Chapter 73: In the Apocalypse, People's Hearts Are Hard to Read
"Mr. Song, what do you want to discuss?"Su Chen asked calmly.
"It's like this. I'm here today to propose an alliance with you," Song Linfei said.
Su Chen was not surprised by this. Most people who came to him did so under the pretense of forming alliances or seeking help—mostly just to ask for supplies.
"How exactly would this alliance work?" Su Chen inquired.
"You have fewer than fifty people, right?" Song Linfei smiled confidently and began explaining,"And do you know how many people Gao Qiqiang has?""Recently, he's gathered a large number of survivors. Not quite a hundred, but at least eighty."
Su Chen's expression remained unchanged as he countered,"So what? Even if it were two hundred, I wouldn't care."
With two guns in hand and hundreds of bullets, Su Chen's confidence was sky-high. Given enough time and space, he believed he could single-handedly wipe out Gao Qiqiang's entire force.
"I've heard about your abilities, Mr. Su," Song Linfei smiled and continued,"But what if it's a few hundred people?"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow and sneered,"Do you really think Gao Qiqiang has that kind of power?"
More and more survivors had been flooding into Phoenix Mountain in recent days. A rough estimate put their numbers at four or five hundred. But did Gao Qiqiang have the ability to convince all these people to unite against Su Chen?
"No, Mr. Su, you're wrong. He really does have that ability!" Song Linfei nodded slightly toward Lin Yingying.
Lin Yingying stepped forward, looking at Su Chen with complicated eyes and whispered,"Mr. Su, do you remember your driver, Old Xu?"
Su Chen frowned, then recalled. Because he didn't have the right driver's license, when he first got the Nomadison, he hired a driver named Old Xu.
"I remember. What about him?"
"He also came to Phoenix Mountain and ended up joining Gao Qiqiang."
Lin Yingying briefly explained the situation.
Before the apocalypse, Su Chen had bought large amounts of supplies. Though he never told Old Xu, the driver would often shuttle him between Walmart, the pharmaceutical company, and other places—Old Xu wasn't stupid and figured something was up.
When the apocalypse came, like Lin Yingying and other survivors, Old Xu fled the ruined city and headed for Phoenix Mountain. Along the way, he saw Su Chen's Nomadison. To survive better, Old Xu chose to side with Gao Qiqiang.
After learning about the grudge between Gao Qiqiang and Su Chen, Old Xu told Gao Qiqiang about Su Chen's stockpiling of supplies.
Gao Qiqiang and A-Biao had been doubting how Su Chen could have so many supplies with just one RV. Hearing it from Old Xu cleared things up—they reached the same conclusion as they did with Zhang Ying before: Su Chen had stashed all the supplies inside the Yuelton Hotel. Otherwise, why would he organize reinforcements and fortify the hotel surroundings?
"Gao Qiqiang may not have the ability now, but what happens when everyone's supplies run out?" Song Linfei's eyes sharpened with a confident smile,"If Gao Qiqiang tells them you're hoarding a massive amount of supplies in the hotel, they'll definitely unite to come after you!"
Su Chen's mind stirred. He hadn't expected Old Xu to be such a wild card!
If what Song Linfei and Lin Yingying said was true, Gao Qiqiang might indeed incite hundreds of survivors to attack him.
Old Xu—he had treated him well before, never imagined the guy would betray him so completely!
Indeed, in the apocalypse, people's hearts are hard to predict! Even someone who seemed honest and simple like Old Xu could turn treacherous!
Su Chen looked at Song Linfei calmly and said,"Tell me how you want to form this alliance."
Seeing Su Chen was intrigued, Song Linfei's eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he quickly said,"It's simple. As long as Mr. Su regularly supplies us with resources, we won't side with Gao Qiqiang. Not only that, we'll also persuade other survivors not to join Gao Qiqiang against you. If needed, we can even offer assistance."
At first glance, Song Linfei's terms sounded sincere, but upon closer inspection, they were just empty promises.
Even if Su Chen refused to provide supplies, Song Linfei wouldn't ally with Gao Qiqiang immediately—they still had some food left. They'd only join Gao Qiqiang out of hunger and desperation.
And persuading others not to side with Gao Qiqiang? That was laughable. What power did Song Linfei have to convince others?
As for offering assistance, it sounded even more like a hollow promise.
Basically, Song Linfei was just asking Su Chen for supplies without giving anything substantial in return.
"You're pushing your luck!" Su Chen thought.
But he didn't refuse outright. Instead, he said thoughtfully,"Let me think it over."
Though Song Linfei was spinning tales, his attitude was acceptable. There was no need to reject him flatly and sour relations.
"All right, I'll wait for your good news, Mr. Su," Song Linfei smiled, nodded at Lin Yingying and the others, and then left the room.
Lin Yingying followed him out but, just before leaving the meeting room, she glanced back at Su Chen.
Their eyes met briefly; Su Chen gave a faint smile but said nothing.
As Lin Yingying was lost in thought, a young handsome man standing nearby asked,"Yingying, what's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Lin Yingying quickly turned her head and followed Song Linfei and the others out.
After leaving the Yuelton Hotel, the young man asked Song Linfei,"Brother Song, do you think that kid Su Chen will agree to our terms?"
"If he's smart, he will," Song Linfei answered confidently.
"Yeah, unless he can withstand a siege by hundreds of people!"
The young man chuckled and looked toward Lin Yingying,"Yingying, what's your relationship with Su Chen, anyway?"
"Nothing special, just a former client," Lin Yingying said calmly, brushing hair from her temple.
"Really? Why do you two act so strange then?"
The young man was half-doubtful.
"Even if it's strange, what's that to you? Zhou Shixian, know your place," Lin Yingying snapped, her brows furrowed fiercely.
Startled, Zhou Shixian quickly smiled and said,"Yingying, don't be mad. I just care about you too much..."
Lin Yingying ignored him and headed toward the camp.