“The streets are teeming with people, and the entrances to the shelters are packed tight. Those who can’t get in, those who can’t afford supplies, and those with nowhere else to go are all wandering the streets.”
“At this very moment, people are dying in the Outer City constantly...”
“Some freeze to death, some starve, some are beaten to death while fighting over supplies, and others are trampled in the chaos.”
“Who is going to handle all of that?”
He looked directly at Su Wan, his voice dropping an octave.
“If you want the management rights to the Outer City, then you are the one who has to deal with these things.”
“Do you know how to appease those desperate commoners?”
“Do you know how to allocate limited resources to save the most people in the shortest amount of time?”
Su Wan listened quietly before asking in return, “Commander Pei, are you testing me?”
Pei Su shook his head, his tone sincere.
“Miss Su, I am not testing you; I am reminding you.”
“Management rights of the Outer City at a time like this—”
He paused and gave a bitter smile. “—is a hot potato.”
“Whoever takes it on is in for a world of trouble.”
Once Pei Su finished, Su Wan spoke slowly.
“Commander Pei, you just said that if I am willing, you would make me a Vice Commander of the City Defense Force, with a status equal to Zhuang Heng’s.”
“You also said that after Terminal Station is incorporated into the City Defense Force, not only would you not interfere with its development, but you would also provide resources and send capable subordinates to help me manage and grow the station...”
“But despite saying all that, you haven’t given me anything substantial.”
“Every single promise has been purely verbal.”
She tilted her head, a hint of mockery in the smile at the corners of her mouth.
“Commander Pei, you surely don’t think I’m some little girl who can be fooled by a few choice words, do you?”
The gentle smile on Pei Su’s face stiffened for a moment.
Su Wan leaned back into her chair, her voice returning to a calm tone.
“Therefore, I want the management rights of the Outer City.”
“If you aren’t even willing to give me that, then this so-called cooperation—”
She shook her head, her tone filled with disappointment.
“—is nothing more than a castle in the air.”
Silence fell over the Meeting Room once again.
Pei Su leaned back, lost in thought.
He was wondering what Su Wan’s true objective was.
On the surface, it seemed Su Wan wanted the management rights of the Outer City as a sign of the City Defense Force’s sincerity.
But Pei Su felt that things weren’t that simple.
Su Wan was a smart woman.
A woman who could run a shelter of over three thousand people on the edge of the Ruin Zone, a woman who could make a Level 3 Ability User willingly risk his life for her, and a woman who dared to walk into the City Defense Force headquarters alone—
Such a person would never do something that offered her no benefit at all.
While he had exaggerated slightly when describing the current state of the Outer City, most of it was the truth.
The Outer City right now was an absolute mess.
The investment required and the future returns were completely disproportionate.
He believed Su Wan could definitely see that, yet she still insisted on the management rights. What exactly was she after?
Pei Su couldn’t figure it out.
Seeing Pei Su’s indecision, Su Wan decided to add more fuel to the fire.
“Commander Pei, what are you hesitating for?”
“The meager taxes those commoners pay every year aren’t even enough for you to pay the City Defense Force’s salaries once.”
“Those public shelters, whether during a Cold Wave or a Death Tide, consume massive amounts of manpower and resources to maintain. You’ve wanted to throw off that burden for a long time, haven’t you?”
Su Wan continued, her voice growing softer yet carrying more weight.
“Now that someone is taking the initiative to help you take over that burden, you should be happy.”
“Why are you hesitating instead?”
She paused, her gaze meeting Pei Su’s directly as she spoke word by word.
“Unless—” her voice dropped even lower, “—you never intended to actually let me become a Vice Commander of the City Defense Force from the very beginning?”
“Are all those words you said just empty promises?”
“You just want to use a piece of paper and empty talk to annex Terminal Station and bring me into the fold—”
“Wait until Terminal Station is part of the City Defense Force, wait until my power is infiltrated by your 'capable subordinates,' wait until my three thousand vagrants are taken over by your people—”
“—and then eliminate me, the original master of Terminal Station...”
“Is that the plan you’ve been making?”
Su Wan’s voice echoed in the Meeting Room, each word stabbing into Pei Su’s heart like a knife.
Pei Su remained silent for a long time.
Then, he laughed.
The laugh was light and faint, carrying an indescribable meaning.
“Miss Su, you truly are no ordinary person.”
He leaned forward slightly, his hands clasped on the table as he looked at Su Wan. “You’re right. To me, the Outer City is indeed a thankless task.”
“I can’t look after the lives of those commoners, nor do I want to.”
He paused, his voice turning grave.
“But the Outer City is, after all, a part of Panshi City.”
“If I am to hand it over to you, I need a reason.”
Su Wan looked at him, the corners of her mouth curling slightly.
“The reason is simple.”
“You give me the Outer City, I trust your sincerity, and I agree to incorporate Terminal Station into the City Defense Force.”
“It is as simple as that.”
Pei Su stared at Su Wan, his gaze like a torch. “Fine, I agree!”
As Pei Su’s words fell, the Meeting Room went quiet for a few seconds.
Su Wan looked at him. The smile on her lips didn’t fade, but a hint of scrutiny appeared in her eyes.
This old fox agreed that easily?
“However—” Pei Su changed the subject, “—since the City Defense Force has shown its sincerity, shouldn’t Miss Su show some of her own?”
Su Wan’s brow twitched slightly. “Please, speak, Commander Pei.”
Pei Su leaned back and pointed a finger toward the middle-aged woman behind him.
“Her name is Shen Han. She is my most loyal subordinate and has been with me for nearly twenty years.”
Su Wan looked up. Shen Han’s head was still lowered, her face devoid of any expression.
“I want her to become your assistant and go to Terminal Station to help you handle the shelter’s affairs.” Pei Su’s voice was unhurried, as if he were discussing a trivial matter.
“Of course, in name, she will only be your deputy. All final decisions regarding Terminal Station will still be made by you.”
After listening, Su Wan understood completely.
So that was it.
The plan Pei Su was making was almost exactly what she had guessed.
A Level 4 Mid Stage Ability User was stronger than her and would certainly be stronger than anyone inside Terminal Station.
As long as Shen Han went to Terminal Station, with her strength, it wouldn’t take long for her to take control of everything.
When that time came, Terminal Station would still be hers in name, but in reality, it would belong to the City Defense Force.
But for all of that to happen, Shen Han had to be absolutely loyal to Pei Su.
Su Wan’s gaze fell on Shen Han, carefully scrutinizing the middle-aged woman.
Rate on N.U.
