Chapter 116: Planning and Visions

The sudden doubling of the population in New City was undoubtedly a cause for celebration, but it brought with it a host of mounting pressures. First was the issue of housing. The original hundred or so tents were already accommodating about thirty people each. With the population now twice as large, it was clearly impossible to fit everyone in. Next was the problem of food; feeding nearly nine thousand people was no small feat, and even Xie Han began to feel the headache.

Xie Han was not incapable of solving this; he brought in ten tons of grain every day. However, he had to consider the impact. Although he was currently in charge of this sector, as time went on, people would eventually grow suspicious. How would he explain it then? Regardless, he had already brought in nearly two hundred tons of grain during this period. After accounting for consumption, at least one hundred and fifty tons remained, enough to last for a while. Food could be set aside for now, but the housing issue needed to be addressed immediately.

The red bricks produced by the brick kilns had accumulated to over a hundred thousand. To tackle the housing shortage, Xie Han had to halt the construction of the high walls. While opening ten more kilns, he also diverted manpower to build homes.

The adhesive used was perhaps not very effective for bridges or roads, but in bricklaying, cement was no match for it. This high-tech synthetic adhesive, when mixed with water and sand in the right proportions, was the best mortar for masonry. It surpassed cement due to its lightweight nature and efficiency; a single 2kg tube of the adhesive could do the work of five bags of cement once mixed with water and sand. Since the experimental base always had leftovers after tests, there was a sufficient supply. It might have been a drop in the bucket for building high walls, but it was enough for housing.

The five-square-kilometer area of the People’s Base, excluding the small plot occupied by the tents, still had plenty of space. Considering the urgency, it was decided to build a series of simple, prefabricated houses. Calculating twenty people per unit, they needed about two hundred. With a few complete families among them, the final count was set at 250 units.

Over a hundred thousand red bricks sounded like a lot, but for 250 units, it was far from enough. Fortunately, building brick kilns required no specialized skill; in a day and a half, ten more could be put into operation. They could produce a batch every ten days, greatly easing the pressure on supply.

The only fortunate thing was that among the nine thousand residents of New City, there was no "surplus" population. Whether it was the kilns, brickmaking, chopping wood, or digging the moat, everything required massive amounts of labor. The four thousand newcomers, after only three days of rest, were thrown into the heavy workload. The work-point system remained in effect for them.

Once everything was on the right track, Xie Han found time to raise the issue of re-planning New City at a meeting: "Everyone should know that we didn't consider many factors in the previous plan. Our thinking was too limited, which will lead to significant problems in the long run."

The management team of New City came from all walks of life, but none were experts in design. An urban plan was not an ordinary blueprint; it required foresight. A designer's vision often determined the potential of a city. Usually, one had to calculate a city's growth potential during planning, otherwise, how could a city without economic potential support the infrastructure laid out in an expansive plan?

The original plan for New City had been completed in a rush, focusing only on the People’s Base and the experimental base, without professional input or a broader perspective. Its flaws were predictable.

Chu Tianhe stood up and said helplessly, "Boss, it’s not that we don't want to do a good job, it’s that we aren't cut out for it. You know that planning requires both guts and a deep understanding of the terrain. We are all busy from dawn to dusk; if my wife were here, she would have made me quit long ago."

His comment made everyone laugh. Chen Liu, sitting next to him, joked, "I think Tianhe is just missing his woman." The room roared with laughter, leaving Chu Tianhe blushing. "Chen Liu, you really can't say anything nice. We're worked to the bone every day; half the time I fall into bed without even washing up, and I'm out until dawn."

Xie Han watched their banter, which lightened the mood in the serious hall. He didn't say much, simply smiling as he asked Qi Feiwu to unfold the large plan he had prepared, which covered the entire conference table.

In truth, Xie Han had been concerned about the planning for a long time. Knowing his team couldn't design it, he had taken the topographical data and photos of the area back to the modern world and hired professionals. The modern world was convenient; as long as you had money, people would do anything. He had hired someone from the Chaoyang City Planning Bureau. These experts were skilled, and after spending over a hundred thousand yuan, they produced a plan that, while not perfect, was quite excellent in Xie Han's view.

Xie Han wasn't worried about them being suspicious. These days, strange things happened all the time. As long as you paid, people wouldn't ask questions. Building according to this plan was a government-level task; no private individual would attempt it unless they were crazy. The infrastructure alone would cost billions, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

The new plan was quite different from modern designs. In the apocalypse, commercial, financial, and sports facilities were not immediate priorities. At Xie Han's request, the plan was unique: it started from the center and radiated outward, moving from basic facilities to more complete ones, with financial, sports, and even airport zones planned for the periphery. The entire area covered 110 square kilometers, encompassing almost the entire military restricted zone.

