Chapter 28 It's All Business
"Old friend, I didn't expect it, but I'm back."
Jiang Xia was "escorted" by several Black Hand warriors to the deserted town, to the room where Rogge was. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Rogge standing in front of him.
A smile appeared on his face, as if he were meeting old friends, and he opened his arms towards Roger.
The latter also had a hypocritical smile on his face and hugged Jiang Xia.
The two patted each other on the shoulders. There was no trace of the previous tense scene of gnashing of teeth, love and hate. It really was like the reunion of old friends.
Jiang Xia doesn't feel any psychological pressure.
But Jasmine, who was beside him, was not like that.
The girl tightly grasped the pulse pistol, with her baby's old goggles worn around her neck. Her fingers were so tight that they were cramping. The experience of having four or five guns pointed at her body was too exciting.
The Black Hand Society and the Eternal Life Society already have conflicts, and the murderous intent of those warriors just now was not fake. It feels terrible to put your life in the hands of other people.
She really didn't want to do it again.
But the boss is awesome.
Jasmine followed Jiang Xia and stood at the edge of the room, watching Jiang Xia and Rogge chatting and laughing. This thought popped into her little head: Is he really not afraid at all?
"Don't be afraid, there won't be a fight."
Su noticed Jasmine's nervous expression and whispered something to her. The latter raised her head and glanced at him, but still did not let go of the pistol in her hand.
She is now Jiang Xia's employee, so naturally she has to listen to Jiang Xia.
"Su, didn't you bring some local specialties? Take them out for your eldest son to try, and then go outside and share the water and food.
We have had a hard time in this desert, so let's take today as an opportunity to improve our lives."
Jiang Xia sat down on the only two chairs in this simple house without any hesitation, waved behind him, and gave orders to Su naturally.
Su took off a few oil paper bags from his body, placed them on the table made of alloy box, and looked at Rogge again.
The two looked at each other.
There was relaxation and gentleness in Roger's eyes.
He nodded to Su, indicating that he should just do it and not worry.
Su also nodded.
The young man stood up and glanced at Jiang Xia, who was sitting on a chair with a big horse and a golden sword. He must be talking about something with Rogge, and it would be inconvenient for him to participate.
He turned and left, but after taking a few steps, he heard Jiang Xia say:
"Don't forget what I told you before you came. Don't use the chip communication to eavesdrop. Children should not interrupt when adults are talking... Jasmine is watching you."
This is a warning.
Su spent three days there and knew a lot of inside information.
Before the negotiation, he must not be allowed to get involved. If the old fox Rogge finds out the key, the business will be in trouble.
Jasmine, who was standing behind Jiang Xia, also imitated Jiang Xia and pointed at her forehead to Su with a malicious smile on her face.
What I mean is that she is monitoring the information wave frequency band, so Su can't play any tricks.
Su curled his lips. He wanted to tell Rogge something, but he couldn't say it now. He looked back at Rogge, who gave him a reassuring look.
The young man walked out of the house, and three of his companions with guns were guarding outside the door to prevent any problems from happening inside.
The other warriors of the Black Hand Society who got the news also swarmed over. Even the sturdy man who had won the arm wrestling match earlier came over with his trousers held up, along with the female warrior Emily, whose face was flushed and whose clothes were in disarray.
Su brought back a lot of things, mostly food and drinks. The taste might not be very good, but it was definitely much better than the liquid nutritious meals in the wasteland.
There are also some dry drinks that taste very good.
Everyone gathered together and took large and small bags from Su. Some had already started eating, while others were still talking to Su. The crowd of more than a dozen people burst into exclamations and cheers.
Su was also very relaxed. He took one last look back at the house, then carried some food and walked towards the bar surrounded by everyone.
Today is destined to be a good day for a party.
——
"The people under you are really energetic."
It was quiet outside the house, and the conversation inside the house had just begun. Jiang Xia reached out and opened a few oil paper packages on the table in front of him. The aroma of bacon and vegetables echoed, as well as some of Mrs. Niu's specialty buns.
For a business negotiation, this banquet was a bit too simple, but for the situation in the wasteland, it was sumptuous enough.
Jiang Xia made a "please" gesture, leaned back in his chair, and said to Rogge:
"I really don't understand why you wastelanders have so many happy things every day when your life is so bad."
"If you live here for a few more years, you will understand."
Roger did not answer this question. He did not care whether there was something put in the food in front of him. He reached out and picked up a bun, looked at it in front of his eyes, then put it into his mouth and took a bite.
The meat filling is mixed with fragrant vegetable leaves and the dough is moderately sour and soft. When you take a bite, the taste is complex and it will whet your appetite.
The black fox from the wasteland didn't care about his eating manners. He finished a bun in three or two bites, and gave a thumbs up to Jiang Xia who was looking at him, indicating that the bun tasted good.
He used the fork at hand to pick up a piece of beef and put it into his mouth.
I drank on an empty stomach this morning, and the food went into my stomach, making me feel warm and comfortable.
"Thank you for taking care of Su for me for the past ten days."
Rogge ate a few pieces of meat, reached into the iron cabinet next to him, opened the drawer, took out a wooden box, opened it, took out two neatly wrapped cigars, and threw one to Jiang Xia.
He said:
"Thank you for saving his life and sending him back home. These are the cigars my grandfather left behind. They are priceless.
