Elder Jin looked somewhat puzzled. "What are you..."
"Elder Jin, what on earth are you doing!" Lin Fan's expression darkened, though he still managed to suppress the rising anger in his heart and maintain his respect for the veteran general. In a deep voice, he said, "Have you forgotten our previous meetings?"
"This operation needs to cause as little disruption to the citizens as possible!"
"Building the Steel Great Wall sounds simple, but do you have any idea how dangerous it actually is? It will be a hundred meters high. What will you do if a worker is in danger?"
"What will you do if the gods descend ahead of schedule?"
"A construction site like that could become hazardous at any second—it is a battlefield without the smoke of gunpowder!"
"I told you long ago that under no circumstances should this project disrupt the daily lives of the citizens. Right now, I wish I could evacuate every single civilian from the eastern coastline. How could you possibly agree to let private engineering teams rush to the front lines?"
Elder Jin fell silent for a long time.
He was well aware of everything Lin Fan had just said.
Yet...
"There is simply no way to stop them," Elder Jin said, rubbing his aging face with an expression of utter helplessness.
"No way to stop them?" Lin Fan was momentarily stunned. "You command hundreds of thousands, even millions of troops with absolute ease—they move at your very word."
"And yet you can't stop private engineering teams?"
Lin Fan looked completely unconvinced.
Elder Jin responded with a frank nod, a peculiar look in his eyes. "This situation is different... Never mind. If you think you can stop them, go ahead and try it yourself. Afterward, you'll understand what I mean by 'no way to stop them'."
Just then.
The jeep pulled up, cutting off the three private engineering teams trailing behind them.
"I want to see for myself how impossible it is to stop them." Looking skeptical, Lin Fan pushed open the car door and stepped out, flanked by a few security personnel.
"Why won't you believe me..." Elder Jin sighed and stepped out after him.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
The workers from the three trailing engineering teams—their work clothes stained with dust—were climbing down from the minibuses.
"Why did we stop?"
"What's going on with the lead driver?"
"Looks like someone is blocking the road?"
These plain-faced, dark-skinned men chattered curiously amongst themselves as they gathered and walked forward.
Leading the group were three middle-aged men wearing suits and leather shoes, which were likewise covered in cement and mud.
"What's happening?" A slightly plump middle-aged man frowned and looked toward the driver of the lead vehicle.
"Brother Zhang," the driver replied, looking equally bewildered, "someone is blocking the road."
"Blocking the road?" The plump middle-aged man frowned, looking ahead at the line of dark military jeeps, a flicker of apprehension crossing his mind.
After all, military vehicles blocking the way was a rather intimidating sight.
Even so.
"Let's go, everyone follow me!" The plump middle-aged man turned around and shouted in a heavy dialect, "Even if they're military vehicles, they can't just block the road for no reason. We're going to help out!"
"That's right! We haven't broken the law. Who can stop us from doing our part for Daxia?"
A crowd of simply dressed workers surged forward in a mighty wave.
Before long.
Lin Fan, Elder Jin, and their entourage converged with the team of private workers.
Despite shouting quite fiercely earlier, once the plump middle-aged man actually laid eyes on Lin Fan, he couldn't help trembling inwardly.
After all.
This was the Commander-in-Chief of Daxia, whose face had appeared all over the television!
He had no idea what special ability this young man possessed to become the Commander-in-Chief, but his status was certainly not something a small-time contractor could afford to offend.
What's more, standing right beside him was the famous Elder Jin, the veteran general who had just verbally demolished a room full of critics at the press conference!
"Elder Jin, are these the people you couldn't stop?" Lin Fan glanced at the workers before him, then turned to Elder Jin with a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes.
Elder Jin wore a helpless expression. "I really couldn't stop them."
"Let's see just how unstoppable they are." With that, Lin Fan turned back to face the workers who had voluntarily traveled to Ludong to help. He took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Everyone, please turn back."
Chapter 32: You Can't Stop Them
The honest-looking plump middle-aged man had felt a subconscious shiver upon first seeing Lin Fan.
Although he was a contractor, his business wasn't very large; he only had a few dozen brothers from his hometown working under him. Over the years, he had managed to save a bit of money, but in order to secure better contracts, he had gritted his teeth and taken out loans to buy a few engineering vehicles.
Given his background, he was in no position to compare himself to Lin Fan.
To ordinary citizens like him, Lin Fan's words practically carried the weight of a royal decree.
