627 The Password to Immortality (1/2)
”Mr. Jiang Chen, I need your help.”
Stopped in front of Jiang Chen, Ji Yucheng's head was lowered and his voice was even lower.
”Help? Don't you think the fact that I didn't exchange your head for some crystals already did you a huge favor?” Looking at the gloomy Ji Yucheng, Jiang Chen smiled.
Just two hours ago, he experienced defeat, falling from cloud nine to hell.
He previously thought his president would pay the ransom in exchange for him; he hadn't imagined it was a conspiracy targeting him from the start. He thought carefully and realized how it was possible for lousy thugs to dare to execute a kidnapping on Federation's territory - if one permitted it to happen.
When he thought someone wanted to take his life, he didn't leave NAC's outpost although he felt afraid. If his president wanted his life, he wouldn't be safe wherever he went. The raiders in the area were more and less associated with that man. Unless he escaped to Empire to become a slave, his only option would be to leave the region.
He didn't just want to escape.
He wanted to seek revenge on the people who stabbed him in the back.
NAC was his last chance.
Ji Yucheng took a deep breath and slowly said, ”Just three days ago, I got drunk at the bar in the city then I was taken outside of the city by someone…”
”Do you think I want to listen to your story?”
Ji Yucheng was clearly struggling to make a decision. Finally, he made up his mind, took a deep breath, and said, ”Are you not curious why they want my life?”
”Because of power?”
Ji Yucheng shook his head.
”Because of a secret.”
Jiang Chen looked intrigued. He looked at the wretched parliament member.
”Oh? What secret?”
”If you promise to kill Federation's president… and advisor... kill all the bastards and I'll tell you the secret.”
”You're too confident. NAC isn't a killing organization,” Jiang Chen ridiculed him.
”But you're merchants, right? The vehicles of all the merchants from Wanghai have NAC's symbol.”
”That's not wrong,” Jiang Chen put the alcohol aside and looked at him. ”If you can convince me, I can even make you the president. But if you're just throwing me a hook to trick me into helping you, I'll regretfully tell you that there are no such good things in life.”
”A password,” Ji Yucheng said.
”What password?”
”The password to immortality.”
...
With Jiang Chen's response and the same money sack, Zhu Baojin returned to Hamster Village.
He didn't say anything to his villagers who had hopeful faces. Instead, he gathered the villagers of the nearby survival camps for a short meeting.
While they were still unsettled, the survivors accepted Jiang Chen's terms and expressed their willingness to join NAC to become an economic zone under NAC's jurisdiction, controlled by the military government.
It didn't take long for them to feel glad to make the decision.
Just as Jiang Chen promised, NAC didn't need deprived people like them to pay much dues.
Aside from a team of NAC soldiers patrolling each village daily to purchase supplies like concrete, crystal, and mutated fruit, their lives were almost unaffected. Or rather, with NAC's presence, the number of raiders and mutated humans decreased drastically.
On the seventh day after AS Order arrived in Hucheng's rural area, a U-shaped airship landing tower was built on the empty plot of land between the military outpost and water treatment plant.