At sea, the fleet finally made a move; a motorboat emerged from the fleet and slowly approached the island.

Zhang Shi ordered all personnel to be on high alert and not to fire without his command. He then instructed Zhang Dazhuang to keep a close watch on the group of tourists who had landed on the island to prevent any traitors from among them.

Not long after, the motorboat sailed straight to the shore, and a young man stepped off the boat. He appeared to be from China as well. Unlike the other survivors, he was not wearing protective gear, but rather a pair of casual shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. He had a warm smile on his face and seemed full of confidence.

Although Zhang Shi was very unhappy about the outsider's disturbance, he admired the man's courage to go to the meeting alone, so he also showed up, removed his mask, and went to negotiate alone.

When the kind-looking young man saw Zhang Shi appear, he raised his hand to greet him.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang Shi. I've long admired your name. Meeting you today, I can confirm your extraordinary demeanor."

Zhang Shi walked to a distance of ten meters in front of the young man, which was the optimal distance to activate the Shadow Step. If the opponent made any dangerous moves, Zhang Shi could kill him immediately.

Seeing the young man's overly familiar manner, Zhang Shi simply nodded indifferently as a response.

The young man then introduced himself.

"Hello, sir. My name is Chen Baomu, you can call me Xiaobao. I am here today to discuss a collaboration with you."

Looking at Chen Baomu's face, Zhang Shi remembered that this person was the one who had ranked third in the world a few times before, and became even more wary of him.

"Cooperation? I've never seen anyone put on such a show when discussing cooperation. What, if I say no, are you going to immediately turn hostile and send those dozens of ships at sea to attack us?"

Zhang Shi made no attempt to conceal his dissatisfaction. His sharp gaze was fixed on Chen Baomu, trying to detect any possible deception or threat from the other man's expression and subtle movements.

Upon hearing this, Chen Baomu's smile did not diminish in the slightest. He slowly took two steps forward, but always kept himself at a certain distance, demonstrating an excellent sense of propriety.

“Boss Zhang Shi, you’ve misunderstood. I’ve come here with sincerity and a desire for cooperation. Those ships at sea are indeed my men, but they are not hostile.”

Zhang Shi sneered.

"You brought an entire fleet and anchored near my island all at once; it's hard not to cause misunderstandings."

Chen Baomu continued to explain at his own unhurried pace.

"Haha, boss, you've misunderstood. We brothers have been living on the boat since the flood. The boat is like our shelter. I was worried about something going wrong on this voyage, so I brought all the brothers with me. Please don't overthink it, boss. How could we dare to go against you?"

Seeing Chen Baomu's glib and slick manner, Zhang Shi couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted and didn't respond to his explanation.

Chen Baomu then explained.

"I came here today to discuss cooperation with you, sir. I see that your seaside station is doing very well, with a large number of customers every day, and the current scale is far from your limit."

Chen Baomu paused, and seeing that Zhang Shi did not react, he continued talking to himself.

"With just Wang Wu and his men, they simply can't carry that many passengers. What I mean is, why don't you share some of the transportation business with me? Look at us brothers, we're quite powerful, we have boats and equipment. If we cooperate, your daily passenger volume can increase at least five or six times. That way, everyone makes money, and you won't lose anything."

Zhang Shi frowned slightly upon hearing Chen Baomu's words, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes. He had considered expanding operations, but had always cautiously maintained the status quo, partly due to limited resources and partly due to distrust of outside forces. While Chen Baomu wasn't particularly likeable, his proposed cooperation plan was appealing, seemingly a win-win situation. Of course, there might be other motives behind it, and Zhang Shi had to be extra careful.

"You make it sound so easy, and cooperation sounds wonderful, but how can I guarantee that you're not eyeing my territory or trying to use my resources to expand your own power?"

Zhang Shi's voice was deep and powerful, every word conveying an undeniable firmness.

Upon hearing this, Chen Baomu's smile widened even more. He spread his hands, appearing quite sincere: "Brother Zhang Shi, you're overthinking it. In this chaotic world, we're all just trying to survive. Why kill each other? My proposal is entirely based on mutual benefit. If you're still concerned, we can sign a detailed cooperation agreement, clearly defining the rights, responsibilities, and benefits of both parties. We can even invite a third party to witness it and publish it on the world channel to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the cooperation."

Zhang Shi remained silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the pros and cons. He knew that in this resource-scarce and crisis-ridden world, going it alone was unsustainable; cooperation might be a path worth exploring. But the key lay in ensuring the security and controllability of the cooperation. Of course, the so-called agreement was merely a formality, simply indicating each party's attitude.

“Alright, Chen Baomu, I can consider your proposal, but there are a few conditions.” Zhang Shi finally spoke, his tone carrying an undeniable authority. “First, the specific details of the cooperation need to be discussed in detail, including but not limited to profit distribution, operating methods, and security guarantees; second, during the cooperation period, your people must abide by my rules and not cause trouble on my territory; third, and most importantly, if I discover any betrayal or damage to my interests, I will immediately terminate the cooperation and reserve the right to pursue legal action.”

Chen Baomu nodded repeatedly, a satisfied smile on his face: "Of course, of course, these conditions are all reasonable, and I fully accept them. Then let's find a time to sit down and discuss the specific details of the cooperation."

Zhang Shi nodded slightly, acknowledging the initial intention to cooperate. He understood that this cooperation was both an opportunity and a challenge; the key lay in striking the right balance—using Chen Baomu's resources to expand his influence while ensuring his own position and interests remained unthreatened.

With both sides having reached a preliminary agreement on cooperation, Zhang Shi instructed Zhang Dazhuang to keep an eye on the tourists, then told Zhao Feng to keep a close eye on the fleet at sea. He then returned to the island with Chen Baomu to further discuss the details of the cooperation. On the sea, the massive fleet remained quietly anchored, as if witnessing this meeting that could potentially change the fate of both sides.