CHAPTER 439: 241. LIGHTHOUSE UPPER

"Director Luo, do you still want to be obstinate? Director Luo, have you not realized how terrifying this man is? If you persist in your obstinacy,

Director Luo, we will all fall into his hands."

Luo Qingtian watched, as Ubirus from the Tasting Commerce Association slowly exhaled, his eyes flickering with a hint of thought, then he lifted his head and said, "What are you planning to do?"

"To completely bring down Chen Che and An Nishang, we must cooperate amicably. Only then can Chen Che pay the rightful price."

"Chen Che has An Nishang behind him. If An Nishang isn’t dealt with, it’s hard to achieve results."

Upon hearing Luo Qingtian’s words, Ubirus’s eyes flickered as he laid a piece of intelligence in front of Luo Qingtian and said, "As far as we know, An Nishang will soon encounter trouble and won’t have the time to concern herself with the Ninth Special Zone. Director Luo, you are already too entangled with the Apocalypse Society, and if this continues, you’ll be dragged deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Work with us.

We will help you deal with the Apocalypse Society, we will keep An Nishang busy, and the Commerce Association will provide you with intelligence on Chen Che’s smuggling routes and his business operations.

The most crucial point is to use him as the catalyst to completely remove An Nishang from behind him.

By then, Tasting Commerce Association will gain control over the Judicial Bureau, and you, Director Luo, will return to the Night Empire Headquarters with your achievements... How about that?"

Luo Qingtian initially intended to deal with everyone in the Earth Special Zone by himself, but everything that has happened recently has told him it’s impossible.

Luo Qingtian’s eyes flickered, and he slowly asked, "How do you plan to help me deal with those lunatics in the Apocalypse Society?"

Ubirus clapped his hands, and Luo Qingtian saw a burly black man walk in.

Luo Qingtian immediately raised an eyebrow.

"The former captain of the Public Security Brigade, the former Deputy Director of the Judicial Bureau... Bode?"

Ubirus smiled and said, "This will be a perfect cooperation."

Luo Qingtian fell silent, and after a moment of silence, he turned back to the room, took out a bottle of wine from the cabinet, poured a drink for everyone, and raised his glass without saying a word.

Ubirus smiled while Bode remained calm.

...

Wildfire Gang Headquarters.

Bobby, Johnny, and core members of the Wildfire Gang were all present.

Bobby excitedly displayed an accounting ledger in front of Chen Che. Opening the ledger, it was filled with recent business records.

"Master Chen, we’re making more and more money recently... If things continue this way, the gang will soon be swimming in money."

Every entry in the ledger showed enormous numbers, enough for Chen Che to sustain an army.

However, seeing some of the business entries.

Chen Che sighed.

He recalled those experiences at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

He remembered the misery of the common people before the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

He remembered the words of that towering figure, "Everywhere there is wailing and bloodshed, all for the thought of saving the people."

That world of that year wasn’t so different from this apocalypse, was it?

Desire and greed, interwoven emotions, painted the current world.

The world should not have been this way.

Bobby continued, "Master Chen, I reckon in about a month or half a month, the cold wave will arrive. Led by the Tasting Commerce Association, those capitalists have controlled a significant portion of the coal supply. Judging by their behavior, they’re planning to raise the coal prices further higher.

Now many ordinary families are starting to stockpile coal, and you can’t find any on the market. An atmosphere of panic has already started to spread among the ordinary people.

Without coal, this winter will truly freeze people to death.

These damn Commerce Associations, even though coal prices have already doubled, they still refuse to release supplies.

They really know how to exploit.

Master Chen, if we smuggle in a batch of private coal, even if it’s 50% more expensive than usual, it will still sell out instantly.

But smuggling these energy items isn’t easy. To do it, we have to deal with the Lower City District.

Your relationship with Deer Kamon is good, so you might need to negotiate."

Bobby said.

On the Wasteland, there’s hardly any pleasant spring weather.

It’s either extreme heat or extreme cold.

When the cold wave arrives, if ordinary households don’t have coal, they will freeze into ice blocks in the harsh wind.

Every time the cold wave came in the past, coal was the most important energy source.

Outside the Ninth Special Zone, there are several coal mines. Originally, Ninth Special Zone didn’t even lack coal, and could supply it to other special zones and cities.

In previous years, during cold waves, ordinary families could easily purchase coal from the market to get through the entire cold wave. But this year, the entire Commerce Association and the rest of the capitalists clearly intend to make a profit from coal.

To earn a considerable amount of money.

Upon hearing this, Chen Che’s eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said, "This is really interesting. These bastards only see the money now and have no idea what exhausting a resource means. Even daring to raise coal prices."

