36: Chapter 36 Establishment of the Chamber of Commerce

“This tag is very important; it can save your lives when necessary. We will provide a detailed introduction later.”

Oriental Chen put away the tag.

“There are also some other pieces of equipment, which I won’t introduce one by one. We will have a special training session before departure.”

“Now it’s time for questions. Feel free to ask anything.”

“Boss Niu, do I also have to join?” Yan Fangfang asked.

“What? You’re unwilling?” Oriental Chen countered seriously.

“Ah! No. It’s just my identity…” Yan Fangfang didn’t finish her sentence, implying, ‘You know what I mean.’

“It’s fine. After you leave, just continue doing what you were doing. As long as you diligently complete the infiltrator’s mission, that’s all that matters,” Oriental Chen said nonchalantly.

“What about my subordinates then…?” Yan Fangfang continued to ask.

Oriental Chen had given a heads-up today, so Yan Fangfang’s subordinates hadn’t come.

“They can leave with you. However, for your personal safety, they shouldn’t join the infiltrators.”

Yan Fangfang hesitated for a moment but still nodded in agreement.

Strictly speaking, her subordinates weren’t truly her people, and Oriental Chen could see that.

Those individuals were also soldiers and were likely dispatched to protect Yan Fangfang.

“Boss Niu, how will our families be arranged?” Tong Li asked.

“My suggestion is for families to remain in the base. It’s too dangerous outside, and everyone would be distracted caring for them. Of course, this isn’t mandatory. If anyone wishes to leave with their family, that’s also permissible.”

Oriental Chen didn’t make a definitive statement, prohibiting them from taking their families. Because saying so would sound like threatening everyone, treating their families as hostages.

Everyone nodded, indicating their agreement.

“Brother Dongfang, do we have to leave?” Luoer asked, frowning.

“We must leave. But Luoer, you can be with your brother. For some things, we have no choice,” Oriental Chen said comfortingly.

Luoer nodded dejectedly. She wasn’t afraid of danger, she just didn’t want to leave the base, leave everyone.

“Comrades, living in the apocalypse, we have no choice but to step up!”

“Yes!”

They all stood at attention, shouted in unison, and then saluted.

…

After the meeting, Oriental Chen returned to his office.

Niu Xingwang was waiting for him at the office door.

“Brother Niu, why aren’t you resting more?” Oriental Chen greeted him.

“Mr. Dongfang, I’m older now, so I sleep less,” Niu Xingwang said awkwardly.

As Oriental Chen spoke, he invited Niu Xingwang into the office.

“Brother Niu, no need to be so formal. We can be casual with each other,” Oriental Chen motioned for Niu Xingwang to also sit down.

“Mr. Dongfang, I must admit, you are truly a divine being! If I had known this day would come, even if I didn’t do any business back then, I would have sold everything to quickly build the base for you,” Niu Xingwang said admiringly.

He had been on the construction site for the past few months and felt this aspect even more deeply. Compared to Oriental Chen’s design, their efforts were child’s play.

How could defensive fortifications built above ground be as good as those built underground? Not to mention anything else, just the constant harassment and attacks from zombies every day were a massive headache.

Every day, people were infected and then expelled from the Settlement.

Treatment? Forget it.

No one could cure them, it was a waste of time and resources.

However, when he left back then, the base was still a shell, with nothing in it. But now: water, electricity, and ventilation systems were all complete. They could even grow grain and vegetables. It was fine to stay inside for a lifetime.

Amazing!

Impressive!

Choosing to pledge allegiance to Oriental Chen back then was the wisest decision of his life.

Oriental Chen laughed heartily after Niu Xingwang finished speaking, saying:

“Come on, Boss Niu. I wonder who almost wet his pants when I told him I was going to build an underground fortress.”

Niu Xingwang’s old face flushed, and he said:

“Ashamed, ashamed!”

“Brother Niu, let’s talk about something serious today,” Oriental Chen leaned in and said.

Seeing Oriental Chen become serious, Niu Xingwang quickly responded:

“Mr. Dongfang, please speak.”

“It’s like this, I plan to establish a chamber of commerce. I wonder if you’re interested?” Oriental Chen said.

