Volume 6: The Twelve Wallfacers Chapter 12: Temptation
"Colonel Shen, welcome to Jinzhou City Tianluodiwang Branch!"
The other party actually knows my identity?
Did you research me in advance?
Or do you know the reason why I came here... No, no one should know this. Except for the three of us who know the strategic goals of Home No. 1, people from other places can't guess it at all.
Shen Jin looked at the burly man in front of him with a dark face, and stretched out his right hand to shake hands with him.
"Hello, excuse me, who are you?"
"Ma Xiangnan, director of the Jinzhou City Tianluodiwang Branch."
Shen Jin nodded, and the two of them clasped hands together and shook them vigorously.
Xiang Shi ran behind Ma Xiangnan and whispered a few words.
Ma Xiangnan showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, and then the smile on his face became wider: "I see, thank you so much, Colonel Shen! If it weren't for your generosity, I'm afraid we would have lost a lot of brothers. On behalf of all the extraordinary people in Jinzhou City, I would like to express my gratitude to you!"
"You're welcome. It's the quality of us Chinese to help others when we see injustice. In the end times, compatriots should support each other. Besides, we are all members of Tianluodiwang and belong to the same camp. No need to thank me."
"Hahaha, Colonel Shen, you're so straightforward! Come on, I'll take you around. Oh, Xiao Wang! Go and bring in the brothers outside the No. 1 Home. Don't leave them hanging out here. They are all our brothers. Let the kitchen prepare a welcoming banquet for them!"
"yes!"
The assistant named Xiao Wang took the order and left. Shen Jin did not stop him when he saw him, as he wanted to see what level the welcoming banquet in this place was.
"By the way, Colonel Ma, the living standards here seem pretty good!"
"Oh! Our base also took the lead. When the virus first broke out, we immediately controlled important food storage areas, as well as a small number of power plants and steel manufacturing plants. We set a good example, so there were relatively few deaths. Everyone had food and drink, and life was always okay."
Shen Jin nodded, and the two chatted for a while, trying to find out each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Ma Xiangnan obviously knew more about Home No. 1 and Shen Jin . His respect for Shen Jin was also evident in his words. He praised Home No. 1's contribution without embellishment, saying that all the people here were using equipment produced by Home No. 1, which allowed them to resist the zombie attacks during this period of time. The last zombie tide was also resisted because they got a large number of [Crystal Core Bombs] from the headquarters of Tianluodiwang.
After chatting for a while, Shen Jin felt that Ma Xiangnan's words were more credible, because this man was very straightforward and did not seem to have any big intentions. Most importantly, what he said was basically consistent with what Shen Jin had observed.
There are a lot of people here. After a rough observation, Shen Jin found that... the population is even larger than that of No. 1 Home in Q City!
You know, before the outbreak of the apocalyptic zombie virus, Q City had a permanent population of nearly 3 million, while Jinzhou City had a permanent population of just over 2 million, a difference of nearly 1 million!
However, there are actually more survivors here than in Q City. This proves that in the first few months when death was most likely to occur, the officials here were able to rescue a large number of people because of their effective response.
However, Shen Jin still had a question in his mind: "Why do all the extraordinary people here look so weak? There is not even a third-level extraordinary person. Are they hiding inside... or are they out on a mission?"
Thinking about the purpose of coming here, Shen Jin asked seemingly "inadvertently": "Brother Ma, where are the third-level extraordinary people here? Why don't we see them coming out? Don't you welcome us?"
Hearing this, Yang Ao narrowed his eyes slightly. As a professional lackey, he had understood what Shen Jin meant. "Yeah, what's going on! Colonel Ma? Is it because we are not worthy of seeing them? Or are they hiding somewhere...preparing to do something bad to us?"
Yang Ao's words became colder and colder, "Well! Who wants to harm the boss!?"
Several other captains drew their weapons from their belts.
