Chapter 346 You are the lord of Dawn City!

   "Hello, Mr. Dulong, respected Director of the Boulder City City Hall, I am the City Lord of Dawn City—"

   "Luca."

  Refuge B4 floor, browsing room.

  Luka in formal attire sat on the sofa.

  On the coffee table in front of him, there is a holographic computer pen. The light blue light beams interweave above the coffee table, forming a tapered surface with three-dimensional imaging.

  Through the tapered surface with a light blue background, you can see the bay window of the office of the director of the Boulder City City Hall and the director sitting at the desk.

   "Dawn City Lord..." Du Long frowned slightly, "Where's your manager?"

  If the news is correct, he remembered that the highest authority in the alliance should be the manager.

  What the **** is the lord of Dawn City?

   And this Luca...

  That old face that was exposed to the wind and sun, he felt more like a farmer than a city lord.

  What the **** are the managers of the new alliance doing!

  He couldn't understand it.

   Didn't take the change in Mr. Dulong's attitude to heart, Luca continued in a gentle tone according to what the manager explained.

"Our administrator is inspecting Dawn City, and may not be able to return to Qingquan City for a short time. Due to the unsatisfactory communication conditions there, in order to show his respect and importance to you, he entrusted me to conduct this telephone conversation with you .”

   "When the manager explained this matter to me, he specifically asked me that Boulder City is a neighbor of the Alliance and a friend of the Alliance, so I must show our friendship during the talks."

   Regarding this high-sounding wording, Dulong's face showed an imperceptible disapproval.

friend?

  Boulder needs something like that?

  He originally wanted to say "Since your manager is away, let's talk about it when he comes back", but thinking that it might take a long time, he swallowed this sentence again.

  He doesn't care, it's a big deal, and so on, but what the Lord of Boulder City told him can't wait that long.

  Durong can be sure that if the planes of the new alliance appear in the airspace of Boulder City again, the anti-aircraft artillery will definitely open fire.

If this friction turns into a war, he can be sure that the northern suburbs will be turned into a piece of scorched earth, and the militia group will use steel bars and cement to seal the group of blue gophers in the turtle shell forever, but the outside of Boulder City There is no doubt that the city will suffer huge losses.

  Perhaps Mr. Fang Ming doesn’t care what happens there, just like the inner city has never cared about the life of the residents in the outer city.

  However, Dulong couldn't help but care.

   It's not because he has a kind heart.

   Rather, he is very clear that the nobles in the inner city are his masters, but the factory owners and chamber of commerce bosses in the outer city are his foundation.

"Since you think we are friends, I hope that your plane will not appear in the airspace of your friend's house in the future. Your plane appeared on our radar. This time our soldiers exercised restraint, but it may not be the case next time." gone."

   Luca looked at him and said.

   "This is a reasonable request, what is the range of your airspace?"

  Durong said bluntly.

   "The area within the Fifth Ring Road of Qingquan City is our airspace, bounded by the Ring Road."

   "It's impossible," Luca shook his head, "Part of Dawn City is within the fifth ring of Qingquan City. We will respect your safety needs, but it must be based on not sacrificing our own safety."

  Durong raised the volume.

   "Mr. Luca, let me get straight to the point. This is the request of our city lord. Do you understand the meaning of the word request?"

  Luka smiled faintly.

"Of course I understand, but our managers have said that if we make concessions on the issue of airspace today, we will have to compromise on the issue of territory tomorrow. We can guarantee that our aircraft will not enter the ring road in the west district of Qingquan City, and only limited to this."

  Durong slightly raised his eyebrows.

  As if he heard something interesting, he said with a smile.

   "Territory? What do I want your piece of broken land for?"

  The 10,000 to 20,000 mu of land in the picture?

  The broken houses in the picture?

  That would underestimate them too much.

   Luca replied in a tepid tone.

  “Although our place is a bit broken, we are very satisfied with our home.”

  Durong's tone was tinged with sarcasm.

