N-A-A Chapter 55 The Archipelago's Structure
Chapter 55 The Archipelago's Structure
Upon seeing Su Jin holding an axe, Old Zhang turned deathly pale and screamed like a pig being slaughtered.
"No!!!"
"Shut up, you're hurting my eardrums!" Su Jin's eyes twitched as he shouted angrily with a dark face.
Under his imposing presence, Old Zhang instinctively shut his mouth.
However, due to the sudden fright, he stumbled back two steps and sat down on the ground.
Even the fish he had just picked up slipped from his arms and started hopping around on the beach again.
He stared intently at Su Jin, beads of cold sweat trickling down his forehead, terrified that Su Jin's axe would fly over at him at any moment.
Seeing his expression, Su Jin knew that the guy had misunderstood, but since the other guy was busy picking up fish, he didn't get a chance to hear him finish speaking.
He said irritably:
"This is for you. I've already told you, I've agreed to all your conditions. Here's water, food, and tools and weapons for you."
As he spoke, he tossed aside the finely crafted short-handled axe in his hand. It was a standard version made by Shen Qiaoqiao, and the one he upgraded himself was still tucked into his waistband.
"This is a short-handled axe, well-made, and can be used as both a tool and a weapon, which meets your requirements."
Old Zhang was stunned for a moment, then asked incredulously:
"For me?"
"Yes." Su Jin smiled slightly, then added casually:
"But there's only half a handle; the other half is a loan to you."
"Half, half a handful?" Old Zhang was stunned again, but the shrewd man quickly understood what Su Jin meant.
This is an attempt to get something from him by having him owe money, essentially a prepayment, which is commonly used in business to stabilize business relationships.
Of course, another point is that if he gets something good later, he will have difficulty keeping the bargaining power, since he will owe the other party a favor.
As expected, the next second Su Jin said calmly:
"Otherwise what? What good stuff do you think you can get for this lump of iron? Don't you have any self-awareness? Where else can you find such excellent tools?"
He paused, then chuckled softly and said:
"Of course, if you don't like it, you don't have to. I can give you more fish as compensation..."
"Yes! I want it!" Old Zhang quickly agreed.
Only a fool wouldn't want it!
If he had this axe, he would be able to protect himself, catch fish more easily, and make better fishing rods to catch more and more things!
With this axe, he can have anything he wants!
Su Jin raised an eyebrow, a slight smile playing on his lips. Then, with a powerful flick of his wrist, the axe spun in the air before landing precisely next to Old Zhang, startling the middle-aged man.
But the next second, Old Zhang immediately picked up the axe and held it in his hand, reluctant to put it down.
He knew it was a good item the moment he picked it up; it was definitely made by a master!
It's hard to imagine that this big shot actually has such a good thing.
Oh, right. With harpoons and even boats, what's a stone axe?
Thinking about it this way, Old Zhang felt relieved.
A big shot is a big shot; he's always generous. He's really made a fortune this time!
After he finished being happy, he didn't forget to flatter Su Jin again.
He knew perfectly well that some people might say they didn't like it, but actually they were secretly delighted to hear those words—that's just human nature.
"Boss Su, you're such a good person, and so strong! You're destined to be the ocean overlord of this world, taking all those young women and mature ladies into your lap!"
Upon hearing this, Su Jin frowned, somewhat displeased, but said nothing.
Although he didn't like listening to flattery, as the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face, so at least the other party didn't say anything unpleasant.
He glanced at Old Zhang and said:
"Alright, I have something to ask you. Tell me about the specific situation here these past few days."
"Who do you know? Do you know about other people's talents? What was your situation the day the sea monsters came?"
This was a question he had been concerned about. He had given up before because he couldn't find anyone to ask, but now that he had Lao Zhang, a local, he had to find out more about it.
After all, this archipelago is rich in resources, and the middle part is a natural fishing ground.
If it weren't for the fact that things were really going to be so difficult, he really wouldn't want to give up so easily.
Upon hearing Su Jin's words, Old Zhang dropped his previous obsequious attitude and became serious.
He thought for a moment and then slowly said:
"I don't actually know any of the people, but I do recognize a few."
He pointed to the left, where a lush, green island appeared to have fresh water, much better than Old Zhang's somewhat barren, rocky island.
"That island... I named it Sweet Dew Island because its resources seem so abundant, it makes me envious. The island's owner is a woman who looks to be in her twenties, based on my experience..."
Old Zhang stroked his chin and said with a hint of confidence:
"She should be a female college student. She usually seems quite cautious and doesn't leave her island too often. Also, my beach doesn't connect to hers, so I don't have much information about her."
He then looked to his right, at an island where birds were circling overhead.
"I named this island Bird Droppings Island because birds poop there every day, and it smells really bad."
"The island owner is a burly man with dark skin. Be careful of this guy, he's not a good person and he's in cahoots with others."
"Are there collusion?" Su Jin narrowed his eyes, looking at Old Zhang and waiting for an explanation.
"Yes." Old Zhang nodded. "I once saw him argue with that blond guy who attacked you today, but for some reason, they ended up chatting together again afterwards."
"Their islands are adjacent, so it's not wrong to say they're colluding."
Su Jin nodded and made a mental note of it.
After all, he had seen that blond idiot firsthand; anyone who could be with him without getting into a fight was just a scoundrel.
They're all bastards!
Su Jin looked at Lao Zhang, signaling him to continue.
Old Zhang closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then continued:
"I don't remember much about the others because they were too far away. I only know there was an old man, an old woman, and a man. Oh, and there was a chubby guy across from us."
"I know nothing about anyone's talents."
As he spoke, he shrugged.
He also briefly explained the day the sea monsters arrived.
When the storm came that day, he hid in the mountains. He had his own safe haven, where he was very safe.
But at that time, there were strange noises outside, which scared him so much that he didn't dare to come out.
When the storm subsided, he came out and found that there were only 7 people left, and he didn't remember much about the other 3.
I don't remember if it appeared before the storm, but it didn't appear afterward.
His assessment of this was:
"They were probably just unlucky; they were all eaten by sea monsters."
Su Jin didn't speak. He didn't think so. Maybe he was killed?
Li Yuanyuan has encountered similar situations before; in the apocalypse, people's hearts are far worse than imagined.
He remained wary of the archipelago.
He glanced at Old Zhang and asked jokingly:
"Is there anything else good?"
Old Zhang shook his head violently:
"That's it, boss, really gone!"
Su Jin smiled and didn't press him further. He simply said he would come back tomorrow, hoping the other party could "fish" for something good and then trade with him.
He then sailed away, having made a great haul today. He needed to go back and process what he had to get, especially this lump of iron.
After he left, Old Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around and shrank back.
He picked up the bucket, tucked the stone axe into his waistband, grabbed a few fish, and headed into the mountains to find a safe place to hide.
He had a bad feeling that his transaction with Su Jin had just been witnessed by others.
Sure enough, not long after he hid, three people quietly crossed the beach exposed by the receding tide and arrived at his island from Guano Island.