After the City Lord's Mansion issued the announcement, all the mercenaries in Yuzhou City began to discuss. Within three days, all combat-ready mercenaries had to go to the battlefield, facing countless mutated beasts in the southern mountains. Just thinking about it was enough to make one's blood run cold.
Many mercenaries met on the streets and started discussing, their sentiments mostly pessimistic.
"Men fear choosing the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man. I thought becoming a mercenary would protect myself and support my family. Now it seems I've boarded a pirate ship, and there's no way to get off."
"Didn't they say there's a salary even for conscription? What are you worried about?"
"Worried about what? Worried about never coming back!"
"Exactly. I had a good brother who went hunting in the southern mountains and never returned. Later, someone found his shoes. A living person was eaten alive!"
"Normally, we only operate in the plains. If we can't win, we can run. But this time, the war is going into the mountains! The terrain is rugged everywhere, and there's no way to run!"
"I think if we get injured and become casualties, we'll naturally be pulled back from the front lines, won't we?"
The mercenaries were seriously discussing fighting in the mountains. At this point, they had no choice but to go. They hadn't set off yet, so they had to prepare. It would be best to unite with many mercenaries, and then even if they went into the mountains, they could at least save their lives.
Shi Weitian had just walked out of the inn. He was hungry and was looking for a place to eat breakfast when he overheard a group of people discussing. He became curious. They were talking about war. Was Yuzhou going to war?
Shi Weitian saw the notice on the street and heard the broadcast. He roughly understood the situation. It turned out that Shen Feng had organized people to clear out the countless mutated beasts in the southern mountains. The mercenaries discussing on the street were talking about this.
Yuzhou's notification methods were simple, mainly posting notices. After all, before the apocalypse, many people didn't use the internet. Now, some people couldn't even read the text on notices. Besides posting notices, there was also broadcasting. For illiterate people, listening to the broadcast was the main way to understand the outside world.
"If I remember correctly, Shen Feng has been establishing a mercenary guild for a long time. This means that Shen Feng has been planning to deal with the mutated beasts months ago. Yuzhou's plan is well-coordinated and its foresight is terrifying!" Shi Weitian looked at the notice and felt a sense of dread.
Shi Weitian hadn't expected Shen Feng's plan to be so far-reaching. If he was on the second level, Shen Feng was at least on the fifth level! Yet, Shen Feng only appeared to be on the first level. Those who didn't understand thought they saw Shen Feng's full picture, but in reality, Shen Feng was only showing a tip of the iceberg.
However, Shi Weitian also saw another point from Shen Feng's current action: his purpose for coming to Yuzhou was likely to be achieved. Wuling Mountain was located to the southeast of Yuzhou, and Yuzhou's current operation was in the south. As long as Shen Feng was willing, he could easily extend his controlled area to the Wuling Mountain region.
Thinking of this, Shi Weitian gave up on breakfast and went straight to the City Lord's Mansion, preparing to hear Shen Feng's answer. He wouldn't starve if he didn't eat, but if he couldn't get a clear answer from Shen Feng now, he would be uneasy.
"Lord Fengshen, have you considered it? Our boss attaches great importance to this transaction. If the transaction can be reached, it will be beneficial to both parties, won't it?" Shi Weitian entered the conference room and immediately began to inquire.
Shen Feng smiled and gently shook his head, saying, "It's not time to talk about this yet. Lin Yue, go and search!"
Lin Yue held a metal detector and stepped forward, saying, "Mr. Shi, please cooperate. We need to check if you have any listening devices on you."
Seeing Lin Yue's action, Shi Weitian couldn't help but resist, saying, "How can you do this? This is not how you treat guests. You are clearly suspecting me of having bad intentions. A scholar can be killed but not insulted!"
Shi Weitian was an ability user after all. Facing a search now, he immediately wanted to resist. If he really allowed people to scan his equipment at will, it would be a true lack of respect.
The logic was simple. Ability users, evolutionaries, and even ordinary mercenaries always carried weapons to avoid losing their ability to resist at critical moments. Therefore, once searched, it was like handing over the power of life and death. The feeling of being at the mercy of others was unbearable.
Shen Feng clapped his hands and said to Lin Yue, "Since he doesn't want to be searched, then forget it. Mr. Shi, please see yourself out. We'll meet again if fate allows."
At this point, Shen Feng's demeanor clearly indicated that he did not want to continue the discussion with Shi Weitian, which was the result of Shi Weitian's refusal to cooperate with the search.
Shi Weitian felt a surge of resentment from such a blatant threat. However, a dilemma was placed before him. If he refused the search, the subsequent transaction would not proceed. If he turned hostile on the spot, he was still on Shen Feng's territory. If he were detained or even silenced, it would truly be too late to regret.
Thinking of this, Shi Weitian forced a smile and said, "Lord Fengshen, you are too impatient. I didn't say I wouldn't cooperate with the search. I just wasn't prepared for a moment. Isn't it just a search? It's fine, I accept the search."
Obviously, Shi Weitian also had flexible boundaries, and he could always lower them.
After speaking, Shi Weitian spread his arms, ready to accept the search. Lin Yue approached with the metal detector and began to search Shi Weitian. Although Shi Weitian was dressed shabbily, he was carrying quite a few weapons. Besides the long saber he carried, a pistol and a dagger were also found. Especially around Shi Weitian's waist, a soft sword was hidden. If not for a thorough search, it would have been hard to know he was carrying so many weapons.
After the search, Lin Yue reported the results to Shen Feng, "City Lord, no listening devices were found. It's safe!"
Shi Weitian's expression was somewhat unpleasant. As an ability user, being so easily disarmed by others, and yet being unable to resist, was truly humiliating.
