A faint smile touched Bao Mu’s lips when he saw the message. He knew Dawn Base wouldn’t be able to hold out.
"One ton of water per person!" Bao Mu replied.
Before the flood, a ton of residential water only cost about three yuan. If you used an exceptional amount, you’d jump to the next tier, and the price might be higher.
But now, one ton of water was the price for one person.
Jing Shu rejected the offer outright: "Impossible! At least ten tons of water per person!"
Bao Mu smiled faintly. "Do you think you’re in any position to bargain?"
Jing Shu’s brow furrowed. "At worst, we’ll both walk away with nothing!"
Seeing this message, Bao Mu frowned slightly. "Two tons of water per person, max. If you don’t agree, then forget it!"
Jing Shu was silent for a long time before finally agreeing. "Fine. Two tons per person it is. We’ll arrange for two hundred people to go over this time. When can you deliver the water?"
"Only two hundred people? That’s a bit on the low side!" Bao Mu replied, dissatisfied.
"Yes, only two hundred!" Jing Shu’s tone was firm.
"Fine. If our supply ship wasn’t already near you, we wouldn’t make a special trip for a deal involving only two hundred people. It’d be too much of a loss!" Bao Mu curled his lip and replied, "Our supply ship should reach your position in about four hours. You hand the people over to the ship, and the water on board is enough for the trade!"
Jing Shu’s eyes lit up slightly as he replied, "Okay!"
After ending the call, Jing Shu began to ponder.
’Should I take this supply ship?’
’Xi’an Base’s supply ship is bound to have fuel and water. If we can capture it, it would definitely alleviate Dawn Base’s water shortage.’
’But right now, no one knows how long this toxic rain will last!’
’If I make a move this time, it’s the same as completely falling out with Xi’an Base. I’d never be able to buy purified water from Xi’an Base again!’
Jing Shu hesitated, but ultimately decided against it. Even if he were to act, he’d wait until after the supply ship had left Dawn Base’s vicinity.
His staff officer quickly selected two hundred people. These were all survivors who were slightly older and lacked any professional skills. Of course, they weren’t exactly the old, weak, sick, or disabled.
The old, weak, sick, and disabled wouldn’t have even survived this long!
Upon being chosen, those people felt both happy and sad.
They were happy because they were going to Xi’an Base to seek a chance at survival. Though the hope was slim, it was still hope.
They were sad because they were the ones being abandoned by Dawn Base.
"The base truly has no other choice. We hope everything goes smoothly for all of you from now on. This cup of water is the base’s farewell toast to you!" the staff officer said in a low voice, looking at the two hundred chosen people.
"Thank you, Captain! Thank you, Base!"
The people responded and hastily picked up the cups of water before them, draining them in one gulp.
It finally eased a fraction of their dehydration, but they were still thirsty. Incredibly thirsty!
"Once you reach Xi’an Base, you’ll be able to drink your fill. Their ship will take about four more hours to arrive. Get some rest for now!" The staff officer offered them a beautiful, empty promise before leaving.
Returning to the captain’s office, the staff officer reported the details of the survivor selection.
Jing Shu nodded slightly. "Yes, you did well. Follow this principle for selecting people from now on."
The staff officer frowned slightly. "Captain, do you mean we’ll be making more trades like this in the future?"
"I don’t want to make these trades either, but we have no choice. Who’s to blame but ourselves for not having enough water purification equipment!" Jing Shu sighed and replied.
The staff officer shook his head helplessly, then asked in a low voice, "Captain, should we try to take Xi’an Base’s supply ship?"
Jing Shu shook his head. "Don’t touch it for now. At least, not during this trade."
"Understood!" the staff officer replied.
Four hours passed quickly.
Xi’an Base’s supply ship slowly approached Dawn Base, stopping two kilometers away.
Seeing the massive supply ship, Jing Shu felt a pang of temptation.
But when he saw the number of cannons on the supply ship, as well as the six speedboats surrounding it, he suppressed the restless impulse.
Judging by the numbers, Dawn Base really couldn’t be certain of victory against this supply ship.
Unless the supply ship stayed put and all of Dawn Base’s large ships surrounded it, only then might they have a chance of capturing it.
Just then, the supply captain sent a message to Jing Shu: "Captain Jing Shu, I have come under orders to conduct the trade. Please arrange for a boat to bring the people over, and bring containers. I will transfer the purified water to you."
