#111 - Chapter 111 Discussion before separation

Secondly, he was telling Mayor Gong that unless he was in charge, he would rather choose a new site than consider building an underground base here.

Of course, Niu Xingwang had the strength to directly remove Mayor Gong from his position and take over as the director of the resettlement camp himself. But what would he gain from that? With Dongfang Chen's support, he lacked nothing except official position and influence. Why would he want to be labeled a rebel?

He was giving Mayor Gong one last chance, a final opportunity to choose.

Mayor Gong no longer possessed the vision and breadth of mind to continue leading the resettlement camp. If he was unwilling to relinquish the power in his hands, then Niu Xingwang would no longer waste time on him.

Mayor Gong understood the implications. In the post-apocalyptic world, losing power meant losing the foundation for survival. But if he didn't give up this power, and Niu Xingwang left him, would Meilin Resettlement Camp have a future?

He was acutely aware of Niu Xingwang's value, and he understood the relationship between the future of Meilin Resettlement Camp and Niu Xingwang.

"If you return to Binjiang, will the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild also withdraw?" Mayor Gong asked, wanting to make a final attempt.

Niu Xingwang had already discerned Mayor Gong's choice: he would not relinquish the power in his hands.

"Mayor Gong, rest assured, the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild will continue to stay here and fulfill their value. Moreover, I plan to open branches of the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild in every resettlement camp in the near future," Niu Xingwang said without concealing his intentions.

"What?" Mayor Gong was once again shocked by Niu Xingwang.

He truly never ceased to amaze.

He had come today intending to discuss with Niu Xingwang the possibility of expanding the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild's business, selling equipment and weapons to other resettlement camps, and promoting the resettlement camp's currency as well. But he never expected Niu Xingwang to think even bigger and act even more decisively, directly establishing branches in every resettlement camp.

What great courage, and what great strength!

Only now did he realize that he and Niu Xingwang were not on the same path. He now only wanted to be a local tyrant in his small corner, while Niu Xingwang was thinking of dominating the world!

What he didn't know was that Niu Xingwang was merely a figurehead pushed to the forefront by Dongfang Chen. And all of this was just a small part of Project Firefly.

"However, Mayor Gong, since I've decided to choose a new site to build an underground base, there are a few points that need to be discussed with you," Niu Xingwang said.

Mayor Gong looked at him without saying a word.

"Firstly, once the base is built, the headquarters of the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild will be located in my base, and Meilin will only be adjusted to a branch office."

In fact, Niu Xingwang didn't need to worry about the construction of the underground base at all; Dongfang Chen would naturally take care of everything. This was just a pretext.

"Secondly, I will launch a new electronic currency to serve as the common currency for the Chamber of Commerce in all resettlement camps. I hope Mayor Gong can understand that the risk is too great for me if I don't control the right to issue currency."

Mayor Gong could neither understand nor agree, but there was nothing he could do. If the Huatong Chamber of Commerce and the Mercenary Guild didn't recognize it, then the electronic currency in his hands would just be a string of useless numbers. Even without the computing power support provided by the Huatong Chamber of Commerce, the currency settlement business couldn't be carried out.

The issuance of currency requires credit guarantees. This was not the peaceful era, and the resettlement camps were already struggling to survive, let alone having the ability and strength to provide such guarantees. It was like building a tall building; the foundation must be solid. What would happen if the building was built on sand? Wouldn't it collapse in an instant?

There was also a key point: crystal nuclei were actually used as the standard currency. To be honest, only Niu Xingwang dared to use money to buy crystal nuclei in Meilin. No one else dared to because collecting crystal nuclei was useless and didn't generate value.

Even if he wanted to keep it in his hands, it was unrealistic.

"Thirdly, Mayor Gong doesn't need to worry. All business will proceed as usual, without the slightest change. In fact, I will even allocate more resources to Meilin."

Mayor Gong finally felt relieved upon hearing this. It was best if there were no changes; if there were no changes, his Meilin Resettlement Camp would not be in chaos. With the resources injected by Niu Xingwang, the resettlement camp would continue to thrive.

"In that case, I, Gong, will not insist. After all, Boss Niu is from Binjiang. I hope we can cooperate more in the future," Mayor Gong said with polite words.

"Definitely. I hope Mayor Gong can open the door of convenience and we can help each other," Niu Xingwang said as he stood up.

"Definitely!" The two shook hands with smiles.

Having settled this matter, Niu Xingwang reported the results to Dongfang Chen.

Dongfang Chen was not surprised by this result, and even felt that Mayor Gong had a certain awareness. If he chose to turn against them, it would be a real loss, and in the end, he would get nothing.

Now that it was determined that the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild had to be built in Binjiang, Dongfang Chen had to plan carefully.

The base was in the dark, while the Chamber of Commerce and the Guild were in the open. The two must be separated on the surface.