Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

Guided by the "Hunjianglong" (a type of boat), Chen Yulou's large ship sailed smoothly into the Yucheng Wharf.

The dock was bustling with noise, filled with porters carrying bags, hawkers shouting their wares, and travelers hurrying along, crowding the high and steep stone steps.

The surrounding area was piled high with mountain products such as tung oil, medicinal herbs, and pig bristles that were about to be loaded onto ships for shipment, as well as foreign goods such as foreign cloth, kerosene, and cigarettes that were being unloaded from ships from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

All of this was carried out under the direction of the Gelaohui (a secret society), creating a chaotic yet vibrant scene.

Standing at the bow of the boat, the girl in red looked at the scene ahead and said, "This place is really chaotic."

Chen Yulou said, "What you see is dirt and chaos, but what I see is a vibrant atmosphere full of money-making opportunities and the rules of the underworld. This is the 'throat' that connects Chongqing to the outside world."

When Chen Yulou's large ship docked, the porters around immediately surrounded it, wanting to take on some cargo-moving business. But strangely, the ship wasn't carrying cargo; it was full of strong, muscular men.

The "porters" immediately became alert, their first reaction being that this was someone who had come to cause trouble. Then, they saw Big Gold Tooth, the leader of the Righteousness Banner of the Gelaohui, rushing over with his men to greet them, and only then did they realize that it was one of their own brothers.

When Big Gold Tooth and Chen Yulou met, they launched into another round of Gelaohui slang, which made the girl next to them roll her eyes. Why did these Gelaohui members have so many formalities? Their slang was like a long, tedious rhyme.

After comparing the incisions, Big Gold Tooth and Chen Yulou burst into laughter and began to address each other as brothers, as if they had already become a family.

Afterwards, Big Gold Tooth led Chen Yulou to the headquarters of the Gelaohui (a secret society) in the city.

"Hunjianglong" was responsible for settling the Xieling Brigade.

The banquet that Chen Yulou was going to was undoubtedly too small to accommodate so many people.

On the way, Chen Yulou noticed Hong Guniang's confusion and smiled:

"That's the rule here, just like drinking. If I've had a drink with Hunjianglong and then see Da Jinya, I can't just not have a drink with him, can I?"

"So, when we get to the main headquarters, we'll have to have a little show with the helmsman?" Red Girl whispered.

“That’s a must, it’s the rule. If we don’t match up, even with the Little Celestial Master backing us, they won’t be very enthusiastic about us. If we do match up, then we’re family, which will save us a lot of trouble,” Chen Yulou said.

Soon, Chen Yulou and his group arrived at the Gelaohui (a secret society).

Unlike Liu Mang's mansion, the Gelaohui Hall was more down-to-earth, a large hall like those in the old days.

When Chen Yulou arrived, Fan Pengju held a grand welcoming ceremony.

The brothers of the Gelaohui lined up in two rows, all raising their broadswords and crossing them above their heads.

As Chen Yulou took each step forward, the members of the secret society would remove a knife, continuing until they reached the main hall. This was called the "drag-knife ceremony," and it was reserved for the most distinguished guests.

When Zhang Zhiwei came before, Fan Pengju had already done it for him once.

As for Chen Yulou, he benefited from Zhang Zhiwei's influence. Otherwise, given his status, even if Fan Pengju knew he was also a member of the Gelaohui, he would at most not call him a "ground rake" to his face. Such a high level of courtesy was unthinkable.

Chen Yulou was somewhat flattered by the respectful reception, knowing that it was thanks to the Little Celestial Master, and he was even more impressed by Zhang Zhiwei's abilities.

Chen Yulou led several trusted confidants into the main hall, which was brightly lit and bustling with noise. Seated in the main seat was the young celestial master Zhang Zhiwei.

To Zhang Zhiwei’s left sat Fan Pengju, the leader of the Chongqing Brotherhood, and to his right sat Zhang Qishan.