Yet, upon hearing what Lin Fan said, the man paused for a fraction of a second. Then, fueled by a sudden, inexplicable surge of courage, he grinned and said, "Chief, what kind of talk is that? How can you just tell us to turn back like this?"
He still wouldn't dare openly defy the Commander-in-Chief to his face.
But ordinary people possessed their own brand of ordinary wisdom.
Seeing that Lin Fan remained silent, the plump middle-aged man chuckled and tried to strike up a rapport. "Chief, let me introduce myself. I'm Old Wang, leader of the Wangjiacun engineering team from Heizhou. The dark, thin guy next to me is Old Li, leader of the Lijiacun engineering team from Heizhou, and that's Old Wu, leader of the Wujiazhuang engineering team."
"Everyone behind us are our brothers."
"We've all seen you on TV, Chief! And Elder Jin too—Elder Jin was at the press conference just this morning..."
Without entertaining his small talk, Lin Fan simply repeated, "Everyone, go back."
Old Wang's expression instantly twisted into a knot of hesitation.
After a long moment, the small-time contractor found the courage to look Lin Fan in the eye, neither servile nor overbearing. "Chief, I can't go back!"
"You can't go back?" Lin Fan frowned.
Old Wang smiled. "Chief, if you really want me to go back, of course I'll listen. But all these brothers behind me... they'll beat me to death."
With that, Old Wang turned around and shouted, "Lads! The Chief is telling us to go back. Should I lead you back home?"
"Old Wang, you try going back and see what happens!"
"That's right! We agreed to go help out, are you turning yellow on us now, you old bastard?"
"If you're short on cash, just tell us! We'll pool our money for you! But if you dare take a private side job at a time like this, we're done working with you!"
The workers spoke in rough, unvarnished language, leaving Old Wang with a bitter, helpless smile.
Old Wang turned back to Lin Fan. "You see, Chief? I really can't go back."
Lin Fan looked out over the sea of more than a hundred workers and explained in an earnest tone, "Everyone, I know you want to help, but please trust us—"
"Chief, you've got that wrong!" a worker suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs. "We do trust you, but where is the logic in letting the state protect us while we just stand by? It's our turn to protect the country!"
"Exactly! We may not be well-read, but how does that saying go? When the realm is in peril, every citizen bears the responsibility!"
"We came here entirely of our own accord!"
These workers didn't care whether Lin Fan was the Commander-in-Chief or not.
They only knew they were going to help.
How could they let themselves be chased back?
For a moment, Lin Fan was left utterly speechless.
Old Wang smiled. "Chief Lin, we all know you mean well."
"But."
"We are all citizens of Daxia too. What right do you have to stop us from helping Daxia?"
"You guys bear all the hardship and exhaustion while we hide safely behind your backs? Would we still even be citizens of Daxia if we did that?"
"Alright, I admit it—my heart isn't the best, and all those years of business banquets have softened me up. I can barely run five hundred meters; I'm no good for the front lines."
"But construction work? That's what we do!"
"You fight your battles on your battlefield, and we'll fight ours on ours. That's what it means to be family!"
As Old Wang spoke, his phone suddenly rang. He offered Lin Fan an apologetic smile before answering.
"Hello? Yes, speaking."
"Ah, Boss Zhang, I've rounded up the guys from the site... I have to go help out in Ludong."
"You should find another engineering team for your project first. I'll refund your deposit later."
"What? You can't find anyone? The others are all heading to Ludong too?" Old Wang paused in surprise. "Well, don't wait for me then! I hear that once the Ludong project is finished, the entire eastern coastline is going to need major construction work. We definitely can't go back now!"
"Hey, I haven't lost my mind. I know I still have monthly loan payments of ten thousand yuan to worry about, but don't worry, I still have some savings after all these years. I can hold out for a year or a half."
The person on the other end of the line fell silent for a long time.
Finally, a single sentence came through.
"Fine, go do what you have to do. I'll wait for you."
Old Wang blinked in surprise. "Wait, no, don't wait for me! Like I said, once Ludong is done, there's the whole eastern coastline—"
"Stop nagging, I know. As soon as you're all done, hurry back and fix my reservoir, and don't bother refunding the money. That's that."
Without giving Old Wang a chance to reply, the caller hung up directly.
"Chief," Old Wang said with a sheepish grin as he looked at Lin Fan, "see? I've already dropped my other jobs. How am I supposed to explain myself if I go back now?"
The workers behind Old Wang chimed in as well.
"That's right, Chief! When I left home, my wife bawled her eyes out, but she still let me come. If I went back now, wouldn't she curse me out?"
