Business As Usual

"I thought you were just coasting along at the company. I didn't expect you to actually dare to shoot."

In the silence, the middle-aged woman Lu Xin was pointing his gun at didn't try to escape. Instead, she slowly pushed others aside and walked into the crowd. Facing Lu Xin's gun, her expression showed no fear. She merely said with a cold gaze, "We have guns too, but we weren't prepared. You got the drop on us. That's fine, we'll admit defeat. We'll let you go today..."

"If the Guard Department arrests you afterward, that's none of our business!"

"If the Guard Department doesn't arrest you, then we'll meet in the underworld!"

"..."

The Guard Department strictly controlled firearms within High Wall City, so even they had very few guns left in the city.

Companies like theirs, which frequently traveled outside the city, often established their own supply depots at secret locations outside the city. They might even have small armories, not to mention guns. However, under the strict surveillance of the High Wall City patrol forces, it was impossible to bring too many weapons and guns into the city. Otherwise, they would be severely punished for serious crimes.

Of course, even under such high pressure, they still had ways to smuggle in one or two guns for self-defense. However, they wouldn't carry such weapons on them beforehand. Being pointed at by Lu Xin's gun without preparation put them at a disadvantage.

This woman's mind was undoubtedly very sharp, and her words were watertight. Normally, if Lu Xin fired a gun here, the Guard Department would have no reason not to intervene, and he might be arrested and sent to the wilderness to reclaim land. But she also made it clear that if the Guard Department didn't arrest Lu Xin, they would retaliate using their own methods, following the rules of the underworld.

Princess Xiaoqing and Lu Cheng, standing nearby, were so scared their legs had gone weak, their faces pale.

The moment they saw Lu Xin pull out his gun, their worldview had somewhat collapsed.

People who grew up within High Wall City always felt that guns were something very distant from them.

Hearing the female manager's words, the thugs released Lu Cheng and Princess Xiaoqing and cleared a path.

However, their gazes were all cold as they looked at Lu Xin, as if he were already dead.

But Lu Xin had no intention of turning around. He said, "I'm not leaving. Our business isn't finished."

The woman being pointed at by the gun was stunned for a moment. "Even now, you still want to talk business with me?"

"Yes."

Lu Xin nodded. "But the price needs to be discussed. It can't be whatever you say it is."

He paused slightly and added, "It needs to be fair."

The woman's expression immediately became very complicated.

The expressions of the people around them also became very complicated.

"I've pointed a gun at others to do business many times, and I've even negotiated business while dangling someone over a pond full of lunatics. But this is the first time someone has pointed a gun at me to talk business..."

At this moment, a man stumbled out of another office behind them. He was tall, with a face full of stubble, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and he wore a dirty but sturdy-looking camouflage uniform. On his head, he wore a red beret, which didn't look like the style of the Qinggang City patrol forces. No one knew where he'd gotten it.

Upon seeing him, everyone around instinctively lowered their heads.

Even the woman being pointed at by the gun called out to him, "Boss, this person..."

The man waved his hand and said to Lu Xin, "Put the gun down. You had the advantage. I won't cause you trouble today."

"Oh."

Lu Xin lowered his gun upon hearing this and put it back into his backpack.

Princess Xiaoqing and Lu Cheng's eyes widened, filled with confusion.

"Continue with the business. You two go talk!"

The man nodded to the woman who had been pointed at by the gun earlier, then said to Lu Xin, "Kid, come with me."

The turn of events was completely unexpected, and everyone present was a bit bewildered.

Lu Cheng and Princess Xiaoqing were quickly pushed back into that office, and Lu Xin obediently followed the man into the single-story house he had come out of. The interior of the house was quite well-decorated, with wooden floors and hanging lamps. A large sofa was placed on the left, with a glass coffee table in front of it. On the table was a plate of dumplings, several steamed buns, and a small dish of red pickled chili peppers.

The man sat down and began to eat by himself. The way he ate was strange; he chewed very slowly but incessantly, with a peculiar greed. Although the food wasn't particularly special, he ate it with great seriousness.

Lu Xin didn't rush to answer his question, merely glancing at the food spread across the table. Several plates were already discarded nearby, with remnants of food on them, as if he had just finished eating. How much had he eaten?

"After spending so long in the wilderness, as soon as I get into the city, I feel like I can never eat enough."

Qin Ran took a bite of a steamed bun and popped a dumpling into his mouth. He glanced at Lu Xin. "Want some?"

Lu Xin quickly shook his head. "I'm not hungry."

Lu Xin understood Qin Ran's peculiar preference.

Life within High Wall City and outside was completely different. High Wall City, especially Qinggang City, was one of the first places to solve the food shortage. It was said to be related to the reconstruction of agricultural technology and mysterious wild species. Within High Wall City, there was a certain livestock industry, vast farmlands, and even some mechanized operations. But outside the city, these were things they dared not even dream of.

There were many organizations outside the city that were in a state of food shortage. Hunger was even a common occurrence for people in the wilderness.

The only way for them to obtain sustenance was to abandon their armed status outside the wilderness and live within High Wall City.

However, although Qinggang City had relatively abundant resources, and one could buy food, oil, salt, and even meat with money, this was strictly limited to within High Wall City. Taking food purchased in the city to consume outside was a very strict matter.

The two most well-known serious crimes in High Wall City were:

First, smuggling firearms into the city;

Second, smuggling food out of the city.

"After getting used to the hardship of struggling to survive in the wilderness, you really cherish a life where you can eat your fill, sleep soundly, and not worry about your woman pulling a grenade from her crotch and taking you out when you're being intimate. Here in High Wall City, even I try to keep a low profile and avoid trouble. Everyone follows the rules; you give me an inch, I give you an inch, and we can all manage to get by, can't we?"

Qin Ran merely shifted slightly, then continued eating on his own. After a moment, he looked up at Lu Xin:

"So, tell me, little brother, what brings you to me?"

His eyes held a lazy yet dangerous aura, as if he had already seen through Lu Xin. He said coldly, "I've seen plenty of people outside the walls who do business with guns, but you, looking like this, I can tell you've never been outside. So, tell me the truth."

"Who sent you? What's your objective?"

"..."

Lu Xin first scrutinized him, cross-referencing with the information he had, before saying, "Are you Qin Ran?"

The man glanced at Lu Xin, not answering directly, but instead chuckling, "Here to kill me?"

His hand seemed to still be holding chopsticks, but his other hand had dropped down, reaching towards the bottom of the wooden coffee table.

"No."

Lu Xin shook his head. "I'm here to ask if you've encountered any oddities."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ran's expression suddenly changed, a hint of fear appearing. He whispered, "Are you plotting against me?"

As he spoke, the hand he had lowered beneath the table suddenly came up, holding a gun.