Above Destiny

Chapter 830 The Package (Thanks to Mai8365 for being the patron)

In early spring, Haizhou already showed signs of oppressive heat. The long, dull nights were completely silent, showing no trace of the hustle and bustle of the daytime.

But without the bustling crowds, a certain calm and stable order becomes even more apparent, as if an external disguise has been stripped away.

Even late at night, the industrial park on the coast is still brightly lit. Occasionally, workers can be seen riding the park's shuttle bus through the area, but more often, trucks shuttle between the factory buildings.

With the help of numerous forklifts, a large number of vehicle parts and engineering facilities were moved out of the warehouse and loaded onto trucks. Every half hour, a fleet of trucks silently drove out of the factory area and headed into the darkness of the wilderness.

Under the direction of an invisible hand, they went their separate ways in an orderly fashion. A small number went to the two central cities of Chaocheng and Yacheng, while the majority went to various docks.

At docks large and small, products collected and distributed were already being sent to all corners of the world before dawn. Some sailed along the coastline to various states, while others ventured into the vast ocean, riding the waves.

Two days later, the large cargo ship arrived in Qicheng. After unloading a large amount of raw materials and consumables at the Dancheng transfer station, it was quickly loaded with small household appliances, wind and hydroelectric generator sets, and many other civilian equipment produced by various factories in Qicheng.

They set off again towards the Central Plains.

Just before departure, the hatch, which was about to close, paused for a moment. A dozen cat-shaped delivery robots carrying several packages that were not originally in the transport plan rushed over and delivered them into the space behind the hatch.

The hatches closed, and the cargo ship departed the port.

During the seven-day voyage, the ship transited through six islands. With the constant loading and unloading of cargo, the packages were gradually squeezed into the corners of the cabin, showing signs of deformation and damage.

Sailing across the ocean, braving the wind and waves, amidst the echoing waves day after day, they finally reached the end of their voyage.

Baibang, Tacheng.

With the iconic sound of the ship's horn announcing its arrival, the cargo ship bearing the Messenger Logistics logo docked. On the pier, a large number of engineers who had been waiting for a long time lined up and rushed in. Amidst many astonished gazes, cargo containers were transported out of the ship's hold like a flowing river, loaded onto empty trucks, and drove out in a continuous stream.

The huge cargo ship was completely emptied in less than an hour.

Then, another train convoy passed through the port inspection on time and began loading cargo under the same batch of engineering cats.

Amidst a chorus of eerie cat meows in a 16-bit style, the dockworkers were completely paralyzed.

"This, this..."

The worker holding the water pipe stood there, stunned, pointing at a construction cat carrying a tattered package and running off meowing. Behind the cat was a shipping container that seemed to have grown legs and was crawling forward on its own.

"What is this...?"

"The new guy."

The bridge driver, who had slipped out to smoke and watch the commotion, grinned and said, "Never seen this before, have you? This is a new trick the coast has come up with... Every loading and unloading is done within two hours, just stop and go."

They say the port has limited berths and they're trying to optimize efficiency, but I feel... it seems more like they're trying to save on two days' worth of berth fees. This boss is a bit stingy, isn't he?

"What about the unloaders?" The plumber asked blankly, looking around.

"Aren't they all here?" The bridge driver pointed to a group of construction cats, and several figures sitting on large exoskeletons directing operations. Amidst the meowing, they were indistinguishable unless you looked closely.

"The efficiency has definitely improved a lot. I heard that other companies have wanted to bring it in, but unfortunately, most of them can't reach an agreement." The driver, who was smoking, sighed: "The dockworkers' association has been on strike and protesting several times recently. I don't think it will stop anytime soon."

"What about the coast? Is the coast alright?" the hydraulic engineer pressed. "Is the coast that hard?"

"..."

Then, the bridge driver's expression turned strange, and he looked back: "If you're willing to use the money you save to pay everyone for high-temperature and high-risk work allowances, you can be just as tough."

The plumber paused for a moment, then subconsciously did some calculations. The driver chuckled, raised his hand, and gestured a number in front of him, which made him pause again.

Then the driver added, "Every day."

"Holy crap—"

Aside from the profanities hurled at Tacheng, the plumber was speechless.

In the distance, a sharp scraping sound rang out; security had been completed, and the convoy was allowed to proceed.

In reality, aside from the perfunctory execution of the procedures once, there was absolutely no rigorous review of other companies and goods; it was as if they were just returning to their own home.

The long convoy headed towards Tacheng, but instead of entering the city center, it stopped at a newly built logistics distribution center in the ruins of what used to be a slum.

Truckloads of parts and raw materials are transferred and allocated here before heading to the factory, while others are repackaged here to await further delivery.

Under the increasingly scorching and savage sun, the newly recruited deliverymen waited outside on their tricycles, taking the opportunity to rest in the shade.

A group of people, travel-worn and dressed in priestly robes, were already waiting outside the sorting center.

We eagerly await this moment, our eyes filled with anticipation.

"Granny, is that it?" The impatient young man peeked inside, his gaze sweeping over the packages on the conveyor belt. "It looks like this to me, and the other one should be too, and that one too..."

"Correra, be quiet, you're disturbing the old lady."