"I already finished bragging to my family about going to save Daxia. If I turned around and went home like this, people would laugh their heads off!"
Looking at this "cunning" contractor and the unwavering determination in the eyes of the workers behind him, Lin Fan suddenly found himself at a loss for how to argue back.
These ordinary people seemed exceptionally small and insignificant.
Yet it was precisely because of them that Daxia had flesh and blood.
And stood unshaken!
Just as they said: Daxia protected them, but weren't they also protecting Daxia in return?
Though their stations in life differed, at their core they were all citizens of Daxia. What right did Lin Fan have to stop them from helping?
Standing nearby, Elder Jin muttered under his breath, "See? I told you I couldn't stop them. They're determined to go... Their wives couldn't even keep them home, and even gave them permission to come. There's no way we're stopping them either!"
Lin Fan took a deep breath. "Listen, this project is extremely complex, and you guys—"
"Chief, don't you worry, we'll obey orders!" Old Wang reacted with lightning speed. "We'll do whatever the organization tells us to do. We'll strictly follow construction standards, absolutely no cutting corners! We're ready for inspection by the organization at any time!"
"And if things are really tight—"
"We don't even need to be paid! Just make sure we get room and board. Of course, the food and lodging don't have to be fancy, just regular construction site mess-hall food and prefabricated dorms will do..." Old Wang chuckled.
Lin Fan scratched his head.
There really was no stopping them...
In the time it took to have this conversation, another three or four convoys of private engineering teams roared past.
Lin Fan even spotted vehicles plastered with banners reading "XX Company Supporting Ludong," heavily laden with rice, flour, oil, and salt, speeding toward Ludong.
All of this was entirely spontaneous—without any mobilization or official organization!
Why shouldn't the people of Daxia help Daxia?
In terms of status, Lin Fan was currently the Commander-in-Chief, second only to the National Chairman.
In terms of strength, Lin Fan was only half a step away from becoming a mortal demigod!
Yet he could not stop these simple, unpretentious workers!
Because.
Though they lacked formal culture, they possessed an indomitable spirit—a soul!
A heritage spanning five thousand years, running through the very marrow of Daxia!
When disaster strikes in one place, help comes from all sides.
The rise and fall of the nation is the responsibility of every individual!
The people of Daxia have never hesitated to go through fire and water for their country!
In times of peace, some might chase after profits or power, but when the storm approaches, every single person of Daxia stands tall together!
That kind of spirit, that kind of soul—you cannot stop it!
"In that case," facing these ordinary workers, even Lin Fan had to yield. He bent down and bowed deeply, "Then... I leave it in your hands!"
With that, Lin Fan turned directly to Elder Jin. "Call the Ministry of Construction. Integrate these private engineering teams into the official roster and assign tasks rationally. Furthermore, pay them standard state engineering wages, and ensure their food and lodging conditions are identical to the rest."
"Also, implement tuition waivers for their children—put all these measures into effect immediately."
"As for other forms of private assistance, like provisions and supplies, we can accept them, but they must be purchased at fair market value! No one is to take anything for free!"
Chapter 33: Construction Begins
Daxia's execution speed had always been second to none.
That very afternoon, construction was fully underway across the entire Ludong coastline!
Videos flooded the internet, showing engineering vehicles packed densely along every beach as far as the eye could see. An endless stream of even more construction vehicles poured in from the rear like a river of steel!
The 80 million tons of steel urgently dispatched from the capital's national reserves had arrived. Every hundred miles stood towering steel mountains piled high like small hills, accompanied by concrete, sand, and other construction resources!
Every highway at this moment resembled a rushing river, down which private engineering trucks from all over the country surged directly toward Ludong. Trucks laden with building materials formed a roaring steel dragon!
The roar of that steel dragon rushing toward Ludong shook the earth itself!
Along the entire two-thousand-kilometer coastline of Ludong, whether along rocky cliffs or sandy beaches, the Steel Great Wall stood planted every step of the way.
The tiny silhouettes of people darted among the machinery, looking like mere ants against the edge of the vast, boundless ocean.
Yet these very ants were preparing to fight the ocean!
Engineering vehicles roared, excavators tore through the earth, and drill rigs pierced solid rock. Every construction team, whether private or state-owned, was united as one heart and mind, swearing to do battle with the vast heaven and earth!
Under the blazing sun.
This steel dragon born of Daxia was building a wall to block the sea, forged with a will harder than steel!
"Listen up, everyone! Follow the blueprints strictly, not a single corner is to be cut!" The contractor Old Wang shouted at the top of his lungs, sweat pouring down his face. "The work we're doing this time isn't just about making money. If we cut corners, the ones who suffer in the end will be ourselves!"
