The people on the upper floors sent down a middle-aged man to negotiate. This man was tall, with dark skin and deep features typical of Caucasians, and appeared to be of mixed race.
Behind him were two lean, muscular bodyguards, a man and a woman, both wearing half-masks.
The first thing the man said to Li Ke was, "Hello, my name is Ben. Are you the leader of this uprising? What do you want? We're all in the same boat, and we all hope to resolve this peacefully and avoid further conflict and losses."
The reason neither side is getting too angry right now is because they're in the same boat, and if that boat is destroyed, neither of them will be in a good place.
Li Ke gestured for Niu Dazhuang to come and communicate, and Niu Dazhuang said directly: "We want freedom, we want equal treatment, we want the same food and drink. Can you do that?"
Ben frowned: "This situation is definitely not feasible. Resources are limited, so of course we can't do these things. Moreover, because of the flood, many things have been washed away or buried underneath, which will definitely require people to go down and salvage them."
Niu Dazhuang said impatiently, "If you can't agree to anything, what are you doing down here?"
Ben's expression remained unchanged as he said, "While we cannot grant equal freedom to everyone, we can allow some people to enjoy these things alongside those above us."
Niu Dazhuang's face lit up with anticipation: "Are you serious? My brothers can enjoy everything like you guys up there?"
The other party nodded in confirmation: "Yes, twenty spots. As a leader, you can enjoy the same treatment as our boss."
Ben's gaze lingered on Li Ke, noticing the hesitation in his eyes. Niu Dazhuang, ever greedy, added, "Twenty isn't enough; we have eight or nine hundred people!"
After hearing Niu Dazhuang's words, the hesitation in Li Ke's eyes faded, and he waited for Ben's answer.
Ben's chest heaved, and he said with some helplessness, "So many people are definitely not enough. Fifty at most. Otherwise, let's each go our own way and not bother each other as long as the ship is safe."
Niu Dazhuang, in his habitual bargaining, said, "One hundred men! The people up there are all yours. If we go up, we need to have our own brothers, otherwise who knows if you have good intentions?"
Ben clearly didn't understand the art of haggling and didn't have much patience. He simply nodded and agreed: "Okay, just one hundred people. When are you going up? I'll arrange for someone to prepare your accommodations in advance."
Niu Dazhuang met Li Ke's gaze and asked again, "Where do you plan to put us? You just said you'd give us the same treatment as your boss, so we want to stay on the top floor."
Ben's eyes showed a hint of impatience: "You can stay on the fourteenth floor. The fifteenth floor isn't very big and can't accommodate that many people; it's already full. This is the best we can offer, so don't push your luck."
Niu Dazhuang, seeing that things were going well, said, "Then you guys go upstairs and tidy up your lodgings. Make sure they're nice and careful. If we find out we're being treated differently, don't blame us for causing trouble. We'll also arrange things down here, and then go upstairs to see the new lodgings tomorrow."
Ben's gaze lingered on Li Ke for a moment. He wondered why the leader hadn't said a word, but she seemed to understand their conversation. Was she a cold person or did she have some reason for not being able to speak?
If he couldn't figure it out, he let it go. He didn't want to stay down there any longer anyway. After settling things, he left with his men. He didn't expect things to go so smoothly. He had been on tenterhooks for quite a while before coming down!
After the group left, Niu Dazhuang busied himself with arranging things for the rescued people below. Li Ke instructed him to select some people to take to the upper levels and, incidentally, liberate the laborers below as well.
Let them assign the work on the ship themselves, and Niu Dazhuang can choose some suitable directors.
Li Ke's words were vague, but there was a lot to do. Yan Bo would bring more people over later, and Niu Dazhuang quickly got to work after receiving the order.
Li Ke had originally planned to explore the ninth floor further, but now that the people above had offered her a ladder, she no longer needed to bother.
When Yan Bo arrived, it was already dark; he had come quietly by submarine.
Li Ke, observing Yan Bo's cautious movements, asked, "Have you really taken over that entire ship on the other side?"
Yan Bo smiled at Li Ke, whose face was half covered: "It's not exactly a takeover, but more like a cooperation. The boss on that ship wanted to have his cake and eat it too, and we didn't want to make things too complicated, so we agreed for now."
Li Ke thought for a moment and asked, "What did you bring out? How could they agree so quickly? Could it be that your involvement here was part of a pre-planned operation?"
Yan Bo quickly shook his head: "That's definitely not it. No matter how powerful we are, we can't completely control the flood. We just showed him some of our things and promised that we could give them what they wanted after the matter was settled."
Whether or not they will ultimately be given to them depends on whether the people in that place are still around.
Niu Dazhuang anxiously asked from the side, "How many of our people are on your side? How many of my brothers are there?"
Yan Bo: "I have 129 teammates who came with me, eight of whom are your brothers. As for the others, I can't be sure if they are on other ships or have drifted to other places."
Niu Dazhuang observed Yan Bo's expression and pressed, "Is there anything else you haven't said? Hurry up and say it all."
Yan Bo: "Two of your brothers were seriously injured by a school of fish. Although medical treatment has been arranged, their condition is still not good."
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