Chapter 71 Goodwill
By the afternoon of the following day, the oil storage tanks and tank trucks brought by Jiang Rong were all filled with crude oil. Judging by their capacity, they could transport nearly a thousand tons of crude oil this time. With this oil, the base could sustain itself for a while longer.
On the way back, Chu Qiang said cheerfully, "I didn't expect this trip to go so smoothly. I thought we'd end up fighting with the people from the Peace Base." Yesterday, when they encountered Zhou Xing, the two sides were on the verge of war, and Chu Qiang had prepared himself for a bloody battle. Unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn, and they were actually able to drink and chat happily with Zhou Xing and his group.
"To be honest, Captain Zhou is a pretty good guy. At first, I thought he would be difficult to talk to. But after getting to know him, I realized he's a very genuine person. What do you call that? No fight, no friendship!"
Hearing Chu Qiang's smug voice on the walkie-talkie, Jiang Rong chuckled twice: "Have you ever considered that if Meng Liang doesn't agree, will Zhou Xing give us the crude oil?"
Chu Qiang paused for a moment: "It seems... I don't think so."
Jiang Rong added fuel to the fire: "Have you ever thought about why Meng Liang would give us the crude oil?"
After thinking for a moment, Chu Qiang said, "Is it because we are strong?" Jiang Rong beat Zhou Xing to a pulp without even making a move. There aren't many superhumans with that kind of strength.
Jiang Rong chuckled and said, "Don't forget, the Peace Base is much larger than ours, and its population is more than forty times that of us. If Meng Liang really doesn't want to hand over the oil fields, he can wear us down with sheer numbers."
Chu Qiang hesitated and said, "But...we have many people with superpowers. And our strength is not bad either."
Jiang Rong sighed softly, "Yes, we have quite a few superhumans, but it's far less than the number at the Peace Base." Given the population size, the Peace Base definitely has many times more superhumans than the Spark Base.
Guan Shao rationally said, "Our strength is indeed not weak, but the high-level ability users at the Peace Base are not bad either. Putting aside everything else, if Jin Hu encounters Zhou Xing, he is very likely to be defeated. Many ants can kill an elephant. We can deal with dozens of ordinary people, but we may not be able to deal with dozens of low-level ability users."
This confused Chu Qiang: "Could it be that the leaders of the Peace Base are kind-hearted and are specifically helping us develop?"
After saying this, Chu Qiang himself found it laughable: "How could that be? How could there be such a kind person in this world?" Chu Qiang was considered a warm-hearted older brother, but after the major crisis, he was taught a harsh lesson. These days, good people don't live long.
After thinking for a while, Chu Qiang said heavily, "I can't think of a reason, Xiao Jiang, why don't you analyze it for me?"
Jiang Rong said, "There are two reasons why the Peace Base is not going to war. First, it is inconvenient for them to start a war. The oil field is relatively close to our base. If they want to seize the oil field, it will definitely cause our dissatisfaction. I suppose their people have already reported our situation to Meng Liang. Considering our geographical location and strength, it is currently disadvantageous for them to start a war with us."
Chu Qiang responded, "Yeah, that makes sense. If they really anger us, we'll release Little Darling. We'll fill all twenty-odd oil fields; we won't need them, and they won't be able to use them either. What's the second reason?"
Jiang Rong said, "Then it depends on Meng Liang's abilities. He is a psychic, and I don't know if his ability is spying or control. If it's the latter, he will find all sorts of reasons to come to our base in the future."
If Meng Liang is powerful enough to directly control Jiang Rong, then the entire base will belong to him. All the hard work of the people at Xinghuo Base will only benefit the people at Heping Base.
Jiang Rong said slowly, "Of course, it's possible that Meng Liang is a nice guy who wants the two bases to work together for common development. But I always feel that this possibility is unlikely, so we'll deal with it as it comes."
This startled Chu Qiang: "Oh dear, a psychic can control people? We need to be careful." After a pause, he said regretfully, "Yes, Meng Liang opened up the oil field for us to use and even wanted to provide us with manpower and material support. If he asks to come to the Spark Base, we really can't refuse."
"Oh no, Xiao Jiang, have we fallen into Meng Liang's trap?" As he spoke, Chu Qiang's pickup truck swerved a couple of times in front of him.
Jiang Rong quickly said, "Focus on the road and don't think about anything else right now. What we need to do next is to develop the base and increase our strength. Once we are strong enough, even if Meng Liang wants to take action against us, he'll have to think twice."
After a few twists and turns, the pickup truck finally drove steadily forward. Chu Qiang muttered, "Damn it, these days we have to guard against mutated plants and animals, and now we have to guard against people too. If we had known this would happen, we should have gone to other oil fields to check... Xiao Jiang, you too, knowing that the Peace Base had ill intentions, why did you still ask them for people? Who are those two? Are they useful to us?"
Jiang Rong laughed and said, "People we used to know just took what they felt sorry for. Qiangzi, our relationship with the Peace Base is very delicate right now. Before they completely break off relations, we have to pretend to be friendly neighbors. When we get back, remember to have them write a thank-you speech for the Peace Base, exaggerate it as much as possible, and have it read aloud on the radio."
Guan Shao glanced sideways. "Do you want everyone who hears the broadcast to know that Xinghuo Base and Heping Base are friendly bases?"
Jiang Rong nodded: "That's right. The more people who know, the less likely Meng Liang and his gang will dare to openly attack us."
Many people believe that reputation is unimportant in chaotic times, and that might makes right. In reality, the more chaotic the times, the more important the leader's character and credibility become. Nobody wants to join a base led by a scoundrel or rogue; a person with a virtuous and upright image is far more effective at attracting talent than someone with a poor reputation.
