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Chapter 657: Chapter Six Hundred and Fifty-Seven: What Have They Gone Through
Guan Shouzhong and his group were hearing so many details about various bases for the first time, and they found themselves chatting with this crowd of people until nearly midday.
"We do want to buy supplies, but we’re not sure about the exchange rates?"
Guan Shouzhong asked, knowing that while there were plenty of Crystal Cores in the base, these people were clearly not ordinary. If their asking prices were too high...
"Price List"
Lu Hao handed a prepared price list to his former subordinate.
Doing business with acquaintances, moreover ones who didn’t recognize him, was indeed a strange feeling.
The few were entirely captivated by the items and prices listed on the price list, completely missing the smirk in Lu Hao’s eyes.
"You, you sell this cheap in other bases too?"
After saying this, Tian Yongyi quickly covered his mouth. Who complains about a store selling things too cheaply? They were customers after all!
"Yes, there will be even greater discounts for large quantities,"
Lu Hao said with a smile.
"How about this, don’t go back to where you used to live, just stay in my courtyard,"
Guan Shouzhong decided.
He was aware of the current situation of the base, and knew how desperately those people would fight for supplies. Dragon Ruler had only a few members, and although San Jin said their Special Abilities were strong, he was still worried about them being outnumbered. If something went wrong and someone was killed, no amount of after-the-fact handling would be enough.
The family members looked at each other. Living in the same courtyard as the Base Leader? This level of hospitality was unheard of...
"Don’t be strangers, our place is very big, and we all live together as well,"
Tian Yongyi urged, hoping they’d agree quickly. Safety first!
"Alright,"
Lu Hao agreed.
The family knew that if someone else had extended the invitation, Lu Hao would definitely not have accepted. Could it be that the Base Leader was an acquaintance of his?
"Also, how do you plan to handle Zhang Wenbin?"
Lu Hao hadn’t forgotten about Qian Peng’s matter; even if the person was already dead, he wanted to give an explanation.
"The evidence is conclusive, murder must be met with death,"
Guan Shouzhong replied, rubbing his nose bridge.
Lu Hao nodded, and the group followed behind San Jin, who was leading the way, leaving with satisfaction.
Murder must be met with death; may the departed rest in peace...
The place where Guan Shouzhong lived was also an old-fashioned courtyard, with the buildings in this scenic area all sharing the same style, and this one apparently used to be an attraction meant for viewing.
San Jin led the group to a locked side courtyard. As he unlocked it, he explained, "This side courtyard has always been empty. You can live here with absolute peace of mind; no one will bother you."
"Thank you, young man,"
Su Xiangzhe also had a good impression of Lu Hao’s former subordinate. If he’s a subordinate, does that mean he’s a colleague of Yin Chengtian and Shi Jin?
"No need to be polite; we can hardly wait to welcome a caravan like yours that comes once in a thousand years,"
San Jin’s tone became much more enthusiastic as the morning’s conversation had improved his opinion of this group significantly.
"Your base is short on supplies?"
Lu Hao couldn’t help but ask, H Province used to be a major grain-producing province, so it shouldn’t be lacking in supplies.
"Alas, you also know how populous H Province is. Apart from the rural areas, it’s teeming with zombies everywhere. We used to have rewards for supplies to motivate everyone to go out on missions, but after that blizzard, we’ve scarcely had any supplies left. Even the guards at the base can’t be supported anymore. Moreover, we’ve sent people to those two grain warehouses, but each time, everyone perished. One of them has even been occupied by zombie rats. There’s just no way around it!"
Xiang Sanjin didn’t hide anything. Everyone at the base knew these things, so the survivors inside the base had completely lost their respect for the management who had no supplies to offer.
"Actually, the management in your base is quite good in all aspects. To tell you the truth, we’ve heard how terrible this base was before, but it doesn’t seem as bad as they said, haha"
Lu Guanhai also said that the base was clean everywhere, and aside from the group of ill-intentioned people they had encountered, it actually didn’t feel too bad.
"If you had stayed a few more days in the courtyard where you were yesterday, you probably would have understood. There are far more people like Zhang Wenbin than you’d ever imagine,"
Xiang Sanjin sighed. For some reason, he felt a particular desire to talk to these people.
"To be honest with you, even our Base Leader doesn’t want to continue. If he steps down, we would just follow him out."
Hearing Xiang Sanjin say this, Lu Hao frowned. Guan Shouzhong was the oldest among them, always thorough in his actions. How could he have such thoughts?
"But that’s the Base Leader, why wouldn’t he want to continue? So many people are eyeing that position."
Lin Xiuyuan asked curiously.
Leaning against the doorframe of the main hall in the side courtyard, Xiang Sanjin started to chuckle bitterly. "If the group you risk your life to protect, just for a bit of food, ends up pushing you into a horde of zombies to feed them, would you continue to fight and sacrifice everything for them?"
"Of course not, we are not fools."
Lu Guanhai answered immediately.
"Yes, everyone’s not a fool, but if you were in the position of a Base Leader, you would understand what it means to be helpless."
This was the first time Lu Hao saw Xiang Sanjin like this. The Xiang Sanjin he knew before was optimistic and full of determination, not only with a strong sense of justice but also a sense of responsibility that matched anyone else’s. However, now he showed the same exhausted expression as Guan Shouzhong. What had they gone through?
"The one who was pushed to feed the zombies, was he your friend?"
Lu Hao asked.
Xiang Sanjin found the question a bit odd but still answered: "Yes, he was our teammate who we shared life and death with before the apocalypse. We used to call him Maizi. After the apocalypse, Old Guan would often joke that just by calling Maizi’s name, you wouldn’t feel hungry no matter how starved you were."
Xiang Sanjin’s bitter chuckle turned into sobs, prompting Huang Yunxiang and Lin Tianhui to hurry forward to comfort him.
Lu Hao felt a warm hand holding his own, but there was no one to be seen beside him.
It was Su Jin.
Su Jin, hugging the Local Tyrant Gold, followed closely behind the family, so she heard what Xiang Sanjin had said too. She knew who Maizi was and understood that Lu Hao must be feeling terrible right now.
Nevertheless, Lu Hao squeezed her hand and quietly consoled her instead, "I’m fine, don’t worry."
"Mm, do what you want, don’t worry too much, I believe in them," Su Jin said, knowing that Lu Hao understood her.
But Lu Hao just nodded without saying anything more.
When Xiang Sanjin left, he felt as if he had inexplicably been stuffed with a pile of things.
The people had comforted him and cursed others for lacking conscience, and kept pulling one thing after another out of their space, stuffing them into his arms until he could carry no more. Then, they found a huge cardboard box from somewhere and put everything inside for him to take back.
"What are you holding there?"
Guan Shouzhong couldn’t help but ask.
"I don’t know..."
Peeking out from behind the box, Xiang Sanjin looked somewhat sheepish. He certainly wouldn’t mention all the things he had just been talking about to them.
