Qin Shilei and the other two returned to Blue Star through the spatial rift.
At this moment, the survivors on Blue Star were astonished to find that the number one spot on the leaderboard had changed.
The chat channel exploded as if in a frenzy.
"Wuwuwu, my Brother Qin has been surpassed."
"Oye! An Qian's cultivation far surpasses Qin Shilei. From now on, Blue Star will enter a matriarchal society. Scumbags, come and die quickly!"
"Goddess Qian, please come to our country! We are willing to crown you our Queen!"
"An Qian must be the goddess of our Goryeo. Congratulations to Goddess An for reaching the top spot."
"Everyone, disperse. Qin Shilei and An Qian are a couple. This is just them switching positions."
Qin Shilei and his companions paid no attention to the chatter in the channel. They had already returned to Jingcui Garden.
Zhang Cheng, however, brought Qin Shilei some good news.
"Shilei, there's a glimmer of hope for waking up your pet."
Qin Shilei's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Uncle, have you found some miraculous elixir?"
Zhang Cheng smiled and said, "I'll let him tell you himself."
He turned and ran out, soon returning with a burly man.
"Xu Jun, president of the Dragon Tiger Society, greets City Lord Qin!" the man said respectfully, bowing.
"No need for formalities, President Xu, please have a seat." Qin Shilei got straight to the point, "I heard you can wake up my pet?"
"I don't have absolute certainty. City Lord, may I see your pet?" Xu Jun said humbly.
Qin Shilei waved his hand, releasing Xiao Qiang, who was still unconscious.
Xu Jun took out a fat, thumb-thick worm from a pouch on his waist.
The worm crawled into Xiao Qiang's mouth.
After more than ten minutes, the worm crawled out.
Xu Jun cupped the worm in his hands. After a brief exchange, his expression suddenly changed, and he said,
"City Lord Qin, I apologize for my limited skills. I'm afraid I cannot awaken your esteemed pet."
Qin Shilei frowned and asked, "President Xu, is there really no way?"
"It's not that there's absolutely no way." Xu Jun hesitated, "I am a member of Xujia Village. Xujia Village has an ancient tradition of Gu insect techniques. One of these, the Sacred Spirit Gu, has excellent healing effects for spiritual damage like that of the City Lord's pet. If we can find someone who cultivates the Sacred Spirit Gu, your pet can certainly be cured."
"Was that worm you had earlier a Gu insect?" Qin Shilei asked with a strange expression.
Even the Gu insect techniques from novels had appeared.
"Indeed it was."
As if to bolster the credibility of his words, Xu Jun frankly admitted, "My White Tiger, a Black Iron Six-star, was captured using Gu insects. My own pets have also been severely injured multiple times, and I've healed them with Gu insects."
Qin Shilei asked calmly, "From what you're saying, perhaps no one in Xujia Village possesses the Sacred Spirit Gu?"
Xu Jun carefully chose his words, "I'm not entirely sure if anyone in the Xu family cultivates the Sacred Spirit Gu, but Xujia Village possesses an ancient scripture on Gu insects, which records the methods for cultivating the Sacred Spirit Gu."
"As long as we find the Gu Insect Scripture, we can definitely cultivate the Sacred Spirit Gu."
Qin Shilei looked at him with a half-smile, "President Xu, your goal is this Gu Insect Scripture, isn't it?"
Xu Jun showed no embarrassment at having his intentions revealed and said frankly, "As long as the City Lord allows me to transcribe a copy of the Gu Insect Scripture then."
Qin Shilei asked again, "Where is this Gu Insect Scripture now?"
Xu Jun replied, "The scripture is kept by the clan leader and is usually stored in the forbidden area of our Xujia Village."
Qin Shilei asked a few more questions before asking him to leave for now. After Xu Jun left, Qin Shilei sat drinking tea and pondered.
Although Xu Jun had spoken with great certainty, that the Sacred Spirit Gu could heal Xiao Qiang, Qin Shilei was not so optimistic.
Not to mention the difficulty of obtaining the Gu Insect Scripture, even if they got it, cultivating the Sacred Spirit Gu would likely not be an easy task.
But Xiao Qiang had accompanied him since the beginning of the apocalypse, and if there was even a sliver of a chance, he was willing to try.
"I've decided to make a trip to Xujia Village. Uncle, please gather Zhang Qiang and the others. We'll have a meeting." After a moment of contemplation, Qin Shilei made his decision and turned to Zhang Cheng.
"Alright," Zhang Cheng rose to find the others.
Soon, the high-ranking officials of Hope City gathered in a conference room.
Qin Shilei briefly explained his intention to leave for a trip and then asked, "Tell me about the current situation of Hope City."
Zhang Cheng spoke first, "City Lord, firstly, the management of Hope City is somewhat chaotic. We hope the City Lord can establish a more effective system."
"Secondly, many survivors have chosen to join Hope City recently, but due to limited space, it's becoming overcrowded. Should we expand the city walls again?"
Qin Shilei felt a headache coming on upon hearing this.
The highest position he had held in his previous life was a group leader in elementary school. Now he had to be the lord of a city, which was indeed a bit of a challenge for him.
Qin Shilei pondered for a moment and then said, "In the apocalypse, our primary goal must be to enhance Hope City's combat strength."
"The four major legions and the Bedrock Combat Regiment, apart from necessary defensive forces, will all be sent out to kill zombies and mutated beasts."
"I am now appointing An Qian and Zhang Xiaoli as Vice City Lords. If I am absent, they will have the final decision-making power."
"Uncle Kong, you will henceforth lead the Martial Artists Guild and manage the civilian evolvers."
"Uncle Zhang, you will establish the Household Department in the name of the City Lord's Mansion to manage all affairs of Hope City."
As soon as Qin Shilei finished speaking, Zhang Cheng immediately said, "City Lord, I used to be a novelist. Asking me to manage a Household Department for a city is likely beyond my capabilities. Please choose someone else."
Qin Shilei encouraged him, "Uncle Zhang, you did a great job as the head of the Internal Affairs Hall before. I believe you can manage the Household Department well too."
"As long as you grasp the general direction, you can appoint former government officials or managers from large companies for specific tasks."
"You can select 100 people from the Bedrock Combat Regiment and 1,000 people from the four major legions to form the military arm of the Household Department."
Qin Shilei understood that asking Zhang Cheng to establish the Household Department was a bit difficult for him. He also knew that this was nepotism.
However, he didn't have much trust in people who were capable but unfamiliar to him.
Qin Shilei believed that as long as he maintained absolute military deterrence, all other problems would be manageable.
Zhang Cheng looked at Qin Shilei, then at his daughter. Thinking of how this could add weight to his daughter's standing in Qin Shilei's eyes, he nodded, "I will do my best and will not disappoint the City Lord's expectations."
Kong Zhendong, who had been a commander in the military region, had no problem managing a Martial Artists Guild. He indicated that he would soon establish a more detailed charter based on the existing Martial Artists Guild.