   "You don't think that you are qualified to negotiate terms with us after defeating a few primitive people holding fire sticks."

   It was beyond Dulong's expectation.

  The old man in front of him actually nodded.

   This made him even wonder if he had made a mistake.

   "Of course, I have no doubt that we are qualified."

  Looking straight at the head of the city hall, Luca continued as a matter of course, "Actually, I'm negotiating terms with 'you' right now, aren't I?"

  When he said this, he bit the word "you" very hard.

  Durong narrowed his eyes slightly.

  He was suddenly a little uncertain.

"What's the meaning?"

   Luca said calmly.

   "It's not interesting. Your army is strong, but we are not weak. Boulder City may be able to defeat us on the frontal battlefield, but we can guarantee that our opponents will pay a heavy price."

   "And the price must be 'you'."

   These words hurt Du Long deeply.

  The inner city has neglected the outer city for a long time, and everyone knows it well, and he is no exception. He has no doubt that if there is a war, they will become cannon fodder.

   Like every wave.

   But so what?

  This kind of thing needs you to be reminded by a "wastelander"?

  Durong sat up straight, and smiled angrily.

   "Are you threatening me?"

  The atmosphere on the negotiating table instantly dropped to freezing point.

  Luka was equally nervous.

   However, he did not write his emotions on his face.

  Before the negotiation started, the manager had explained to him that no matter what, he should not show timidity or panic, and he should hold his breath at any time.

  The other party is very powerful. From their standpoint, "forced coercion" will become a convenient option, because security issues are the "pain points" of most survivors' settlements.

  Although Boulder City is the spiritual licking dog of Ideal City, they are not rich enough to support themselves after all, so they will not have the so-called moral cleanliness.

   It is dangerous to jump repeatedly near the opponent's bottom line, but it is also fatal if the performance is too weak.

   Grasp the pain points of the other party, stop before the other party feels the pain, give up part of the appeal appropriately, and find a range that is acceptable to both parties.

  The meaning of negotiation is also here.

  Looking at Dulong, Luca said slowly.

"Of course not. Dear Mr. Director, we sincerely hope that we can live in peace and harmony. There are already enough tragedies in this world. Alien species, slime molds, mutants, cultists, and predators... Civilization Living in an age where the flames of the fire are lingering under the shadow of barbarism, we really, really don't want to go to that last step."

   Paused, Luka continued.

  “…But sometimes, even very, very reluctantly, we have to let others know that we are not intimidated, that the land we cultivated did not come from handouts.”

   "Therefore, rather than a threat, I would rather you interpret my previous words as a response to the threat of war."

  Duron's eyes have been narrowed, staring intently at Luca in the holographic image.

  He is thinking.

   is also weighing.

  The talks fell into silence.

   Luca waited patiently.

   At this moment, Du Long suddenly blurted out a sentence that had nothing to do with the negotiation itself.

   "Did you come up with these words yourself, or did your manager ask you to say them."

   Luca replied without thinking.

   "Is there a difference? The will of the administrator is not only the will of the alliance, but also my will."

  Durong didn't say anything, just stared at the old man thoughtfully for a while.

   After about half a minute, he spoke slowly.

   "I disagree with your sophistry about the 'threat of war'."

  The subject changed, and he continued.

   "But I admit another sentence of yours, there are already enough tragedies in this world, we don't need to add meaningless sorrow."

   "For the future of the relationship, I think we need to have an open and honest talk."

  Hearing these words, Luca finally breathed a sigh of relief, with a smile on his face.

"I think so too."

  …

  Although the other party's arrogant attitude has not changed in any way, being willing to solve the problem through dialogue is at least a good start.

  The next step is to bargain.

  Durong thought that this was his field of expertise. After all, he was a businessman before he became the mayor of the city hall.

  However, what he didn't expect was that the opponent's ability to mess around was not inferior to him at all.

   At least not as easy to fool as he imagined.

   "...The North Third Ring Road of Qingquan City belongs to our airspace, we need to fight against the tide! What's more, our air force has shared part of the pressure for you, which is also good for you!"

