Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1139 - 1132: The Change of Lipei

Chapter 1139: Chapter 1132: The Change of Lipei

The airboat continued its journey northward, and Xia Yue, perhaps because she had spoken too much earlier, became silent in the following time. Aside from supplying Zhuyan Yu with some additional story details, she spent the rest of her time alone in her room, sometimes not emerging for an entire day.

In addition to carrying passengers, the airboat was also loaded with heavy construction materials, which meant its speed was slower than before. It was only by noon on the fourth day that it arrived over Lipei City.

Returning to Lipei, there was a complete transformation; Luo’er saw a cemented concrete road, a telltale sign of Earth’s influence on the Otherworld, extending from the city alongside the river downstream. In any place of the Otherworld affected by Earth, a concrete road was bound to appear.

Lipei City, located at the confluence of rivers, required crossing a bridge whether entering from the east or west bank. The previously ruined stone bridge was still in use, but construction of a new reinforced concrete bridge had begun beside the old one. By the time the airboat arrived, the foundations of the new bridge were largely in place.

Since the Otherworld lacked large construction machinery, the headquarters had no choice but to employ a substantial workforce for the city’s construction. On the outskirts of Lipei, vast swathes of temporary blue and white prefabricated houses had been erected to accommodate these laborers.

Most of the construction efforts requiring manual labor, the headquarters’ commitment to workforce exceeded eight thousand people, not counting some engineers and supervisors from Earth, and the hired militia responsible for security. At this time, Lipei was bustling with well over ten thousand people.

To take care of the necessities of these ten thousand or more people, the headquarters had to mobilize all of its transport capabilities by land, water, and air to deliver supplies to Lipei. The river was crowded with cargo ships, and the concrete roads were stained with mud from the traffic, obscuring their original color.

Most of the laborers were recruited from the surrounding villages; only a minority were natives of Lipei City. For this project, Princess Melia reciprocated the favor and made significant efforts to recruit many peasants from within the Kingdom of Masya to build Lipei.

Moreover, since the headquarters had an employment relationship with these laborers, different from corvée, they were paid for their work. Thus, although the work was hard, very few wished to leave, preferring to stay and earn money to support their families.

The airboat crossed the river and hovered above the city, where the ancient buildings within Lipei were undergoing restoration. Given its small area, and with the impending opening of the Otherworld Gate likely to bring a surge of immigrants, the old city alone was inadequate; thus, the focus of construction was on the new districts in the suburbs while the city center was envisioned mainly as an administrative, educational, and trade hub.

Upon reaching the city center, the Advance Team caught sight of familiar figures: members of the Wolfman Clan and Non-human Race carrying out simple construction tasks under the direction of Earth’s engineers. Presumably, out of concern that the Wolfmen might frighten others if they went out, the construction department arranged for these non- humans to labor within the city.

The entire construction project was in full swing, and since everyone’s objectives were clear, there was a high level of enthusiasm for work, precluding the need for deliberate supervision.

The headquarters staff were eager to complete Lipei as soon as possible, to establish it as a new hub of connection. Especially after learning that Xia Yue intended to open the Otherworld Gate on her own initiative, headquarters issued an order to expedite construction efforts in Lipei, hoping to turn it into a new trade node at the earliest.

On the other side of the Otherworld Gate, a vast amount of building materials and construction personnel had already assembled, ready to pour in as soon as Xia Yue opened the gate, to accelerate the building of Lipei.

The laborers outside the city knew that by working hard, they would receive greater remuneration. The non-humans inside the city understood that once Lipei was completed, it would become their new home; hence, everyone involved in construction was highly motivated.

The airboat landed in an open space within the city, and the members of the Advance Team stepped off, planting their feet on the concrete pavement. From a distance, Taran saw Luo’er and the others disembarking and rushed over excitedly, then wrapped his arms around Luo’er’s waist.

"Brother Luo’er, you’ve finally come back," Taran said excitedly.

