Chapter 1461
Chapter 1461 - 1457: Peaceful Streets
1,455 words
•
8 min read
"Don’t look at me, always seeming idle, sipping tea, reading newspapers, playing games all day, but actually, I’m super busy with so many projects to oversee and lots of experimental projects waiting for results. So, when you guys drag me out, it’s a total waste...."
"If you don’t get out of the lab, you’ll start growing mushrooms. No matter what, you’re going shopping with us today, consider it team building."
Among the bustling streets, Xia Qin dragged Lu Ping’an forward.
In some sense, in this world, probably only she could make Lu Ping’an do things he didn’t want to.
"...At least let me wait for the results, an important experiment should be out soon."
"Soon? Today? Tomorrow? Just tell me when you’re actually free."
Xia Qin didn’t coddle him, she had actually arranged to take Lu Ping’an out for a walk a long time ago, but she softened her heart for a moment, hearing him say he was busy with work..... and then being busy became another two weeks passing by.
Today’s matter is critical, tomorrow’s matter is also critical, the day after tomorrow’s matter is related to the lives of thousands, just as critical.
"....Most of my work right now, I just need to monitor while waiting for results, and if there’s really trouble, I can handle it myself. I can also get the results as soon as they’re out."
Lu Ping’an’s "Accelerate" trait let him easily achieve results, but various "accidents" were also accelerated.
Sometimes, "younglings" would start aging as soon as they arrived, new "seedlings" might wither as soon as they were born, indeed requiring Lu Ping’an’s immediate observation and understanding.
"...Have you gotten taller? Your clothes seem smaller too. Your hair, it needs cutting."
At this point, sister Xia Qin’s comment reminded Lu Ping’an.
He compared... indeed, he was now a head taller than Xia Qin, his previously medium-high school stature, now seemed to have surpassed one meter eighty-five.
It seemed that after breaking through to Rule-level, his body started developing again, his lean frame gaining some muscle, and the teenager touched his fringe, which indeed had grown to cover his eyes.
"Then, let’s take the day off....."
Sniffing his lab coat, now mixed with too many scents of drugs, biological smells, and flowers, Ping’an thought maybe he should take the advice.
Ping’an touched his chin, indeed he felt stubble..... almost 20 years old in theory, it seemed he could no longer call himself a teenager.
".....Tch, too many people, I want to go back."
"Don’t you run!"
But as soon as Lu Ping’an took a few steps thinking of escaping, Xia Qin grabbed him and held on tight.
Even though they had left the city center, there were still too many people in the ordinary residential district streets.
Lu Ping’an took a brief glance around and heaved a helpless sigh, wanting to run away... but not because he had become socially anxious from staying indoors, but merely at one glance, he saw a lot of "malice."
"Over there, what are you looking at..... thief!"
Consequently, Captain Xia got excited all of a sudden.
She pushed through the crowd, switching from vacation mode to work mode in just a few seconds, and with a pair of overly sharp eyes.
Lu Ping’an found a streetside stall, ate two pancakes, and waited for Xia Qin to finish her business and come back.
"Did you send them?"
"Sent them over..... but I guess they’ll be released soon."
"Are the jails running out of space?"
"You knew? I thought you didn’t handle anything with public security."
"I haven’t managed it, if I managed everything I’d have dropped dead a long time ago... but just thinking about the number of people moving around, the crime rate definitely can’t be low."
In a world that was gradually slipping into the quagmire of war, regions that were relatively peaceful and stable naturally saw an influx of too many refugees and disaster victims.
And those who had nothing, if they didn’t get help, would naturally be capable of doing anything.
".....The refugee camps must be full by now, right?"
Lu Ping’an didn’t waste his breath asking "why not rescue them?" On one hand, he wouldn’t interfere with other administrators’ jurisdictions, and on the other hand, this world was neither Earth nor the Eastern Country, and there simply wasn’t a tradition of providing substantial aid to disaster victims... Everyone was having a hard enough time as is.
"Some time ago, District Chief Li started recruiting for the artificial island project again, but it’s quite tough..."
Lu Ping’an hadn’t been concerned with this aspect, but Xia Qin was very attentive.
Employment as relief was indeed the best path. True welfare in the form of handing out food or money, even if it got them through the current crisis, would lay the groundwork for future problems.
Lu Ping’an nodded and said no more.
What Xia Qin implied was that the local officials were managing and had even launched employment projects in lieu of aid... As Lu Ping’an understood in this area populated by professionals, initiating any construction project would be most cost-effective by directly recruiting low-level extraordinaries.
But not everyone would work for their food... They were accustomed to their previous way of life; rather than carrying bricks at a construction site, it was obviously more comfortable to simply "take" what they wanted.
"How about a severe crackdown, or maybe we need a little death-penalty shock..."
Lu Ping’an considered whether to create a series of crucifixions along the path, hanging more decorations to shock the criminals.
But in the end, he shook his head and abandoned the idea of intervening.
It wasn’t about matching the punishment to the crime; heavy penalties in times of chaos were to be expected. But since he’d already entrusted this part of the work to others, as long as no major disturbances occurred, Lu Ping’an wouldn’t interfere.
Professionals should handle professional matters. Bosses who meddle only disrupt the rules and demoralize the team, and they can easily botch things up.
Now, Lu Ping’an’s team was no longer a small squad of dozens of people.
The administrative team, centered around personnel appointed by the officials of the Eastern Country Ancient City, had already demonstrated its capabilities in various aspects, handling many matters with great proficiency. The only dissatisfaction Lu Ping’an had was that they were too "kind."
After all, they were governing Easterners; and in this world, officials who are too agreeable and understanding can easily be mistaken as "weak" and "easy to bully."
In fact, several unpleasant incidents had already occurred, such as when planning was discussed amicably with certain shops, only to be directly attacked by their organizations. After suppression, there was even a "major strike" that secretly opposed but ostensibly complied.
That time, Lu Ping’an took action himself. The then foreman and corrupt merchants are still hanging, dried by the wind, on signs at the docks.
After all, he was essentially a "Feudal Lord," not a "Parental Official" of the new era.
Afterwards, Lu Ping’an brought in some local experts to help the administrative team with their affairs, but he didn’t know how they were faring now.
"It’s okay. Each area has been divided, there are many security personnel on the business streets, and the public order is much better, so those bastards have run off to the remote residential areas..."
Speaking of public order, sister Xia Qin was all too familiar.
In fact, as a former member of the Salvation Army and actually holding a General’s rank, she nearly became a leader in the security department of the New Kingdom.
But as part of the "Grand Marshal" line, her superior’s idleness also led to her stepping down for a long rest.
Originally, Lu Ping’an wanted to appoint her to manage local security, something she was quite good at, but she declined, seeming to have more long-term considerations...
"I also need to prepare more for future battles."
Clearly, as opposed to a logistics sheriff, Lu Ping’an’s team... needed more of an invincible "Great Sword Saint."
These days, she was the one who trained the hardest. This time, dragging Lu Ping’an out into the streets wasn’t just to give him a break but also to give herself one.
"Lu Ping’an, did you hear? It seems a new religious power has emerged here."
— End of Chapter 1461 —