The consumables produced before the nuclear war are now considered luxury goods. I give them to you to smoke as a token of my gratitude. "
Jiang Xia took it in his hand, opened the package, squeezed it skillfully, put it to his mouth and snapped his fingers. Jasmine behind him curled her lips and stretched out her left hand fingers.
A small flamethrower stepped out of the prosthetic body and lit Jiang Xia's cigar.
"Fu..."
Jiang Xia puffed out a long puff of smoke like a real old smoker. His mind was a little dazed, as if he was drunk. He liked this feeling and leaned back in the chair comfortably.
She crossed her legs again and looked at Roger who continued to eat buns.
After a few seconds of silence, he said:
"Let's get down to business."
"good."
Rogge stuffed the last bun into his mouth, wiped his mouth with the bold gesture unique to wastelanders, raised his head, and lit a cigar for himself.
While puffing out smoke, he squinted his eyes and looked at Jiang Xia.
explain:
"What do we have to give you to take us there?"
Jiang Xia shrugged, stretched out his hand, drew a circle in front of his eyes, and said:
"I have a big appetite."
Roger fell silent.
The light in the room was a little dim. Dust was flying in the light coming in from the window. No one spoke, and Jiang Xia didn't seem to be in a hurry.
He just looked at Roger, waiting for his decision.
"Are you in trouble over there?"
Roger said:
"You stopped Su from telling me some information because you didn't want me to take the initiative and make an exorbitant offer? You want to hire us?"
"Hire? That's a good word."
Jiang Xia flicked the ash off his cigarette and said slowly:
"But I don't have money, so I can't hire you. How about this? You don't have to ask for a salary. In the future, you can work and do business with me, and I will give you shares. How about that?"
"You really have a big appetite."
Rogge laughed, picked up a piece of fried fish, put the whole thing into his mouth, without spitting out the bones, and chewed it with a crunching sound.
He said:
"I told you before that we are not running away. We still have accounts to settle here. We will come back sooner or later. Have you forgotten?"
"I don't need all of you to come over."
Jiang Xia said:
"There are many things you are good at that you can't do over there. Let's be honest. I need you to come back occasionally. I need the productivity of your world.
You see, I am not a warmonger and I have no interest in war. I am a businessman and I want to do business. What kind of business is there without products?"
Roger nodded.
Jiang Xia revealed his bottom line, which was a bit harsh, but not unacceptable.
He thought for a few seconds and said:
“Personally, I am willing to give up everything in exchange for the safety we need most right now. I will not hide it from you, the next wave of attacks from the Eternal Life Society will come soon.
With the current strength of the Black Hand Society, they cannot stop it.
We both have the basis for cooperation and the intention to cooperate, but there is a fatal problem that has not yet been resolved."
He rubbed the wrinkles on his forehead and said to Jiang Xia:
“Trust, how do we ensure trust?
How can we guarantee that you won't ambush us in that world and stab us in the back? And how can you trust me and my brothers that we won't suddenly turn against each other after we go to your world?"
He spread his hands, without reservation, and said seriously:
"Due to the consequences of our last 'cooperation', we can't do anything until this problem is resolved."
"Simple!"
Jiang Xia had thought about this problem a long time ago.
He also had the answer.
He raised his hand, pointed to his forehead, and said to Roger:
“The thing you tried to implant in me last time, the little gadget you put in my brain, you thought I was different from you, so it was hard to trust me.
I installed one for myself, and then everyone will be the same.
I asked Jasmine, there is a specific cooperation agreement in the deep interaction of chip information. As long as both parties sign the information agreement, they cannot make hostile attacks. "
"That stuff is for the laymen."
Roger immediately shook his head and said:
"As long as there is a skilled hacker, he can block the protocol and modify the prosthesis beyond the safety restrictions, and bypass the agreement..."
Having said this, Roger suddenly stopped.
He looked at Jiang Xia, who had a confident smile on his face.
Oh, right.
Jiang Xia is not a wastelander, and there is no offensive prosthesis in his body. He is pure flesh and blood. Once the chip is installed, the cooperation agreement will bind him 100%.
"You... aren't you afraid that we will fall out?"
Roger asked seriously:
"We are different from you. I have a way to bypass the security protocol and attack you. As long as there is a bullet in the back, I can kill you."
"Why should I be afraid?"
Jiang Xia shook his head and said lazily:
"The secret method of traveling through the world is in my hands. If I die, you will be trapped there forever. This is a monopoly business. I like monopoly because the pricing power is completely in my hands.
Roger.
You have no initiative at the beginning.
I can ask for a sky-high price, and all you can do is accept it in full. However, I don’t like that kind of dog training cooperation model, and I don’t want to do a one-time deal.
It is not in my interest to have a bunch of angry and complaining men under my command.
Since we want to cooperate, we have to make both parties satisfied, so as not to bury a mine that may explode at any time. The reason why I have to add a chip to myself is...
Just to reassure you.
Go ahead.
Accept it or not! "
Rogge took a deep breath, shrugged his shoulders, curled his lips, then stood up and stretched out his hand towards Jiang Xia.
The next moment, their hands were held together.
Cooperation established.
"Oh, by the way, there is one last supplementary agreement."
Jiang Xia blew out a puff of smoke, pointed at Rogge and said with a smile:
"I don't need you to order any good stuff for me, and I don't need your treasured gadgets. I'm an easy-going person and I never refuse useful second-hand goods.
So, I will...
The chip in your head that is working! Give me a part of you, and we can both rest assured."