In the camp, Yang Ao took the lead in the attack. The aura of the third-level extraordinary people spread out, like a dark cloud pressing on the Jinzhou city base. The aura of the other captains also burst out. The aura of the second-level peak extraordinary people was second only to Yang Ao. They were the ones who had fought their way out of the sea of people and corpses. Their aura was very powerful. If they really erupted, a timid extraordinary person might be scared to death by them!
Ma Xiangnan was a little surprised, he did not expect Yang Ao to suddenly attack. The adjutant directly pulled Ma Xiangnan back, and the surrounding soldiers took out their weapons one after another, but what was very funny was that the weapons they took out were the Steelsmith Soul Swords produced by Home No. 1. They used weapons produced by Home No. 1 against the people of Home No. 1.
The originally harmonious atmosphere suddenly became solemn and murderous.
Shen Jin did not stop it when he saw this, but looked at Ma Xiangnan helplessly: "I'm sorry, Colonel Ma, my brothers have always been straightforward and don't think too much. Don't mind, but they are all very reasonable. After you explain it to them clearly, they will naturally understand. They are all high-level extraordinary people, and they are a little angry... Sometimes even I, the boss, can't control them."
Ma Xiangnan pushed away the deputy who was protecting him and shouted at the soldiers next to him: "Nonsense! Put down your weapons!"
Then he turned to Shen Jin and said, "It's always right to be cautious when you go out, Colonel Shen, I understand what you mean, but... it's not that the third-level extraordinary people here are arrogant, but that we don't have any third-level extraordinary people here. The highest combat power is only the peak of the second level. I'm sorry to make you laugh."
"oh oh……"
Yang Ao's face immediately changed when Shen Jin's tone changed twice. He said to Ma Xiangnan with a smile on his face: "Oh! Is that so... I have been fighting too much recently, so it is inevitable that I have been affected. In the end times, who doesn't have paranoia or something? Otherwise... it would be difficult for us brothers to survive from the end times to now, let alone become a third-level extraordinary person. Prime Minister, you have a big heart, don't argue with us rough people, brothers, put away your weapons."
The other captains followed Yang Ao's instructions, put away their weapons, and stood silently behind the two men.
The momentum comes quickly and goes away quickly.
Ma Xiangnan's eyelids twitched suddenly!
He heard two meanings from Yang Ao's words just now... One is that these people are elite troops and have extraordinary combat effectiveness; the other is that the young man just now is already a third-level transcendent, as terrifying as Shen Jin!
No wonder Shen Jin said that he couldn't control himself. Half of it was just a polite remark, but the other half might be sincere. They were all third-level transcendents with the same combat power, so it was normal for them to disobey orders occasionally.
Unfortunately, they don't have any third-level extraordinary people here, and they can't guess how strong the other party is. They can only roughly estimate the combat effectiveness of the two based on the data of the third-level extraordinary people sent by the Tianluodiwang headquarters.
Even if we cannot defeat thousands of soldiers, it is not difficult to break out of their camp.
A third-level transcendent can only be defeated by a transcendent above the third level. The power of the second level... is difficult to shake them.
After this brief episode, Shen Jin and Ma Xiangnan started chatting and laughing again, as if the unpleasantness just now had never happened.
Ma Xiangnan is a typical Northeastern man who speaks with a Northeastern sense of humor. He also acts as the supporting actor, which makes Shen Jin feel very comfortable speaking and there is nothing wrong with him.
Shen Jin turned his head and exchanged glances with Yang Ao.
"This person is a bit cunning..."
After arriving at their meeting room, some high-level officials from Jinzhou City sat with Ma Xiangnan, and across the table sat Shen Jin and the captains.
In Jinzhou City, Xiang Shi was also sitting in a seat. It seemed that his status in this base was not low.
Shen Jin understood after a little thought. A captain in charge of hundreds of extraordinary people would definitely occupy a seat at the top in this era where strength is respected. Now is different from before the end of the world. Military force is the real power.
