Apocalypse: My Apartment Has Traits - Chapter 194 - 164: The Outcome Is Decided
Chapter 194: Chapter 164: The Outcome Is Decided
“Old Su, you must help us! Our Xinlong Village is willing to pay any price, even… even if you want our entire village to merge into Wuyin, that’s fine!”
Inside the Su Family’s Old Mansion, as soon as Li Longjun arrived in a hurry, he didn’t even sit down properly before anxiously speaking.
His face was pale, and he was visibly shaken, clearly terrified by Xu Zhong’s tragic fate.
He was just a hair’s breadth away…
If he hadn’t had the sudden urge to first go to Quanzhou Village to discuss strategies with Xu Zhong, he might have already ventured into the depths of the wilderness by now.
This fleeting thought, by a twist of fate, saved his life.
“Xu Zhong is finished! The women he kept at home have all become undocumented, and the entire Hunting Group that went to the wilderness with him didn’t return; they were all wiped out!”
Li Longjun clasped his hands tightly in front of his stomach, his knuckles turning white, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
Su Lin furrowed his brows:
“Xu Zhong doesn’t understand the four basics of Qi and blood; how dare he lead people to hunt a lord? Didn’t Quanzhou Village just solve the lord issue last month? The lord was definitely the Wandering Giant; where did he get the courage?”
Upon hearing this, Li Longjun looked embarrassed and lowered his voice guiltily:
“He… he probably… I heard people say he thought the speed at which you all dealt with the lord was astonishingly fast, so he assumed the rules of the wilderness had failed, and maybe not all villages’ lords were that ghostly figure of the Wandering Giant… That’s what they say over in Quanzhou Village!”
“Did you also have the same thought?” Su Lin exposed him bluntly.
“This…” Li Longjun was at a loss for words, unable to deny it.
Su Qi, standing by, commented calmly:
“Greed clouds judgment.”
Li Longjun was left speechless.
At this moment, someone rushed in from outside, a mix of shock and suspicion on their face, reporting:
“Old Su, Second Grandfather Su, Young Master Su! There’s a group claiming to be from Quanzhou Village outside, requesting to meet. But their faces look unfamiliar. I asked their purpose, and they said the Hunting Group from Quanzhou Village was completely wiped out and they want to seek shelter with us at Wuyin! Unsure of the truth, please decide, Old Su.”
They came really fast.
Su Can sighed:
“Let them in.”
“Yes!” The messenger hurriedly left.
Before long, an elder led a few villagers from Quanzhou Village, their faces filled with grief, through the courtyard and into the hall.
As soon as the elder entered, he knelt to the ground with a thud, his voice mournful:
“I beg Lord Su to have mercy and save the dozens of lives in Quanzhou Village!”
The others followed suit, kneeling and kowtowing heavily, with muffled sobs audible, exuding deep fear.
Su Can remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice:
“Rise and speak. The matter of your village has been informed to me by Captain Li of Xinlong Village.”
The elder kowtowed three more times before standing up shakily, pain and fear intertwined on his aged face.
The crowd behind him also kowtowed and stood up in unison.
Choking, the elder said:
“There’s not much left in Quanzhou Village that we can bring out. I, Wu Hongbing, on behalf of Quanzhou Village, am willing to offer all our possessions and merge our entire village into Wuyin! We only ask Lord Su to act and rid us of the wild lord’s menace.”
A trace of regret flickered in Su Lin’s eyes.
Who would have thought that just not long ago, Quanzhou Village, seemingly thriving after spending heavily on acquiring a Tier One Mechanism Blueprint, would end up with such an untimely demise before even starting?
“Alright, I accept this matter,” Su Can readily agreed without hesitation, then turned his gaze to Li Longjun, “Quanzhou Village will merge into Wuyin. What about you, Captain Li?”
“I, I too…” Li Longjun gritted his teeth, about to say “I’m also willing to merge,” when Su Lin suddenly interrupted.
“Wuyin does not need Xinlong Village to merge.” Su Lin’s voice was calm yet clear.
“What?!” Li Longjun stood up in shock, staring at Su Lin in disbelief.
Not needing Xinlong Village to merge?
What does this mean?
Could it be an unwillingness to help?
Li Longjun urgently asked, “What do you mean by this, Young Master Su?”
“It means Wuyin Village can assist Xinlong Village in eliminating the lord’s threat but not accepting a village merger as the trade-off,” Su Lin explained.