   "Your air force? Oh, just those paper airplanes? Why don't you just hire our airplanes, anyway, it's not like you haven't used them before. At worst, I'll give you a 20% discount."

   "Yes, we are paper airplanes, so why should you worry about us threatening your safety? Don't you have enough space for paper airplanes?"

   "... North Fourth Ring Road to North Fifth Ring Road, this is our bottom line! At the same time, I need you to promise that the border of the new alliance will not continue to expand southward in the future!"

   "We can stop expanding south, but in exchange, I ask you to stop the ban on the sale of new alliance products, and we haven't banned the sale of your products, have we?"

   "The last one is impossible. The ban on the sale of LD-47 is a request of the "Big Rock City Military Industry".

  These conditions have met the expectations of the negotiations, but Luca still nodded in embarrassment.

   "Alright, let's maintain the status quo."

  Durong heaved a sigh of relief, and finally stretched a smile on his tense expression.

   “Glad we reached an agreement.”

  Verbal agreements can't be counted.

  The two parties will sign a specific agreement later.

  As for the location of the signing, Dulong requested that it be held in the town hall of Boulder City, and invited him to visit Boulder City.

   Regarding the trivial matter of the signing location, Luca did not insist on much under the manager's instruction, and readily agreed to his request.

  In addition to airspace and trade issues, the two sides also discussed cooperation in various fields and reached consensus.

  After the communication was over, Luca reached out and turned off the holographic computer. He leaned on the sofa and let out a sigh of relief as if he had removed a thousand catties of covering.

   "Good job!"

  Hearing the sound of approval coming from the door of the reading room, Luka immediately got up from the sofa, and put his right fist respectfully on his left chest.

   "Master Manager."

   "There is no need to be too polite, just sit down."

   Motioned Luca to sit down.

  Chu Guang sat on the opposite sofa and looked at him with satisfaction.

  To be honest, when I saved him, I didn't think about it that much at all, it was purely out of accidental kindness.

  In addition, I just needed an honest and obedient person to help manage the warehouse, and asked about some things I didn't understand by the way, so I took out a chip and bribed the execution farm guard.

  At that time, Chu Guang didn't expect much from him.

   If there is no accident, the greatest achievement in his life is probably to help the outpost of the new alliance manage the warehouse.

  The same as Guo Niu, Guo Ma and other liberated serfs who also joined the new alliance very early.

  However, Old Luca's performance at work was beyond Chu Guang's expectations.

   Not only loyalty, but also a precise understanding of his own orders, as well as the characteristics of hard work and hard work, all far exceeded Chu Guang's initial expectations.

  Although he was born as a serf, he is a little less flexible, but compared to other wastelanders, this flaw is not serious at all.

   Now it seems that that chip is worth too much.

   "I will trouble you to go to Boulder City later."

   "No trouble, it is my honor to serve you." Luca said respectfully.

  Chu Guang smiled.

   After pausing for a moment, he restrained his joking expression and continued in a serious tone.

   "In addition, after you return from Boulder City with an agreement that symbolizes friendship, you will be the lord of Dawn City."

  Hearing these words, Luka was taken aback.

  The lord of Dawn City?

   Didn't you say that was just a title during the negotiation?

   Luca said in trepidation.

   "My lord, but I—"

   Knowing what he wanted to say, Chu Guang interrupted him.

   "Okay, I've already decided on this matter! I see your ability, and no one is more suitable for this position than you."

   Originally, Luca had been taking care of Changjiu Farm.

   As for origin.

   In Chu Guang's view, this is not a problem at all.

   Rather, this can become a banner of propaganda.

   In the new league, equality is not a slogan. As long as you can prove your ability and loyalty to the alliance, you can become the city lord of the settlement even if you come from a humble background.

good.

  Chu Guang became more and more satisfied with his arrangement.

   When he turned around, he would take the time to write a press release that would make people excited, and throw it to the people on the Alliance Radio to promote it.