Shen Feng asked Shi Weitian to sit down slowly and explained, "Mr. Shi, please understand us. The content we are about to discuss is quite sensitive, so we have to be cautious. If someone records what I say, it will cause trouble."
Shi Weitian's expression softened slightly. Even after the humiliating search, and having his secrets revealed, as long as the transaction was successful, it was enough!
However, at this moment, Shen Feng said with a smile, "After thinking about it, trading with Wang Aoye is too risky. Yuzhou cannot do business with you. Please forgive us!"
Upon hearing this, Shi Weitian was furious. After all that talk, you still don't want to make a deal? Was I tricked for nothing?
"Are you trying to toy with me?" Shi Weitian directly questioned. In his agitation, his two canine teeth in his mouth began to lengthen, as if he was about to attack.
Shi Weitian felt like he was being played for a fool. It was clearly a simple matter, but Shen Feng kept delaying, then searched him to humiliate him, and now, at this moment, he suddenly changed his mind. Wasn't this tormenting him?
Shen Feng quickly waved his hands and said, "Mr. Shi, you misunderstand me. I'm not deliberately toying with you. Please listen to me finish."
Shi Weitian suppressed the anger in his heart and continued to ask, "What else does Lord Fengshen have to say?"
Shen Feng sat in his seat, calmly took a sip of tea, and then said, "The Yuzhou City Lord's Mansion indeed cannot do business with you, because the headquarters has objections to private alliances among civilian groups. The Three Gorges are still in the hands of the headquarters, and I cannot ignore the headquarters' opinions. However, if other groups in Yuzhou trade with you, then I can't control it. Do you understand the implication?"
Hearing Shen Feng say this, Shi Weitian thought carefully for a moment and immediately understood Shen Feng's hidden meaning. Wasn't he suggesting using proxies for trade? What a clever calculation. All the risks were borne by others, and Shen Feng could rest easy. Where could he find such a good deal in the world?
Thinking of this, Shi Weitian's mind started working. Since Shen Feng could use proxies, perhaps he could do the same. In any case, he had to absolve himself of responsibility. This way, even if the headquarters wanted to settle accounts, it wouldn't fall on him immediately.
"Lord Fengshen is right. I was too hasty before. I was thoughtless, which led to this embarrassing situation. We are also very open-minded. As long as anyone has evolution base, we welcome trade with them." Shi Weitian smiled again, his teeth retracting. He quickly replied courteously.
Shen Feng nodded. They were all smart people. Some things couldn't be said explicitly, so hinting was enough. But everyone present understood; it was a tacit understanding.
Afterward, Shen Feng and Shi Weitian chatted about trivial matters. Shi Weitian had been active in the east before and had heard many new things. Now was a good time to share them and improve their relationship. Shen Feng also heard many strange stories and expressed his emotions from time to time.
Meanwhile, in the slum area outside the city, it had become the base for many mercenary groups. This was once a gathering place for the floating population, so the houses built here were low, and the rooms inside were cramped. It was difficult for anyone other than laborers to adapt to such a place. However, mercenary groups liked to stay here. Despite the cramped interior space, these places could accommodate many people, making it easier for them to look after each other.
Yuzhou had regulations that people carrying firearms were not allowed to enter the city. Therefore, the area outside the city became the domain of mercenaries. If they wanted to enter the city, they were not allowed to carry firearms.
This regulation was specifically for the people inside Yuzhou City. The reason was simple: even for an ability user, a sudden gunshot could easily kill them, let alone the hundreds of thousands of people in the city. The safety of so many people had to be considered, so mercenaries were not allowed to carry firearms into the city.
Mercenaries entered the city mainly to purchase supplies. In addition, paying electricity or water bills also required entering the city. Water and electricity outside the city were not provided casually; payment was required to enjoy the service. As a result, the wind turbines in the city were highly sought after and often caused a rush to buy.
The area outside the city was also somewhat chaotic. Many mercenary groups engaged in "black eats black" (double-crossing each other). If someone dared to travel at night outside the city, they were likely to be robbed. The city defense forces also didn't pay much attention to these matters. They only cared about cases occurring within the city; they didn't care about what happened outside.
When Yu Mu saw the notice posted outside the city, he hesitated. He hadn't expected to fight in the mountains in late autumn. Would it be dangerous? He couldn't figure out the pros and cons of this matter, so he immediately turned back home. He decided to ask his son's opinion.
In the slums, the sanitary conditions were not very good. Sewage could often be seen on the ground. Many mercenaries kept their families with them, so in addition to the mercenaries living there, many of their family members also resided in this place. As long as the safety issue could be resolved, it was enough.
A group of children were playing noisily in the street. Perhaps influenced by the apocalypse, the children also imitated the adults, holding wooden weapons and playing around in the street, shouting out strange move names as they fought.
"Mountain Splitting Strike," "Su Qin Carrying His Sword," "Invincible Backstab," the children were having a great time, but they inevitably ended up bruised and battered, the consequence of their random fights.
Among the children, a ten-year-old boy was out of place. He sat on a doorstep, watching others play, with a look of disdain.
The children were already familiar with this guy's behavior. This young man was originally one of them. He used to play with them every day, but one day, this companion refused to join their games, saying things like "childish" and "boring," while he himself sat lazily on the doorstep all day.
Just then, a little girl slowly walked out of her house, holding a cup of soy milk. She looked about six or seven years old. She walked to her brother's side and said softly, "Brother, drink some soy milk. I just boiled it."
The little girl looked at her brother's familiar face but felt sad because she knew that her brother had become a genius, and thus there was a gap between them.