“A chamber of commerce? For what?” Niu Xingwang asked.

“It’s about buying and selling supplies and such,” Oriental Chen replied.

“Oh? Mr. Dongfang, could you be more detailed?” Niu Xingwang didn’t quite understand and asked.

“Alright, wait a moment,” Oriental Chen said, then walked out of the office.

A moment later, Oriental Chen returned, carrying a briefcase.

“Brother Niu, a gift for you,” Oriental Chen smiled, opened the case, and took out a vial of medicine.

“This is?” Niu Xingwang asked.

“Antigen Serum!” Oriental Chen said.

“What!?” Niu Xingwang shot to his feet.

“Look at you, so startled, you scared me,” Oriental Chen said with a smile.

“Mr. Dongfang! This, this, this… Could it be the vaccine against the virus?” Niu Xingwang was so shocked he was incoherent.

The families in the base hadn’t received the antigen yet, and his wife hadn’t mentioned it to Niu Xingwang, so he still didn’t know about the Antigen Serum in the base.

“That’s right,” Oriental Chen replied calmly.

“Oh my goodness! This, this, this…” Niu Xingwang didn’t know what to say anymore.

He was a businessman, and he understood the business opportunities and value contained within this more than anyone else.

At the same time, he also understood the risks and crises contained within it even more clearly.

“Come, extend your arm,” Oriental Chen opened the vial and said.

Niu Xingwang had completely crashed and unconsciously extended his arm.

After the injection, more than ten minutes passed, and Niu Xingwang was still sitting there with his arm extended.

Oriental Chen waved his hand in front of him to call his soul back.

“Ah? I’m sorry, Mr. Dongfang, I zoned out,” Niu Xingwang said apologetically.

“Brother Niu, if I give this business to you, are you interested?” Oriental Chen asked.

“I, I, I… This, this, this…” Niu Xingwang didn’t know where to begin.

“Brother Niu, if you have any difficulties, just say them, and we’ll discuss them together,” Oriental Chen clarified.

“Ah! Mr. Dongfang. I’m afraid I don’t have the ability to protect the safety of the vaccine.” Niu Xingwang said.

“It’s the antigen!” Oriental Chen corrected him.

“Oh, right, right, the antigen. This antigen can save lives! Even if just a hint of it gets out, countless people would probably risk their lives to snatch it!” Niu Xingwang said.

“That’s why I said, this matter must be done by you. You’ll understand the key points as soon as you hear them. To be honest, there are others in the base who want to do this business, and they have powerful backgrounds. I haven’t formally expressed my stance yet, I was just waiting for you to come back. You don’t need to worry about security; I will arrange everything properly. You just need to tell me if you are interested in doing this,” Oriental Chen said.

“Since Mr. Dongfang has said it to this extent, then how can I, Niu Xingwang, refuse? Mr. Dongfang, tell me how to proceed,” Niu Xingwang rolled up his sleeves, striking a pose ready for a big endeavor.

“That’s right! This is the Boss Niu I know,” Oriental Chen patted Niu Xingwang’s shoulder, stood up, and continued:

“Brother Niu, 60% of the antigen produced by the base will be allocated to you. The remaining 40% I will use for other purposes. You will lead the establishment of a chamber of commerce, ostensibly doing business like buying and selling supplies, and gradually setting up offices in other Settlements. The production of the antigen is limited, so large-scale sales are unrealistic. However, it can be used to smooth things over, and accumulate supplies and connections without issue. You are an Expert in this area, so I won’t try to teach a fish to swim,” Oriental Chen explained roughly.

“That’s certainly no problem. But what is your purpose in doing this?” Niu Xingwang couldn’t figure it out.

“It’s truly easy to talk with smart people. Come, Brother Niu, let me show you something,” Oriental Chen led Niu Xingwang to the large screen.

The screen began playing the animated film from two days ago.

“This, this, this… Is this real?” After watching the animation, Niu Xingwang was also shocked.

“Now do you understand why I’m doing this?” Oriental Chen asked.

“I understand, I understand everything! You’ve put in so much effort!” Niu Xingwang sighed, shaking his head.