Zhang Qishan was not wearing a military uniform this time, but a long robe, which still couldn't hide his calm and capable demeanor.

Chen Yulou didn't even glance at the others, but looked at Zhang Zhiwei, quickly stepped forward, and clasped his hands in a salute:
"Little Celestial Master! I, Chen, and my brothers from Changsheng Mountain have successfully completed our mission and arrived on schedule!"

Zhang Zhiwei smiled and raised his hand: "Chief Chen, you've had a long journey. You've arrived just in time. We've been waiting for you."

Chen Yulou nodded, then turned to look at Fan Pengju: "This must be Captain Fan!"

Fan Pengju looked at Chen Yulou. He had just learned from his subordinates that this "ground rake" was actually a member of the Gelaohui (a secret society), which surprised him greatly.

"I never expected that Chief Chen would be one of my own brothers!" Fan Peng stood up and said, "I spend more time in the mountains than in the study. I only know the value of the martial world, but I don't know its etiquette. I hope this brother will raise his dragon sleeves, sun and moon flags, dragon and phoenix flags, and flowery flags to give me a good word of praise!"

Seeing this, Chen Yulou was about to perform a piece when Zhang Zhiwei interrupted him:
"Alright, alright, I understand now. That's why people in the underworld say that the Gelaohui (袍哥) have a lot of rules and they'll criticize you a lot when you meet. Once everyone knows each other, they'll stop with the nonsense."

These past few days, he's really had enough of the secret slang of the gang. This gang is really hard for ordinary people to handle. When they talk about things, it's like they're doing a rap. No wonder these places have produced so many rappers!
Zhang Zhiwei interrupted his "spellcasting," but Fan Pengju wasn't angry. He smiled and said, "Brother Chen, please don't be shy. Make yourself at home."

"All the brothers under heaven are one family, I won't stand on ceremony with the leader," Chen Yulou said, clasping his hands.

Then, he looked at Zhang Qishan: "Even without his military uniform, Buddha is still just as dashing. I didn't expect that Buddha would arrive before me."

Zhang Qishan laughed and said, "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Chief Chen is the main character of this banquet. Actually, I just arrived not long ago. Although the land route is roundabout, it's less crowded and lighter, so it's faster."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group took their seats, and the banquet officially began.

One dish after another of authentic Chongqing-style street food was served in a continuous stream, spicy and fragrant, creating a lively atmosphere.

Chen Yulou is from western Hunan and has always loved spicy food, so this Chongqing-style street food is just what he wants.

Although Zhang Qishan grew up in Northeast China, he has been in Changjun for many years and is already used to the spicy and fragrant Hunan cuisine, as well as the numbing and spicy Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine.

As for Zhang Zhiwei, coming from the place in China known for its love of spicy food, he finished the Chongqing-style street food with just a light touch and remarked:
"not spicy!"

After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the conversation naturally turned to the construction of a giant air-raid shelter.

Speaking of this, Fan Pengju was the first to put down his wine glass, wipe his mouth, and frown as he said:
“Little Celestial Master, Brother Chen, Buddha, we are all family. I, Lao Fan, am not well-educated and am a rough man. Although I know that building air-raid shelters is a great thing that benefits the country and the people, I don’t know how to build them or how to do it.”

“But my advisor, ‘Xuanjizi,’ is knowledgeable. He was the one who planned the commander-in-chief to dig the tunnel last year. Advisor, please tell the brothers about the difficulties.”

Upon hearing this, the black-robed and black-hatted advisor, Xuanjizi, stepped forward and explained in detail:
"First of all, the terrain is a disaster! Chongqing is a mountain city, and it truly lives up to its name! To dig a huge hole in these rocky mountains that can hide the entire Tiantong Steel Plant, and to make it strong enough to withstand bombs from Japanese aircraft? Just thinking about it gives me a headache!"

“These rocks are very hard, they are all limestone, unlike the earthen hills in the north which are easy to dig. They can only be dug by manpower and explosives.”

