CHAPTER 208: CHAPTER 206: PERSUADING THE OTHER PARTY

Under the pursuit of the special police, whether Azu and Old Four and his group of mercenaries can escape is an unquestionable matter.

Even if they escape this time, where can they flee to in the icy, snowy wilderness? Flame Country is not a small Southeast Asian country; even in this post-apocalyptic world, capturing a group of fugitives is not difficult.

However, this is not a problem for Chen Xin to worry about. After sending off the city government leaders who came to discuss matters, Chen Xin finally had time to go to his storeroom to check the materials sent by the city government this time.

At this point, Chen Xin’s storeroom was already packed to the brim. Various building materials and metals were stacked so that he had no room left. The materials previously consumed to upgrade the bedroom and vehicle had been replenished.

This also meant that the materials needed for the overall upgrade of the shelter were fully prepared; all that was missing was the upgrade itself.

Chen Xin planned to postpone the overall upgrade until tomorrow, even though he had enough materials and survival points now. Today, they just gunned down more than twenty terrorists at the doorstep, leaving it covered in a sheet of crimson. Although it signifies prosperity, it still felt somewhat ominous.

It was as if twenty-odd terrorists were slain on the spot, which still somewhat concerned Chen Xin, so he intended to conduct this critical upgrade the next morning.

After all, the overall upgrade of the shelter was also a very significant matter for Chen Xin.

"A-Xin, what are you doing here? Checking the materials?" Qin Lan, did not return to the city with the others and still remained at Chen Xin’s place during her holiday.

"Yeah, counting the materials to see if they are enough for remodeling. I plan to start renovating the shelter tomorrow. Once I’m done, I’ll set out to pick up my parents." Chen Xin looked back at Qin Lan, who was still in her tactical police gear, looking valiant and spirited.

However, there wasn’t an ounce of femininity in Qin Lan today. Having just sniped some terrorists trying to escape, she carried an undeniable aura of ferocity.

Yet today, Chen Xin was the most ruthless one. Using a heavy machine gun to sweep the terrorists, although he only killed a dozen people and the sweep lasted less than ten seconds, the effects were horrifically terrifying.

The effect of a machine gun sweep is nothing like the TV scenes where a gunshot wound appears on the body and the person still staggers back or remains unfazed and continues fighting.

In the early Maxim heavy machine guns had a caliber of 11.45mm, later reduced, with the M1910 having a caliber of 7.62mm, but the power...

The M1910 used 7.62×54mm M1908 R rimmed cartridges, with an initial velocity of 860 meters per second. The caliber isn’t large, but upon hitting the human body, it leaves a small entry wound but a massive exit wound the size of a bowl of ramen.

Those hit by the Maxim heavy machine gun, especially the twin-mounted ones, were lucky if there was anything left of their bodies.

In fact, the few terrorists shot by Qin Lan were relatively lucky, having just one bullet hole; but most of the terrorists gunned down by Chen Xin were left in tatters, some who charged forward even shattered into pieces, causing the cleanup crew a major headache, needing shovels to clean up properly.

Yet Chen Xin didn’t carry any supposed aura of ferocity. When he pulled the trigger earlier, he didn’t think much, but after all was settled and he opened the door for the cleanup crew, the sight of red, green, yellow everywhere nearly made him throw up.

That’s why when Chief Li arrived, Chen Xin appeared pale.

Luckily, the incident had passed, and it’s not Chen Xin’s first time shooting someone; he quickly recovered, feeling much better and was in the mood to chat with Qin Lan.

"Speaking of which, I remember the first time I met you, you were also in a training suit, right? Back then, I was wondering what kind of woman would show up to a first date in a training suit." Looking at Qin Lan in her combat gear, Chen Xin started joking with her.

Hearing Chen Xin mention the past, Qin Lan couldn’t help but smile: "Speaking of that, you weren’t much better, were you? People usually dress up for a date, at least clean themselves up a bit. You didn’t even shave that day, A-Xin."

"Haha, that was because I didn’t even know it was a blind date that day. Xiao Ding just told me we were going to play games, I’m used to being casual, and Xiao Ding had seen me scruffy before, so I just tidied up a bit and went." Recalling the past, Chen Xin found it amusing. It wasn’t just him, Qin Lan was also tricked into a meeting under the pretense of playing games, which is why she showed up in a training suit.

