28: Chapter 28 Showdown

“Then can you contact the forces behind you? I hope to meet with your superior,” Yan Fangfang continued.

“Talk about what?” Oriental Chen asked jokingly.

“You! Oriental Chen, this matter is very important! It concerns everyone’s life and future, it’s not a game!” Yan Fangfang saw Oriental Chen’s dismissive attitude and became stern.

“Oh? Then what do you think I’m doing now?” Oriental Chen retorted.

Yan Fangfang fell silent.

“Let me put it this way, Miss Yan. First, this technology is not something I can just give away. Second, you cannot handle the forces behind me. Third, moral blackmail, in my opinion, is the logic of a bandit. If you want to talk, you need to have the right attitude for it. If you’re just trying to show off your spoiled young lady’s prestige here, then I’m sorry, it won’t work on me.”

Oriental Chen’s words were also very stern. Without waiting for Yan Fangfang to speak, Oriental Chen added:

“Moreover, if we’re talking, it’s not you talking to me.”

At this point, Yan Fangfang finally understood, and she asked angrily, “You investigated me?”

“Not exactly. I’m just thinking about the safety of the base,” Oriental Chen had lost his patience.

He thought she was some old fox, but after all that, she was still just a little chick, a naive little chick.

“So you knew my identity from the beginning?” Yan Fangfang continued to press.

“Yes!” Oriental Chen replied.

“Then why didn’t you drive me away back then?”

“No need. The base is everyone’s base. As long as there’s no sabotage, I naturally welcome more people,” Oriental Chen answered frankly.

“You’re really confident!” Yan Fangfang teased.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, then let’s leave it at that.” Oriental Chen had no further interest in talking and turned to leave.

“Hey! Wait!” Yan Fangfang hurriedly stopped him.

“Something else?” Oriental Chen turned back, asking impatiently.

“Can you give me an extra Antigen Serum? I can buy it too,” Yan Fangfang asked.

Logically speaking, Oriental Chen would not even bother with such an unreasonable request. But the person in front of him was different; she had a powerful backer. So, although her actions were both childish and thoughtless, he still had to give her some face.

“What for?” Oriental Chen asked.

“I want to take one for my dad,” Yan Fangfang explained.

Since Oriental Chen had investigated her, she figured he probably knew who her dad was.

Oriental Chen frowned and thought for a moment, not answering immediately, but instead asked back, “Aren’t you worried the antigen has problems?” Oriental Chen asked.

“Didn’t I get the shot already?” Yan Fangfang replied cryptically.

This sentence had multiple meanings. One meaning was, I got the shot, and I’m fine. The second meaning was, I got the shot, and I am a walking experiment, so I can go back and do various tests.

Oriental Chen nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and finally replied, “I can give you an extra one, but it’s not free.”

“Oh? What do you want then?” Yan Fangfang was overjoyed and asked.

“I won’t ask for too much. One antigen, 100 crystalss. This is just a friendship price for you, and it’s only this one time,” Oriental Chen replied.

“What are crystalss?” Yan Fangfang asked.

After Yan Fangfang asked, Oriental Chen immediately understood upon hearing it:

Overestimated, definitely overestimated!

You, the Commander’s pampered daughter, a doctor of biology, a big sister who robs and plunders outside, have you been wasting your time? You don’t know what a crystals is?

If it were an ordinary bandit, it would be understandable if they didn’t know.

If you don’t know, it means that Huaguo’s research center, and even the Huaguo Assembly, have a very limited understanding of the virus!

Oriental Chen blinked, turned around, and looked at her, saying, “Sister Yan, a crystals is a translucent, multifaceted crystal that gradually forms in zombies from the day they become zombified. It’s also called a corpse core, usually located in the brainstem. Newly zombified zombies might not have them, but they generally form after more than 15 days of zombification.”

“Oh? Is that so? So you mean you have to kill at least a hundred zombies to possibly get 100 corpse cores?” Yan Fangfang asked thoughtfully.

“Exactly!” Oriental Chen replied with a smile.

“No! That expression isn’t right! Why is this kid smiling so strangely?” Yan Fangfang scrutinized him, thinking.

“What’s wrong?” Oriental Chen felt uncomfortable being stared at.

“Can you make it cheaper?” Yan Fangfang asked.

“Holy cow! Miss Yan! Do you think this is a wet market? You’re haggling?” Oriental Chen exclaimed.