“And Chongqing does not have large machinery. If we rely on manpower, we use a hand drill, with two people working together, one holding the drill and the other turning it, to drill holes in the rock to make it easier to plant explosives.”

"If they are all skilled workers, they can only drill three holes a day at most. They would have to hollow out several mountains. The amount of work involved is simply terrifying."

"Moreover, the excavated earth and rocks are also a problem. There is so much earth that it could probably be piled up into another mountain."

"Where are we going to transport all this rock debris? How are we going to transport it? The riverbank is already piled high with it; if we pile it any higher, it'll block the waterway!" "And then there's the technical work—ventilation, waterproofing, support—our people know absolutely nothing about that!"

"Digging too shallow is useless, digging too deep risks landslides, and there's a risk of water seepage and backflow when it rains. Plus, we need to connect it to electricity, water, and exhaust fumes... It's all so complicated!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhiwei nodded. These were indeed problems, which was why he wanted to invite the Unloading Ridge Warriors to come out of the mountains.

Wang Ai had previously reported the specific situation to Zhang Zhiwei.

In fact, the Tiantong Steel Plant has been digging air-raid shelters for several years and has a wealth of experience in this area.

Logically speaking, after digging for several years, they should have already acquired a batch of excavating equipment.

There are two main reasons why it wasn't done.

First, there is the international technological blockade, making transportation difficult.

Secondly, the air-raid shelters built earlier were somewhat opportunistic.

Because Chongqing is mountainous with many karst landforms and numerous natural caves, many of the early air-raid shelters were dug on the basis of these caves.

For example, below the Lao Jun Dong Taoist Temple in Chongqing, there is a natural karst cave that, with just a small expansion, could become an air-raid shelter capable of accommodating several thousand people.

There are many similar holes, so Wang Ai did not purchase large excavating equipment due to cost considerations.

But when Zhang Zhiwei proposed building a super-large air-raid shelter and moving the entire factory into it, and set a time limit, Wang Ai was a little confused.

According to Senior Brother Zhang, war is imminent, and it's really too late to buy equipment from abroad now.

That's how Zhang Zhiwei ended up inviting Chen Yulou.

After listening to the various difficulties presented by the advisor Xuanjizi, Zhang Zhiwei actually had a good idea of ​​what was going on.

With his supernatural abilities, such as using the "Earth River Cart" technique to blast open mountains or using the "Eight Gates Transport" technique to transport excavated soil, he could solve some of the problems.

But with professionals present, he felt he didn't need to say anything, so he looked at Zhang Qishan and Chen Yulou:

"Master Buddha, Chief Chen, you're experts, what do you think?"

Zhang Qishan and Chen Yulou exchanged a glance.

Zhang Qishan said, "For tough nuts like opening up mountains and ridges, we'll have to rely on the Unloading Ridge Warriors to crack them. Let's follow Chief Chen's lead!"

Finally, it was his turn to shine. Chen Yulou, a master of showing off, smiled calmly, adjusted his sunglasses, stood up, and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the crowd:

“What you say is true, Master. I also carefully examined the terrain of Chongqing when I came here. The difficulties that Master just mentioned are all reasonable. If we were to do it in the usual way, it would indeed be as difficult as climbing to heaven.”

"However, our lineage of Unloading Ridge has been engaged in the business of 'moving mountains and unloading ridges' for generations! What others see as an indestructible mountain range is nothing more than a 'tomb' waiting to be dug up in our eyes. Although this time it's not for the gold and silver treasures inside the tomb, but for the benefit of the people!"

He spoke with certainty and began to explain the Unloading Ridge solution:

"The rocks in Yucheng are hard, but our Xieling has the 'Hercules Talisman'! Once this talisman is applied, our brothers become incredibly strong, like human-shaped rock-crushing machines! No matter how hard the rock is, with our specially made steel chisels, sledgehammers, and crowbars, we can break it layer by layer. If we encounter particularly huge rock formations, we also have our Xieling's secret explosive techniques to deal with them."

