[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-zombie-apocalypse-creation":3,"chapter-zombie-apocalypse-creation-zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-592":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Zombie Apocalypse: Creation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1887548,2510,"Chapter 592: Negotiation Breakdown","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-592",592,"\u003Cp>\"Go ahead... Here’s a pen for you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lingang signed the paper with his name, the two soldiers went back to patrolling with a full smile on their faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like you are quite the famous person here.\" Xiaoyun jokingly commented as they began walking towards a different entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m nowhere near as famous as you, sir.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingang instantly responded, his face looking even more nervous from earlier as if he was genuinely a little scared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come on, I was just joking. No need to be scared. Do I look like someone who cares about fame?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingang quickly shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Exactly. I have no problem with my commanders being more famous than me... Hell, I want them to be more famous than me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why’s that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingang curiously asked as the two of them walked up the stairs, arriving at the second floor before going inside a long hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Because I hate this celebrity status burden. I’m not a perfect human being. Quite frankly, I’m not even a good moral example for kids.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I can see that... Ahem, Commander I——\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No need to apologize. I know everyone in the town thinks I’m a womanizer... But let me tell you something, Lingang.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaoyun paused for a second, turning around to look at Lingang right in the eyes as they both stood still in the hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I deeply cared about every single one of my wives. I made a promise to love them all equally. I’m not the playboy who plays with people’s emotions.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the serious look in his eyes, Lingang nodded several times before Xiaoyun finally turned back around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A shame that you’re marrying another woman. Looks like I’m going to need to use Han Bang as promotion material or something.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lingang didn’t speak up as the two of them finally arrived before 302, the office room that Chengyi was supposed to be in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a knock, Xiaoyun waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Come in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun opened the door, Chengyi’s eyes stared at some sort of letter, seemingly trying to decode something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What request do you want?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I want to talk about this refugee problem.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaoyun’s voice finally made Chengyi look up. His eyes instantly began to widen as if he was shocked to see him here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiaoyun.. Oh my god. Bro showed up without even giving me a warning.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chengyi quickly walked around the desk to hug Xiaoyun, he suddenly felt the need to reject it before being forced into a warm hug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It has only been less than a month since we last saw each other,\" Xiaoyun murmured as they separated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s a long ass time for me... Anyway, what are you here for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m here to talk about the refugees.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh that... I’m afraid I can’t decide on that. You need to talk to Pinli. He’s the one who’s given the full responsibility as temporary mayor-assistant.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mayor-assistant? Who’s the mayor then?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"His dad. Duh. Who else could afford to be the mayor other than him... Let me tell you something, Xiaoyun, Pinli’s dad is filthy rich.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then can you call him over?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nope. I have no way of contacting him. They’re out there managing the reconstruction... They’ll probably be back in the evening at six.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking over to the clock, it was only three in the afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Is there really no way of contacting him earlier? I want to get back home before nighttime.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If I could contact them, I would have done it long ago... All the cell towers are down and I don’t know what radio frequency they are on.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Chengyi genuinely having no way of getting Pinli over, Xiaoyun let out a small sigh before taking a seat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then, it looks like I just have to wait, then.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yep... No other way around it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the timer reached closer and closer to six, the three of them were sitting in their chair, their eyes laser-focused on their hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piles of cards were stacked on top of each other on the desk. They had been playing cards all day long, trying to pass the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like I won this game.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Xiaoyun threw down a pair of aces, he only had one card left to put down to win against the two of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not so fast.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chengyi instantly threw down two pairs of two, breaking Xiaoyun’s chance of winning, as it was now Lingang’s turn to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pass.\" Lingang responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"There’s no way you have another pair in that hand.