Chapter 358: Mandatory Directive

Chapter 358 -360: Mandatory Directive

A convoy of trucks bearing the Xinhong Food logo traveled down the highway late at night.

Each truck was guaranteed to have both a driver and a co-driver to prevent drowsiness. The company had learned the hard way about the dangers of driver fatigue; even a well-rested driver could get sleepy at night.

A total of five trucks drove in a line. Xiaoxiao opened the passenger-side window, letting the night wind blow in.

“Hey, hey, Xiaoxiao, crack the window a little less. It’s getting chilly in the middle of the night.”

The driver, Old Liu, said this while shrinking his neck back.

“Brother Liu, you’re in the prime of your life. How can you be so frail? Have all those years of driving drained your vital nutrients too quickly?”

“Huh? What does driving have to do with losing nutrients?”

Xiaoxiao chuckled. “Heh heh.”

“No reason. I’ll close the window a bit.”

Their truck was the last one in the convoy. There were few other vehicles on the highway this late at night. Even if there were, upon seeing a line of trucks, most would hurry to overtake them. No one really chooses to drive alongside or follow behind big rigs.

As Xiaoxiao was closing the window, a cluster of headlights appeared in the distance in the rearview mirror.

“Whoa, what kind of convoy is that? Looks pretty big.”

Old Liu had clearly seen it from the driver’s seat and commented casually.

“BEEP… BEE-BEEP…”

The distant convoy honked as a signal and turned off its high beams to avoid blinding the drivers ahead.

“RUMBLE…”

“RUMBLE…”

“RUMBLE…”

…

A very rugged-looking jeep led the way, followed by a procession of heavy container trucks that began to pass the food factory’s convoy.

“Holy shit!”

Xiaoxiao let out a curse in awe. A dozen or so trucks had already passed, and there was still no end in sight. There had to be over a hundred of them, at least. For a moment, the sheer number gave the food factory convoy the illusion that the four-lane highway had narrowed to just two.

Those vehicles were moving much faster than their own. The Xinhong Food convoy instinctively slowed down, intending to let the massive fleet pass.

Xiaoxiao whipped out his phone and quickly started recording, panning to capture the entire length of the passing convoy.

“Brother Liu, what do you think is in all these? There are so many!”

“Who knows!”

As they chatted idly, Xiaoxiao suddenly noticed that all the drivers in the other convoy were soldiers.

“Brother Liu, Brother Liu, are those military trucks?”

“Huh?”

Old Liu took a closer look.

“I don’t see military license plates… uh, but it does look like the drivers are wearing military uniforms.”

Nearly five minutes passed before the last heavy truck finally went by, the massive convoy leaving nothing but a trail of red taillights ahead of the few Xinhong Food trucks.

“Damn, Brother Liu, how many do you think there were?”

Old Liu glanced at the time on his dashboard—it had been almost five minutes—and did a quick calculation.

“Probably over two hundred.”

Xiaoxiao’s face contorted into an exaggerated expression. ‘Over two hundred? Not even a car dealership would move that many at once.’

“I wonder what they’re carrying. Brother Liu, you’ve been on the road for so many years, can you guess what’s inside?”

“Whatever it is, it’s none of our business. There’s only one thing I care about right now!”

“What’s that?”

“When the hell are you gonna close that window, kid? I’m freezing to death!”

With an awkward laugh, Xiaoxiao quickly closed the window, not forgetting to tease Old Liu one last time about being frail.

…

It was just before six in the morning when the Xinhong Food convoy returned to the factory grounds.

As one of Yang City’s most prominent food companies, it was also a nationally recognized name.

The factory grounds were spacious and clean. The brand owned multiple production lines for various food subcategories, turning out products that included candy, preserved fruits, puffed snacks, beverages, canned goods, bread, and even popsicles and ice cream.

“BEEP BEEP~”

The trucks were parked, and the drivers got out one by one, each showing signs of fatigue.

Xinhong Food wasn’t a publicly traded company. Even after it grew large, the boss, Gao Fu’an, still preferred to be called Factory Director.

For years, he had always arrived at the factory early to inspect its hygiene. While one couldn’t say what other food companies were like, Old Gao’s responsible attitude was certainly a virtue.

“Old Liu, you’re all back. Was the trip smooth?”

The factory director, a man in his fifties, greeted the disembarking drivers.

Old Liu and the others approached with friendly smiles.

“No problems, the road was smooth. What could happen? It’s just…”

He trailed off as several unfamiliar vehicles drove in through the factory gate, among them a few army-green jeeps.

A man familiar to the factory director got out of the lead car: Vice Director Zhou, the district leader in charge of food and hygiene.

Accompanying Director Zhou were two capable-looking young men in sharp, black, special military-style uniforms.

Additionally, there were several soldiers with ramrod-straight postures in the jeep.

“Director Zhou, what brings you here so early in the morning…?”

Although Old Gao was confident he followed all the laws and maintained strict hygiene standards, you could never be sure about some new issue with food additives. Seeing this procession made him slightly uneasy.

Vice Director Zhou’s expression was quite friendly as he introduced the men beside him to Old Gao.

“Old Gao, don’t be nervous. We’re not here to inspect you. The higher-ups need to see you about something.”

