"Please! I am a Water Mutant. I can create clean water resources. As long as you shelter us, I can continuously provide you with clean water in the future!"
As Shui Rou spoke, a light swirled in her palm, forming a translucent water orb.
Shui Rou knew she had little combat ability, but she could create clean water resources. In this apocalypse, clean water was as important as food, and it was her only bargaining chip.
Looking at the water orb in Shui Rou's palm, Zuo Feng finally realized that this gentle, water-like woman in front of him was actually a Mutant, and her attribute was Water!
This meant that this woman was a mobile reservoir! Zuo Feng was tempted.
"We can take you, but those 50 female students, we can't shelter them, I'm sorry."
Tempted as he was, 50 burdens would truly be fatal!
Just for food alone, the daily consumption for 50 people would be enormous.
And they were all delicate young girls; he simply couldn't protect them all!
They were currently planning to explore, and taking 50 burdens everywhere wouldn't be exploring; it would be sending these 50 girls to their deaths. This was the apocalypse!
"Please, I really have no other way. They are all still children... Please, save us..."
Shui Rou was truly desperate. Her only bargaining chip had failed, and abandoning this group of students to save herself was something she couldn't bear...
"I told you I can't shelter so many people. You should leave."
Zuo Feng shook his head, even though he was extremely tempted by Shui Rou's ability to create water.
But if this woman insisted on bringing 50 burdens, even if she could create water, Zuo Feng would have no choice but to give up.
"Please!"
Zuo Feng saw Shui Rou's face filled with stubbornness.
With a "thud," Shui Rou knelt straight down before him. Immediately after, the fifty female students behind her also knelt down in unison.
Zuo Feng instantly felt a headache. Was this woman not finished yet?
"Please!"
Kneeling on the ground, Shui Rou's eyes were resolute. This man in front of her was their only hope for survival; she had to fight for it, and besides pleading, she had no other options...
Looking at the kneeling group of girls, Zuo Feng's face turned ashen. What was this supposed to be?
Did they think kneeling would make him change his mind?
And this Shui Rou, how could you look so stubborn while begging...
"Da Hundan, let me talk to her."
Da Mi Tao stepped forward, leaning close to Zuo Feng's ear and whispering.
"Alright, you talk to her. You handle this matter."
Zuo Feng immediately agreed. Watching Da Mi Tao say a few words into Shui Rou's ear, then pull Shui Rou aside to discuss, Zuo Feng's eyes almost popped out. How did Da Mi Tao do it?
Just a few words, and she managed to handle this stubborn woman!
Glancing at the kneeling girls again, the veins on Zuo Feng's forehead throbbed.
Then, Zuo Feng saw Da Bai Tu also walk over with a smile. The three of them huddled together, discussing. Zuo Feng didn't want to know what they were saying; he was having a major headache now........
Soon, the 50 girls were assigned to pick bayberries, watermelons, and vegetables from the fields. Dozens of chickens, ducks, and more than ten pigs raised in the courtyard were all collected.
The three women initially discussed, and Shui Rou would bring one girl to follow the Yinghuo Team. The price Firefly paid was:
1. Settle these girls at Xiao Mi Tao's work base, which was remote and safe.
2. Leave two months' worth of food for these girls. Water was not lacking at the base, so it didn't need to be provided.
3. Provide each of these girls with a compound bow and 24 arrows.
4. Provide these girls with five rifles, each with 100 rounds of ammunition; five pistols, each with 60 rounds of ammunition.
5. Transport the live pigs, chickens, and ducks from the Nongjiale (Farmhouse) to the base for these girls to raise.
6. All the fruit and vegetable seeds from Firefly's supplies were left for these girls to plant.
7. Two Type 88 sniper rifles were left for the base girls, along with 200 rounds of ammunition.
8. Prepare close-combat weapons for these girls. The Firefly Team didn't have many close-combat weapons, so Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu discussed preparing 100 sharpened rebar rods for these girls as close-combat weapons.
9. Provide these girls with some daily necessities, such as tissues, sanitary pads, clothes, etc.
10. Leave 15 hand grenades for these girls. It's worth noting that Firefly only had 30 hand grenades in total, so half were directly left behind.
11. All the vehicles from the Nongjiale (Farmhouse) were left for the base girls, along with four large barrels of petroleum, which was another half of their petroleum gone.
12. Various miscellaneous supplies.
After listening to Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu's report, Zuo Feng's eyes almost popped out—were these two women really negotiating?
Even if Shui Rou was sold, she wouldn't be worth this much in supplies!
These two women might as well have just given away half of Firefly's supplies. This Shui Rou really—really sold herself for an exorbitant price...
In a guesthouse room, Zuo Feng sat on a chair, his right hand unconsciously tapping the armrest. The Firefly women and Shui Rou surrounded Zuo Feng, waiting for his final decision.
Shui Rou's gentle, large eyes looked at him expectantly.
The promised supplies this time accounted for almost half of Firefly's inventory. Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu couldn't make the decision alone; it had to be decided jointly by the Firefly women and Zuo Feng.
"I need a reason..."
Zuo Feng stopped tapping his fingers and looked sharply at Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu.
He didn't think Da Bai Tu and Da Mi Tao would agree to give away so many supplies for no reason.
Even if they truly wanted to bring Shui Rou into the fold, Da Mi Tao and Da Bai Tu wouldn't give away so many supplies. The two women must have had their own ideas.
"Qianqian-jie and I think that all 50 of those female students should be taken into Firefly."
Da Mi Tao spoke, and at just the first sentence, Zuo Feng couldn't help but sit up straight. This woman, Da Mi Tao, truly had no small ambition!
She actually wanted to take in over 50 people in one go.
"Xiao Yu's work base is in a remote location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It can serve as our backup base in the future.
If we all leave and no one guards it, it will eventually be discovered by outsiders.
We take the students into Firefly, settle them at the base, and provide supplies and weapons.
This can both help that group of female students and allow them to help guard the base.
Moreover, the supplies provided, although accounting for nearly half of our resources, will have very little impact on our current overall strength even if given away."
Da Mi Tao finished speaking and looked at Zuo Feng.
She also had the idea of training these 50 female students as reserve personnel. What if some of these women became Mutants in the future?
They could also provide reserve combat personnel for the current Firefly.
"Two problems: First, how do you guarantee the loyalty of this group of students?
Second, this group of students currently has no combat ability. Although the base is remote, it might still be discovered by others. Even if weapons are provided, they might end up being used by others in the future."
Zuo Feng had many other minor issues, but they were all detailed problems, so he didn't voice them, choosing only two important ones.