Chapter 100: Chapter 90 Cooperation
Stepping out of the dormitory and looking at the rising red sun, Tao Yu couldn’t help but stretch lazily.
However, he didn’t start practicing boxing first but went over to look at his two vehicles.
Seeing Little Black still obediently staying in the driver’s seat and that there were no signs of damage on either vehicle, Tao Yu nodded in satisfaction.
“Hang in there a bit longer. Once we’re out of the city, I’ll take you to eat some zombies.”
Tao Yu comforted Little Black a little, stroking its head as a reward.
Because of Sun Shiqing’s words, he felt it wasn’t good to go out on transport runs until he had an answer from her.
As an Alien war machine, Little Black’s endurance was quite high. It could go without food for ten days to half a month without any problem. It wouldn’t care about missing one or two meals. After being rewarded by Tao Yu, Little Black immediately relaxed in the driver’s seat, unwilling to move any further.
After ensuring his property was safe, Tao Yu began to slowly practice his boxing routine on the spot.
Since he had enough Yuan Force, naturally, he couldn’t waste time. It was too early now, and it wouldn’t be good to disturb them right away…
As time passed, the base’s residents also gradually started to come out.
The survivors began another day’s work, and a few Pioneers also appeared.
A few of them even saw Tao Yu practicing boxing, with some looking on and even secretly imitating the moves.
Tao Yu didn’t care about these onlookers and just focused on completing his own routine.
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If learning the Myriad Streams Five Forms was as easy as watching, then the Skill wouldn’t be so expensive to learn.
“Myriad Streams Five Forms? You must be quite skilled, Brother Tao. Have you practiced it before?”
A somewhat familiar voice reached Tao Yu, who then saw Panda, an Inner City Pioneer.
By now, a crowd had gathered around him, including Pioneers but even more members of that Motorbike Gang from last time.
“Brother Panda flatters me too much.”
Tao Yu greeted Panda with a slight smile, but his movements remained uninterrupted, and even his speaking didn’t affect the rhythm of his breathing.
“I wouldn’t praise without cause. From the way you’re practicing, it seems like you’re about to grasp the ‘Five Forms as One’ and capture the Qi-Blood. Hmm, perhaps you’ve already done so?”
Panda hesitated a bit, uncertain. Many abilities weren’t so easy to identify just by looking, and he could only tell that Tao Yu was very skilled because he knew people who had practiced the form before.
“It’s all thanks to Miss Sun’s generous rewards; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so smooth.”
Tao Yu’s response didn’t surprise Panda, considering that the new Development Zone’s first batch had only awakened their talents two months ago.
If it weren’t for some unexpected windfall, Outsiders couldn’t progress that quickly.
“Taking advantage of these early days, we’re planning to have a look around Las Vegas. Are you interested in joining us, Brother Tao?”
Panda glanced over at Tao Yu’s two vehicles.
After buying goods from Tao Yu twice, he knew those two vehicles were real treasures,
and he coveted them immensely.
There was another vehicle that seemed to belong to a friend of the ‘Chosen One,’ and the income from that was so impressive that even as an Inner City Pioneer, he felt a bit envious.
“No thanks, the young master Sun has something to ask me today.”
Tao Yu’s words made Panda’s heart skip a beat, realizing the young man truly had caught the attention of the two higher-ups!
It wasn’t just a one-time task and reward; there had to be more if the young master Sun was still taking an interest and wanting to talk to him.
Definitely, there were other matters at hand.
It seemed necessary to treat him as an equal now.
The difference between the Inner City and the Outsiders was significant, but it was nowhere near the gap between the Inner City and the Floating City!
If Tao Yu really got their favor, a single word from them could solve many issues.
“Ahem, it’s like this. I’ve already discussed this with you last time, Brother Tao. I’m actually interested in acquiring some trucks, but these vehicles are different from the ones we use inside the city, and they are quite troublesome to operate…”
With a decision made in his heart, Panda spoke candidly about his purpose for coming, so Tao Yu understood why he had come.
This time, Panda’s main intention was to negotiate about Judy’s vehicle, not to poach but rather to borrow and drive it into the city first and then to train his people to drive trucks in the meantime.
“…Rest assured, the compensation won’t be meager. I’m willing to pay two thousand Yuan Force per day.”
The reward Panda offered was quite sincere.
A single trip out to Las Vegas plus loading and a round trip would take at least two to three days, amounting to a payment of four to six thousand Yuan Force. Considering the eight thousand made from three trucks yesterday, the cargo one truck could bring back wouldn’t cover the costs.
It seemed the main goal was to learn the driving Skill and then exchange for some scarce materials.
“Looking at it that way, I’d be training a competitor, wouldn’t I?”
Tao Yu gave a wry smile and slowly started to conclude his routine, exhaling deeply.
But then he changed tack,
“However, Brother Panda is a fair man, so let’s consider it making a friend. I agree personally, but I’ll go and ask for her opinion.”
“Haha, thanks, Brother Tao. You can also come to me directly if you ever need anything.”
A look of surprise flashed across Panda’s face.
When he first heard Tao Yu mention ‘competitor’, he was quite disconcerted.