"Understood. Wait a moment, I’ll arrange for a boat to head over now!" Jing Shu replied.
He found a medium-sized boat to send the two hundred people over. Xi’an Base’s supply ship then transferred four hundred tons of purified water into the containers on the medium-sized boat.
An hour later, the trade was complete, and the supply ship left with the two hundred people.
"Captain, that Xi’an Base supply ship is huge. It must be full of supplies!" The staff officer was also tempted.
Jing Shu nodded slightly. "It is. But that supply ship is heavily armed! A frontal assault would be difficult."
"If we’re really going to make a move, we’ll need a solid plan!" the staff officer agreed. "Perhaps we can do something with the people we trade over!"
Jing Shu froze for a second, then said, "You’re right. That’s a great idea. Let’s discuss it in detail."
After leaving Dawn Base, the supply ship headed straight for Xi’an Base.
The teams sent out to search for Peach Blossom Base had all come down with varying degrees of diarrhea. Coupled with the loss of three squads and the raging toxic rain, Bao Mu decided to put the search on hold for a while and recalled his teams.
"Lord Bao Mu, we’ve completed the trade and are on our way back to base." The supply captain reported the ship’s status to Bao Mu.
"Did Dawn Base try anything funny?" Bao Mu asked.
The supply captain shook his head. "Nothing so far!"
"Good, then come back. Be careful on the way," Bao Mu nodded slightly and instructed.
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, Ren Yuanyang’s group, who were also on their way back, spotted the Xi’an Base supply ship convoy.
"Chief, there’s a large ship up ahead, escorted by six speedboats. From the look of the speedboats, I think they belong to Xi’an Base!" Lu Jiamei, with her exceptional eyesight, was the first to spot the supply ship.
"It seems that after losing three speedboats in a row, Xi’an Base has finally learned its lesson. They know to stick together now," Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "What are the defenses on the big ship like?"
Lu Jiamei observed carefully for a moment before replying, "I can see a lot of cannon barrels!"
"Looks like this ship won’t be easy to take," Ren Yuanyang frowned, then ordered, "We’ll go around them."
If the enemy had cannons, it would be difficult for their speedboats to get close. With that much firepower, charging in would likely get them hit by shells. There was no need to take such a risk.
Lu Jiamei relayed Ren Yuanyang’s order. From boat number four, Yu Ren suddenly asked, "Chief, did we run into a Xi’an Base team again?"
"Yes. This time they have a large ship and six speedboats. The ship has a lot of cannons, making it difficult for us to handle," Ren Yuanyang replied.
"Chief, since we’ve run into them, why not take them down?" Yu Ren continued. "I remember our base has that very potent Confusing Fragrance."
Ren Yuanyang immediately understood his meaning, but he shook his head slightly. "We do have a Confusing Fragrance made from Mandala, but we’d have to get close to them to use it. The problem now is that getting close is too dangerous."
"Chief, leave it to me!" Yu Ren immediately volunteered.
Whenever Xi’an Base was involved, Yu Ren’s fighting spirit soared.
After all, Xi’an Base had tried to absorb their group and had beaten him so badly he was left for dead.
Ren Yuanyang frowned slightly. "This is too dangerous. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Of course, Chief! Let me try!" Yu Ren pleaded. "Even if I fail, they won’t be able to catch me!"
"Don’t be careless. Xi’an Base most likely has torpedoes. Even if you’re hiding in the water, you might not be safe," Ren Yuanyang couldn’t help but remind him.
Yu Ren nodded. "I understand. Thank you for the warning, Chief. But I still want to try."
Ren Yuanyang pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Come over and get the Confusing Fragrance."
"Thank you, Chief!" Yu Ren immediately grew excited.
Ren Yuanyang’s group moved off to one side. Yu Ren came to boat number one and took the Confusing Fragrance from Ren Yuanyang’s hands.
"Remember, once you open it, throw it as quickly as possible. Be careful not to inhale it yourself!" Ren Yuanyang instructed.
"Right, I understand!" Yu Ren nodded, wrapped the packets of Confusing Fragrance securely, attached them to his waist, and jumped straight into the water.
Ren Yuanyang continued to give orders: "Have the other three speedboats take all the seeds and return directly to base. We’ll stay here to cover Yu Ren."
"Yes, sir!" Lu Jiamei immediately began transferring the seeds from their speedboat.

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