115: Chapter 115: Calming Doubts

"Boss Niu, I came here today to ask if the Combat Suits for the Mercenary Guild are all supplied by your side?" Zongzheng Yue got straight to the point.

"Ah... yes, that's right!" Niu Xingwang hesitated for a moment before replying.

"That's great! Boss Niu, are these Combat Suits produced by you?" Zongzheng Yue was overjoyed and continued to ask.

"Uh... I'm sorry, Commander Zong, the Combat Suits are not produced by our Huatong Chamber of Commerce," Niu Xingwang replied.

"What? Not?" Zongzheng Yue was a bit surprised.

"That's right, Commander Zong, we are only responsible for sales and rentals," Niu Xingwang replied.

"Then where do you get your goods from?" Zongzheng Yue asked.

Upon hearing Zongzheng Yue, it was clear he didn't understand business; who asks about a supplier's source right off the bat?

"I'm sorry, Commander Zong, it's not that I don't want to tell you. Firstly, I'm not entirely clear myself; the pick-up location is always designated temporarily. Secondly, we have an agreement prohibiting the disclosure of the source. If we violate this, we won't be able to get the goods anymore," Niu Xingwang made up a lie.

Zongzheng Yue said nothing, nodding secretly.

This was largely similar to what Yan Zhengping had said.

"Then, what is the selling price of the Combat Suits here?" Zongzheng Yue continued to ask.

"Commander Zong, telling you the selling price is useless," Niu Xingwang replied.

This was a message Oriental Chen had just sent to Niu Xingwang after hearing their conversation.

He already knew the purpose of Zongzheng Yue's visit.

He wanted to bypass Yan Fangfang and find the whereabouts of the source.

"What do you mean?" Zongzheng Yue frowned.

"Because I am not responsible for the military channel here and cannot do business with the army," Niu Xingwang replied according to Oriental Chen's words.

"Not doing business with the army? Then who is responsible for the military channel?" Zongzheng Yue asked.

"I'm not very clear either. I heard it's someone from the Shu Area," Niu Xingwang replied.

The reason for saying this was that Oriental Chen didn't want others to think the Huatong Chamber of Commerce had any involvement with the Military Region, maintaining their mutual independence.

"Shu Area?" Zongzheng Yue basically understood; the person from the Shu Area Niu Xingwang mentioned was likely Yan Fangfang.

"It seems I can't bypass that little girl," Zongzheng Yue thought.

"That's right, Shu Area. I'm not very clear on the rest," Niu Xingwang affirmed.

Disclosing information to this extent was sufficient. It could both dispel Zongzheng Yue's doubts and redirect the problem back to the Southwest Military Region.

"It's fine, I'll listen to your prices here to compare," Zongzheng Yue asked.

He wanted to inquire if there was a price difference between the two sides.

"I haven't started selling them yet; I'm only renting them out," Niu Xingwang replied.

"Why is that?" Zongzheng Yue continued to ask.

"Firstly, because the currency issuance is not yet fully perfected and may need adjustment. Secondly, because people don't have what I need in their hands, they can't buy it. So, the current strategy is for mercenaries, after getting certified by the Guild, to rent Combat Suits on credit first, and then use crystalss to deduct the rent after acquiring them," Niu Xingwang explained.

Zongzheng Yue nodded, showing approval for Niu Xingwang.

This could be considered a conscientious businessman.

Many others might not care about the lives of the Citizens. To obtain equipment, you would have no choice but to go out and kill zombies without protection. While doing so is understandable, this business would become a bloody one.

"Boss Niu is truly benevolent!" Zongzheng Yue complimented him. As a high-ranking official of Huaguo, he rarely complimented others like this.

"Commander Zong, you flatter me. I just want more people to earn crystalss for me," Niu Xingwang said with a smile.

"Then, if I'm not mistaken, Boss Niu also has antigen, right?" Zongzheng Yue changed the question.

"Commander Zong knows about antigen?" Niu Xingwang asked.

Oriental Chen had already told him these things, so he certainly wouldn't be surprised. However, asking this way was a normal human reaction.

This sentence startled Mayor Gong beside him quite a bit, who thought:

"It's over. If Councilor Zong knows about the antigen, then the Meilin Settlement will probably be wiped out!"

"I've been to the Shu Area, and this batch of Combat Suits I have was brought back from there. Of course, I know about the antigen," Zongzheng Yue explained.

Niu Xingwang nodded symbolically, then explained:

"I'm sorry, Commander Zong, it's the same; my antigen cannot be sold to the Military Region either."

Zongzheng Yue nodded and no longer insisted.

Since both Yan Fangfang and Niu Xingwang were suppliers, it didn't matter to him where he got the goods from. At least he could now be sure that Yan Fangfang, like Niu Xingwang, was a first-hand source, and that was enough.

"It's fine. Since Boss Niu cannot supply the Military Region, I won't force it. However, the matter of the antigen is too significant, and Boss Niu, as an ordinary civilian businessman, will likely find it very difficult to keep it safe," Zongzheng Yue said.

"Thank you for the Commander Zong's reminder, but the Mercenary Guild will provide security for the Chamber of Commerce, so I don't think it will be a big problem," Niu Xingwang replied.

Zongzheng Yue smiled and shook his head, thinking Niu Xingwang was taking things too lightly. Once the antigen became widely known, who knew how many people would covet it, openly and secretly. Let alone a small Mercenary Guild, the entire Meilin Settlement wouldn't be able to handle it.

But what he didn't know was that Niu Xingwang's confidence didn't come from the Mercenary Guild. Once Oriental Chen established the Chamber of Commerce's independent underground base, no one would be able to threaten the Chamber of Commerce's security.