“Young people are always full of energy,” the old woman said with a sigh, ruffling his hair. “Have some water, you’ll need to do some work later.”

Outside the factory, from the queue, calls could already be heard: "Sister Ugrina, which one of you is Sister Ugrina?!" "Here she is! We're here!"

Correa, holding a water glass, jumped up, waved, kicked the glass, and rushed into the crowd: "Are there any packages for us?"

"Is it just the few of you?"

The foreman who assigned the task frowned slightly, turned around, and glanced at the pile of packages next to him that looked like a small mountain: "These are not easy to carry."

Corella froze, speechless. After quickly estimating the weight, she stiffened and looked behind her, her fear rising: "Granny, do you mean I have to...carry all of these back?"

The old woman hesitated for a moment, "Excuse me, is there some mistake? We entrusted the coastal area to make the purchase..."

"Let me check the order list... six thousand books of reading and writing textbooks in Federal and Imperial languages, three thousand children's books, five thousand introductory books on mechanical engineering, six thousand books on basic mathematics, and twenty thousand reference books of various kinds... Yes, this is what you ordered."

After verifying it again, the foreman pointed behind him: "This is the first batch; there's more to come."

boom!
The passing construction cat deftly flicked its wrist, and another huge package from the conveyor belt crashed to the ground, sending a gust of wind through the air and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Correa's face gradually turned pale. He swallowed hard, recalling the bold promises he had made on the way here, and he almost burst into tears.

“I think young people should get some experience,” the assistant following behind the old woman said with a smug laugh.

Thankfully, Corella didn't have to carry all that stuff back to the church alone. After inquiring about the basic situation, the foreman waved and arranged for several newly returned bean tricycles. A few trips back and forth, and the load was all gone. It was just door-to-door delivery; these top-tier work orders paid several times more in performance bonuses than other orders, and you might not even get one if you were unlucky!
When Corella and his team returned to the church with several truckloads of books, not only they, but all the priests and staff were dumbfounded.

"Elder! Elder!" Corella rushed into the hall excitedly, waving and shouting, "We brought back so many..."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Elder Longge seeing his guests off not far away, along with the visitors beside him.

Many staff members looked over helplessly. Correa lowered his head sheepishly, picked up a broom and got to work, no longer daring to make a fuss.

But while working, I couldn't help but look up and steal glances at that customer.

So young.

It seems even younger than me, but it looks mature and reliable. That's great.

"This child is a newcomer sent here from the Empire as part of their support program. He's a bit impulsive and rash, so please don't take offense," Elder Long said warmly.

"How can one be considered impulsive and reckless when one is committed to doing good?"

The young man, leaning on his cane, smiled slightly, seemingly unconcerned: "This batch of sundials will still be sold through the church. Don't refuse. Mr. Ji instructed me before he left that this money will still be invested in the local charity and education fund in Baibang."

"Then I shall accept it without hesitation."

Elder Longge nodded without hesitation. After receiving the order slip from the nanny, he thanked her again, saying, "The teaching materials have been a great help."

“We can use the coastal warehouse. Mr. Ji has already ordered one to be prepared, so there’s no need to worry about a repeat of the previous fire,” Yan Chang said. “This batch was hastily printed in Qicheng, so the quality might not be very good. As for the future, Uncle Gou said he plans to set up a printing factory locally, which should be much more convenient then.”

Use it when it's needed; there's no need to regret it.

Elder Longge nodded, escorted Yan Chang to the door, and watched the young man leave. As if with a sigh, he let out a soft lament.

Looking back at the pile of textbooks stacked like a small mountain in the yard.

"So much?" The old woman looked at the invoice, as if waking from a dream. "It's basically the original quantity plus a zero, isn't it? And there are quite a few more children's books..."

Corella, beaming with excitement, carried a large bundle: "Now you don't have to worry anymore, Granny. So many books, enough for Tacheng to use for many years, right?"

"What's the point of having so much? It'll just be a pile of waste paper in the warehouse."

Elder Long shook his head, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "Sisters Ugrina, please contact the elders of the various settlements in my name. If there is any need in any of them, please do not hesitate to help."

Even the most xenophobic and stubborn elderly people still want their children to experience the outside world.

"understood."

Ugrina nodded, got up, rummaged through Long's drawer, found a phone book, and picked up the phone.

Throughout the afternoon, we kept in touch on and off, talking until our voices were hoarse. But we didn't waste the donation from the coast; we arranged for all the books that Tacheng didn't need to be put to good use.

Contrary to expectations, things went much more smoothly than anticipated. Even the most exclusive communities, upon hearing news from the church, no longer refused or became as wary as before.

They were even willing to send people on a special trip, crossing mountains and valleys.

However, no one can say for sure how effective it will be or whether it will bring about any change in the future.

In the twilight sunlight, watching the children playing and frolicking outside the window, the old nanny was lost in thought. The children turned around, saw the nanny's eyes, and immediately laughed, jumping up and waving, shouting her name.

She paused for a moment, then laughed, put on her glasses, and went downstairs.

As night gradually fell, Tacheng returned to tranquility, with intermittent gunshots faintly audible in the darkness.

The dazzling neon lights of the distant city remain as bright as ever.

(End of this chapter)