After a moment of reflection, Chu Qiang came to his senses: "Hehehe..." That makes sense!
Jiang Rong continued, "This is just the first step. Next, we will send supplies to their base."
Upon hearing the words "send something," Chu Qiang asked in confusion, "Send what?" What could Xinghuo Base possibly have to give away? Could it be that they're going to send some of those military vehicles out of the warehouse?
Jiang Rong reminded them, "If you're going to give something, give us something we're rich about that they don't have."
Chu Qiang racked his brains but couldn't think of anything that his family had that others didn't. Just then, he heard Guan Shao's voice: "Vegetables." This was the most abundant thing at Xinghuo Base, and a scarce resource that Heping Base wanted but couldn't find.
Jiang Rong said, "Send some fresh, tender vegetables with short growth cycles. Don't send too many at first, just three to five truckloads."
Hearing this, Chu Qiang finally understood: "I understand, I understand. I'll put a big banner on the car and tell everyone: This is a vegetable gift package from our Spark Base for friendship, only for the Peace Base!"
Jiang Rongle said happily, "Yes, in short, the bigger the commotion, the better the effect."
Guan Shao smiled and said, "We sent vegetables over, and out of courtesy, Meng Liang should reciprocate with something."
Jiang Rong had already made arrangements for Meng Liang: "It goes without saying that the Xinghuo Base is a small operation with only a little over 30,000 people. We are short of both manpower and technology, so the Heping Base can't just ignore us, can it?"
This is exactly what Meng Liang wanted. If he truly intended to annex the Starfire Base, he would definitely take this opportunity to send people to infiltrate it. It's just a matter of who infiltrates whom; Jiang Rong at least felt that being able to enjoy the fruits of his labor at the Starfire Base was better than going back to eating meager rations.
Chu Qiang hummed twice: "It sounds fine, but I'm still a little worried about all the vegetables we have at home." Once the vegetable delivery starts, won't we have to do it every month?
However, as soon as he thought about the people and goods he could get in return, he didn't care anymore: "One truckload of vegetables for one truckload of people, this deal is sure to make a profit!"
During their casual conversation, the vehicle once again reached the Jiangbei Plain. Looking at the boundless fields, Jiang Rong sighed, "We'll have to figure out how to recruit more people to expand our base when we get back."
His dialogue with the Peace Base taught him a lesson: only by being strong enough can one have a voice and avoid being crushed by other large bases.
Jiang Rong sighed wistfully. At the time, he only wanted to build a small base so that he and his son could settle down and make a living. But as the base was being built, his ambitions grew. He always felt that there was an invisible whip chasing him from behind, and that whip would strike him hard whenever he relaxed, making him remember his mistake.
Guan Shao gently comforted him, "Take it slow. The base is just starting out, and it will develop gradually."
*
Jiang Rong had said she would bring back the rice that survived in the fields. Not long after the convoy entered the Jiangbei Plain, the group saw the superhumans from the Xinghuo Base in the fields.
The superhumans uprooted the rice and piled it neatly together. Once a truck was full, the driver would take the load of rice back to the base.
The convoy slowly pulled over to the side of the road, and Jiang Rong got out of the car and instructed, "Everyone, take a break."
As soon as the car came to a stop, Jia Yuanqing and his friend nervously approached Jiang Rong. Jia Yuanqing hesitated before speaking, "Captain Jiang, this is my friend Yuan Qingquan. We are very grateful for your high regard, but we wanted to ask... when did you first meet me?"
The people at Starfire Base treated them very well, providing them with food and water along the way. However, the kinder the superhumans were to them, the more apprehensive they became. This inexplicable kindness made them uneasy, and they couldn't sit still.
Jiang Rong smiled and looked at Jia Yuanqing: "You used to be the lobby manager of a star-rated hotel in Y City, Z Province, right?"
Jia Yuanqing nodded: "Yes, that's right."
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "When I went to Y City for tourism before, the room I booked at your hotel was no longer available. You helped me coordinate and got a better room. It may be a small thing for you, but for me, it was the best trip I've ever had. Thank you, Manager Jia."
Jiang Rong, of course, wouldn't tell Jia Yuanqing the real reason he saved him. In his previous life, during a conversation with Jia Yuanqing, Jiang Rong learned that he worked as a lobby manager at a star-rated hotel in a neighboring province. The lobby manager's job was to resolve problems for the hotel and its guests; upgrading rooms was something he did several times a day.
Jia Yuanqing's eyes suddenly lit up, and he excitedly reached out to shake Jiang Rong's hand: "So that's how it is, thank you, Captain Jiang, thank you!" Before the great crisis, he received thousands of guests every day, and even though he thought he had a particularly good memory, he couldn't remember Jiang Rong's face.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jia Yuanqing was speechless. He hadn't expected that someone he'd unintentionally helped at work would now be his savior. "Team Leader Jiang not only has a great memory, but he's also an amazing person!"
Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Welcome to the Starfire Base. The base is still in its early stages, and conditions are a bit difficult right now. But I swear to you, our base will get better and better."
Jia Yuanqing and his companion were overjoyed: "Yes! It definitely will!" With such leadership, Xinghuo Base will surely go further and achieve greater success!
Author's Note:
I have to get up early tomorrow to go back to my hometown, and I feel incredibly depressed. I don't know when it started, but going home once a month has become a shackle.
I feel no joy at all, only inexplicable irritability. As soon as I get home, my mom attacks me, saying all sorts of bad things about me.
Ugh...it's so suffocating.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