‘The higher-ups? Which higher-ups? Director Zhou’s higher-ups?’

While Old Gao and the others were still stunned, Vice Director Zhou was already introducing them to the agents from the Special Security Team.

“This is Gao Fu’an.”

The two men nodded slightly. One of them stepped forward and handed Old Gao a red-header document.

“Factory Director Gao, as of today, we will be intervening in Xinhong Food’s production schedule. The production lines for puffed snacks and other small treats will be shut down after you complete your remaining orders. The factory will focus all its efforts on producing supplies such as canned goods, biscuits, and sealed meat and vegetable dishes.”

‘What is going on?’

It wasn’t just Old Gao; Old Liu and the others standing nearby also looked completely bewildered.

Old Gao looked at Vice Director Zhou and voiced his thoughts.

“Sir, Leader… this is a private enterprise, not a state-owned one… Besides, we only have two canning production lines. If we shut down the snack lines as you say, a large part of our factory will be idle, and the workers will have nothing to do…”

As the reality of the situation sank in, Old Gao became slightly annoyed. ‘Could some official’s kid be pulling shady tricks to try and take over Xinhong Food Factory?’ he thought.

‘They see the factory is successful and profitable, so they get greedy. It’s just like what you see in TV dramas!’

The man from the Special Security Team answered his question with meticulous precision.

“Factory Director Gao, you don’t need to worry about the production lines. New lines will be delivered within two days. Your factory is full of skilled workers who can get up to speed quickly. As for the newly produced goods, you won’t need to find buyers. The government will procure everything!”

With that, the man opened the red-header document, displaying the official steel seal stamped on it.

“As for private versus state-owned, I understand your point. However, Factory Director Gao, this isn’t a request—it’s an order! It’s part of the pre-war mobilization system. What we can guarantee is that you will receive your due profits! It’s fine for you to have doubts now; someone will be assigned to explain the situation to you.”

“Also, this matter falls under confidentiality regulations. It must not be leaked.”

At this, the Special Security Team agent’s gaze swept over everyone present, including the truck drivers.

“I will remember every single one of you!”

After saying this, he gave a military salute. The Special Security Team agent and Director Zhou got back in their car and left, but the jeeps and the squads of Soldiers remained.

Just then, a platoon leader stepped forward, saluted, introduced himself, and began talking with Old Gao and the others.

They had come and gone quickly, with no intention of sitting down for a long chat in an office. There were many other places they needed to visit.

For Xinhong Food Factory, this marked the beginning of a series of changes. Its leadership’s mood shifted from indignant bewilderment to utter shock, and finally, to deep worry.

The employees, on the other hand, were relatively unfazed. The change in production lines sparked some temporary buzz, with most assuming the boss wanted to specialize in a particular food sector.

However, a few individuals, like Old Liu and Xiaoxiao, knew a little more of the truth.

The products now being made at the factory, while seemingly varied, all had one thing in common: they were produced in massive quantities and had extremely long shelf lives.

It wasn’t just Xinhong Food Factory. Across the country, other suitable food production companies were also receiving mandatory orders one after another.

The Special Security Team’s predetermined plan was simple: cooperation was preferred, but if a company was unwilling, the military would take over.

However, after learning the truth, every single executive chose to comply.

None of these people were fools. They could weigh the pros and cons and understood that the more they contributed at a time like this, the better it would be for them in the long run.

As for profits, although the government promised the economic system would not collapse and that the money would not become worthless paper…

…these shrewd individuals could do a rough calculation and see that the government was spending on a massive scale across all key industries, not just food. The mints were probably printing money 24/7.

Inflation takes time to set in. Until then, printing more money was a desperate, self-destructive solution, like drinking poison to quench one’s thirst.

…

In the Special Security Team’s tactical hall, the post had been manned twenty-four hours a day, even before the highest mobilization order was issued.

Right now, the main screen displayed a partial map, showing a high-plateau region.

Convoys of heavy container trucks were converging there from their respective starting points.

“Chief, our frequent vehicle movements toward the border have drawn the dissatisfaction of Yin Country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking if we can de-escalate.”

Tao Xingzhi flicked the cigarette butt in his hand with pinpoint accuracy into a distant trash can, where the water inside extinguished it with a SIZZLE.

“No need. Have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs discreetly remind Yin Country about the ‘soul effect’—how large gatherings of humans attract monsters from the Otherworld.”

“We don’t have time to get bogged down in diplomatic disputes with them!”

Tao Xingzhi’s gaze swept to the bottom-left corner of the map, which was marked in red.

Yin Country, a nation with a massive population. What would happen there… the outlook wasn’t optimistic!

Although the domestic demand in Hua Country for mobile, modular defensive outposts was enormous, the Huayin Border was a planned key defense zone.

The worst-case scenario was that if Yin Country became a terrifying “breeding ground,” this border would become the front-line bulwark.

Otherwise, the combined “gathering effect” of two super-populous nations would create far too much pressure.

It was naturally impossible to defend the entire length of the long border, but the key convergence zones could be calculated. As for any unforeseen variables, that was where the advantage of having designed the defensive outposts to be mobile would shine.

PS: First chapter for Thursday.