Apocalyptic Wasteland Simulator

Chapter 233 - 228 Negotiation
Chen Pingchuan looked up to see the bank guards who had survived their previous battle watching his group warily.Now is not the time for a fight, he knew. We’re in terrible shape. If a conflict breaks out, it’ll only lead to mutual destruction.

He raised a hand to signal Porcupine not to act rashly, then slowly took a few steps forward, entering a tense standoff with the guards. Their eyes clashed like sharpened arrows, and the air grew thick with tension. In the silence, only the sound of heavy breathing could be heard, as if a single spark could ignite the deadly atmosphere and send the situation spiraling into chaos.

”What, still want to fight?”

Although he was on the verge of collapse, Chen Pingchuan’s expression showed no signs of weakness. It was his Spirit that was depleted, not his physical body, a fact that gave him a certain intimidating presence to outsiders.

The leader of the bank guards was a young man named Ren Fei, a distant nephew of Ren Qiang, which granted him some authority within the squad. He tugged at his companion’s arm, his gaze calm as he looked at Chen Pingchuan’s arrogant face.

In a steady voice, he said, ”If we can agree on three terms, I can keep my people calm and stop them from causing you any more trouble.”

Hearing this, Porcupine’s anger surged. The wounds on his body had scabbed over, and the dark red crust made him look even more ferocious. He roared at Ren Fei, ”Trouble us? Such big words! Come on, I’ll take all of you on and show you how I can hammer you to a pulp!”

Though he was so weak that even standing was an effort, Porcupine couldn’t stand the thought of someone disrespecting his new boss.

Chen Pingchuan, of course, had no idea what Porcupine was thinking. If he did, he wouldn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

At Porcupine’s words, the guards’ faces turned grim. They were ready to fight to the death, having already lost too many comrades. However, Ren Fei raised his arm, stopping his fellow guards. He had turned his gaze back to Chen Pingchuan, having noticed that both the two child-like bandits and the brutish man who had just spoken would occasionally glance his way. It was clear that Chen Pingchuan was their leader, and only his word mattered.

Seeing that he was being ignored, Porcupine prepared to lunge forward, his own condition forgotten. But Chen Pingchuan spoke first, halting his impulsive subordinate.

”Speak. What are your three terms?”

The deal is as good as done, Ren Fei thought, raising an eyebrow. As long as he’s willing to listen, it means he’s open to it, whether by choice or by force. All that matters is achieving the goal.

With that, Ren Fei began to lay out his proposal. ”I only have three points. First, from now on, we stay out of each other’s way. Neither side is to make trouble for the other.”

He paused and looked at Chen Pingchuan, who knew he was waiting for an answer. After a moment’s thought, Chen Pingchuan realized this was to his advantage. He opened his mouth and said firmly, ”Agreed!”

”Second, for as long as we are in this bank vault, we will both keep our own people in check. A temporary truce, until we are out of here.”

”Agreed!” Chen Pingchuan’s reply was even quicker this time.

”Third, once you’ve recovered your strength, you cannot attack us first, provided we haven’t attacked you.”

Chen Pingchuan understood immediately. All three points were essentially the same: even after his group recovered, they were not to attack the guards. This young man clearly knows how strong we are, he mused. Even that terrifying giant insect didn’t cause as much damage as we did.

Thinking of this, Chen Pingchuan gave a slight sneer. ”I can agree to all of your terms!”

”But...” He deliberately paused, making Ren Fei’s heart, which had just calmed down, leap into his throat again.

Chen Pingchuan chuckled softly. ”But, how can you be sure I won’t go back on my word later?” As he finished, his tone turned icy.

For others, a situation threatening their lives would force them to compromise out of helplessness. But for Chen Pingchuan, this was just a live-action simulation. Whether he gained anything from it didn’t matter. After all, the rich can afford to be bold!

”I trust you!”

As Ren Fei spoke these three solemn words, the sneer on Chen Pingchuan’s face vanished. He stared at him in disbelief. How ridiculous. I slaughtered so many of his comrades, yet he trusts my character?

However, Chen Pingchuan truly had no intention of going back on his promise. The potential benefits were not great enough to warrant breaking his word.

”Of course,” Ren Fei continued, ”if you do go back on your word, we won’t have any way to stop you. We can only fight to the death. I doubt your comrades would escape unscathed, and we might even take a few of them down with us. Moreover, if you break your promise, what will your own men think of you?”

Chen Pingchuan found the young man intriguing. A hidden plot can be unraveled, but an open one cannot. That’s exactly what this is. The reasoning was simple. If Chen Pingchuan could be faithless to his enemies, how could his own people ever trust him? Even an idiot could see that.

”HAHAHA...” Chen Pingchuan laughed loudly. ”Alright, it’s a deal! But know this: from the moment you attack us, or the moment we leave this place, I will kill you without hesitation.”

With that, he gestured for Porcupine to fall back and turned to walk toward a corner.

”Boss, are we just going to take this?” Porcupine grumbled under his breath, still defiant. ”That pretty boy is so infuriating. I feel like he’s full of schemes.”

Chen Pingchuan shook his head slightly. ”A moment of impatience can ruin a great plan. We’re not in good shape either. Let’s rest and recover first. We can deal with other things later.”

”I’m going to take a short nap. Wake me if anything important happens.”

After speaking, Chen Pingchuan leaned against the wall in the corner, sat down, and closed his eyes.

Don’t get the wrong idea. He wasn’t sleeping. His Spirit simply couldn’t take it anymore, and he had passed out. But to an outsider, there was no visible sign.

Meanwhile, the bank employees, having endured the series of terrifying and chaotic events, were in a state of extreme panic.

One female employee’s hands trembled uncontrollably as she mumbled to herself, ”Are we going to die in here?”

Her tearful voice echoed in the silent vault, dragging the morale of the others even lower. An older male employee tried to comfort her, but his own voice was quivering, a clear sign he was only forcing himself to remain calm.

Ren Fei had just resolved the major threat of Chen Pingchuan and settled his companions’ nerves when he heard the commotion. He felt a massive headache coming on.

What a pain.