  Although he still has some concerns about whether he is qualified for this important task, seeing that the manager has chosen him so firmly, the old Luca didn't say anything, but silently hid his gratitude in his heart.

   It took a moment to calm down, and he looked at the manager and said seriously.

   "My lord... I don't quite understand one thing, can I ask you for advice."

"What's up."

   "Boulder City...Why are they obsessed with the airspace of Qingquan City?" Luca had a hint of confusion in his eyes, "They obviously didn't take our plane seriously at all."

   That deep-rooted contempt cannot be hidden.

  The mayor of the city hall even used "paper airplanes" to describe the Alliance aircraft.

  Although he was angry, Luca had to admit that this arrogance was not without reason.

   The flying machines in Boulder City may not look good enough in front of the enterprise, but they are products of the pre-war era. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the big guy with a sense of science fiction is not at the same level as the small plane of the new alliance.

   "It's nice of you to think of that."

  Looking at the old Luca who was slowly getting better, Chu Guang nodded approvingly, "The reason is actually very simple, because you are right, what they really care about is not the airspace."

  Luka froze for a moment.

   I don't quite understand the meaning of this sentence.

  Chu Guang did not explain immediately, but stretched out his hand and lightly pressed on the holographic computer pen.

  The city map of Qingquan City was projected in the light blue light cone, and a few intermittent green dots were flashing on the edge of the third ring road.

   "Because Qingquan city center is their real core of interests."

   "Mutated slime molds, evolutionary bodies, ancient battlefields, and equipment left over from the pre-war era...one fragment cannot restore the entire puzzle, but countless fragments can always restore something useful."

  Luka had a look of surprise on his face.

   "If you say that, isn't that wave..."

  Chu Guang nodded.

   “It might not be a total disaster for them.”

"Our researchers have been studying the evolutionary bodies that the last wave spread to the northern suburbs, whether it is at the biological level or at the engineering level. It's just that we started too late. Even with our excellent researchers, the progress Still way behind them."

  Looking at Luka who showed a sudden expression, Chu Guang said slowly.

   "Like you said, they don't care about our plane at all, because it's not even a problem for them."

   "Their real purpose is probably to limit our access to their treasures."

  …

   On the other side, the City Hall of Boulder City.

  Durong who hung up the phone let out a long breath.

   While feeling relieved, the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up into a smug smile.

  The aircraft of the new alliance will no longer enter the core area of ​​​​their interests. The respected city owner will definitely be satisfied with this result.

  LD series weapons are still on the list of restricted imports, the trade between the two sides will not be affected by this, and the military industrial group will not make irresponsible remarks on him.

   As for other fields besides military industry?

What does    have to do with him?

   What's more, trade itself is something that benefits both parties. It is not a bad thing that Boulder City can buy cheaper consumer goods and industrial raw materials.

  In Du Long's view, he just took out a little bit of honey in exchange for a result that made everyone happy.

  Thinking of this, he couldn't help but praise himself in his heart.

  I am a genius!

  In the past, if you looked around the city of Boulder, you couldn't find a decent opponent in the entire southern part of the River Valley Province. The Great Rift Valley in the north was too far away, and everyone looked down on each other.

  He sits in the office of the city hall every day, either stamping or dozing off, and few people take him seriously.

   Now finally someone can set off his ingenuity!

   At this time, a voice from the side interrupted his thoughts.

   "Mr. Director."

   "What's the matter?" Looking at his deputy Jaeger, Dulong, who was in a good mood, said kindly.

   "I don't understand, why do we have to talk so much nonsense with a group of scavengers?" Jaeger's face showed a trace of displeasure, "Their population is not even as large as our slums."

  The city was crowded with people who wanted to enter the city.

  Even the dirt flowing out of the city is enough to feed tens of thousands of people.

   Negotiating this matter with them made him feel uncomfortable.

  Durong guessed what he was thinking, and also thought about how to answer this question.

   "They are not as powerful as us, but they are far less weak than we imagined. Do you remember the look in that person's eyes just now?"

