Chapter 176 - T0 of the Negotiation World
Huh?
Lu Yuan didn't know how to respond for a moment. Are all Emerald Star people so straightforward?
“Woo…”,
Guo Li Cheng and Nan Guo de Xue let out continuous “growls” under their helmets.
Cao Yuan: “What’s wrong with you two? Are you hungry?”
Ma Lou: “Ha, they’re jealous, aren’t they?”
Guo Li Cheng’s tone was resentful: “Don’t be ridiculous, how could I be jealous of two NPC characters? It’s just that—”
Nan Guo de Xue: “It’s just that, as our side’s charming leader, the Executive Officer was suddenly flirted with by a strange woman, and we’re very unhappy about it.”
“Then that’s still jealousy!”
Cao Yuan scratched the back of his head through his helmet.
“Hmm—as a male, I don’t quite understand this emotion, but shouldn’t we interfere with the Executive Officer’s private life?”
Nan Guo de Xue: “Just imagine, what if that woman becomes the boss and might interfere with financial and task allocation powers in the future.”
Ye Xing: “Not that kind of thing!”
What are you all talking about…
Lu Yuan cleared his throat.
“Ahem—in short, Miss Sasha, my proposal is for cooperation to quickly conquer the Infinite Deep Space ruins and fulfill your long-cherished wish.”
Sasha neither agreed nor refused.
“What do you hope to gain from this, Mr. Executive Officer?”
“Specifically, four things. First, your guidance and camp services, as well as Emerald Life Science’s algorithmic data for human gene modification.”
“No problem.”
Sasha didn't hesitate. It was clear that these were not valuable to her.
“Then, the complete process for biological extraction of zero element.”
“That’s also no problem.”
Since it was already known that zero element could be obtained from Emerald Star biological remains, even if Sasha disagreed, Cang Yuan only needed to hunt enough animals and, through persistent dissection, scanning, and scientific experiments, would eventually figure out its secrets.
It just meant recruiting more Scholars and spending more time.
Sasha must have realized this, so she readily agreed.
And for Lu Yuan, these two transactions were just appetizers.
The main course was next!
“Finally, if we completely conquer the ruins, I hope you can tell me the truth about that place. Our side needs to share the knowledge within, and at the same time, I hope to be able to prioritize taking one-third of the obtained supplies.”
What he truly wanted was only the “Star Sea Relic” that the system task indicated had a chance of being unearthed. However, he certainly couldn't tell Sasha he only wanted one item, otherwise, with her shrewdness, she might detect something and directly refuse.
Under the premise of sharing knowledge, one-third of the spoils, and prioritized selection, was a quantity close to the limit of negotiation psychological endurance.
“This way, you’ll be taking away most of the spoils, and we’ve been working hard here for nearly four centuries.”
Not only Sasha, but even the players felt that this demand seemed a bit harsh.
But Lu Yuan did not give in; his reasons were ample.
“With all due respect, without external assistance, Emerald Life Science will likely find it very difficult to make progress, and it will get harder every day.
Your ancestors arrived on Emerald Star four centuries ago, and to this day, they have not only failed to complete their mission but also seem to have lost their aerospace capabilities. This indicates that a significant portion of the initial supplies must have been accidentally lost and have not been replenished.”
Sasha nodded lightly.
This was indeed her biggest pain point.
She deeply desired resource replenishment and placed great importance on this meeting.
So much so that when she first heard Rita report that “guests” had arrived, she found it hard to believe it was true and was so happy she jumped up on the spot.
To pretend to be calm, even aloof, in front of the Executive Officer was already taking all her effort. If she had a tail, she would probably be wagging it uncontrollably right now.
Therefore, one must know when to stop!
Especially when knowing the other party is extremely shrewd.
“Hmm—our earliest base was much larger than this, right next to the parent company’s research institute, but due to lack of experience, the site selection was too poor, and it was besieged and destroyed by biological disasters after only three years. All right, even if I agree to the terms of the transaction, what can you provide?”
“Convenient air transport services, ample material supplies including power, and a large number of fully armed warriors capable of helping you complete your mission,”
The benevolent Lu Yuan replied.
Since the transport aircraft were equipped with nuclear reactors, they could be used as small power stations after landing.
Sasha smiled faintly.
“Thank you for your kindness, but merely providing weapons and ammunition is sufficient. Leave the combat to us; I will abide by the transaction agreement, please rest assured of that. The dangers of Emerald Star are beyond your imagination, and I don’t have extra personnel to serve as your escorts.”
Sasha thought that Lu Yuan wanted to send his subordinates to follow, merely to prevent the spoils from being taken.
Heh!
While that was part of the intention, this was a bit condescending!
“At least let’s try cooperating once, Big Sister.”
Guo Li Cheng sounded a bit displeased, “When we first arrived, we weren’t used to the environment and were a bit disoriented, that’s all.”
“My people are very good at close-quarters combat inside buildings,” Lu Yuan explained, “whereas your field teams probably spend most of their time fighting jungle warfare outside and haven’t had much opportunity to enter the ruins to gain combat experience, have they?”
Rita lowered her head beside him.
This person is really amazing, he hit the nail on the head again!
There was no refuting this reason.
The field team's specialty was wilderness survival and reconnaissance. Currently, they could only ensure no casualties in the jungle. Once inside the research institute, which was infested with various dangerous predators, their flexibility and vision were limited, and their frontal combat capability was insufficient.
“Then we must first ascertain your strength. This is responsible for both sides.” Sasha conceded slightly.
