Chapter 1445: Bodyguard and Conference Delegate

"That woman is vicious!" After hearing Qi Fu's brief explanation of why Tang Huai had to go to the Bai Yi Base safe zone, the allies were filled with righteous indignation.

In the first two years of the apocalypse, plenty of people did kill their pets for food, but that was to survive. Tang Lu lacked neither food nor clothes, yet she had caught the dog Tang Huai's family had raised for seven years, skinned it and eaten the meat, and even made the hide into a bag to show off — that was pure malice!

Everyone understood perfectly well why Tang Lu had done it.

Before the apocalypse, Tang Zhengsu had worked at the company founded by his cousin Tang Zhengpo, currying favor with Tang Zhengpo at every turn, so Tang Lu and Tang Rui always felt a notch below the Tang Huai siblings.

After the apocalypse broke out, Tang Zhengsu, leveraging his speed-evolution ability and the support of his own elder brother Tang Zhengrong, rose rapidly and pressed Tang Zhengpo down at every turn.

Tang Lu followed her father closely, seizing the title "Young Lady of the Tang Family" that had originally belonged to Tang Ning, calling the three siblings of Tang Zhengpo's household by their given names, and heaping on sarcasm and ridicule. After Tang Huai and his brother joined the Sufeng Squad, she became even more demanding, flaunting her superiority at every turn.

Zhu Li reminded Tang Huai, "Brother Huai, Tang Lu isn't stupid. What she's doing is very likely just to provoke you."

If the Sufeng Squad hadn't yet collapsed and Tang Zhengrong was still serving as deputy base commander, plenty of people wouldn't have believed anyone who said Tang Lu had brains. Because back then, every day Tang Lu did nothing but flaunt her wealth and chase Yang Jin around.

But now, saying Tang Lu had brains — even saying her brain domain had evolved — everyone would believe it.

After the two Tang brothers who had stirred up trouble at Hui Three Base for ten years — one committing suicide, the other being sentenced — Tang Lu not only avoided being arrested and sentenced like her own brother Tang Rui and her cousin Tang Zheng, but half a year after Sufeng's collapse she got into a top domestic university and left Hui Three in style.

A person like that not only has brains, but is downright terrifying.

Tang Huai's face was set. "No matter what her purpose is, I have to make this trip."

The others had never seen Tang Huai this solemn and serious, so they didn't press the point. Huo Zhun, sitting in the back row, spoke up. "Brother Huai, nothing's going on in the territory these few days — mind if I come along with you for a look around?"

Tang Heng, who had planned to ask Huo Zhun to protect his brother after the meeting adjourned, immediately agreed. "Thanks, Brother Huo. We'll cover all your expenses for this trip, plus a mission reward of fifty thousand points. Does that work for you?"

The mission's difficulty didn't even reach A-grade, yet the reward matched an S-grade.

Huo Zhun bared his teeth in a grin, the jowls on his face puffing up, looking extremely fierce, but his voice was simple and honest. "That's plenty! I'll bring Mingzi and Wang Damin. Whatever way Brother Huai walks out of the territory, that's the way he'll walk back in."

Tang Huai nodded. He'd tell Huo Zhun about the risks of this mission after they got back.

Lord Huo Lei instructed his son, "Protect Tang Huai well. If you have time, go wander around the trade fair. If you see any rare and not-too-expensive green-light delicacies, buy some back to share with everyone."

Everyone knew perfectly well why Lord Huo Lei bought green-light delicacies — to trade with Third Brother for medicine. After two years of eating them, the specialty products from their territory could no longer whet Third Brother's appetite.

Meeting host Qi Fu began running through the procedure. "Good. Now we vote on the first agenda item. All in favor of Tang Huai going to Bai Yi Base to attend the agricultural products trade fair as a representative of the Hui Three Territory Alliance, please raise your hands."

The lords seated around the table raised their hands at the same time, unanimous approval.

"Good, the first agenda item passes unanimously. Now we move on to the second agenda item. This morning, I sent the materials on the Bai Yi Agricultural Products Trade Fair to our alliance group chat. Everyone's read them, right? This trade fair is on a large scale, with a total of 21 official base delegations and 262 agricultural product processing, agricultural science and technology, and service enterprises participating…"

After briefly introducing the trade fair, Qi Fu raised the second agenda item. "Our alliance leader Xia Qing has proposed that we send our Minister of Commerce Kuang Qingwei to take our agricultural and sideline products to the trade fair, to find better sales channels for our agricultural products, to seek high-quality agricultural seeds, and to establish contact with the outstanding enterprises attending the fair."

Hearing that Kuang Qingwei could go on a business trip, the allies were all envious.

Since the apocalypse began, apart from the period of fleeing for their lives, no one had ever left the safe zone. After becoming lords, everyone had buried themselves in farming, and the farthest place they'd gone was Mountain Fifty. Going to Bai Yi Base, thousands of kilometers away — they hadn't even dreamed of it.

Now that there was a chance, no one tried to compete with Kuang Qingwei for it, because only Kuang Qingwei could complete this business-trip mission.

Qi Fu continued speaking. "The alliance leader has already secured a spot in our base's official delegation for Minister Kuang. Travel expenses will be reimbursed by the base. Our alliance only needs to pay a booth fee of 1,500 points."

Hearing they didn't have to spend the alliance's points, everyone was even happier.

"Now let's discuss what agricultural and sideline products our alliance's booth should display and sell. Please speak up actively." Qi Fu solemnly finished reading his script and raised his head.

Hearing it was open discussion, everyone turned to look at alliance leader Xia Qing in unison.

Xia Qing spoke first. "Bring a few samples of the hardness-evolved bamboo products developed by our research institute. Once we open up sales channels, we'll expand the scale of planting and processing."

Shi Zhong thought the same as Xia Qing. "Right, those must be brought."

Hardness-evolved bamboo can only be planted in this mountain region. If the bamboo roots are planted in other areas, either the bamboo that grows isn't hard enough, or it undergoes a second harmful evolution during harmful rain, with the bamboo roots whipping around whistling through the air — there's simply no way to harvest the bamboo.

Lord Huo Lei, head of the alliance's research institute, spoke up next. "Pedal-operated multi-function plow, standing weeder, quantitative seed dispenser, handheld harvester — these are all agricultural machines we've already patented, and our four best-selling products. Which ones should we bring?"

Kuang Qingwei asked, "Alliance leader, how many jin of supplies can I carry onto the plane?"

Xia Qing answered, "The notice hasn't been issued yet, but bringing all of these along will definitely be no problem. Yue-ge and Mao Chuntai are also on the attendee list, so we can have them help with the carrying."

"Then bring them all?" Kuang Qingwei proposed.

"Fine."

Tang Heng proposed, "To show off the advantages of these farm tools, let's shoot a few videos of them in use over the next couple of days, and write up proper product introduction manuals. We'll play the videos at our booth and put out the manuals — the effect will definitely be good."

Hearing that videos had to be shot and scripts written, Shi Du and Huo Zhun immediately shrank into themselves, afraid anyone would spot them.

Both Xia Qing and Qi Fu nodded in approval. Tang Huai roused himself. "Everyone tell me your video ideas, and I'll write the script."

Phew—

Shi Du and Huo Zhun had barely breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Zhao's mother say, "The product introduction manuals can be written by Jiang Ying, and I'll revise them. She helped develop all these products, so she knows best how to use them. And she's been working very hard these past six months — basic reading and writing are no problem for her now."

As expected, Huo Zhun once again received the look from his old man that said he wanted to cut him down.