At this, the two of them exchanged a glance and smiled. It’s remarkable how they ended up together, despite not leaving good first impressions, showing the uncanny nature of fate, even though they eventually broke up due to some personality differences.

"Let’s not dwell on that, A-Xin, are you planning to leave after finishing these things?" Qin Lan brought up the serious matter, asking him, "Are you planning to travel alone?"

Chen Xin nodded, affirming: "I initially planned to have you accompany me, but then I thought it over and decided not to. It’s a long journey, and it would be too hard on you to travel with me. Besides, this is a personal matter; there’s no need to make you come along."

"You’re going to pick up your parents; there’s no issue with me accompanying you, is there? Your parents have always been nice to me; going with you to fetch them is the least I could do." Qin Lan replied, determined to accompany him.

Qin Lan already had reasons prepared, thinking she might convince Chen Xin to change his mind, despite never succeeding in such matters before: "Besides, as you said, the round trip is over two thousand kilometers. How long will it take for you to drive alone? If I’m with you, at least we can take turns driving, I also..."

"You could also stay to help watch over this place." Chen Xin gazed at Qin Lan, with sincerity and seriousness: "I know, Lan, you want to come with me, but the fact is, I don’t want you to make this journey. This is my matter, not yours."

"But I..." Qin Lan wanted to explain, but Chen Xin raised a hand to her.

"I understand your point, but Lan..." Chen Xin placed both hands on Qin Lan’s shoulders, speaking seriously: "I am going to get my parents; it’s my duty as a son. There’s no need for you to take this risk with me.

This journey back and forth is over a thousand kilometers, and I don’t even know if I can make it back alive. There’s no need for you to come! If you truly wish to help me, look after this place, so I won’t return to an empty home."

"Didn’t you ask Qingyan and Qingxin to help take care of this place?" Qin Lan was not convinced by Chen Xin, just as she couldn’t persuade him.

Chen Xin chuckled, responding to Qin Lan: "Long Girl and Little Sister Xin will be staying here long-term, but with such a large place, do you really think the two of them can hold it down? Especially without anyone supervising?"

Hearing Chen Xin’s words, Qin Lan began to seriously consider the issue.

Is Chen Xin’s shelter good? Initially, it was average, suitable as a personal hideout, but not something that would attract much attention.

However, as Chen Xin gradually remodeled and upgraded it with the system, leaving aside the rest, just his thirty-centimeter thick metal door was better than those at official shelters!

Moreover, he had an aquaponic greenhouse, and having stayed there for some time, Qin Lan could confidently say there wasn’t a more comfortable or better-equipped place in the city.

If Chen Xin stayed here, it would be fine. His fearsome dual-mounted Maxim machine guns at the entrance, along with his dealings with the special police team and city government, would deter newcomers from harboring intentions.

But now, Chen Xin was about to leave, travelling over four provinces and more than six hundred kilometers back to his hometown to fetch his parents. Describing this journey as fraught with uncertainty and danger would not be an overstatement.

In such circumstances, asking Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin to watch over his home is theoretically viable, but it immensely increases the chances of someone harboring bad intentions, especially with Chen Xin planning further renovations before leaving. This would make the shelter even more enticing.

In case anyone with motives were to force Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin back to their own homes and take over the place, claiming to watch over it for Chen Xin, even if Chen Xin successfully returned, reclaiming his shelter wouldn’t be easy.

Furthermore, how much of the things inside his shelter would remain intact by then remains unknown.

Though Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin are capable, and maintain good relations with Qin Lan and Ding Ning, they are not Chen Xin. Maintaining the monthly material exchanges with the special police team would already be a stretch. They couldn’t continue the ground-source heat pump cooperation with the city, and naturally, they wouldn’t benefit from the protection these relationships afford.

So solely relying on Mo Qingyan and Mo Qingxin to guard Chen Xin’s shelter isn’t impractical, but it could pose certain problems.

Qin Lan’s presence provides an essential layer of security, symbolizing the special police team’s protection over Chen Xin’s shelter, given her connections.

"But if you’re going that far alone, driving all the way there and back, aren’t you?" Qin Lan asked seriously, considering the question posed by Chen Xin.

All over the city, given what Chen Xin had achieved through systematic modifications and upgrades, she could assert without reservations that there wasn’t a comparable setup elsewhere. Just the pair of dual-mounted Maxim heavy machine guns at the entrance was menacing enough, compounded by his collaboration with the special police and government, making it challenging for outsiders to entertain any designs.

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