"You, you should be hugging your sister..." Luo’er was almost left breathless by the embrace and helplessly stroked Taran’s fluffy ears as he spoke.

Taran’s rabbit ears were very disheveled, clearly many were intrigued by them. When Luo’er had first disembarked, he noticed an Earth engineer enthusiastically rubbing Taran’s ears.

"Sister!" Upon hearing his words, Taran released him and then hugged Baiyue.

"Your hair’s all messed up..." Baiyue patiently combed through his hair and appearance, speaking softly.

"What are you doing here?" Cheng Ziang walked up, tugging at Taran’s collar to pull him away from Baiyue, then asked with a frown.

"Oh, I’m working as a translator, helping the Wolfman Clan communicate with the engineers," Taran replied.

"Then get back to work. Didn’t you see that there’s chaos over there?" Cheng Ziang said, pushing Taran towards the site while pointing at the commotion in the distance.

In the distance, the engineer was struggling to speak Tasta, but unfortunately, the towering Wolfmen couldn’t understand a word of Tasta and could only stand there, scratching their heads in confusion.

"Then, I’ll come find you after I finish my work. Don’t leave, okay?" Taran said to everyone, reluctant to leave.

"Go ahead, we’ll be here for a while," Luo’er said, waving his hand.

"What a lively scene! I didn’t expect you to be able to bring together so many of the Non-human Race. It looks truly harmonious," Xia Yue said with a smile as she stepped off the airboat, looking around.

"The world is one family," Luo’er said.

"Hehe, that’s why I want to help you open the Otherworld Gate," Xia Yue said with a smile.

"Ah, what did you say?" Luo’er hadn’t heard her clearly and asked, looking down.

"It’s nothing. Let’s go to the Otherworld Gate. It’s best to open it quickly," Xia Yue said, shaking her head lightly.

Without needing anyone to guide her, she took the lead toward the direction of the Otherworld Gate. Although she had never been to Lipei, Luo’er had, and he had conducted thorough reconnaissance, so she was indirectly very familiar with the city’s roads.

The city bustled with activity, teeming with people. Xia Yue was walking in the front when suddenly, an uninvited guest approached her quickly. Before anyone could react, he pulled out a gun and fired a shot at the back of Xia Yue’s head.

"Bang!" The loud gunshot startled everyone.

Xia Yue was shot through the head; the bullet exited through her forehead, splattering a large amount of blood and brain tissue as she staggered and fell face down to the ground. Immediately after, the attacker turned the gun on himself and committed suicide.

"Lady Xia Yue!" At the sight, Axia let out a desperate cry and scrambled toward Xia Yue.

Zhuyan Yu and Nightingale were about to step forward but were stopped by Luo’er. Their eyes widened in shock as they looked at Luo’er, who simply shook his head to indicate that all was well. Even Li Si didn’t react much, for he had truly witnessed the extent of Xia Yue’s miraculous abilities.

At the moment the assassin hit the ground, Xia Yue groaned, then holding her forehead, she slowly got up from the ground. Sitting on the ground, she turned to look at the dead assassin and grabbed his hand.

In a blind spot unseen by the others, Xia Yue’s fingers once again transformed into tentacles, piercing into the assassin’s skin to probe the memories that hadn’t yet faded in his mind, quickly finding answers.

"Lady Xia Yue, are you alright?" Axia ran to Xia Yue’s side and asked with concern.

"I’m fine. Help me up!" Xia Yue said, extending her hand.

"Yes, yes," Axia nodded repeatedly, carefully helping the petite Xia Yue to her feet.

"Your city doesn’t seem too safe, not even sparing little girls from attacks. Luckily, the target was me," Xia Yue commented, turning to face Luo’er.

"I’m sorry, it was our oversight," Luo’er said apologetically.

"No need to apologize; after all, I suffered no loss. But if the target had been any of you, you’d be in trouble," Xia Yue remarked lightly.

"I know," Luo’er nodded and then looked at Li Si. Understanding Luo’er’s intent, Li Si nodded back gravely.