Hearing the anger in Chen Che’s voice, Bobby hesitated for a moment and said uncertainly, "Master Chen, if you’re upset, should we bring in a batch of fairly priced coal?"

Chen Che glanced around at everyone and said, "Gather all the troops under my command and all the core members of the Wildfire Gang’s combat team. I have something to say."

Everyone was surprised at these words, not knowing why Chen Che suddenly made such a big declaration.

Even Xia Na, who was sitting nearby, swinging her legs, raised her head in confusion.

She asked curiously, "What’s wrong with you?"

"It seems like you’ve been acting strange ever since you came back from the Illusion Realm last time, always working on some project plan? You even seem to want to rename the entire Wildfire Gang?"

Chen Che turned his head and touched the soft cheek below, gazing at this pure little face and said gently, "Nana, do you know? In every era, there will always be heroes and anti-heroes.

Initially, I didn’t have grand ideals, just having you and Nishang, starting some business, earning some money, having an army to protect ourselves, and I thought that would be fine.

To become a hero praised by all, or to become an anti-hero ruling a realm? I never thought about it.

I find it too exhausting, it seems meaningless to me.

I’m a man easily satisfied.

But ever since I visited the Illusion Realm, it showed me so many joys and sorrows, it showed me how miserable a person’s life can be.

I don’t deceive you, the last Illusion Realm, that person broke my defense in a second.

He is my teacher.

He is a teacher to countless people.

The world shouldn’t be like this, not even in a post-apocalyptic world.

I still don’t want to be a hero, nor think too much about becoming an anti-hero, but I don’t want to become a useless coward.

Perhaps within my capabilities, I can do better, I can leave my name in the annals of history, like King Ying Zheng of Qin, strategist Zhuge, Great Sage Zhang Jiao..."

"Perhaps in the thousands or hundreds of years in the future, there will still be people who remember a name called Chen Che, who did some incredible things in this worst era.

So that people remember."

Xia Na listened, stunned, feeling that Chen Che had changed, and seemed to have become more charming, was his ambition swelling? No, it’s not ambition, what is it?

There was absolutely something added within Chen Che, like the aspiration in a man’s heart, like the vision of an era.

Xia Na couldn’t articulate it, couldn’t comprehend it.

She bit Chen Che’s finger with her soft lips and said, "What are you talking about, I don’t understand. Whatever, anyway... I’ll just keep you safe."

Chen Che smiled slightly, held this pure girl’s face, and planted a deep kiss on those soft lips.

Everyone under his command was assembled.

Standing on the high platform, countless eyes filled with passion and loyalty looked at him.

The scale of his army had expanded to 800 people.

His loyalty rate averaged over 80%.

Chen Che’s gaze swept over these people and he exhaled a fiery breath, saying, "Do you all willingly spend your life as a simple gang?

Or would you rather become the lighthouse in this dark apocalypse?"

Chen Che’s words left everyone below slightly bewildered, but his gaze was firm as he said, "Why did you join the gang?

To avoid being bullied?

To have enough to eat?

To have money and power?

To have women to sleep with?

All above, right?

Yes, this is a very bad time.

If you don’t kill, don’t let go, don’t be ruthless, living in this era is difficult.

But the era before the apocalypse wasn’t like this.

Did you know? Before the apocalypse, the army was used to protect people, not to exploit and suppress.

Gangs were just dirty worms.

Unlike this era, gangs can walk openly on the streets, flaunting their gang identities to harvest awe and fear in others’ eyes, to show off their might.

I know some people joined gangs voluntarily, but I also know many of us here were forced to join gangs.

For the sake of surviving, for the sake of family not being bullied.

Right?

If they could have a stable life, who would still want to join a gang to lick blood off the blade, right?"

In an instant, many people’s expressions changed, lowering their heads.

Chen Che’s words touched their hearts.

Even under the apocalypse, not everyone is a savage bloodthirsty person, nor must they stab others with knives to survive.

For many gang members, if they could set up a stall selling some food under this apocalypse, they would rather do this work than be what others envy as gang members.

Humans are emotional animals.

"Actually, the era today is not like the beginning of the apocalypse anymore, there already exists the initial industrial system, initial legal rules, food is not particularly scarce, there are flour cakes to feed many people.

But why, in this million-population city, is there still exploitation, still full of bloodshed?

Is there really no goodness in this city?"

"I don’t think so, I believe this city can become better. I believe as long as planning is unified, as long as there’s leadership development, everyone can have rice, everyone can afford coal. As long as there’s a bit less greed, people don’t have to become gang members to live the life of licking blood off the blade tip, and can survive.

Everyone’s families can live in a stable place.

If you really think this city could become like that, would you accept it?"