Chapter 54 The Genius Project?

Xu Feng's words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing the flames of the argument that had just ignited in the Dormitory.

But after the flames were extinguished, what remained was not calm, but an even more piercing cold and deathly silence.

Everyone fell silent.

Ling Hao lowered his head, his face turning various shades of blue and white, and stopped speaking.

The others were also dejected, slumping to the floor as if all their strength had been drained away.

Unity?

Everyone understood the principle.

But the reality was that they could barely survive tonight.

The gate's durability was critical, repair materials were running low, and food was almost gone.

Despair, like a thick, impenetrable black mist, shrouded everyone's hearts.

In this oppressive silence, a boy sitting in the corner suddenly raised his head and looked at the short-haired girl who had been buried in the task of wiping a dagger.

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke tentatively in a voice barely above a whisper.

"How about... letting Sister An... go to the fourth floor to try her luck?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the Dormitory froze.

A dozen gazes converged simultaneously on the girl called "Sister An."

"Lao San, what nonsense are you talking about!" another boy immediately scolded in a low voice.

"I... I have no other choice!" The boy's face turned red with anxiety. "Isn't Su Ze recruiting goddesses on the public channel? As long as she's a goddess, she can be his tenant, with food and housing included!"

His voice grew louder as he spoke, as if trying to convince others as well as himself.

"Although Sister An... although she doesn't usually dress up and follows us around the construction site looking all unkempt..."

"But her foundation is so good. If she cleans up, takes off her glasses, she definitely wouldn't be worse than those campus belles! It's that... that kind of heroic beauty!"

"Maybe... maybe that Su Ze likes this type? As long as he's willing to take Sister An in, for Sister An's sake, he could surely help us out, right?"

At these words, everyone's eyes subconsciously converged on the corner.

The girl known as "Sister An" paused slightly in her action of wiping the dagger.

She raised her head, and behind her thick black-rimmed glasses were eyes whose emotions could not be discerned.

"Me, looking like this?"

Her voice was raspy, as if she hadn't spoken for a long time, carrying a self-deprecating coldness.

"It'll be good enough if he doesn't mistake me for a zombie and kick me out."

"How could that happen!" the girl next to her hurriedly spoke up. "Sister An, if you wash your face, comb your hair, and take off your glasses, you'll definitely look beautiful!"

"Yeah, yeah, we still have a small bottle of facial cleanser here..."

Everyone chimed in, as if grasping at a literal straw.

In their view, this was the only way.

To use a woman's "value" to trade for the survival of the entire team.

Though shameful, for the sake of survival...

"Shut the hell up, all of you!"

His bloodshot eyes, like those of an enraged lion, glared fixedly at those who had agreed.

"Trading a woman for supplies? For a way out?"

"Are you people even human?! Do you have any backbone left!"

"How can you even say such words?!" he growled, scanning everyone.

The people who had looked hopeful just a moment ago were instantly berated into submission, their faces flushing as they lowered their heads.

"Brother Feng... we... we just have no other way..." someone whispered in defense.

"No other way?" Xu Feng laughed out of sheer anger. "Does having no other way mean you can push your own classmate out to be sold?"

"I'm telling you, as long as I, Xu Feng, am still here, no one is going to do such a filthy thing!"

"Even if we starve to death, we will never trade a woman's dignity for a bite of food! I'd rather die standing than live by betraying a companion!"

His words were powerful and resonant, each word like a nail driven hard into the hearts of everyone present.

Everyone fell silent once more.

After speaking, Xu Feng took several deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the anger in his chest.

He knew that getting angry alone wouldn't solve the problem.

He closed his eyes, his mind racing.

Su Ze...

The fourth floor...

Supplies...

copper coins...

A dead end loop...

No, there must be a way! There must be a way to break this cycle!

Since Su Ze is willing to trade, it means he is a businessman.

Businessmen pursue profit.

As long as there is enough profit, there must be a possibility for negotiation!

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open!

A sharp light flashed through his eyes.

"I've thought of a way."

His voice instantly drew everyone's attention.

"We'll go find Su Ze. Not to beg him, but to talk business."

"Business?" Ling Hao was stunned for a moment and subconsciously asked, "We're penniless right now, what do we have to talk business with?"

"No, we have something."

Xu Feng's gaze swept over the crowd and finally landed on the scarred Level 3 Gate of the Dormitory.

"We have labor, we have courage, and... we have the relatively safe space behind this door."

He paused and laid out his entire plan.

"Don't limit yourself to weapons for killing zombies. Iron Material... can also be thrown! And by throwing from a distance, we don't have to worry about being infected!"

"Throwing? Where would we get so much Iron Material to throw..."

As a boy spoke, his voice grew smaller and smaller. He seemed to understand something, and his eyes suddenly widened.

Xu Feng nodded and followed up.

"Exactly, we don't have it, but Su Ze does!"

"We can go to him and rent it! We'll rent several hundred units of Iron Material from him. Right at our Dormitory entrance, using the corridor's terrain to our advantage, some people will block the door, opening a gap half a person wide, while others throw materials to clear the zombies outside!"

"After the killing, we'll return the Iron Material to him intact, and we can even pay him a portion of the copper coins we earn as rent!"

"This way, for him, there's almost no loss; he's just letting us use the materials for a bit to earn some copper coins for free."

"And for us, we can solve the threat of the zombie tide at our door while earning the remaining copper coins to buy the food and repair materials we need from him!"

Xu Feng's words were clear and logical.

He analyzed the pros and cons of this plan and the gains and losses for both parties very clearly.

This was no longer begging; it was an equal, win-win business cooperation!

The entire Dormitory was deathly quiet.

Everyone was stunned by Xu Feng's bold and meticulous plan.

They looked at each other, the despair on their faces fading bit by bit, replaced by an incredible sense of excitement and agitation.

"This... this method... seems like it could actually work!"

"Yeah! Su Ze is a businessman. As long as there's money to be made, he has no reason to refuse, right?"

"This is simply a genius idea! Brother Feng, you're amazing!"

"We're saved! We're really saved!"

The oppressive atmosphere was swept away, and the flames of hope were rekindled in everyone's eyes.

They could almost see countless copper coins beckoning to them, and mountains of food and materials waiting for them to trade.

Only the short-haired girl known as "Sister An" looked at Xu Feng thoughtfully after a brief moment of astonishment.

She always felt that this plan sounded... a bit too smooth.

Would that man named Su Ze really agree so easily?

For some reason, she felt like some part of it hadn't been considered...

"I'll go talk to him personally."

Xu Feng looked at the crowd who had regained their spirits and felt a sense of relief in his heart.

He made the final decision and turned to walk toward the gate.

"Brother Feng, be careful!"

"Brother Feng, we'll wait for you to come back!"

Amidst expectant gazes, Xu Feng opened the heavy Level 3 Gate and stepped into the dim corridor without hesitation.

He was going to the fourth floor to conduct a negotiation that concerned the lives of eighteen people!