"I hereby declare that the meeting between the Q City and Jinzhou City branches of Tianluodiwang has officially begun. First of all, I would like to..."
Ma Xiangnan's deputy said a few official words, expressing Jinzhou City's welcome to them, and speaking from the headquarters of Tianluodiwang, he described the relationship between the two places as very close. Shen Jin even felt that his No. 1 home and Jinzhou City were brothers who had been separated for many years.
This set of talking skills is really amazing.
"Ahem! Um, let me say a few words..." Ma Xiangnan interrupted his deputy's nonsense. His voice was deep, and his dark skin and sturdy figure made him look like a modern Li Kui. "This time, Brother Shen brought his team to rescue Captain Xiang and his men. He saved the extraordinary power of our Jinzhou City. To express his gratitude, I am going to take out 10 tons of rice, 10 tons of corn and 1 ton of nuts from our inventory as a thank you gift. As far as I know, the extraordinary people in Home No. 1 have extremely high-end technological creation capabilities and can carry a large amount of supplies without affecting their own speed at all. So it is not difficult to take away these foods."
Ma Xiangnan knows a lot about Home No. 1, and he speaks directly without any empty words. When he expresses his gratitude, he takes out real money to express his gratitude. In the end times, food is real money!
There was also a ton of nuts among them, which surprised Shen Jin a little. Nuts have a relatively long storage time, and they should be the reserves of their factory before the end of the world. They can be used to replenish the warehouse of Home No. 1. When his niece finds out, she will definitely be ecstatic!
But Shen Jin's expression did not change at all, and he said calmly: "Could it be that... Colonel Ma thinks that his 59 brothers are only worth 21 tons of food?"
As soon as Shen Jin said this, everyone was shocked!
Especially the people in Jinzhou City, they originally thought that their boss giving out 20 tons of grain and 1 ton of nuts was already a great thank you, as grain was the foundation for the long-term development of their base.
The reason why the Jinzhou City base can reach such a scale is because of food.
But the other party was not satisfied and even made sarcastic remarks, which made them very unhappy. Some of the more straightforward extraordinary people were about to slam the table and stand up, but Ma Xiangnan stopped them with his eyes.
Yang Ao said: "No way, no way, you don't really think that a little food can buy the lives of 59 brothers? If it were us... we really can't do such a thing. The life of every brother in our No. 1 home is priceless!"
Yang Ao's sarcastic words instantly angered the logistics manager of Jinzhou City. He stood up suddenly and said, "Don't go too far! These grains and nuts are very precious even to us. In the end times, grain is the hard currency. Our boss is willing to give you these things, which is a great sincerity. What else do you want? The same as those filthy gathering places among the people? You want women? Or do you want illegal drugs? Don't let me look down on you!"
"That's enough! Lao Meng...sit down!"
"snort!"
Ma Xiangnan did not look angry. He explained seriously, "Colonel Shen, and this brother, food really can't buy the lives of our brothers. You can save them. All the people in the Tianluodiwang branch of Jinzhou City express their gratitude and respect to you! But... we can't just say it verbally, wouldn't that make us bastards? But... we don't have any weapons and equipment that we can show off. You can see that what we have now are actually products from you, and for us... the most precious things are these food and nuts. Food really can't buy lives, but this is... the best way for us to express our feelings. If you are not satisfied, just tell me what you like in this base. As long as it does not violate the discipline, I will make the decision and give it to you!"
Ma Xiangnan spoke very sincerely.
Shen Jin couldn't help but look at him with admiration again.
Then he smiled and said, "Haha~! Colonel Ma, don't mind it. We brothers are just joking with you. These grains and nuts are indeed a lot, but we are not short of grain. Nuts are still a rare item. How about you give us three tons of nuts and we don't need the grain?"
"Okay, it's a deal."
The logistics manager hurriedly agreed on Ma Xiangnan's behalf, fearing that Ma Xiangnan would commit suicide again, and insisted on giving the other party something.