The unveiling of the plan drew everyone's attention. Compared to their amateur attempts, this professional blueprint left them in awe. To ensure everyone understood it, Xie Han had requested that the designers label each area with numerical codes, each corresponding to a detailed manual—a feature that had cost an extra twenty thousand yuan.

Chen Liu looked at the map carefully and asked, "Xie, where did you get this?"

Xie Han, expecting the question, said, "Where did I get it? I designed it myself. Did you think I was just sleeping when I locked myself away every morning and afternoon? I was secretly designing this to surprise you all."

This explanation satisfied everyone. They had wondered why Xie Han disappeared for hours at a time, and their suspicions were replaced by admiration and emotion. They hadn't realized how hard he was working for New City. Their expressions didn't escape Xie Han, who was glad to see the plan working. With this as a pretext, they wouldn't suspect his three-hour absences for his trips to the modern world. Even if they did, he could just invent another "new project" as an excuse.

"But what about this central area?" asked Qi Feiwu. She noticed that the five square kilometers of the current People’s Base were blank on the map, with no labels or explanations, as if they had been forgotten.

Xie Han explained, "In my plan, this central area will be the administrative district for our management team. Everything will be centralized here for efficiency. I left it blank because the administrative layout isn't fully finalized, so I left it open for future development."

"But according to this plan, with 110 square kilometers, there's no room for farmland. How will we achieve the 'fields of grain' you mentioned?" Chen Liu’s question was sharp. "This covers the entire military zone. Beyond that, it's just sand and gravel."

Xie Han had considered this. "Chen Liu, can you develop 110 square kilometers all at once? Even with the fastest growth, it would take twenty or thirty years. We can use the unused land for farming. When we need the space, we can reclaim it. By the time we fill 110 square kilometers, don't you think humanity will have reclaimed control of the earth, or at least have the power to retake parts of our cities?"

Thinking of his mission and ambition, Xie Han continued, "To me, New City is just a stepping stone, a foundation. Once we accumulate enough strength here, will we just stay holed up in this corner?"

"The answer is no!" Xie Han raised his voice, clenching his fist. "We may not have set out to save humanity, but we will do our best to change things. Think about it: the government has collapsed. In this chaotic world, we are the ones building a new order. How exciting is that? Once a new order is established, how will future generations view us, the architects of this order?"

Xie Han’s words shook everyone present. Before, they only wanted to build a place to survive. Now, his vision set their blood boiling. Building a new order—what did that mean? It implied the creation of a new regime. And what was a regime? It represented a nation.

In other words, creating a new order was equivalent to founding a new country.

This ambition was shocking, but it also led to a sense of lost, exhilarating madness. If everything Xie Han said came true, what would they be? No one dared to think further; it was too wild.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, save for the sound of heavy breathing. Finally, Qi Feiwu spoke up. As a woman, her ambition was less intense, and her thinking more grounded. "Xie Han, I admit I’m moved. But there’s a lot of fantasy here. The priority is to build New City well; only then can your words become reality."

Her voice broke the tension. Chen Liu and the others snapped out of their daydreams, laughing sheepishly. But their eyes burned with a new intensity. What man didn't want to achieve greatness? This was the chaotic age that bred heroes.

As the logistics officer, Chu Tianhe was quick-witted. "Boss, your ideas are brilliant, and I admire them. But I agree with Feiwu. A high building starts from the ground. A new order is tempting, but without a foundation, it’s just a dream. There are many other survivors and bases out there—don't you think some of them have ambitions too?"

"Exactly," Chen Liu added, having cooled down. "The new order is our motivation, but we have much work to do. We can't let fantasies blind us."

Xie Han was pleased with their grounded response. "That is a great perspective. Now, let’s look back at the plan and discuss how to build New City step by step."

"In the plan, the first priority for this five-square-kilometer town is not just administrative offices, but a marketplace and a night market. The rest will be residential. Beyond the moat, the land will be used for farming."

Farming was the top priority. Once the housing was finished, this had to start. It was already August; in the modern world, this was the time for rice seedling transplantation. If they missed this season, it would be bad for the crops.

Chu Tianhe was worried. "We can forge shovels, that's not hard. But large-scale farming with just shovels? We'll miss the season. We need machinery."

Xu Qiang, who managed military supplies and vehicles, shook his head. "We don't have farming machinery. Should we try to modify our existing vehicles?"

Chu Tianhe nodded firmly. "Exactly. We just need to attach plows to the back of our high-powered vehicles. It’s not as good as professional equipment, but in these times, we have to make do." He thought for a moment. "I used to visit the villages; every household has some form of agricultural machinery. If we can scavenge some, it shouldn't be difficult."

Compared to Wangtian City, the zombies in the countryside posed little challenge. No one had bothered with the villages because stored grain would have spoiled long ago. But with Chu Tianhe’s plan, the countryside suddenly became a target. They could adopt a strategy of "encircling the cities from the countryside," obtaining scarce raw materials with minimal risk, all while keeping New City hidden from the massive zombie hordes in the city.