“Can’t I haggle?” Yan Fangfang asked, feigning innocence.

“Then I’m not selling!” Oriental Chen pretended to give up on the deal and prepared to turn and leave.

“Hey, hey, hey, I was just asking, do you have to be like that?” Yan Fangfang quickly stopped him.

That’s more like it! Oriental Chen turned around smugly, looking like a small man who had gotten his way.

“Let me tell you, 100 crystalss for one dose is a huge bargain! This is only for this one time; there won’t be this price later. You don’t know, the cost of developing this thing is very high, and the sacrifices are enormous!”

Yan Fangfang was a medical student and knew how much effort and resources were required to develop a vaccine. So, a higher price was understandable. But what did he mean by “there won’t be this price later”? Could she still buy it? So she quickly asked, “Do you mean you can sell a large quantity?”

Here it comes! This is what he wanted; this whole act couldn’t be for nothing. He replied feigning formality:

“Not in the short term; we can’t produce that much. Look, there are still many people in our base who haven’t been vaccinated yet. Once everyone in our base has been vaccinated, we can consider selling you some.”

“How much can you produce daily?” Yan Fangfang quickly pressed.

“Sigh! The output is pitifully low; we can only produce two doses a day!” Oriental Chen shook his head and sighed.

Although the current production of the antigen wasn’t high, that was because not many robots were deployed by the Bee Queen. But it wasn’t that low; they could still produce 5 doses a day. As a born swindler, he had a habit of not telling the truth if he could bluff, especially when it came to matters directly related to his own interests.

“Two doses?” Yan Fangfang was stunned. You call this production? Isn’t it just experimental products from a laboratory?

“That’s right! Didn’t I say it? This thing is very expensive to produce!” Oriental Chen said.

Oriental Chen naturally wasn’t afraid. In this world, no one else could produce this antigen besides him. So whatever he said was appropriate.

“Okay, wait a moment, I’ll make a call.”

Yan Fangfang hurriedly took out her phone to make a call, and Oriental Chen didn’t stop her.

Go ahead and call, if you can get through, I’ll take your last name!

She carried a satellite phone with her, given to her by her dad, directly connected to military satellites. To avoid revealing her identity, she had never used it.

She took out her phone, turned it on…

Hmm? Why no signal?

Are you kidding me? What kind of junk is this? They said there would be a signal as long as it was on Blue Star? They must be bragging, right?

“Don’t bother, you can’t make a call,” Oriental Chen said sullenly.

“You…” Yan Fangfang was speechless.

“That’s right! Without this little ability, how could I let you wander around the base?” Oriental Chen boasted proudly.

“Can you let me make a call? I’ll have my dad bring crystalss over. All the antigens, no matter how much is produced, I’ll take them all!” Yan Fangfang patted her chest and promised.

“Forget it! You should just go out and kill zombies tomorrow! Once you’ve gathered enough crystalss, I’ll give you one to take back. If you tell him over the phone, your dad will think you’ve been scammed,” Oriental Chen said.

“Am I that easy to scam?” Yan Fangfang was displeased.

“What do you think?” Oriental Chen stopped talking to her and turned to leave.

“You…, I…,” Yan Fangfang was speechless, frozen in place.

Oriental Chen arranged for Brother Zhang to closely observe those who had been vaccinated, and no one showed any allergic reactions.

The next morning, in the underground base’s training area.

Since four people hadn’t been vaccinated yesterday, there were four fewer people today.

“Comrades, today is your first day of practical combat training, so no specific tasks will be assigned. Everyone should focus on adapting to weapons, equipment, and combat methods. To ensure everyone returns safely, no one is allowed to take off their protective suits without permission, and no one is allowed to act alone. Do you hear me?”

Brother Zhang, as the team leader, arranged.

“Yes!” Everyone said in unison.

“Next, in groups, come over to implant bone mics,” Brother Zhang commanded.

Bone mics, as mentioned before, are miniature implantable bone mics that require special equipment to wear. Once worn, they can only be removed by special equipment, or by violently damaging the ear canal. Bone mics connect via satellite signals and have the same function as walkie-talkies.

“Everyone test the signal and volume.”

“Check weapons and equipment, check energy bar magazines.”

“Alright, let’s go!”

After 30 minutes of arrangements, everyone lined up in two rows and walked out of the underground base.