Dennison Henry dropped to his knees in front of Gu Hang.
Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
The Governor's three questions had stripped away his mental defenses layer by layer, like skinning him alive.
He hadn't thought that way.
At least, he hadn't dared to think it openly.
But if he were honest with himself, even his instincts as a businessman had led him to think that way, hadn't they?
He was a businessman. He wanted to make money. The Governor wasn't a businessman, yet he kept asking Henry to do this and that, saddling every deal with a pile of extra conditions. Of course that would affect his profits.
He really didn't want other merchants competing with him in this business, even if he couldn't handle the entire production capacity himself in the future.
As for taking it a step further, he really hadn't thought about it, but...
If he were the sole authorized dealer, and later secured the position of Agent for Trash Town, with power and influence at his command, then he could keep expanding through his exclusive rights. As the Governor expanded trade routes and continued to develop, he would become more and more indispensable. He would become one of the Governor's most trusted aides, and his every word and action would have a tremendous impact on the Governor's policies. His influence would grow immense...
He hadn't dared to entertain these thoughts, but he had considered them all the same. Now, the Governor's pointed questions had smashed them to pieces in an instant!
He bowed his head heavily. "Governor! I would never dare!"
Still pressed to the ground, he couldn't see Gu Hang's expression. After a brief pause, he heard the Governor's cold voice:
"Is that so? You're clever enough to think about things on a deeper level, yet you couldn't figure out something this simple?"
"I wouldn't dare think that way." Henry no longer dared to play games. Today, the Governor had made his point crystal clear. "You're right, Governor. I'm a fool who can't see the heart of things. I should have realized that as long as I work diligently for you, I have no need to worry about those groundless concerns. Thanks to your guidance, I understand now. Please give me another chance."
After speaking, he raised his head and looked sincerely at the Governor, then bowed deeply once more.
Watching Dennison Henry's submissive posture, Gu Hang finally allowed himself a faint smile. His tone softened as well. "It's good that you're clever enough to think things through. Get up. You don't need to keep kneeling. I'll show you another batch of goods. Didn't you say weapons were the best merchandise in Trash Town? I think the standard-issue weapons widely used by the Imperial Astra Militarum would be very appealing to those adventurers."
Dennison Henry abruptly raised his head, his eyes shining with delight.
He'd just been slapped, and now the sweet treat that followed was almost too good!
Standard-issue Imperial Astra Militarum equipment!
If he could get a batch to Trash Town, wouldn't they sell like crazy?
Gu Hang hadn't initially intended to put Dennison Henry in his place.
Objectively speaking, the man had done a decent job this time. Everything Gu Hang had asked for was there, and the several thousand workers would greatly help meet the labor needs of his coming expansion.
But the man's persistent demands for exclusive rights had annoyed the Governor.
So Gu Hang had stopped being polite.
At the same time, he had clarified something for himself: what exactly was Dennison Henry's role?
The man might have seen himself as a business partner. He was a merchant; it was only natural that he wanted to make money and secure his own interests.
But Gu Hang's attitude was not the same.
What he really wanted to say was:
"I'm not cheating you or stringing you along. I'm giving you the chance to rise to the top in one leap. Do you want to keep being a merchant, or become my subordinate and a senior official in the planetary government of the future?"
How could an ordinary merchant, even one who had made some money by relying on the Governor, compare in status to a true senior official?
Of course, this was a decision that carried enormous risk. Whether the Governor could truly take power and whether he could really build the planet up were both questions Henry would have to commit himself—and his money—to.
But Gu Hang was confident in himself, and out of generosity, he had given Henry the opportunity.
At least for now, Henry seemed willing to seize it.
That was good.
What he said mattered less for now. After Henry had made his position clear, Gu Hang would watch how he performed from here on.
As for giving Dennison Henry standard-issue Astra Militarum weapons to sell, that was something Gu Hang had planned to do anyway. Offering them as a sweetener was simply convenient.
The G9 Gun Family production line wasn't ready yet, but it would be soon. In fact, small-scale production was already underway using the Black Box Manufacturing Machine.
Later, they could use the mother machine to produce a complete production line, giving the Waste Mine Society's heavy industry an additional arms-production capacity.
With sufficient production of Alloy Plasteel, output from the G9 Gun Family would ramp up quickly. Before long, Gu Hang's two infantry battalions could be fully reequipped.
The G7s they gradually phased out would need to go somewhere.
Trash Town would do nicely. Gu Hang's territory was developing rapidly, and its demand for raw materials was enormous.
Of course, he didn't intend to sell them all.
He would take a small portion and bundle them with the assorted local weapons seized from the mercenaries during the battle at Mantan Valley Manor. That should fetch a fairly good price.
As for the rest, Gu Hang planned to use them temporarily when he expanded the army.
He still intended to expand it.
After this new batch of refugees had been registered and organized, some of them would be sent to the Waste Mine Society. Some would join the Alloy Plasteel production lines, while others would help build the Thermal Ash Stone power plant.
Gu Hang still had enough energy cells for now, but using such precious high-energy batteries for industrial production was far too extravagant. Since they had the means to build a cheap power plant, it was better to save the energy cells.
The remaining people, apart from those sent to the Waste Mine Society to bolster heavy industry, would stay at the Governor's Camp and get the textile mill up and running.
Labor was still in short supply, and yet Gu Hang still planned to expand the army.
In this wasteland world, he couldn't feel safe.
To put it plainly, everything he was doing was still like dancing on a tightrope.
The Quintet was overwhelmingly powerful, no doubt, but it didn't belong to him.
He was the Governor, the ruler, but his own forces were still too weak.
If one of the nearby major powers, like Trash Town or Revival City, were pushed to the brink by him and launched an all-out attack, Gu Hang could only have the Quintet avenge him by wiping that power off the face of the planet—or wait to die.
And setting aside those unlikely scenarios, which had yet to take shape, there was already something happening right now that threatened his sense of security.
The threat of Mutant Xenomorphs.
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