Is that food? It's his life!
As we all know, those who are in charge of logistics are all very stingy.
However, other people's views on Shen Jin and Yang Ao became somewhat subtle. Although these two seemed easy to talk to, they were moody and very difficult to get along with.
Xiang Shi looked at Shen Jin, Yang Ao and those serious captains with some surprise and doubt in his heart. These people had been very good in their attitudes during the battle and when they were brought back. There was no sense of restraint between superiors and subordinates among them. They were more like a big and happy team. They enjoyed the sense of accomplishment from killing zombies and it could be seen that they were not difficult people to get along with. Why did they become so timid and intimidating after arriving here?
Sudden!
He remembered the "farewell speech" that Lao Liu had made before, "If...if they help us clean up the zombies in Jinzhou City this time, then I hope you won't take sides so easily..."
His heart trembled and he thought of a possibility.
"No, let's go for a while. I need to have a good chat with Lao Liu about what's going on in Hulu City..."
After Shen Jin chatted with them for a few words, he asked, "Colonel Ma, what do ordinary people here usually do?"
"Oh! They usually stay in the base. We have a lot of factories here, some of which are operational and we recruit people with professional skills to work there, such as small power plants, steel mills, and canning factories. There are also some people working in the logistics of the army. But most people don't have anything to do. Fortunately, we are also from the old Jinzhou City, and we know these fellow villagers quite well. We trust each other, and they didn't cause us any trouble after the end of the world."
Speaking of this, Ma Xiangnan actually felt a little proud. In his opinion... it was already a very good state in the apocalypse if ordinary people did not cause trouble.
Shen Jin frowned slightly, then asked: "Does your base restrict ordinary people from going out?"
The logistics manager couldn't help but interrupt again: "We won't restrict ordinary people from going out. This is inconsistent with the highest order of the Tianluodiwang headquarters, but we don't encourage them to go out either. In this base, there is food and drink, and even two hours of electricity every night. Living facilities are complete. It's too dangerous for them to go out. The so-called scavenging... is not very useful for our base. Almost all ordinary people will not take the initiative to go out."
Ma Xiangnan thought of something at this time and asked, "Could it be that... ordinary people in Home No. 1 have other jobs?"
Thinking of Homeland No. 1, where factories were running, agriculture was developing, and markets were booming, Shen Jin said without blinking, "Oh, we are the same as you!"
Immediately, people on both sides smiled knowingly.
Finally, there is one thing that both sides can reach a consensus on.
Afterwards, Shen Jin learned about the local distribution of zombies from the people here, and said that they would clean up the last . This move won high praise from all the senior officials of Jinzhou City. They wanted to make a banner on the spot and give it to No. 1 Home, and said that they would report the glorious deeds of Shen Jin and others to the Tianluodiwang headquarters, and would praise them in the daily broadcast in the future.
Shen Jin smiled indifferently.
After the meeting, Shen Jin and others left the Jinzhou City base.
On the way, Shen Jin said to Yang Ao: "This Ma Xiangnan is not a simple person. He appears to be generous and sincere, but he is very cunning. Our several provocations have failed to arouse his anger. Moreover, they have almost no moral shortcomings. I am afraid that this place cannot be handled in the same way as Q City and Hulu City..."
Yang Ao nodded, he also had a headache.
"This Ma Xiangnan is impervious to both soft and hard tactics, and is immune to water and fire... It's very difficult to deal with! They have no flaws except that they are a little weak. How can we reasonably obtain Jinzhou?"
"I roughly know why they don't produce third-level extraordinary people here... Their strategic choice is destined to make them not very strong. Since the outbreak of the apocalypse, Jinzhou City has been going too smoothly, which has become a stumbling block for the development of their extraordinary people. In the apocalypse, the more cruel the environment, the more likely it is to produce strong people."
After Shen Jin sighed for a while, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips, "Maybe I have a way to help us win without fighting..."
