Red Star Steel Rolling Mill!
Procurement Section!
When Chen Feng walked in, unsurprisingly, his colleagues from the Procurement Section were all there. Seeing him, their eyes lit up, but that spark vanished without a trace just as quickly.
A few heads slumped down again.
Seeing this, Chen Feng smiled and didn't mind, walking straight over to find Zhao Youwei.
"Section Chief, I'd like to borrow a bicycle."
Seeing Zhao Youwei, Chen Feng didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point.
"What? You want to borrow a bicycle?"
"Little Chen, why do you need to borrow a bicycle?"
Zhao Youwei frowned as he looked at Chen Feng. He actually had a high regard for Chen Feng; despite the young man's youth, he understood the ways of the world and was tactful.
Over the past month, Chen Feng had been diligent and hardworking, and Zhao Youwei was very satisfied with him.
Yet today, the young man suddenly made such a request, which caught him a bit off guard.
"Section Chief, it's like this: I want to go have a look at the mountain communes. If I can manage to get some game, I can fulfill my quota!"
Chen Feng smiled sheepishly.
As if feeling that his request was a bit excessive.
After all, bicycles in this era were equivalent to cars in later generations—and luxury cars at that.
How did that saying go again?
A wife and a car are never lent out.
Although the bicycle Chen Feng wanted to borrow belonged to the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill and was public property, the person in charge of it was none other than Zhao Youwei.
Without a legitimate reason, Zhao Youwei wouldn't just agree to lend it out.
However, Chen Feng wasn't worried about this at all. If they couldn't meet the factory's quotas, Zhao Youwei would be in trouble too.
He was, after all, the head of the Procurement Section.
If his subordinates failed to act, he, as the leader of the Procurement Section, bore unshirkable responsibility.
Therefore, under these circumstances, Zhao Youwei would definitely agree to lend the bike.
And things turned out just as Chen Feng expected. Upon learning that Chen Feng wanted to borrow the bike to go to the rural communes to procure game, the smile on Zhao Youwei's face didn't fade for a second.
"Little Chen, it has to be you—always thinking of the factory first, unlike the other comrades who cry hardship and back down at the slightest difficulty, showing no sense of responsibility at all."
Faced with Zhao Youwei's praise, Chen Feng smiled shyly.
"Section Chief, you flatter me. I'm just going to give it a try. Whether it works out or not, I have no idea yet!"
"Haha... Little Chen, having this kind of attitude is already wonderful. As for whether it works out, that doesn't matter!"
Zhao Youwei patted Chen Feng on the shoulder, then pulled out a key.
"Here, take the bicycle key. Be careful on the road, and regardless of whether you fulfill the quota or not, your personal safety comes first."
"Understood, Section Chief, I know what to do!"
Chen Feng could sense the genuine concern in Zhao Youwei's words; it wasn't put on.
Yet Chen Feng felt a bit puzzled.
The quotas issued by the factory were rigid deadlines. If they couldn't be met, the procurement agents would be in trouble, and Zhao Youwei, as the section chief, wouldn't escape blame either.
Yet just now, Zhao Youwei hadn't seemed concerned at all about whether he could get meat, focusing instead on his personal safety.
Could it be that the factory realized this quota was an impossible demand and had canceled it?
If the factory really had canceled it, Zhao Youwei should have notified them. Since there was no notification, it meant the factory hadn't called off the mission.
Something else must have happened.
Still, Chen Feng didn't dwell on it too much.
He was hoping the factory hadn't canceled it; if they had, he would have to wait quite a while for another opportunity this good.
Stepping out of Zhao Youwei's office, the other procurement agents merely glanced at Chen Feng before going back to sighing to themselves.
They knew what Chen Feng was thinking.
While the idea sounded nice, it was completely unrealistic.
First, the countryside wasn't safe; second, food shortages were nationwide. Even if the mountain communes had meat, it was a toss-up whether they would sell it. To risk one's life over an uncertain prospect...
They weren't that foolish.
Right!
In their eyes, Chen Feng was simply a fool.
Even if the quota wasn't met, wasn't Zhao Youwei still around?
How did the old saying go? When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up.
At worst, they'd get chewed out, but compared to one's life, what did a tongue-lashing matter?
A scolding wouldn't cause them to lose a single ounce of flesh.
Naturally, everyone's little schemes couldn't escape Chen Feng's notice. If it had been two days ago, he probably would have shared their mindset.
The countryside was far too dangerous.
But now...
Having awakened his Gold Finger and possessing the power to protect himself, Chen Feng naturally didn't take these risks seriously.
With his current martial arts skills, coupled with his Marlin 1895 rifle, if one bandit came, he'd kill one; if a pair came, he'd kill a pair.
Whoever dared to target him had better be prepared to die.
......
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh......
Even though Chen Feng's physique had been enhanced and he had the backing of his Hua Jin cultivation, after the journey he had just made, he was still left somewhat speechless.
He finally understood why his colleagues in the Procurement Section hadn't followed him, even though they knew his idea had a high probability of yielding meat.
Aside from safety concerns, the sheer physical exhaustion of the journey was a form of torture.
Roads in this era were nothing like those in later generations, where every village was connected by asphalt or at least concrete roads.
Right now, the bumpy, potholed roads made Chen Feng feel as though the skin on his inner thighs was about to grind raw.
And this was with his physique already strengthened by the Body Cleansing Pill. If it had been his old self, the exhaustion of this journey of over a hundred li would have killed him long before he ever arrived.
Even so, it took him a full five hours of cycling that hundred-and-some-odd li to reach Yunmi Reservoir.
In September of 1960, the Yunmi Reservoir was completed.
Following the reservoir led straight into the Yanshan Mountains, and as the most crucial reservoir around Beiping, this area was guarded by soldiers.
Ah, the fish-and-water harmony between the military and the people!
Since he had a letter of introduction and a procurement certificate, borrowing passage should not be a problem.
Just as Chen Feng was pondering every detail, a squad of green-uniformed soldiers suddenly burst out from the woods on both sides of the road, pointing Type 56 submachine guns right at him.
"Halt!"
Holy crap!
The sudden scare almost made Chen Feng wipe out on his bike.
He'd grown careless!
He had actually let his guard down!
Gaining a Gold Finger and acquiring the power to dictate other people's lives had inevitably made Chen Feng a bit complacent.
Although he knew the outside world was dangerous, relying on his Master-level Hong Quan skills and the Marlin 1895 rifle in his spatial storage, he figured he could handle any highwaymen.
Yet now, facing seven or eight Type 56 submachine guns, Chen Feng immediately threw up his hands.
"Comrades, comrades, I'm not a bad guy! I'm a procurement agent from the Red Star Steel Rolling Mill. I've come to Yunmi this time to procure grain and supplies."
Perhaps seeing that Chen Feng was young, or perhaps because his explanation worked, one of the soldiers in the squad waved a hand.
"Lower your weapons."
Clatter, clatter......
Orders were executed without hesitation; the strict obedience of the military was vividly displayed at that moment.