The next morning, the sun was bright, but the air around the safe house felt as if it had frozen, thick with tension and pressure.
Before the agreed-upon time, Lei Bao's convoy appeared on the distant horizon. But unlike last time, the convoy stopped five hundred meters from the warehouse. Lei Bao got out of his truck alone, followed by only two men who appeared to be his personal guards. All three had their weapons slung on their backs and held their hands high in the air to show they had no hostile intentions.
"Boss Chen! Come out and talk!" Lei Bao's voice boomed through a megaphone, powerful and resonant, carrying the undeniable aura of a formidable figure. "Let's talk cooperation!"
Chen Shouzhou was already on the watchtower, observing their every move through his binoculars. Hearing the call, he picked up his own megaphone and replied lazily, "Bao-ge, your memory isn't so great, is it? Just a few days ago, you wanted to send us to our coffins with a rocket launcher, and today you're here to talk cooperation? Your business strategy changes so fast, I'm afraid I can't keep up."
His voice was full of mockery, betraying no sign of nervousness.
Lei Bao burst out laughing, his voice echoing through the ruins. "You're joking, Boss Chen! In this apocalypse, fighting is just a way of getting to know each other! Last time was a misunderstanding. Today, I come with sincerity!"
Chen Shouzhou sneered inwardly. Sincerity? Is your sincerity the dozens of men and the machine gun still mounted on your truck?
After a brief but "friendly" negotiation filled with tension, the two sides finally agreed to meet in an open area one hundred meters outside the warehouse. This would ensure a safe distance for both parties and rule out the possibility of a large-scale ambush.
"Dr. Su, Old Lin, prepare Plan B," Chen Shouzhou said in a low voice as he climbed down from the watchtower.
Plan B was the contingency plan they had worked out overnight.
Su Wan'er nodded and silently climbed to another high point—a huge, abandoned water tower. She had already set up a simple sniper device there. It was actually a high-pressure air gun made from a gas cylinder and a steel pipe. Though its range and accuracy were limited, at a distance of one hundred meters, it could fire a sharpened steel nail with enough force to be fatal to an unarmored person. She would be the final insurance policy for this negotiation.
Meanwhile, Lin Mo activated a portable listening device he had modified—a parabolic microphone that could clearly capture conversations from a distance. He needed to analyze every word Lei Bao said to extract valuable intelligence and discern his true intentions.
Xiao Hei and Xiao Qi had already taken up positions in the surrounding ruins, like two of the most loyal sentinels, watching for any unexpected developments.
All preparations were complete. Chen Shouzhou, alone, holding only his signature, seemingly harmless wrench, swaggered out of the fence and walked towards Lei Bao.
"Bao-ge, what an honor to have you. Forgive me for not rolling out the red carpet," he said, arriving at the designated spot with a business-like smile. "So, what kind of cooperation do you want to talk about? Let me be clear first: I run a small business here, no credit, no idle chat, and definitely no special services."
Lei Bao looked at his cavalier attitude, and a glint of appreciation—and caution—flashed in the depths of his eyes. He got straight to the point, dropping his first bombshell: "Boss Chen, let's not beat around the bush. I know you have some special things. For example, high-purity medical alcohol, seeds that can sprout in this wasteland... and," he paused, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fixed on Chen Shouzhou's eyes, "that... 'ability' that lets you anticipate danger, and even conjure electric fences and strange weapons out of thin air."
Chen Shouzhou's heart sank, but his face remained a mask of innocent confusion. He theatrically cleaned out his ear. "What? What did you say, Bao-ge? The wind's too loud, I didn't hear you clearly. Ability? My greatest ability is being able to eat eight meals a day without gaining weight. Does that count?"
While playing dumb, his mind was racing. Lei Bao knew far more than he had imagined. The man had not only guessed that he had a special ability but even had a clear idea of its specific manifestations.
Lei Bao watched his clumsy performance, a cold smile playing on his lips. He wasted no more words and suddenly pulled a photograph from his pocket, tossing it over.
The photo was a clear shot of Chen Shouzhou trading alcohol with Li Sanniang at the black market. The angle was tricky, clearly taken by someone who had been watching and snapping pictures in secret.
"How long did you think you could hide it?" Lei Bao said slowly, his voice filled with pressure. "Boss Chen, you're a smart man. You should know what happens to someone in this wasteland who holds a treasure but lacks the strength to protect it."
He took a step forward, his voice dropping to a low, seductive tone. "I can offer you protection, provide you with weapons and men, help you expand your power, and make you the true 'king' of this region. Of course, the premise is that you're willing to share a little... of your 'special things'."
Chen Shouzhou picked up the photo, blew the dust off it, and then smiled, a hint of mockery in his expression. "Bao-ge, all this talk about protection and making me a king... it sounds a lot like you're inviting me to jump into a fire pit. And I suppose I'd have to throw in my entire life savings and my life as kindling at the bottom of that pit, right?"
He tore the photo into pieces and tossed them into the air, the scraps scattering in the wind.
"We can talk cooperation," he said, staring into Lei Bao's eyes and enunciating each word. "But we do it by my rules. I provide the technology, you provide the resources. We split it fifty-fifty. As for being a king... I'm not interested. I just want to grow my vegetables in peace."
Lei Bao narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected this young man, who looked like a punk, to dare to bargain with him face-to-face. The formidable aura around him erupted, and the air seemed to freeze.
"Young man, a big appetite can make you choke," he said coldly.
"Better than starving to death," Chen Shouzhou retorted, not backing down an inch.
The meeting ended on a sour note.
Lei Bao gave him one last, deep look, said nothing more, and turned to leave with his men. Before getting into his truck, he turned back and left a meaningful parting shot:
"You'll come looking for me. Because in this wasteland, no one can survive alone."
The convoy kicked up dust and disappeared into the distance.
Chen Shouzhou watched them leave, the smile on his face gradually fading, replaced by a grave expression.
Back at the warehouse, Lin Mo immediately began to analyze the audio he had recorded.
"I found something!" he said, pointing to a faint noise on the audio waveform. "When Lei Bao said the word 'ability,' one of his followers behind him had a very brief communication with the convoy on the walkie-talkie. I've isolated a few keywords—'confirm,' 'suspected,' 'target characteristics match,' and... 'Shouzhou'."
"Shouzhou?!" Hearing the word, Chen Shouzhou felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
This was no longer a coincidence! His own name, coming from the Viper Gang's communications!
"It seems," he murmured to himself, his gaze hardening, "that they weren't tracking some 'test subject' from the beginning... they were tracking... me!"
This discovery sent a bone-deep chill down his spine. He had to take the initiative, to find out the truth behind all this.