Chapter 1821 - 936: Southbound and Northbound (Part 2)

"Don't worry, Fourth Brother. If you wear a suit, Ji Jue might not bother with you, but if you dress like me and discuss engines with him, he'll be wide awake in no time. Trust me, we were just meeting up for a trial ride of the new model a couple of days ago!"

Shi Ran whistled, with a swagger that left Shi Long helpless. But ironically, it was just that connection from racing cars together half-way that led his brother to have such an unbelievably close personal relationship with Ji Jue... Even he, the executive president of Chong Hui, was labeled as 'Old Shi's brother' by Ji Jue!

Having spent half a lifetime taking care of a wayward younger brother, Shi Long was now experiencing for the first time the benefits of having a well-connected sibling, which left him with mixed emotions.

When they reached the checkpoint outside the helipad, Shi Ran waved off the credentials Shi Long pulled out, lifted his wrist, and scanned his watch on the device.

With a beep, the receptionist's courteous smile clearly showed a hint of enthusiasm.

"Welcome, Mr. Shi."

She politely extracted an orange-red pass card of the same level as Shi Long's and presented it with both hands: "This is the key card for the VIP passage and the suite in the Central Clubhouse. Would you like me to arrange a tour guide for you?"

Shi Ran immediately gave his brother a proud look, hinting 'see the kind of clout your little brother has,' and then waved his hand saying, "No need, I like to wander around on my own."

Even before Shi Long could speak, he heard his younger brother's voice:

"Is Old Ji free?"

"Hmm..."

In a brief moment of surprise, the receptionist glanced at a pop-up message and her smile became even more enthusiastic: "Mr. Ji left a message in the system stating that if Mr. Shi arrives, he shouldn't wait for him and can take the new model for a trial ride at any time. Would you like me to convey this message?"

"Haha, no need, I'll enjoy a round first and contact him later!"

Shi Ran grinned, pocketed the pass card, and swaggered into the special passage with his brother, whose emotions were a mix of complex flavors, as if exploring the city for the first time, looking around with the map in hand.

Through the newly built corridor bridge, he caught a glimpse of the bustling scene of New Spring outside the park, his steps halted, and his gaze fell onto the street.

On the roads temporarily turned into pedestrian streets on both sides, a dense crowd moved back and forth between two rows of thickly packed temporary stalls, creating a vibrant and bustling atmosphere.

Yet his gaze subconsciously focused on the pavement beneath everyone's feet, which was indistinguishable from those in the Central City and seemed of even better quality.

Clearly, it was not some hastily done facade but a truly long-serving road, still showing small cracks and marks of frequent usage.

Looking up again, beyond the dense buildings and the distant still operational factories at the Coast, one could see block after block of residential communities.

Every thread of wire remained orderly in its own position, a few maintenance vehicles raised on high platforms, and power workers clad in uniform deftly setting up temporary cables...

"Not bad at all."

He murmured with appreciation, "I thought it would be like any other settlement beyond Central City."

"Visionary indeed."

Shi Long nodded slightly beside him: "They say from the very start, it was built to Central City specs, with a truly massive investment... If they had today's vision back then, it's an ambitious effort indeed, really aimed at rejuvenating New Spring."

Shi Ran sighed, hearing this, "That's why, bro, you can't connect with him."

"Huh?" Shi Long looked over in bewilderment, not understanding where his analysis went wrong.

Shi Ran hesitated several times before finally giving up, gesturing helplessly: there's no way, the romance of engineers doesn't resonate with capitalists who only talk about cost-effectiveness...

"But suddenly having so many people flood in, can the security handle it?"

He changed the subject, looking around for a long time, but seeing few armed guards, even those maintaining order were just ordinary people wearing volunteer vests: "Aren't they afraid something might go wrong?"

"No need."

Still somewhat speechless, Shi Long pointed next to the wall unhappily, at the pink cat-shaped guide robot waving a little colorful flag.

The park, both inside and out, was filled with these mascots.

"Do you see that thing?"

Shi Long said, "It can give you a punch straight to your forehead, sending you flying from this side of the wall to the other, and you can't even pry yourself off!"

"Really?"

Shi Ran was taken aback, looking back to see Shi Long's half-smiling expression.

"Of course, that's fake."

Shi Long snorted: "Because you, with your build, certainly wouldn't survive intact, a splash of water and you're straight into the sewer."

"Bro, don't try to scare me!"

"Don't believe me? Try it yourself?"

Shi Long, hands behind his back, walked on ahead, choosing to ignore him.

Shi Ran didn't even need to try. From the vantage point of the corridor bridge, he directly saw one of the pink cat mascots, previously crouched in a corner showing a PowerPoint animation for kids, suddenly stand up and perform a Thunderbolt jump, leaping a dozen meters away before landing with a thundering crash.

Amid startled cries, it immediately pinned down someone up to no good with sticky fingers, jabbed an electric baton into his mouth until he foamed, and then tossed him into a speeding Coast van, packaging him up on the spot, sending him right down the line to be processed.

In reality, live demonstrations weren't necessary.

Ever since the Peacekeeping Cat was put into use, many scavengers in Hai Province's Wilderness had already witnessed its prowess.

With 360-degree full coverage, it smartly connected to all cameras and devices, unleashing full power the instant it detected theft, robbery, or assault.

Even without weapons, just two warnings were enough to flatten someone like a pancake with a single punch!

And the reason they switched to electric batons wasn't due to the flood of complaints but because the completeness rate was too low, limiting recycling and rehabilitation, which the Paradise System in the park didn't allow anymore!

After its automatic deployment, New Spring's security situation improved unbelievably fast, with the rate of violent incidents dropping to Central City levels.

As for the unlucky guys with a one-time, daring robbery plan and escape, once they left New Spring, they would find themselves greeted by Peace Cat's cousins equipped with full weaponry and complete permissions!

More importantly...

Boom!

Amidst the noisy chaos, a faint but deep rumble emerged from the street corner, continuous, with the ground subtly shaking, and even the corridor bridge's windows faintly vibrating.

And in the dazed eyes of countless people, beyond the corner, a terrifying shadow over three meters tall strode down a dedicated path, followed by another, and another...

In Shi Ran's shocked gaze on the corridor bridge, a line of bizarre things, appearing as Power Armor, designed like Power Armor, and walking just like Power Armor, rumbled past the corridor bridge...

While passing, they even glanced towards the bridge, their cameras scanning it, politely flashing their lights.

Just like that, they swaggered past, disappearing from sight.

Leaving the completely petrified Shi Ran, turning stiffly, looking at Shi Long beside him, whose expression was equally complex:

"...Uh, what's that?"

"Hmm..."

Shi Long contemplated for a moment before deciding to adopt the official line from the Coast: "They call it a heavy-duty construction exoskeleton auxiliary system for building use.

You see, it even has a 'Safety First, Everyone's Responsibility' sticker on it!"