“Of course!” Lu Yuan’s lips curled into a smile, knowing that the matter was settled.
“We can practice together in the wild for a few days first. During this time, we will also need you to be our teachers and explain the characteristics of the local harmful species.”
“Hmm—all right.”
Seeing the Executive Officer’s humble attitude and genuine consideration, Sasha had no reason to refuse this kind offer.
She marked out several buildings within her outpost, assigning them to Cang Yuan as their future camp.
Cang Yuan first ate and drank their fill, then rested completely.
Upon waking, the group, under Lu Yuan’s command, began to update their equipment.
Their previous gear had major problems!
The Dragon Breath shotgun had proven its worth in actual combat, so more of them would definitely be needed later.
This weapon would consume a large amount of rare gas, and frankly, even Cang Yuan Li Star Headquarters' inventory was struggling to keep up, but Emerald Life Science had sufficient reserves here. Lu Yuan planned to borrow some directly and repay it later with other services.
This matter was quickly settled.
Additionally, according to Rita’s experience, Emerald Star creatures are extremely tenacious, and when hunting them, the wounds caused by weapons must be large enough and long enough, preferably capable of quick dismemberment.
Therefore, the importance of plasma melee weapons was also elevated, especially bladed weapons. High-rate-of-fire Gatlings were also useful, though their sustained firepower was poor.
As for boltguns and personal electromagnetic cannons, carrying one or two as spares would suffice; there weren't many opportunities for long-range shooting in actual combat.
All three 3D printers were dragged out of the cargo hold and transported to the temporary camp, where they began replicating Dragon Breath at a rate of one per 8 hours.
Lu Yuan attended classes with the players every night, learning from Rita about the opponents they would encounter in the ruins.
On the fourth day, the first joint training began. The Cang Yuan team followed the Emerald Life Science field team on a hunt, but after half a day of hard work,
The final harvest was not much.
Without the aid of various sensors, especially thermal imaging, the players felt very unaccustomed. They could only rely on the Emerald Life Science field team, or the two high-perception characters Ye Xing and the Executive Officer, for visual spotting, which was inefficient.
But it didn't matter. In the evening, everyone reviewed and discussed how to improve their tactics.
Since it was impossible to improve their eyesight in a short time, they would fully trust Emerald Life Science, cooperate with them, first investigate the distribution of nearby prey, and then plan their tactical routes in advance.
On the fifth day, the number of zero element creatures hunted significantly increased.
By the sixth day, Rita was surprised to find that the two groups were already able to cooperate, and their cooperation was highly efficient!
She realized that the Executive Officer hadn't lied; this team possessed extremely high combat talent and extensive practical experience.
Most impressive was the courage of these people; they dared to attempt dangerous bait tactics and close-range ambushes, and they showed no fear of close combat, even advocating for close-quarters fighting with prey with the goal of causing dismemberment and crippling injuries.
They were completely unafraid of injury, one could even say unafraid of death.
Seeing this scene, even the most experienced field team members had to admit that these people were truly ruthless!
After producing eight Dragon Breaths, the team began using the 3D printers to help the field team repair their previously damaged weapons in exchange for rare gases from their side.
Later, this expanded to repairing damaged home appliances for the residents, earning them a lot of goodwill.
In the eyes of these golden age survivors, Cang Yuan’s atomic-level 3D printers were still incredibly advanced and amazing.
According to Sasha, the major human factions of the golden age implemented strict technological classification management systems, only allowing the circulation of their top-tier technology in core star regions, with technological levels progressively decreasing outwards, commonly known as the Inner Ring, Mid-Ring, and Outer Ring star systems.
A few large factions would also add two more classifications on top of this: Frontier Star Systems and Barbarian Star Systems.
Typically, the technological level of the Outer Ring star systems and the core star regions could differ by more than a century, and even by two centuries compared to current laboratory technology.
Practice proved this to be the most effective way to prevent local rebellions and other factions from stealing their technological patents. Only the main fleet was exempt from this restriction and could carry top-tier technology between various star systems.
As a joint venture subsidiary of Infinite Deep Space, Emerald Life Science’s technology was between second and third tier.
After landing on Emerald Star, due to insufficient personnel and an incomplete technology tree, they later suffered from the harsh natural environment, leading to technological degradation. Currently, they only possess a true technological level of around 2600 in the field of biological science, and about 2700 in terms of knowledge reserves.
But even so, Lu Yuan estimated that the biological extraction of zero element alone was enough to dominate the entire Star Alliance.
Gradually, the team's reputation began to rise within the outpost.
Terms like “foreign hunting masters,” “weapon masters,” and “repair masters” also began to spread spontaneously among the various treehouse living platforms.
However, most Emerald Star people still hadn't fully recognized the strength of the Cang Yuan elite team.
Because although they gradually caught up with their own field team in terms of hunting quantity, what they dealt with were not the most dangerous predators in the area.
Like the parasites, they were only in the middle and lower parts of the food chain. Although they were over three meters long, their ecological niche was actually similar to that of Earth, usually eating one-meter-long local carnivorous cockroaches, which were very weak.
These evaluations naturally reached the Executive Officer's ears.
It seems they still need a tough battle!
To better help Emerald Life Science understand who was the main party in the cooperation project, on the 10th day after landing on Emerald Star, Lu Yuan requested a formal attack on the ruins.
After carefully studying Rita's submitted report, Sasha realized that the guests were at least not a burden in combat, so she nodded and gave permission.
“Alright. Please give my people one more day to prepare. We will depart the day after tomorrow, and please be extremely careful.”