Considering their interests, Panda knew he couldn’t really complain if Tao Yu refused him. He also thought that this rare opportunity was something he wanted to monopolize for a bit longer.
Teaching someone else was essentially nurturing a competitor!
“`
But to his surprise, after the other party had selected an item, they also agreed to the request, which was indeed a favor to be acknowledged. After all, the other party was somehow related to the two members of the Suns; one could not consider them just another ordinary Outsider Pioneer.
Tao Yu had actually given it a lot of thought. Truck driving as a skill was difficult, but also common. In the future, he would definitely be able to find others, it was not something that could be monopolized, and competitors would only increase.
It would be better to cooperate and empty Las Vegas of its resources before more people arrived…
“I have no problem with that. I make my living by driving trucks, and this is much better than moving corpses.”
Judy didn’t hesitate; after all, it was all about driving. Although there were some risks, she knew she would still be protected for the time being.
“Good, the earnings from this trip…”
“I don’t need Yuan Force, the earnings can all go to the boss.”
Judy cut in before he could finish, causing Tao Yu to take a few more glances at her, he pondered for a moment and then nodded.
“Okay.”
Tao Yu didn’t make any promises, but there was no doubt that he would offer her protection at the base in the future.
At this moment, Panda also spoke up with a smile,
“A very wise choice. Holding onto Yuan Force that you haven’t absorbed is risky even within the base. For ordinary people like you, safety is the top priority.”
Since Tao Yu had given him face, he certainly didn’t mind speaking up for Tao Yu at this moment.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
Having witnessed the darkness of the world, even if this base claimed to maintain basic order, Judy also wanted to latch onto a strong leg.
Truck driving is not a rare skill!
It’s just that there are few people at the moment, so take the opportunity to get as much protection as possible…
…
“Take good care of those two, and stay in the cabin if nothing needs to be done.”
Once everything was prepared, Tao Yu also made arrangements for Little Black.
Apart from Judy, Tao Yu also found Tommy again. Since the truck was empty anyway, why not haul an additional load now that they were fetching cargo?
For Panda, guarding an extra truck or several didn’t make much difference in difficulty. His original intention was to organize a convoy, so he naturally agreed happily.
“Little brother Tao, how about this: let’s cooperate and before more people come, let’s move out all the valuable stuff from Las Vegas ahead.”
After calling Tommy over and arranging for Little Black to act as their guard, Panda seemed to have made up his mind and approached Tao Yu to continue discussing the details of a deeper cooperation.
Last time, his offer to Tao Yu was to have Tao Yu follow him and join his team.
But this time he directly mentioned ‘cooperation’, which obviously put them on equal footing.
This piqued Tao Yu’s interest as he raised an eyebrow,
“What kind of cooperation?”
If it meant joining him, forget it; he had no interest in taking on another boss. But if it was to cooperate in speeding up the transportation of valuable items, Tao Yu really had no objections!
The high-value materials in Las Vegas were limited.
And with the other party being an Inner City Pioneer, his ability to call to action far exceeded his own, making many things much simpler.
“Your current two trucks and the two drivers you’ve hired will be considered your initial investment, while I recruit more hands to form subsequent convoys and take charge of the day-to-day transport. When brother Tao Yu is free, you can join in as well.”
Panda thought for a moment, then extended a fist,
“I guarantee that you will earn no less than a hundred thousand Yuan Force in the first month, and no less than fifty thousand in the second month.”
Hearing this, Tao Yu formally looked at Panda.
This guy, he’s got some skills.
Even if Tao Yu were to work on his own and keep borrowing Tommy, it would be very difficult to earn a hundred thousand Yuan Force in a month of hard work with an additional truck.
After all, the efficiency of this ‘no-investment commerce’ would only decrease as materials dwindled.
According to his proposal, Tao Yu could still attend to his own matters when busy, allowing for more flexibility.
Panda making such a commitment obviously meant he wouldn’t incur losses; he planned to rally Pioneers with his Inner City Pioneer status and tame the Motorbike Gang, eventually forming a large convoy of more than ten trucks.
Here, each haul could be far more efficient, truly allowing for seizing the opportunity to clean out Las Vegas’s high-value items at once.
As an Outsider, Tao Yu inherently couldn’t compete with Panda in this aspect. If they were to compete and both tried to form teams, he wouldn’t be victorious; the longer it dragged on, the more Pioneers would come to share the spoils.
That’s why the first month’s commitment was a guaranteed hundred thousand, and only fifty thousand for the second month.
“Agreed. I’ll ask Young Master Sun to act as a witness. He should also be pleased with the increase in supplies for the base.”
Tao Yu would not foolishly trust any verbal promises, but he trusted Sun Shiqing’s influence.
It was also convenient to discuss the matter of Corpse Refinement and the report recently submitted; this coincidental yet beneficial matter for the base was something he definitely would not reject.
“Great!”
Panda had no intention of going back on his word, because according to his estimates, he could earn even more!
The base’s location had been determined, and these were the nearest cities, with high-value goods in limited amounts.
The money wouldn’t be as easy to make thereafter, requiring long journeys.
This wealth was certainly a substantial income for Panda, an Inner City Pioneer.
Such is the opportunity of the new Development Zone!
“`