NOVPUBChapter 100: Chapter 100 Negotiations
Chapter 100 -100 Negotiations
Gu Pan hadn’t expected the first question to be like this, “If I say we don’t like to plunder and seize, would you believe me?”
The man with gold-rimmed glasses furrowed his brow slightly, “It’s the apocalypse, how long do you think your kindness will last?” He believed Gu Pan’s statement but didn’t agree with it at all.
Gu Pan said, “Is plundering the only path? If you occupy this today, can’t someone else come to attack you tomorrow? How long can you hold this place?”
The man with gold-rimmed glasses sat opposite the two, “At least I have the initiative, I like to grasp everything in my own hands.”
Lu Ruisheng looked into the man’s eyes, “That also depends on whether you can clearly understand your own capabilities. When you came to attack the Inner Circle, you surely did some reconnaissance, right? Knowing nothing about us, do you really think you’re someone who can control the whole situation?”
His words stumped the man with gold-rimmed glasses, and finally, some change appeared on his confident face, “You do have some skill to be able to hide among these individual fighters.”
He couldn’t mention his weaknesses and shortcomings during the negotiation, but he couldn’t refute either, only admitting that the other party was strong.
Gu Pan saw the man’s nervousness and felt the timing was right, “Since it has come to this, let’s talk.”
In her past life, surviving through three years of the apocalypse, she had become accustomed to observing everyone’s movements and expressions—it was a skill she had to grasp quickly in extreme environments, to see through others at a glance so as to have the advantage and survive.
In the past, they had calculated everything, but the only thing they hadn’t foreseen was dying at the hands of acquaintances. If it wasn’t for Zhuang Jie, they should have been able to survive; now, all these skills had been honed in the extreme environments of her past life.
The man with gold-rimmed glasses admitted Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng’s abilities, but he was also confident in his own team.
Looking at his own people outside, all holding guns, he addressed Gu Pan, “Do you really think you can stand against the organization of so many people?”
Gu Pan laughed out loud, “Sir, you can go out and take a look at our strength. We can take you down and replace you at any time. To be immodest, I’ve killed more people than the ten outside combined, and not to mention my husband.”
After speaking, she added with a smile, “Actually, if you’re curious, we can try it anytime.”
The man with gold-rimmed glasses saw the murderous intent in Lu Ruisheng’s eyes—they had definitely killed people, many people—and from Gu Pan’s eyes, he saw contempt. This woman wasn’t pretending; she truly didn’t regard him seriously. He had underestimated them this time.
These two really weren’t simple—the woman understood strategy and was the main speaker during negotiations, adept at manipulating people’s hearts; the man’s combat skills must be very good, his eyes like those of a hawk, seeming to control every move of his own.
He didn’t dare to be tough anymore, so his tone softened a bit when he asked Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng, “What do you want?”
Lu Ruisheng was direct, “Non-interference, our people don’t like to make enemies.” They just wanted to get to the base safely and weren’t really looking to start a war.
Gu Pan added, “We will continue to use the water source on the mountain; everything else is none of our concern.”
She had thought about speaking for Squad Leader Fang, but the resources of their own team couldn’t be divulged, and it wouldn’t be fair to include Squad Leader Fang.
So it was better not to make a special case for him, otherwise, if their own people left later on, they would be making enemies for Squad Leader Fang. It would be better to covertly give them some resources in the future, and if they wanted to go to the base, they could also give them some gas to find a car.
The man with gold-rimmed glasses guessed part of their intentions; since they didn’t like war and had not occupied the Inner Circle before, they wouldn’t provoke a battle.
But he didn’t expect they wouldn’t bring up anything else and wouldn’t speak for the others in the Outer Circle. He had thought that those who oppose war would be Holy Mothers, but they weren’t. It seemed he had underestimated them. He had thought those Holy Mothers couldn’t survive long in the apocalypse, but they weren’t like that—they simply wanted to survive quietly and were doing it very well. 𝔫𝖔𝔳𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝔠𝔬𝖒
If it weren’t the apocalypse, he might have wanted to get to know this couple. They were wise, but alas, in the apocalypse, different aspirations meant no joint plans.
He also realized that if they clashed head-on, he definitely wouldn’t have the advantage and might even be defeated.
Since they weren’t looking to start a war now, he had no need to provoke one; this was undoubtedly good for him.
So the man with gold-rimmed glasses said, “Fine, we’ll leave each other alone from now on, and I hope you stick to your word.”
Gu Pan said, “The thirty or so people who sneak attacked us in the middle of the night—not one survived, so don’t you try any small tricks either.” This wasn’t a reminder but a warning.
The man with gold-rimmed glasses couldn’t be sure whether what Gu Pan said was true or false, but he didn’t want to be enemies with this couple; their presence was too strong. Previously, he managed a public company, and even his fiercest competitors didn’t have the same presence as these two during negotiations. The apocalypse really did create heroes and talents.
He said, “I, Fu Chenyuan, am a man of stature and wouldn’t stoop to such petty behavior.”
Having heard this name and observing his attire, Gu Pan couldn’t help connecting him to the CEO characters in novels she had seen before. If it weren’t for the apocalypse, it might have been interesting to get to know him, to see if he had a unrequited love or something of the sort. But in the apocalypse, distance must be maintained with everyone; such gossip was utterly meaningless.
She calmly said, “That’s good; I don’t want to waste ammunition.”
Without waiting for Fu Chenyuan to respond, Lu Ruisheng also spoke up, “Take your people and leave. From now on, we go our separate ways.” The sun had come out, it was getting hot, and he didn’t want his wife to be uncomfortable—there was no need to waste time on him.
Fu Chenyuan stood up, “I’ll take my leave.” After speaking, he directed his people to help the three at the door out.
Upon leaving, he still looked around at the roofs and windows of several houses. He saw the machine guns and felt fortunate he hadn’t surrounded the place directly or taken people by force, otherwise, he might not have returned today.
His own people were still unprofessional. Even if he had found someone to train them, even if he had used strategies to conquer a few small organizations and acquired guns, he was a businessman after all, and there was a gap between them.
No, the male host in that room must have been a soldier. Right, he felt familiar with that aura, like that of his elder brother who had been in the military for many years. They carried the same aura. No wonder his men were so knowledgeable about combat.
At this moment, Fu Chenyuan began to appreciate his composure that day. A rash approach would have meant no return, and today’s outcome was probably the best under the circumstances.
Thinking about it, having these people here might be a good thing for him. Their position at the entrance meant they would be the frontline if anyone attacked, and the Inner Circle would be the last to be affected. Although he hadn’t gained the upper hand today, the result was positive.
Of course, he did entertain the thought of forming an alliance with Lu Ruisheng, but on second thought, it wasn’t possible. They didn’t like war; their aspirations differed, and they couldn’t walk the same path.