\" Xiaoyun murmured as he couldn’t play his one card against the pair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Too bad.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his last two cards being put down on the table, Xiaoyun had no choice but to admit defeat as Chengyi emptied his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Two threes? You saved it all this time? What the hell is wrong with you? Why would you save the worst pair in the game?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If it wins games, why would it matter? Anyway, good job, Lingang. You played it perfectly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thanks.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I knew I shouldn’t have called the house. I’m going to call the peasant next time.\" Xiaoyun murmured as he began shoving the cards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And next thing you know, you’re going to get two jokers. Are you really not going to call the house on that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ain’t no way. It’s a literal bait. I had lost twice because of that stupid hand——\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What are you guys playing... Xiaoyun?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the doors opened, Pinli was standing right there. His face looked extremely surprised when he saw the three of them at the desk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like you finally decided to show up. I had been waiting for you for half a day now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Waiting for me?\" Pinli curiously questioned, looking towards Xiaoyun with a confused look now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yeah. Been waiting here since three. Anyway, let’s get this done with so I can get back home by ten.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty minutes later...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Xiaoyun, you know this is not possible. We can’t restrict the people’s freedom of movement.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sitting right across Xiaoyun was no one other than Pinli’s dad, Wu Min. His eyes looked sharp as he fired right back at Xiaoyun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pinli, Chengyi, and Lingang all stood on the side. Their mouth remaining shut as if they didn’t want to be a part of the negotiation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’m not asking you to restrict their movement. I’m asking you to assist them to Luoping. Is this really too much to ask for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mister Xiaoyun, we don’t have enough people to repair Changsha. You saw people when you came in, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xiaoyun falling into silence, Wu Min doubled down in his argument.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How can we allocate resources to help people move? We can barely support ourselves, let alone help them move across province borders.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Give me a number. How much do you need to arrange an orderly transit for refugees who want to go to Luoping?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"At least a hundred barrels of gasoline for buses.\" Wu Min instantly replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’re out of your mind. I can scrap the entirety of Guangzhou, and I wouldn’t find that much gas in the city.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then looks like there are no deals.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the negotiation fell into a stalemate, Xiaoyun began to realize why Pinli’s dad was selected as Mayor for Changsha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mister Wu Min, I just want to make sure. Zhongxiong gave you full authority to negotiate on this issue?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He hired me for this exact reason. He knew it was only a matter of time for you to arrive here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeling his hand a little tied up, Xiaoyun’s mind started brainstorming different ways of getting Wu Min to budge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first solution that came to mind was to play the empathy card. But it was clear it’s probably useless against the shrewd former businessman in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second solution was to use his leverage, specifically the favor he had once gained when he saved Wu Min in the far, far past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Mister Xiaoyun, I almost forgot to give you something... Pinli, can you go over to that drawer and take out the thing in the third row?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I got it, uncle.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chengyi went over to the drawer and carried a small box over to the desk, Wu Min slowly opened it to reveal what was inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My wife had told me I need to gift this to you for saving me. I sincerely want to thank you personally with this gift as well.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I cannot accept this.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiaoyun tried to push the bottle of expensive champagne back into Wu Min’s hand, but after a back and forth, Xiaoyun had no option but to accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You deserve this, Mister Xiaoyun.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Thank you... Fuck.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last part wasn’t said out loud. It was more of his brain’s reaction. His second option was gone right before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, it made him realize he had no leverage in the negotiation at all. He had come to Changsha in a way too rushed fashion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Min was clearly more than happy to continue letting people go towards him. Whether people were dying along the way or not, the man felt no responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor was it Xiaoyun’s responsibility either in theory. But every life lost felt morally wrong to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep inside his heart, he just couldn’t do it. Maybe it was the newspaper. Or maybe it was just his old habits kicking in.\u003C\u002Fp>",1556,"2026-06-10T06:59:52.732Z",1,"novelbin.me","bf982d7c9049f08ec570aa2deb0e5e4da53bd1043008958d2a3d08030531316a","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-593","zombie-apocalypse-creation-chapter-591",829,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fzombie-apocalypse-creation-cover.jpg"]