Chapter 718 - I won’t get to see that (1/2)

Before this, Wang Shengzhi had not approached the Zhou Consortium and the Kong Consortium to discuss this matter. This meant he was not particularly worried they were a threat.

And now that he came to the Northwest, it was not because he was worried that Fortress 178 would hinder his plans. He needed the Northwest to form an alliance with him to keep the southwestern Qing Consortium under control.

Ultimately, Zhang Jinglin felt that Wang Shengzhi had personally come to the Northwest at such a time because he was afraid of Qing Zhen.

Of course, Zhang Jinglin could understand this since he was very familiar with that young man called Qing Zhen. Almost none of the consortiums in this world would underestimate this person.

Those who dared to look down on Qing Zhen were either dead, or just waiting for their time to be up.

Right now, the reason why Wang Shengzhi was looking to join forces with Fortress 178 was probably because of the Qing Consortium.

Therefore, if Zhang Jinglin were to accept Wang Shengzhi’s offer, the Northwest would definitely have to stand with the Wang Consortium and pit themselves against the Qing Consortium in the future.

Zhang Jinglin was not afraid of Qing Zhen, and neither was Fortress 178 afraid of the Qing Consortium. However, it did not have to come to that.

The key point was that “it did not have to come to that.” Their lives in the Northwest were already getting better, so why would he want to expand his ambitions and drag the entirety of Fortress 178 into the flames of war? This was the best time for the Northwest to recuperate.

“I’m not moved by what you are offering.” Zhang Jinglin said, “Whether the Wang Consortium will really do anything when Fortress 178 is faced with the external enemies in the future is just empty talk now. Besides, I’m not interested in war either.”

Zhang Jinglin had said before that war would not save humanity.

Wang Shengzhi looked at Zhang Jinglin and said with a smile, “What if you’re the one taking control of the Alliance of Strongholds? When the entire Alliance of Strongholds under your control, are you still gonna be afraid that I’ll make empty promises?”

This time, it was Zhang Jinglin that got stunned.

Honestly speaking, their conversation thus far was well within Zhang Jinglin’s expectations. When Wang Shengzhi came to visit, Zhang Jinglin already knew why he had come to the Northwest.

But when they reached this part of the conversation, it suddenly exceeded Zhang Jinglin’s expectations.

He frowned and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean the Alliance of Strongholds will no longer be under the control of the consortiums in the future.” Wang Shengzhi said calmly, “The consortiums will be history, and future successors to the Alliance of Strongholds will no longer be hereditary. As for the first leader of the alliance, it will be you, Mr. Zhang.”

Zhang Jinglin looked at Wang Shengzhi seriously. “You’ve been planning for so long and putting in so much effort just so you can benefit others? You aren’t after anything?”

Wang Shengzhi said, “I only have one request, and it’s that the Alliance of Strongholds must have its order kept by the AI. Of course, it’s only managing the order I’m asking for.”

“I don’t understand.” Zhang Jinglin said frankly, “I really don’t know what you’re thinking this time. Actually, you could have just taken longer to prepare, and you might still have achieved what you wanted without asking the Northwest for help. There’s no need to use something like this as a bargaining chip to make a deal.”

“No, I’m not looking to make a deal.” Wang Shengzhi shook his head. “I don’t have much time left.”

“What do you mean?” Zhang Jinglin scrutinized Wang Shengzhi. Only then did he realize the man did not look healthy.