Zhu Benren was led to a huge restaurant inside the castle in the center of the building complex.
Although the outside was kept as free of light as possible, the windowless rooms inside the castle were brightly lit.
Although most of the castle's windows were kept as they were and not sealed for the sake of daytime visibility, some of the castle's rooms were sealed because the castle's owner, Hao Hongsheng, the security guard before the Cataclysm and the demon after the Cataclysm, was a typical nocturnal creature.
Hao Hongsheng, who was used to resting during the day and being active at night, actually only spent about half of his time in the castle.
In the remaining half of the time, Hao Hongsheng would transform into a ghost in the dark, or run to the survivor camp outside the city to randomly select a few lucky people and brutally kill them, or go to the nearby dense forest to hunt mutant creatures.
For Hao Hongsheng, these are all just games.
As for the lucky ones who are chosen, it is hard to say whether their premature death in such a world is a misfortune or a blessing.
Zhu Benren had little contact with Hao Hongsheng, and his knowledge of Hao Hongsheng basically came from rumors heard by other merchants.
This ruler of the peripheral forces who was in charge of guarding the eastern trade routes of Kahn Company was quite famous within Kahn Company.
At least compared to his strength as a level six awakener, he is much more famous.
Because in the eyes of many people, Hao Hongsheng is a real pervert.
He takes pleasure in torturing and killing other survivors!
Even in a world that has become a wasteland, most of the survivors have turned into beasts and are willing to do anything to fill their stomachs.
But there is still a huge gap between beasts and perverts.
At least killing for survival is a code of conduct that everyone can understand and accept. Killing for pure pleasure, where the more pain and fear the victim experiences, the happier and more excited the perpetrator becomes, is a sentiment that would hardly become a universal value, even in a wasteland.
As he entered the restaurant and saw Hao Hongsheng sitting at the end of a huge rectangular dining table, Zhu Benren became more alert.
Of course, he knew that it was useless even if he was on guard.
If Hao Hongsheng really wanted to do something, he and his caravan would have no ability to fight back.
But Zhu Benren didn't think Hao Hongsheng had the courage to do anything.
Even though the big man behind Hao Hongsheng and his backers are competing with each other for the sole position of director of the production department, this competition must have a bottom line.
For Kahn Company, reasonable competition will be encouraged, and competition beyond the limit will be severely punished!
At the level of large-scale forces, the internal constraints are actually not much different from those of a normal society before the catastrophe.
No one really likes complete disorder and chaos. Once you allow a group of robbers and bandits to occupy and control a fixed piece of land, they will gradually begin to establish an order that suits their own interests and become staunch supporters of order.
This is an inevitable part of human nature.
"Boss Zhu, this is our second meeting. If I remember correctly, the last time we met was two years ago, at a banquet hosted by the Production Department of Kahn Company. You were one of the representatives of the traveling merchants, and I was one of the representatives of the peripheral forces. I have to say, at that banquet, Boss Zhu, I was deeply impressed by you."
Hao Hongsheng said with a smile while eating the steak on the table in front of him.
Zhu Benren took a few more glances at the steaks in front of Hao Hongsheng. He felt that the color and overall appearance of the meat looked familiar...
"You're too polite. We, the crappy merchants, are not qualified to be compared with you. Kahn Company only supports us to invigorate trade routes and prevent the stagnation of our sphere of influence. Peripheral forces like you are the backbone of Kahn Company to expand its actual control area."
Zhu Benren bowed respectfully.
Hao Hongsheng laughed disdainfully and said, "You're nothing but a pillar of support. At least in the eyes of Kahn Company, you still have value and are an extension of their foreign trade. As for us, we're nothing more than their trash can!"
All the trivial, troublesome things that they were unwilling or too lazy to do themselves were handed over to us. And the only reward we could get was the weapons and medicines they had discarded!
Of course, there's nothing we can do about it. Who made us rely on them to survive? Since we're parasites, we have to be aware of being parasites. Come on, do you want to eat some? Fresh meat, just died not long ago, very tender.
When Zhu Benren heard Hao Hongsheng openly complaining about Kahn Company in front of him, his inner vigilance immediately reached its peak!
"Well, I ate my fill on the way here, so I won't bother you any more. I wonder if you summoned me for something? If not... I'd like to return to my caravan. There are some newbies among them, and I'm worried they might make some stupid mistakes."
Zhu Benren said cautiously.
Hao Hongsheng narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Boss Zhu, they all say you are a smart man. If that's the case, I've already scolded the Kahn Company in front of you, why do you still think you can go back safely?
You have to at least scold Kahn Company like me, so that I can make sure that we have the same attitude towards Kahn Company and that we are on the same side. Only then can I consider letting you go, right?"
Zhu Benren's heart skipped a beat, and he gritted his teeth, "Isn't this request... a bit excessive? I'm different from you. When I'm not out on business, I want to live in the actual control area. If I criticize the Kahn Company, it might cause me unnecessary trouble."
Hao Hongsheng's face darkened.
He stared at Zhu Benren with his eyes straight, and cold sweat began to seep out of Zhu Benren's forehead.
But Zhu Benren kept gritting his teeth and showed no intention of giving in.
As the scene suddenly fell into silence, the air around them seemed to freeze.
After about five minutes, Hao Hongsheng finally sighed.
He wiped his mouth with the napkin beside him, stood up with a look of regret, and shook his head, "Oh, no wonder I hate you businessmen, you are all so cunning and never willing to be as honest as me.
If you don't criticize Kahn, I'll have one less reason to attack you. But it doesn't matter, just don't criticize. If you look hard enough, you'll always find a reason. It just takes a little more trouble, and it makes me very unhappy."
"You...are you crazy? Are you going to break the rules?! Even if you have someone behind you, if you really break the rules, Kahn Company will never let you off!"
Zhu Benren said in shock.
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