"Ah, leave it to us, don't you worry!"
"We'll definitely get the job done!"
"We aren't fools. How could we cut corners on a project we're building for ourselves?"
"To cut corners on something like this would be stabbing ourselves in the back!"
"We can't afford to slack off either—we won't have the other incoming engineering teams looking down on us!"
Powerful voices echoed back and forth.
Behind them, red banners fluttered in the wind.
At this moment, the shouts of these humans, tiny as ants at the edge of the ocean, made the sea itself fall silent!
This was Daxia's resistance!
Resistance against the gods, resistance against the heavens and the earth!
The gods used the power of heaven and earth to invade Daxia, so the people of Daxia would use the power of steel to show the gods what a forbidden zone truly was!
Machines roared.
Daxia let out its fury!
Meanwhile.
Old Wang, the contractor whom Lin Fan had intercepted and reluctantly let pass on the highway, had been appointed to oversee a five-hundred-meter section of the Steel Great Wall because he could read blueprints and maintained strict discipline.
In the grand scheme of the initial two-thousand-kilometer Steel Great Wall, this five-hundred-meter stretch was merely a drop in the ocean, seemingly insignificant.
Yet to Old Wang, these five hundred meters were heavier than the heavens!
After just a few hours, the construction boots Old Wang had specially changed into were already worn through, but he continued pacing back and forth across his five-hundred-meter zone with sweat dripping from his brow, clutching his blueprints like a man possessed. At times he barked loud instructions, and at others he crouched down, using the blueprints to drive flags into the sand and mark out boundaries with red string while muttering under his breath.
"Erzhuzi, listen up: this section needs to be excavated to a depth of one hundred meters. The sand and soil here are loose; once dug out, you must reinforce it immediately."
"Old Wu, pay attention here: we need to build an observation tower, one hundred and ten meters high, ten by twenty meters in dimension. Not a meter more, not a meter less! The foundation must be reinforced twice!"
The workers assigned to him diligently noted down every instruction, terrified of making even the slightest mistake.
Scenes like this played out across every construction base. Everyone forgot their individual identities, working tirelessly on the construction. Contractors who had minor rivalries in ordinary times now cast aside past grievances to coordinate and cooperate with one another.
Because they knew they were contributing to Daxia, fighting for the safety of every single soul in Daxia!
The hundred-meter or scores-of-meter section each of them was responsible for might seem trivial on its own.
But a thousand-li dike can collapse from a single ant hole!
If anyone grew careless even for a moment, all their collective hard work could go to waste, and the two-thousand-kilometer Steel Great Wall along the Ludong coastline would vanish into nothingness in an instant!
It was immense pressure.
Pressure enough to crush anyone.
Yet Daxia never lacked resilience and unyielding will!
"Everything is assigned. Now we can really put our backs into it." After walking the line more times than he could count, Old Wang finally let out a slow breath. Looking over the five-hundred-meter-long, hundred-meter-wide zone, a wave of profound exhaustion hit him, leaving him feeling practically drained of all strength.
Even so.
Suppressing his dizziness, Old Wang continued, "Now, there's still one problem we need to report upward."
"We don't have enough manpower... At this rate, forget three months, it'll take at least five months to finish..."
Just at that moment.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
A series of roaring sounds echoed out as military-green trucks rumbled to a halt along the coastline.
To everyone's astonishment, young men and women in military uniforms tumbled out of the trucks and rapidly formed ranks!
That sea of military green was vast and boundless, numbering a staggering four to five million strong.
As far as the eye could see, the original color of the beach was completely blotted out by the emerald green of their uniforms!
Without a word, these fresh-faced young soldiers marched straight into the construction sites! Over a thousand of them came running directly into Old Wang's five-hundred-meter sector alone.
"You..." This sudden development caught Old Wang completely off guard.
"Reporting to Leader Wang!" A slightly older junior officer stepped forward, saluted crisply, and rattled off, "These are newly recruited soldiers mobilized from all over! The Commander-in-Chief gave the order: we are to undergo military training right here on the construction site. Every soldier will participate in the Great Wall's construction for eight hours a day as physical conditioning, to support the building of the Steel Great Wall!"
"This!" Old Wang was dumbfounded. "Daxia only started conscription yesterday... and you've already drafted four or five million?"
"We're at eight million now," the officer said, a hint of pride coloring his voice. "And more new recruits from farther provinces are still on their way here."