   Jaeger chuckled lightly.

   "Can eyes kill?"

  Durong said in a gentle tone.

   "No, but it's not easy to get them to succumb. Isn't it good to negotiate to solve the problem? If we really fight, we will be cannon fodder again."

   "Besides, the request of the Lord of the City is to keep their planes away from the Fourth Ring Road of Qingquan City. We have not only completed the task, but also exceeded it."

   Patted his deputy on the shoulder, and he continued talking happily.

   "Be happy and don't hang your face."

  …

  Qingquan City, the edge of the North Third Ring Road.

  The slanting sunset elongates the shadow of the viaduct pier.

  Night is coming, and the nibblers wandering in this area gradually became manic and began to become more aggressive.

  The shops along the street not far from the viaduct.

   Crouching on the edge behind the window and paddling, holding an assault rifle in his hand, carefully monitoring the street outside the bunker.

  Besides him, there are nine teammates hiding nearby.

  The alien corpses lying here and there on the street, and the densely packed bullet holes on the wall, tell the intensity of the previous battle.

  Four hours ago, he and his team members received the task and walked to the edge of the North Third Ring Road in Qingquan City to meet the team of cattle and horses withdrawn from the "new map".

  After a fierce exchange of fire, they successfully cleared the street of alien species.

   But seeing that dusk is coming, and more and more alien species are beginning to spread from nearby buildings to the street, it is hard to say how long the tranquility can last.

  The boy on the construction site and Brick, holding the machine gun, suddenly muttered.

   "It won't be free again."

   Hearing this sentence, Kakarot glared at him.

   "Less crow mouth!"

  The debtor's big eyes gave a look to the edge brother next to him.

   "How much longer?"

   Just as he was about to answer while paddling on the edge, there was a sudden movement at the intersection.

   Everyone's nerves tensed instantly, and the weapons in their hands were aimed at the past.

   Right at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly came

   "It's me, don't get mad."

  Looking at the person who appeared at the intersection, he froze for a moment while paddling on the edge of the water, and suddenly showed a surprised expression on his face.

   "Fuck!? Old Bai?"

   "How did you become like this?"

  At this moment, Lao Bai's situation can only be described by the word embarrassment.

He held a parachute wrapped package in his left hand, and a blood-stained rifle in his right hand. Not only was his chemical protective suit gone, his body was covered in mud, and there was a piece of almost burned through bulletproof vest hanging on his chest. hole.

  The whole person seems to have rolled out of hell.

   Facing everyone's surprised gazes, Lao Bai smiled wryly.

   “…something went wrong.”

   What is this called? !

   Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.

  Leaving aside smoking cessation, Old Fangchang Bai and the others are already considered the ceiling of the entire server's combat power.

   What is the situation, even these guys are so tricky!

   Debt big eyes swallowed.

"…What about the rest?"

   Lao Bai didn't speak.

   At this moment, Fang Chang's voice came from behind him.

"died."

  With a heavy expression on his face, Fang Chang's condition is similar to that of Lao Bai, with the same disheveled look.

   He must have lost his rifle, and he is holding a mechanical arm with a VM tied to it in his right hand, and half of his shoulder is still hanging from the **** joint, which is shocking to watch.

   Edge paddling recognizes this guy.

   seems to be the arm of the wind...

   "In any case, the task is finally completed."

   Throwing the **** package on the ground, Lao Bai raised his arm and wiped the mud and sweat from his forehead, "This thing... please help me carry it, I'm really exhausted."

   "What the **** is this?"

  The construction site boy and Brick walked forward, opened the package curiously and took a look, and found a pile of weird parts and dark red bacteria lying inside.

  Many of them have tentacles exposed, still wriggling slowly, like freshly cut beef.

   "The remains of the evolved body, the ghost knows what it is."

   Sitting on the hood of the old car, Fang Chang looked at the fungus in the hand of the construction worker, and kindly reminded him.

   "You better not rummage through the contents of this... That's how our quit smoking brother died."

  (end of this chapter)