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Zhao Hai came to join, and Chen Luo accepted him without any hesitation.
But what should they have them do?
Should they just have them kill zombies every day like regular members?
Then, Chen Luo had a bright idea.
Before the apocalypse, Zhao Hai used to gather information and had a knack for it.
Otherwise, what would they do if they couldn’t recover the money they had invested?
Some people ran away after accumulating debts, and they couldn’t be found no matter what. But Zhao Hai had the connections to track them down.
Wasn’t he a great candidate for intelligence work?
“Born with potential, must be put to use.”
Chen Luo had Zhao Hai organize a team of people separately, forming an intelligence unit.
Jiang Feng was the captain of the first team, and Zhao Hai became the captain of the second team.
Jiang Feng was doing well, but he also needed some pressure.
Chen Luo discussed the plan with Zhao Hai, and Zhao Hai was thrilled. This assignment allowed him to utilize his skills without engaging in direct combat with zombies.
………….
The marine creatures grew increasingly fierce, and more and more people realized that staying along the coast was no longer safe.
Feng Zhengqing was the first to leave; some went elsewhere, while others arrived in the divine city.
Lin Tian was among the latter.
With his group of over two hundred people and supplies, Lin Tian led a convoy of vehicles, aiming to enter the divine city via the highway.
In the distance, Lin Tian suddenly froze; he had spotted a village that resembled a fortress.
Lin Tian couldn’t believe his eyes; such a village could never have existed before the apocalypse, which meant it must have been built after the world had ended.
Building something like this didn’t necessarily indicate strength, but being able to defend it certainly did.
Coming to the divine city on a whim, Lin Tian realized it wouldn’t be easy to establish a stable presence; the city likely had numerous powerful factions already.
Lin Tian pondered, thinking, ‘If possible, I need to find someone influential to align myself with, to stand firm.’
Without rashly contacting Chen Luo, Lin Tian visited several leaders of smaller factions in the city. The information he gathered left him utterly astonished.
“They only recruit fourth-tier members? Seriously?”
Lin Tian couldn’t help but curse.
“How much power do they have to be so confident?”
The number of Chen Luo’s members wasn’t exactly a secret; with some observation, one could make an educated guess.
The fact that there were over two thousand members astonished Lin Tian; sustaining such a large group would require substantial resources.
Even with strict recruitment standards, could they really find so many suitable candidates?
At the same time, the smaller faction leaders remained secretive about Chen Luo; anyone who dared to provoke him had not survived to tell the tale.
No one dared to provoke the undisputed overlord of the vicinity.
One of the smaller leaders sighed, “I wanted to join too, but they won’t accept newcomers.”
However, Lin Tian did gather a valuable piece of information: under normal circumstances, Chen Luo didn’t harass people without reason. If you didn’t provoke him, he wouldn’t provoke you either.
“I should bring something valuable.”
Lin Tian’s eyes gleamed with determination. “I need to align myself with this powerful figure, establish connections. So that even if I’m new here, no one will dare to bully me.”
After checking his own supplies, Lin Tian immediately went to pay his respects to Chen Luo, bearing generous gifts.
“If you come empty-handed, you won’t get to see him. Scram, you pauper,” the guards warned him. “But if you bring gifts, especially valuable ones, well, maybe he’ll see you.”
“After all, what if the word gets out that he didn’t bring gifts? Others might stop giving gifts too,” Lin Tian thought.
Led in by Chen Guang, Lin Tian was greeted by a smiling Chen Luo. Indeed, Lin Tian had brought a lavish gift.
“So much seafood,” Chen Luo remarked, impressed.
Upon seeing Chen Luo, Lin Tian bowed respectfully. “Lin Tian pays his respects to Big Brother Chen. I’ve heard of Big Brother Chen’s reputation in the divine city and deeply admire you. I’ve come specifically to pay my respects.”
Lin Tian was extremely respectful; he had never shown such deference even when meeting his own father.
Chen Guang smiled and said, “Big Brother, this is the list of gifts Lin Tian has brought. Please have a look.”
Chen Guang noticed Chen Luo staring intently at Lin Tian, squinting his eyes.
Chen Guang felt a strange sensation; why was his big brother looking at Lin Tian like that?
Suddenly, Chen Guang felt a chill creeping up his spine.
Chen Luo took the list from Chen Guang and looked at Lin Tian, then smiled. However, deep within his eyes, there was a chilling determination.
Unexpectedly, his past enemy had come to him voluntarily.
That’s right, Lin Tian and Chen Luo had a grudge. It was Lin Tian’s men who had cornered Chen Luo and Su Dazhu, leading to Su Dazhu’s death.
Back then, Chen Luo and Su Dazhu had rushed into a warehouse ahead of the others, finding a considerable amount of supplies. However, Lin Tian’s men quickly caught up.
It was said that in this world, the one who first laid claim to something owned it, and one had to rely on their strength to defend it. Whoever had the might, it was theirs.
Although Chen Luo and Su Dazhu were tempted, they knew they couldn’t match the dozens of people against them. They had no choice but to give up.
However, Lin Tian’s men were not willing to let Chen Luo go. They believed these two fellows, having lost the supplies, would surely bear a grudge and might cause trouble in the future. Their solution? Get rid of the potential threat immediately to eliminate future problems.
Chen Luo managed to escape with serious injuries, while Su Dazhu lost his life.
Chen Luo fled, and Lin Tian didn’t pay much attention to it. He didn’t bother chasing after Chen Luo; his own survival was the top priority.
Even though it wasn’t an order from Lin Tian, Chen Luo directly connected the incident to him.
“I don’t care if it was your order or not. Since they were your people, you’ll have to take the blame.
Everyone involved had to die.
In this life, even though you haven’t made a move yet, you’re still going to die, die twice. Blame your bad luck, I’ve come back to life.
Chen Luo’s heart turned cold, but he maintained a smile on his face.
Rest assured, I won’t lay a finger on you right now. I have to wait until I’ve gathered all the people who harmed me and my brother in the previous life.
Not a single one of them will escape. If I kill you now, how will you continue recruiting your underlings? I only know their faces, not their names. Actively searching for them would be too difficult. I’ll wait until you all assemble, then catch you all in one fell swoop.
There might be a butterfly effect, a few might slip through the cracks, but that doesn’t matter. It’s better than acting prematurely.
I’ve always settled my scores immediately; I never drag things out. But Lin Tian, I’m willing to make an exception for you. I’ll let you grow a bit.
In my previous life, Lin Tian felt he died unjustly. It wasn’t his doing, not his orders. Misfortune struck out of nowhere.
In the apocalypse, there’s no right or wrong, only grudges and debts.
Chen Luo picked up Lin Tian’s list of gifts and looked at it with a sly smile. Lin Tian cautiously lifted his head to meet Chen Luo’s gaze, completely unaware that, at their very first meeting, Chen Luo had already sentenced him to death.
Chen Luo clicked his tongue as he examined the list; Lin Tian had truly spared no expense.
Two thousand kilograms of dried seaweed, one thousand kilograms of shrimp, five hundred kilograms of dried prawns, dried shark fins, sea cucumbers, and various other seafood items. Altogether, it added up to three tons.
This was truly a lavish gift.
Coastal cities were wholesale hubs for seafood. Lin Tian had raided a few large warehouses, ensuring a steady supply for himself even with frequent consumption. These items constituted half of his current stock, but upon hearing of Chen Luo’s reputation, he gritted his teeth and sent them as a gift.
One had to admit, Lin Tian had a lot of guts.