Survival Game: Call Me an Honest Businessman

Light speed!

That's practically the speed of light!

Before Li Zhi could close his mouth, his throat went dry instantly, and the next second it felt as if the wind had been poured in and torn apart!

How can a fish run so fast in the soil?!

Li Zhi didn't have time to think about this serious problem. As the rustling sounds grew closer, he yelled through his aching throat, "We can't outrun them!"

Tu's voice remained as aloof as ever, showing no sign of wavering: "One kilometer further ahead, and we'll reach the edge of the wasteland."

Li Zhi: "Then what are you going to do?"

Tu paused in his gliding motion, then quickly accelerated again.

"It's none of your business."

Li Zhi: "I have a way!"

Tu didn't speak, and Li Zhi lowered his voice.

The wind shattered her voice, but Tu heard it clearly: "That rat chieftain is extremely afraid of death. When you stop, pretend to renegotiate, and then grab the rat chieftain."

"Why did you arrest him?"

"First tell me, do the rats have any fast-growing food that only they can produce? Or any resources that other beastmen don't have, resources unique to them?"

Tu's eyes flashed with surprise, but she still answered, "The rat tribe's fast-growing mushrooms and a kind of glowing moss spores. The fast-growing mushrooms are the rat tribe's main food, produced only by the rat tribe, and are rich in nutrients. Beastmen with cubs usually buy them from them. The glowing moss spores can be used for lighting and marking, and are often traded with the Feather Alliance."

Tu's answer was exactly what Li Zhi had expected.

The orcs in the inner perimeter of the wilderness market were all barely clothed, but these rats all had clothes on, showing no signs of lacking food or clothing.

Moreover, the rat people kept saying that the rat race was pitiful and couldn't afford to raise their young, so the rats chasing them were incredibly fast, and none of them looked malnourished.

Especially the two following behind him, one was plump and strong, and the other was also fat and chubby, clearly never having gone hungry.

Looking at the rat-man's obsequious manner, which seemed to have been honed at a dinner table, and his "courtesy before force" approach, it was clear that he had robbed and done business quite often.

She'd seen plenty of seasoned veterans in the business world.

This wasn't the first time someone had tried to take advantage of her, but each one had paid a price.

Li Zhi: "Stop!"

She frowned, but still chose to do as instructed.

He just made a sarcastic remark: "Your money for me only goes this far. I won't help you anymore when those rats tear you apart."

Li Zhi: "All you need to do is capture that clan chief."

Tu didn't speak, but turned to look at the approaching rat-clan orcs.

She flicked her tail and chased away several rats, but the rat-man was finally caught up by the strong rats carrying him.

He was furious: "Tu! You—"

Before he could finish speaking, his neck was already in Tu's hand.

The rat-man swayed his thin, bony legs, his tail trying several times to rise but ultimately drooping weakly. He forced a smile onto his old face: "Lord Tu, what are you doing?"

Tu looked at Li Zhi.

Li Zhi smiled and walked towards the rat-man. "Chieftain, we stopped because we wanted to continue our business discussion with you."

The rat-man's eyes darted around: "No problem, no problem! Put me down first, then we can talk properly."

"Hey—" Li Zhi clicked his tongue, held up a finger, and shook it, saying, "It'll be harder to talk if you put it down."

She leaned close to the rat-man's ear and whispered, "We're talking about the price of your life."

"Since our lives aren't in our hands, the price is hard to negotiate, right?"

The rat-man cried out in terror, "You...you...you..."

Li Zhi: "I've heard that you have a fast-growing mushroom and a fluorescent moss spore. I'd like to trade these two items with you."

The rat-man's fearful expression vanished, his eyes darting around: "These two items are indeed a specialty of my rat clan. According to market price, we—"

Li Zhi held up one finger: "I want 1000 units of fast-growing mushrooms and 1000 units of fluorescent moss spores, traded at 1000 units per copper coin."

"I can pay in full upfront, but you must first deliver at least 10% of the goods to me, and the remaining 90% will be settled within 10 days, how about that?"

The rat-man's smile froze: "Are you kidding me?"

Li Zhi: "Small business, integrity is fundamental, I never joke around."

The scales of fairness appeared before her and the rat-man.

The contract has already been drafted on the screen.

"Sign or not?"

The rat-man's whiskers trembled rapidly. His cloudy yellow eyes stared at Li Zhi for a long while before he forced a smile: "The rat clan also has so many cubs to raise. The children are already starving. I really can't provide that many fast-growing mushrooms and glowing moss spores. How about we discuss it again?"

"Of course, how would you like to discuss it?"

The rat-man's eyes darted around: "How about this, I'll give you 100 units of fast-growing mushrooms and 100 units of glowing moss spores, for a trade of 100 copper coins, how about it?"

Li Zhi lowered his voice: "How about I ask you how many fast-growing mushrooms you can exchange your life for? How much are the younger generation of your rat clan willing to pay to ransom you?"

The rat-man and its whiskers froze in mid-air, its eyes no longer darting around.

He gritted his teeth for a moment, then revealed a resolute expression: "Fine, but not 1000 units, 800 units at most, and not one copper coin. I can't explain that to my clan. It has to be at least 10 units for one copper coin!"

Li Zhi said expressionlessly, "800 units, 1 copper coin. You'll have to make up the rest of the money you owe the clan, or I'll call the other rat clan members to talk to you."

Out of the corner of his eye, the rat-man noticed that only his fat son showed a worried expression; none of the others seemed inclined to help him.

He could only grit his teeth and say, "Sign!"

Tu lowered the rat-man.

The rat-man carefully scanned the contract, found no loopholes to exploit, and reluctantly signed his name.

Li Zhiye quickly signed the document.

The contract is now in effect.

The ratman coughed, being lifted up by Tu, and faced the other ratmen: "I just finalized a deal with the new merchant. Go and get 80 units of fast-growing mushrooms and 80 units of glowing moss spores."

The fat ratman clapped excitedly: "Two 80-unit jars, can't we buy a lot of rice to eat?!"

The other ratmen were also curious: "Chief, how much money did we make on this deal?"

The rat-man coughed violently.

Fat Ratman: "Dad, are you alright?!"

The rat-man snatched the bag from another rat-man and handed it to Li Zhi, saying, "The first batch of goods has been traded."

Li Zhi opened it, glanced inside, and only after confirming that everything was alright did he put it back in his backpack.

After solemnly handing the bag containing two copper coins to the rat-men, Li Zhi said amicably to the other rat-men, "Gentlemen! From now on, we are friends! I have agreed with the chieftain that each transaction will be calculated at 1 unit for 1 copper coin. 10% will be prepaid, and the remaining 720 units of fast-growing mushrooms and 720 units of glowing moss spores will be traded in ten days. I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation!"

"Oh, new business! New partners!"

"Dad's the best!"

"Chieftain! Chieftain! Chieftain!"

The rats huddled together and cheered.

The rat-man, holding the light money bag, trembled with his whiskers, tears streaming down his face before he could utter a word.

Li Zhi also felt a little uneasy.

The rat tribe doesn't seem to be very wealthy...

The clan leader is already suffering so much from spending 1598 copper coins out of his own pocket; it seems there won't be much more profit to be squeezed out of him in the future.

They thought they'd finally found a treasure vault, but there wasn't even a single gold bar inside...

How could she not sympathize with herself?