of Zizai Liang Lane now, I, Little Sun, would believe you!”

“Get out of my way, little grandson. I think you’re the one who wants to be the manager of Zizai Liang Lane, aren’t you?”

Su Mo patted Sun Quan on the shoulder and watched him chuckle and scurry ahead. He quickened his pace, feeling a surge of satisfaction.

Compared with the wasteland of the final year of the calendar, the difference eight years later was striking, never mind the other territories.

Within the Tian Yuan Territory he had created, Su Mo felt so comfortable that he didn’t want to leave.

Sometimes he even caught sight of the territory’s powerful forces, its well-equipped guards, and all sorts of strange and wonderful weapons and research equipment.

Su Mo had a feeling.

Even without him, the territory had a ninety-nine percent or higher chance of surviving the zombie horde that would arrive a year from now.

Even if it came at a price, it was definitely within his means.

Perhaps others had to live a life-or-death struggle every day when they entered the ruins, but for him it was like a vacation. He was incredibly comfortable.

“Brother Su, I’m going to buy two bottles of soda. What would you like to drink?”

“No, forget the soda. Get me an iced tea instead.”

“Alright~” When they reached the entrance of the canteen, Sun Quan understood that Su Mo was going to talk to the new cook, Pei Shao.

Sun Quan, being quite shrewd, made an excuse and slipped out through the back gate of the Lane, heading toward a small shop not far away.

Now that he had room to maneuver, Su Mo didn’t hold back and walked straight into the canteen’s kitchen.

On a sweltering day like this, the kitchen had no air conditioning to cool things down like in modern times.

As soon as you stepped inside, the temperature jumped five or six degrees, making you so hot that you wanted to jump into a puddle and roll around in it.

Yet amid the swirling white mist, Pei Shao, transformed into a chef, and his three apprentices were hard at work.

And he remained earnest about it.

Some were making soup, some were stir-frying vegetables, and some were steaming buns. No one coming by would have noticed anything amiss!

“Hey, Teacher Su is here. Are you hungry?”

“I’ve already cooked three dishes. If you want some, I’ll get you two steamed buns to tide you over.”

Pei Shao, dressed in a white chef’s uniform, came out of the kitchen carrying three large iron basins and set them one by one on the table outside.

He first wiped the sweat from his brow, then bent slightly and smiled.

After three or four days of getting to know each other, the two had become somewhat familiar.

Pei Shao knew that Su Mo came from Qingguo Territory, an ordinary person who had suddenly come into some luck and saved up enough points to buy an identity, so he had joined the territory to make a living.

Su Mo knew that Pei Shao had been the head chef of a small territory next door, and that he had had no choice but to join Tian Yuan Territory after his territory went bankrupt and he lost all the points he had saved.

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