“Why?” Li Longjun looked confused, “Is my Xinlong Village now less significant than Quanzhou Village?”
He quickly looked toward Su Can, seeking a chance to bargain:
“Old Su, this matter… shouldn’t you decide?”
However, before Su Can could respond, Su Qi had already said:
“Su Lin’s words represent the Su Family’s stance.”
Su Can nodded slowly, showing agreement.
Li Longjun could hardly believe his ears.
Such a significant decision on village affairs, and Su Can and Su Qi allowed a young junior to make the call?
Did they disdain Xinlong Village so much?
A surge of resentment flowed within him, but given the circumstances, he suppressed his anger, took a deep breath, and looked at Su Lin:
“Then may I ask what brilliant idea Young Master Su has? Even my Xinlong Village doesn’t catch your fancy; I simply cannot think of any bargaining chip that could interest the Su Family.”
“Captain Li is mistaken.” Su Lin looked at him, tone gentle, “It’s not that we look down on Xinlong Village. I just feel that Captain Li is ambitious and may not be content to live under others. A village merger requires unity and shared goals; coerced efforts aren’t worthwhile.”
Is that so?
Li Longjun’s expression softened a bit, cupping his fist:
“Young Master Su’s understanding is appreciated. In that case, what must I offer to engage the Su Family’s intervention? Speaking of assets, Xinlong Village at most can gather ten Gold Coins after exhausting all resources, but that was already declined by the Su Family previously.”
Both Su Can and Su Qi’s eyes fell on Su Lin, similarly curious about his plan.
“Martial Artist.”
Su Lin’s eyes sparkled, and he swiftly set the terms:
“Xinlong Village only needs to allow a portion of its Tendon Lock and Flesh Lock level martial artists to join Wuyin Village’s ranks.”
…
In the end, Li Longjun agreed to Su Lin’s request but left with an undying sense of stifled anger.
Inside the hall, Su Can shook his head helplessly:
“You sly boy, you talk nicely about how ’coerced efforts aren’t worthwhile,’ but isn’t it really because you don’t fancy Li Longjun that’s why you rejected Xinlong Village’s merger?”
Su Lin raised the cup of tea poured by his sister-in-law Zhao Yaxin, took a sip, and smiled:
“If he wants to think that, I can’t help it. But Grandpa, despite Li Longjun’s capabilities, his ambition is too great. If he brings the entire Xinlong Village in, after some time, he might become another Zhong Wubin.”
Su Qi nodded in agreement:
“Linzi makes sense. Among these villages, Zhong Wubin, Xu Zhong, Li Longjun—they’re all the ambitious type. On the other hand, people like Chen Xinting, Wei Yi, and Jiang Mincong are simpler-minded and only seek stable survival.”
Su Can suddenly frowned, a bit worried:
“But I just agreed directly to Quanzhou Village’s merger…”
“Quanzhou Village is a different case.” Su Lin put down his teacup, his thoughts clear, “For Quanzhou and Xinlong, my intention was for them to trade core martial artists, not direct merging. The incident with Quanzhou Village actually saves us trouble.
“With Xu Zhong dead, the rest are leaderless. Those trustful Tendon Lock martial artists left in the village are likely honest folks. We can try integrating them. If they harbor ulterior motives, we can weed them out later—no big deal.”
Su Qi gazed at Su Lin, eyes full of gratification:
“With your thorough thinking now, and a strategic mind, if the Su Family’s burden is handed over to you someday, we’d be at ease.”
“Uh… Uncle praises me too much. The burden should still rest on you and Grandpa for now.” Su Lin chuckled sheepishly, quickly deferring.
As if! With extra time, I’d rather have fun playing games with Su Tongxi and Song Yiyi.
Just recently back in the village, Song Yiyi introduced him to a new idea, which he found quite engaging.
“You mischievous boy.” Su Can and Su Qi jokingly reproached him with a pointed finger.
Having said that, Su Qi pondered for a few seconds, his expression turning serious as he reported the recent progress:
“While you were out hunting lords these days, I wasn’t idle either, leading the Hunting Group to hasten the eradication of the wild leaders.
“Thanks to Linzi’s retraining of those dozens of Giant Beast-Hunting Bees, our efficiency has greatly increased, and the number of leaders has dropped significantly.
“Tonight’s Night of Survival should face much less pressure.”
