Zhang Tao originally wanted to stay in the watchtower with Linna, claiming it was for safety. Unfortunately, Linna refused, so he had to choose a house with a bathroom on the south side of Liu Quanyou's house. Since he was alone, he ate in the courtyard and had a place to sleep that was sheltered from the wind and rain.

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In fact, the two houses next to the west wall of the courtyard had better quality, but Hong Tao said they couldn't choose those houses because they would be demolished in a few days.

Why? Hong Tao said it was a fire prevention zone. If a nearby house caught fire, it would spread to a large area. With these ten-meter-wide ruins, the fire could be effectively contained.

Not only did the houses near the west wall of No. 52 courtyard have to move out their furniture and remove the roofs, leaving only the brick and stone structure, but also several rooms in No. 56 courtyard, which were adjacent to Hong Tao's north wall, had to be treated the same way. Even the big jujube tree in the courtyard had to be cut down.

"Will zombies come in here?" After choosing the house, everyone started to get busy, except Liu Quanyou, who had nothing to do. Zhou Jinlan did all the housework, so he stayed in the house and came out to chat with Hong Tao.

"It's unlikely. The courtyard gate is locked from the inside, and the zombies won't be able to open it even if they are strong. They won't climb walls either. We'll set up a ladder here. If anything happens and we need to evacuate, we can climb up the ladder. I'll also put a ladder on the other side of the wall." Hong Tao was checking the circuit in the courtyard. He kept the useful ones and cut off the unnecessary ones. If it wasn't too complicated, the electricity could be restored before nightfall.

"I was just asking casually, don't take it to heart..." Liu Quanyou smoked a few puffs with his head down and then spoke again.

"Well, I'm listening..." Hong Tao was still standing on the ladder, untangling a wire to find its source.

"Do you have any long-term plans, something more specific?"

"I was thinking that you would definitely come to talk to me, but I didn't expect it to be so soon... Alright, let's talk while we work. Come, give me a hand, hold onto this wire... Oh, don't worry, there's no electricity!"

When Hong Tao heard this question, he laughed. He guessed right. This director was not a fool. He was already thinking about the future. By asking this question, he wanted to see if their ideas clashed too much and also test his own abilities, whether it was worth following him in the long run.

"...If that's the case, we have to treat this place as a base... I have a rough idea, I'm not sure if it's right, just mentioning it casually..."

After listening to Hong Tao's vision for future development, Liu Quanyou entered a long period of contemplation. He didn't speak until he finished the external circuit of a household. He still spoke in fragments.

"Director Liu, I'll be honest. Until we find a better option, we are like grasshoppers tied to the same rope. I can't run away from you, and you can't jump away from me. We rise and fall together. As long as it's for the collective good, even if it doesn't sound good, I can accept it. This is not a time to save face. One wrong move can cost us our lives, don't you think so?"

Why was Director Liu having such a hard time speaking? Hong Tao understood. People who worked within the system were naturally cautious, and now that there was no law, they had to be even more cautious. They were very afraid of saying the wrong thing and offending someone. If it wasn't something particularly important, they probably wouldn't easily suggest anything. The less they did, the fewer mistakes they made.

"Yes, yes, I've been thinking too much... Then just say it. I've been thinking about it. I feel like this place is not suitable as a permanent base. There are too many places that need defense. It's manageable during the day, but if someone comes at night, we won't even know. Even if we increase the number of people on duty, it won't be very effective."

In fact, Liu Quanyou had been observing Hong Tao's words and expressions. If he didn't have a certain degree of certainty, he wouldn't have suggested anything right after joining. Since Hong Tao was so straightforward, he no longer needed to probe and expressed all his concerns.

"Oh, Director Liu, who said our cadres lack competence? This suggestion is very constructive! Indeed, this place is not suitable as a permanent base, but I have no choice. I can't find a suitable place for the time being. High-rise buildings are indeed easier to defend, but once they are surrounded, they become a dead end with nowhere to run. I also thought about going to Qiong Island in Beihai. It would be an isolated island if we block the bridge, and we can enter and exit through the water. But it's too troublesome to collect supplies there, and there are no suitable accommodations on the island. It's manageable in the summer, but heating in the winter is very difficult. I also thought about living underground in the subway station. It's warm in winter and cool in summer, and it's particularly sturdy. But each subway station has at least two entrances, plus the two exits of the tracks. It seems difficult to defend. I was thinking of spending the winter here first, and during that time, I'll go around to see if there are any survivors. When we have more manpower, we can move to an office building with underground space that is close to residential areas. It would be best if there are two or three buildings with a common underground parking lot. Unfortunately, we don't have enough manpower now, and it would require large machinery and certain professional knowledge to transform that kind of underground space. It can't be done in a short period of time."

After listening to Director Liu's question, Hong Tao stopped his work and came down from the ladder. He handed over a cigarette and squatted under the eaves, talking non-stop about his vision for the base.

Originally, he didn't plan to discuss this with Director Liu. He was an administrative cadre and didn't understand this aspect of knowledge. He couldn't come up with any results through discussion. Unexpectedly, he had seen something through the crack of the door. This newcomer pointed out the fatal weakness of the courtyard, showing some level of competence.

In Liu Quanyou's eyes, Hong Tao was just a physically fit and courageous social person. Such people were easy to deal with if things went well, but troublesome if things went wrong. Therefore, he had to test the waters first and decide how to deal with him in the future.After listening to Hong Tao's lengthy explanation, Liu Quanyou immediately put away his contempt. He realized that everything he had thought of, Hong Tao had already considered, and in a more comprehensive and meticulous manner.

He realized he was dealing with a knowledgeable person. He couldn't continue to muddle through each day as he had been doing. He had to offer something substantial, or else he wouldn't get any benefits. But he and his wife lacked both physical strength and courage. The only valuable thing they could offer was their knowledge.

"Hehe, there's a lot to tell. When I was young, I was a notorious troublemaker in this area, and I practically wore out the threshold of the police station. After graduating from university, I quit my stable job. I've applied to work in a scientific research unit of the Aerospace Department, and I've also run my own internet cafe and restaurant. I've had many jobs, but I never stuck with any of them for long."

Hong Tao had been telling this story for twenty years. Sometimes, even he couldn't remember which part of his life he was talking about. It was naturally quite confusing, and it sounded very believable.

"Oh, you're a man of both letters and martial arts!" Liu Quanyou didn't know what to say. He hadn't expected Hong Tao's experiences to be so... diverse. Now, he couldn't just put away his contempt, he had to give it his all. He wasn't even sure if he could handle everything.

"...To be honest, this is the first time someone has praised me like this! Director Liu, I know what you mean, and I know you're capable. In fact, I'm willing to let you contribute more to our group. But the current conditions don't allow it. With just seven or eight people and three or four guns, it's ridiculous to have several leaders. But rest assured, as long as our team can expand to... not necessarily a hundred people, but twenty or thirty, you'll be the obvious choice for the second-in-command. How about it?"

Ever since Liu Quanyou pointed out the first major flaw, Hong Tao had basically made up his mind. This man was a talent that could be utilized, and he had to be secured. How to secure him? Simply offering a chance to survive was clearly not enough. If you want someone to follow you, you need to offer something more, like a bit of power.

"...Master Hong, I'm not trying to take advantage of the situation, please don't misunderstand!"

This promise didn't make Liu Quanyou ecstatic. Instead, his face turned pale and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. What's the point of receiving rewards without making any contributions? Suddenly being promised the position of second-in-command wasn't a blessing, it was a death sentence.