Liao Peng froze when Lin Shi's question hit him. It had never crossed his mind to dig deeper. A quick thinker, Liao Peng immediately grabbed his phone and dialed the Daoist they had met earlier. Thirty minutes later, Lin Shi, Liao Peng, and the plump Daoist were seated in a modest restaurant. Between bites of his meal, the Daoist explained his story, his words muffled but earnest.
"That's the whole truth," he said with a guilty glance at Lin Shi. "I wasn't trying to hide it—I'm just really short on cash lately."
Lin Shi's expression remained neutral, revealing nothing.
As it turned out, the Daoist had purchased the land five years ago, intending to build a temple. Things began smoothly. He invested heavily in constructing a cement road and eventually completed the temple. The Daoist, envisioning a peaceful retirement, believed his efforts had paid off.
But his peace was short-lived. Not long after the temple's completion, villagers from the nearby settlement came barging in, claiming the land beneath the mountain was their most valuable asset. They demanded additional payments. The Daoist was stunned; he had purchased the land legally and made his intentions clear during the transaction. During construction, no one had raised objections.
At first, he ignored the villagers, confident that his temple was built by the book and no one could forcibly dismantle it. But the reality turned out to be far more complicated. Villagers began blocking the road at the base of the mountain, preventing vehicles from reaching the temple. Without visitors, his source of income dried up.
Then came the village grandmothers, staging loud protests at the temple gates daily. They were relentless. Negotiations failed, and he eventually paid them 20,000 yuan to settle the matter. He thought it was over. A month later, however, the road was blocked again, and the villagers demanded another payment.
The Daoist, enraged, took the matter to the village chief, who shamelessly declared the first payment as "last month's fee" and insisted on 20,000 yuan monthly going forward. Furious, the Daoist reported the matter to the local authorities. But when they arrived, every villager—young and old—came out to testify that the money had been a voluntary gift.
From that point, things spiraled out of control. Villagers sabotaged the temple's power and water lines. Attempts to stop them only escalated their behavior. Surveillance cameras caught one culprit cutting wires, and the Daoist handed them over to the authorities. Yet, this only inflamed the villagers further. Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the Daoist eventually abandoned the temple entirely.
As the Daoist recounted his ordeal, Liao Peng grew increasingly agitated and ashamed. "Boss, this is all my fault. I should've done my homework," he said, unable to meet Lin Shi's gaze. "I'll look for another location. If it comes to it, I'll buy this land myself and have it deducted from my salary."
Lin Shi turned to Liao Peng with a curious look. While the proposal showed a level of responsibility that impressed him, Lin Shi waved it off.
"There's no need for that. This land will do," he said calmly. "Contact a reliable construction team tonight. We'll start work tomorrow."
Both Liao Peng and the Daoist were shocked.
"Boss, are you sure?" Liao Peng asked hesitantly.
"I have my methods. Just follow my instructions," Lin Shi said, standing up to leave.
As he exited the restaurant, Lin Shi's thoughts remained composed. Any trouble from the villagers could be handled once the shelter was built. By then, the extreme cold would make survival their primary concern, leaving no time for petty harassment. And if trouble persisted, Lin Shi knew how to deal with such people: by being even more fearsome than they were.
Before parting, the Daoist stopped Lin Shi and handed him a small, yellowed booklet, its edges smudged with oil.
"You're a good man," the Daoist said earnestly. "I feel bad about all this, so I want you to have this. It's an old guide for strengthening the body. I don't need it anymore now that I'm leaving this life behind. It might come in handy for you."
Lin Shi hesitated, eyeing the greasy booklet with a raised brow, but ultimately accepted it out of politeness. "Thank you."
Later that night, in his hotel room, Lin Shi sketched the final design for the shelter he had been planning in his mind. The structure featured a semi-circular upper half and a rectangular underground base. The rounded design was chosen for its ability to withstand strong winds and retain heat, inspired by the principles behind igloos.
The outer shell would be made of welded alloy for maximum durability, with the walls reinforced by explosion-proof steel panels commonly used in banks. An additional layer of thermal insulation would ensure warmth, followed by standard multi-purpose protective materials.
The shelter's centerpiece would be a fireplace for warmth during power outages, complemented by a dedicated vent system. Separate electrical circuits would power the upper and lower sections, ensuring redundancy. As for water, Lin Shi trusted the filtration systems and purification tablets he had prepared.
The design needed professional refinement, but the core idea was solid. Setting his plans aside, Lin Shi's gaze fell on the booklet the Daoist had given him. Out of curiosity, he flipped it open.