You were supposed to hoard supplies, why the heck did you hoard zombies!

"Director Zhang?"

"That doesn't sound right, does it?"

In the end, Lu Yong couldn't hold back and directly blurted out what was on his mind.

"What you're organizing can't be used here anyway. If we were to exchange all our food for it, wouldn't that be—"

He hesitated as he got to this point.

Just as the last few words were about to pop out of his mouth, Zhang Ye had already said it for him:

"Take you for fools?"

No one made a sound at the scene.

However, judging by everyone's expressions, it was clear that more than one or two shared this sentiment— even Tian Gou and Zhang Wei looked at him with a touch of admiration in their eyes.

Director Zhang is indeed a true boss, able to swindle people so brazenly without a change in expression?

Thick-skinned indeed.

Yet he didn't retract his previous statement, but instead showed a helpless expression as he explained, "Xiaoyong, don't they understand something that even you know?"

Chen Xiaoyong pursed his lips and said nothing, just quietly watching him.

Zhang Ye, pretending not to have seen, continued to speak:

"Don't you understand?"

"All of this is for our common benefit."

"With so many raw materials, if we still use the market's barter prices during trades, it will surely cause inconvenience between both parties."

Seeing that the crowd still looked at him skeptically, he could only sigh and continue:

"Didn't the comrade just now think that the coupons are useless in Jiangbei District?"

"He's wrong."

Wrong?

Everyone's expression paused.

Before they could ponder the meaning of his words, Zhang Ye had already given them the answer.

"From now on, anyone in Jiangbei District who wants to trade with the company must use the coupon. Nothing else will be accepted."

As soon as he finished this statement, the hall instantly erupted into an uproar.

"Director Zhang, this is too—"

Chen Xiaoyong frowned, clearly not happy, but he was cut off halfway through his objection.

"Or..."

"You could simply choose not to buy."

As he said this, Zhang Ye leaned back comfortably, appearing extremely content.

"I've always been one to stick to principles."

"When it comes to business, it's all about voluntariness. Forcing a sale or a purchase just takes the fun out of it."

After saying this, he immediately turned his head and started joking with Liu Qingqing and the others beside him, paying no mind to what the others opposite of him might think.

As if he didn't care about their response at all.

Agree or not.

It didn't matter.

And this seemingly indifferent attitude revealed an undisguised domineering trait.

It gave Lu Yong and a few of his mates a sense of pressure they couldn't help but feel amidst their anger.

After a moment of hesitation, they ultimately turned their inquiring gaze towards the man beside them.

Ultimately, it was Chen Xiaoyong who called the shots here.

That face, usually so calm, now looked even more somber.

Not agree?

Chen Xiaoyong's gaze flickered as he suddenly thought of the few subordinates who had recently gone missing.

Putting together the current situation, it wasn't difficult to conclude.

Peng Yue must have already connected with the company.

That's how he had been able to quickly regain his strength in such a short time and again have the confidence to challenge them.

But the orchard was gone.

What could they use to trade with the company?

Chen Xiaoyong couldn't come up with an answer for the moment, but he was certain about two things.

First, he was not the company's only partner or ally.

Thinking about it carefully, it was clear that with the way these people were behaving, they definitely weren't only cooperating with his group.

Second, what if he didn't trade with the company, but someone else, like Peng Yue, used the opportunity to make a deal with the company?

As one side gained, the other lost, and the balance of power easily reversed.

What would happen next didn't require much thought.

In the world today, the strong reigned supreme.

Weakness was a cardinal sin.

Just for self-preservation, he had to maintain the cooperative relationship with the company.

Moreover, all the armed personnel at the Ecological Park had already switched to the company's firearms, and only the company could produce the ammunition for these guns.

So from the beginning, there was no other choice.

Upon realizing this, Chen Xiaoyong's face inadvertently took on a helpless smile.

"Director Zhang is joking again," he said.

"Apart from you, where else in Jiangbei District can provide so much merchandise?"

Having grasped the crux of the issue, he no longer hesitated and made a decisive decision.

"Let's do it the way Director Zhang suggests," he said.

"From now on, all our trade will be conducted with coupons."

Zhang Ye, who had been chatting and laughing with three women, immediately turned around when he heard this. He leaned slightly forward and then reached out his hand:

"Straightforward," he said.

"So, a pleasant cooperation?"

At this point, Chen Xiaoyong had no choice but to force a smile and shook his hand, replying:

"Pleasant cooperation, Director Zhang."

Half an hour later.

The Range Rover parked at the entrance slowly turned around.

Under the watchful eyes of a dozen onlookers, three vehicles left one after another toward the direction of the bridge and finally disappeared completely from everyone's sight.

After leaving the Ecological Park, Zhang Ye and the others went straight to the headquarters of the Excellence Fleet at the special operation site in Jiangbei.

[Ding.]

[Excellence Fleet talent market discovered.]

[Employee limit increased by +50.]

Fifty?

Zhang Ye was a little surprised to hear the notification.

He knew that he could only receive an employee reward of fifty if there were more than fifty survivors living in this settlement.

Normally, a small settlement could usually add only ten.

But the Peng family brothers had recently sold at least seventy or eighty people here, and there were still more than fifty people left in the base?

Zhang Ye was genuinely taken aback.

But after a moment's thought, he quickly figured out the answer.

The people they sold might not necessarily have been Peng Yue's men.

Before coming here, Big Beard had reported the situation.

It seemed the Peng family brothers had given up on settling here and had instead become an organization similar to ancient highway robbers.

Their seven or eight heavy trucks served as both their dormitory and castle.

Their only job was to plunder.

People, resources, anything a fleet needed could be obtained in this way.

And today, they were not here either.

Waiting outside the gate were only Big Beard and a few guards.

Seeing Zhang Ye's vehicle approaching, he and Hou Shubin immediately signaled a few people to guard the vicinity to prevent any accidents that might occur.

"Where's Gao Feng?"

Zhang Ye asked as he got out of the car and looked around, realizing someone seemed to be missing.

The female captain he had stationed here didn't seem to be around.

Could she have gone out to scout for information?

The women behind him also looked around curiously; they had some recollection of the female captain, and their impressions were quite favorable.

After all, there weren't many women among the hundred or so official employees of the company.
Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Big Beard and Hou Shubin, upon hearing the inquiry, had strange expressions on their faces.

They hesitated for a long time and then finally said hesitantly:

"Well…"

"Captain Gao went out two days ago and hasn't come back since."

"We were just about to report this incident."