Rotting Land: Survive

Chapter 746 - 732: Probing (Part 1)

Xu Renjie was stunned for a few seconds by Liu Fugui’s words, then he burst into laughter, "Haha, of course, I love chatting and drinking tea with friends the most, especially with a local bigwig like General Manager Liu; it’s my pleasure, absolutely my pleasure. Haha!"

Bullshit friends, Xu Ren laughed on the surface but cursed inwardly. Dealing with someone like Liu Fugui was truly exhausting; you could never really figure out what he was after.

A friend? Xu Ren had no interest in making friends like him; not only might he get sold out one day, but he could even lose his life.

Catching up? What kind of catching up was there to do? The two had only talked in earnest fewer than ten times since they met, so what topics could they possibly have? Liu Fugui’s words were essentially bullshit.

Since Liu Fugui wasn’t willing to state his purpose, Xu Ren didn’t mind wasting time with him, at worst he’d feed him dinner and see who could outlast whom.

With this mindset, Xu Ren got up to refill Liu Fugui’s teacup with some hot water and continued, "General Manager Liu, what would you like to talk about? I’m just a simple man, not broad-minded or knowledgeable, so if I say something irrelevant, please don’t laugh at me."

"Alas! Captain Xu, you are too modest, aren’t you? Look at you, so young, yet leading your whole family to seek survival in this chaotic world; that’s not something just anyone can do. It’s a pity there isn’t fine wine here, or I’d certainly raise a glass to you."

While Liu Fugui was speaking, Xu Ren inwardly felt suspicious, recognizing the flattery in Liu’s words, but noticing something different about Liu’s actions compared to their past encounters, though he couldn’t pinpoint what.

"Alright, General Manager Liu, don’t joke with me; I know my own worth well. Honestly, I am a bit envious of you, Liu!"

"Envious of me?" Liu Fugui pointed at himself uncertainly, leaned back in his chair, and laughed, "Do tell, what is it that you’re envious of?"

Xu Ren leaned towards the table, knocking rhythmically, "Look at you, General Manager Liu, though it might be a bit tiring, you’re generally free. See, you want to come here, you bring your son, whereas I don’t have such luck."

Xu Ren’s eyes were sincere, making one not doubt his envy, but Liu Fugui was no ordinary person; he saw through Xu Ren’s little tricks right away.

"Hahaha!" The laughter seemed to have become their tacit way of communicating. After the laughter, Liu Fugui’s expression suddenly changed as he said with a melancholy look, "Haha, Captain Xu, if you knew why I brought my son here, you probably wouldn’t envy me."

Seeing Liu Fugui shaking his head helplessly, Xu Ren quickly asked, "What happened, General Manager Liu? From the sound of it, did something go wrong?"

"Alas!" A long sigh.

"It’s actually quite embarrassing; it’s all my fault for keeping the wrong person!"

Liu Fugui’s words piqued Xu Ren’s interest even more, and all the survivors standing by the hand-held radio were all ears, waiting attentively for what Liu would say next.

"I’ve been a part of this world for many years, and I always thought I was good at judging and employing people. But who knew, a brother I’ve trusted for years is a traitorous bastard, conspiring with outsiders while I was away from the factory. If it hadn’t been for divine intervention, Captain Xu, I wouldn’t be here chatting and drinking tea with you now."

"What? General Manager Liu, are you saying someone betrayed you?" Liu Fugui’s words hit Xu Ren like a bomb, though for others in this post-apocalyptic world, betrayal might seem all too common.

But Xu Ren was different. Although he’d only had brief encounters with Liu Fugui, he knew well that plotting against this old fox wasn’t easy.

Thus, whoever made him this miserable must be someone significant. Xu Ren felt there was only one possible person: "Huang Yong, General Manager Liu, the one who betrayed you wouldn’t be Huang Yong, would it?"

Xu Renjie spoke slowly. He was familiar with Liu Fugui’s right-hand men, Huang Yong and He Lei, though only casual acquaintances with both. Their drastically different styles led Xu Ren to suspect Huang Yong more, as it couldn’t possibly be the big and loud He Lei.

"Alas!" Liu Fugui sighed again.

"What, it’s not Huang Yong?"

"It’s He Lei!" Liu Fugui gave a bitter smile, revealing genuine emotion for the first time, his hatred so deep that he wished he could tear He Lei apart. If it weren’t for this bastard, all these troubles wouldn’t have arisen today.

But hours later, when He Lei was mentioned again, Liu couldn’t hold onto his hatred; it was more of a helplessness. Yes, it was his own past judgment of people that failed him. Now, all he could do was smile bitterly, unable to find any other way to express his feelings.

"He Lei?"

It was truly astounding; Xu Ren couldn’t believe He Lei could match wits with an old fox like Liu Fugui. "General Manager Liu, you must be joking with me; I’m just a simple man, don’t kid around with me!"

"Captain Xu, do I look like I’m joking with you?"

Xu Ren didn’t reply, but his face of disbelief was answer enough.

"Haha, let me be frank with you, Xu, I didn’t come here just to drink tea and chat. I’m actually seeking your help."

The main issue finally emerged. Xu Ren quickly straightened up, realizing Liu Fugui wasn’t here for Li Huiru, and cautiously probed, "General Manager Liu, what troubles have you encountered?"

"Alas, I’m ashamed to say, I’m now a homeless person."

"What? General Manager Liu, your factory, it wouldn’t happen to be..." Xu Ren didn’t continue, unable to believe what he was about to say.

Liu Fugui nodded awkwardly, "Yes, we lost the factory, it was He Lei’s doing."

"General Manager Liu, how could you?"

"How could I make such a basic mistake, right..." Liu Fugui felt utterly embarrassed; Liu Yunpeng, sitting beside him, couldn’t bear seeing his father pressed further and intervened, "Captain Xu, today’s issues were caused by my naivety. Not only did I cost Dad the factory, but I nearly got him killed. It’s all my fault; we just hope you can shelter us and let us stay with you!"

Liu Yunpeng spoke straightforwardly, unlike his father who liked to play those winding games. But how could Xu Ren grant his request so easily? He sipped his tea with a firm face and pretended to show concern, "Alas, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. Could you tell me the specific situation?"

"That’s because..."

"Yunpeng, you worked hard driving today; have some water and rest. I’ll explain to Captain Xu."

"Dad, I don’t..."

Liu Fugui pushed the teacup towards his son, interrupting him, "Drink it while it’s hot, don’t let it get cold."

Xu Ren observed Liu Fugui’s actions with interest, clearly seeing that Liu was afraid Liu Yunpeng might spill something inadvertently. So he assumed whatever Liu Fugui would say next would be a mix of truth and lies, not wholly believable. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)