"Moreover, our Xieling lineage's blasting is by no means random mountain blasting. Instead, we accurately calculate the amount of explosives and the location of the explosives based on the mountain's terrain and texture, in order to break large rock masses with a small amount of explosives, reduce vibration, and avoid landslides."

"Our Xieling lineage has been studying this craft for a thousand years. We are very experienced and have dealt with situations even more complicated than those in Chongqing."

Everyone nodded in agreement. The Xieling sect made their living by tomb raiding, and many of their large tombs had intricate structures. To blast open a tomb without causing the entire structure to collapse required extremely high skill.

Chen Yulou continued, "Let's talk about the earthwork transportation. This time we'll be digging up several mountains, and the excavated soil and rocks could probably form another mountain! The amount is too large; it's simply unrealistic to transport it all out of the mountains."

“I have a method called the ‘ground rat transport method’! While digging the main cavern, we can follow the natural cracks inside the mountain or artificially excavate several vertical or inclined soil drainage channels, just like ground rats digging holes, to reach the low-lying areas outside.”

"In this way, most of the waste soil and rock materials can be dumped directly through these internal channels and processed on-site, eliminating the need for long-distance transportation and saving at least 90% of time and effort!"

"As for some loose stones that cannot be transported through the earth-shedding channel, or those that cannot be piled up in low-lying areas, then we will have to trouble Master Zhang to use his moving skills."

Hearing this, everyone looked at Zhang Qishan curiously: "Buddha's teleportation technique, can it move so much? This is a mountain of waste!"

Zhang Qishan smiled slightly: "It's definitely impossible to move it all at once, but I can try if we do it in multiple sessions."

Chen Yulou laughed and said, "If the Buddha can move a hundred-ton Buddha statue from dozens of kilometers away to his home overnight, a little sand is nothing to him."

"This old man is so powerful?!" Fan Pengju's advisor was shocked. He had seen many extraordinary people, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone with such abilities.

"This technique also has many limitations and isn't as miraculous as the legends say." Zhang Qishan waved his hand modestly: "When it comes to magic, we still have to look to the Little Celestial Master."

“The magic is just a bonus; this time, we’ll have to rely on Chief Chen!” Zhang Zhiwei said.

Chen Yulou smiled slightly and continued, "Now that the soil and rock problem has been solved, the most crucial thing is to prevent landslides."

“When we dig, we must not dig haphazardly. We must work in layers and sections. After digging a section, we must immediately reinforce and support it with large logs and stone slabs to form a solid framework before continuing to dig forward and downward.”

"We, the Xieling warriors, have been dealing with underground spaces for many years and have unique experience in judging rock structures and load-bearing capacity, which can effectively avoid risks."

After preventing landslides, the next steps are ventilation and drainage. Whether it's moving a factory into the mountainside or evacuating people into caves, ventilation and drainage are paramount. Ventilation, in particular, is crucial; if air circulation is poor, the cave becomes unusable.

"Especially since this time the Little Celestial Master plans to move the entire steel plant in, steelmaking will generate a huge amount of heat, so ventilation is of paramount importance."

"My idea is that we can use the existing natural cracks in the mountain and artificially carve out ventilation openings to solve the problem."

"Drainage can be achieved by using underground rivers or by cleverly designing diversion channels to bring the water out of the cave."

"These are the kinds of problems that tomb raiders often have to deal with in tombs, and we have our own ways of dealing with them."

On the way to Chongqing, Chen Yulou appeared to be standing at the bow of the boat keeping watch, but he was actually not idle at all. He observed the mountains and terrain along the way and had already discussed a detailed plan with the old men of the Xieling Mountain.

After all, they were working for the Little Celestial Master. The better they did, the more important they would be in the Little Celestial Master's heart, and the closer their relationship would become in the future. (End of this chapter)