87: Chapter 87 Strength is Paramount

Qi Yun woke up alone in bed for a change.

Last night, he had even politely declined the requests of Lin Le and Lin Wan.

It seems that the "Asura Phantom" technique must be used with caution in the future; his comrades were finally not in pain.

He took Chen Xiaolin, Bai Yu, and Su Mu with him, and gathered some more men to set off for the Orderly Alliance.

"Auntie Su Mu, what is the Orderly Alliance actually like?"

Chen Xiaolin asked with a curious tone.

Su Mu had changed into a new set of clothes, which accentuated her slender figure.

"The Orderly Alliance of Tribe 03, it is a true survival Tribe," she said in a steady voice.

"You will know once we arrive."

Following the coordinate guidance, they passed through a relatively sparse woodland.

A small, rather steep hill appeared before them.

The Orderly Alliance had built an extensive defensive fortification based on the terrain, using thick logs, stones, and vines.

Although crude, it was layered and enclosed most of the hilltop, forming a primitive fortress that was easy to defend and difficult to attack.

A group of people had already gathered at the gate of the fortress.

The leader was none other than Yu Jie.

Seeing Qi Yun appear, Yu Jie's eyes lit up, and he immediately led his men to welcome him.

"Tribe Leader Qi Yun! Welcome!"

Yu Jie's attitude was even more humble than it had been yesterday.

Qi Yun, however, felt a strange sensation in his heart.

This display, this manner—why did it feel a bit like a leader conducting an inspection?

"Yu Jie, lead the way," Qi Yun said.

"Yes, yes, yes. It is an honor for our Orderly Alliance that the Tribe Leader could come! Open the gate! Welcome our distinguished guest!"

Yu Jie turned to the side and waved his hand at those behind him.

"Creak—!"

The heavy, crude wooden gate was pushed open by several strong men.

On both sides inside the gate, there were actually two rows of people standing.

They were young women specifically selected for the occasion, whose looks could be considered quite pretty among ordinary people.

"Welcome, Tribe Leader Qi Yun, to our humble abode!"

In ordinary times, the looks of these women might be considered pretty and pleasing.

But compared to the energetic girls behind Qi Yun, they seemed dim and lackluster.

They looked at the clean faces and well-fitted clothes of the 01 Tribe girls, filled with envy.

"Tribe Leader, please!" Yu Jie bowed and led the way.

Inside the fortress, there were drafty, makeshift shacks everywhere.

In order to join the alliance, many had abandoned their own Tribes.

The narrow roads were crowded with people, all curiously eyeing the legendary 01 Tribe.

Most of them were sallow and thin, and the majority were still using leaves to cover their bodies.

This was the first time some of the girls had seen other Tribes, and they looked at all of this in shock.

Compared to them, these people were practically primitive.

At the same time, their favorability toward Qi Yun surged.

"Clatter."

A biscuit that a girl behind Qi Yun hadn't finished eating fell out of her pocket.

In an instant, many people from the Orderly Alliance looked at the biscuit stained with dust!

Their eyes were filled with greed.

If not for the guards Yu Jie had arranged to maintain order, someone would likely have already rushed forward for that biscuit.

The girl who dropped the biscuit was also startled, a trace of reluctance and hesitation flashing across her face.

She looked at the dirty biscuit on the ground, gritted her teeth, and threw it hard toward an open space away from the crowd!

"Whoosh—!"

"Mine!"

"The biscuit!"

"Get lost!"

The crowd instantly erupted! Dozens of people rushed toward where the biscuit had landed like madmen!

A flash of embarrassment and awkwardness crossed Yu Jie's face.

He quickly apologized to Qi Yun with a smile: "Tribe Leader Qi Yun, please forgive the unsightly scene; the people below have been terrified by hunger."

Qi Yun waved his hand, indicating it was no matter.

The group quickened their pace toward the stone house of Tribe 03 on the hill.

What they saw along the way further confirmed Su Mu's words about it being a "true survival Tribe."

The contrast was too stark, too cruel.

Finally, they arrived in front of the stone house.

Yu Jie stopped at the entrance, and everyone immediately lined up on both sides of the gate, bowing in unison.

This pomp and circumstance was really starting to have that distinct flavor.

He stood on no more ceremony, stepped forward, and walked into the stone house.

The girls followed him in one after another.

There was a huge long table in the center.

Chen Xiaolin and the others took their seats behind or to the side of Qi Yun.

Yu Jie guided Qi Yun to sit at the main seat, while he sat opposite Qi Yun.

Several key figures from the Orderly Alliance also sat down cautiously.

Just as everyone sat down, the door of the stone house was pushed open again.

A group of people walked in, led by a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties, with a serious face and an air of old-fashioned arrogance.

The few people following behind him also had unfriendly expressions, their gazes carrying a subtle hostility.

Seeing this group, Yu Jie frowned, but he still stood up and introduced them to Qi Yun:

"Tribe Leader Qi Yun, this is the Vice Alliance Leader of our Orderly Alliance, Zhao Dehai, Vice Alliance Leader Zhao. He is also an important pillar of our alliance and is in charge of quite a few brothers."

He then turned to the middle-aged man: "Vice Alliance Leader Zhao, this is Tribe Leader Qi Yun of the 01 Tribe."

Qi Yun gave a faint glance at Zhao Dehai.

It seemed that the Orderly Alliance was not monolithic; this was clearly another faction.

Zhao Dehai, seeing Qi Yun being so dismissive, felt his face grow even gloomier. He let out a cold snort and walked over to sit on the other side of the long table on his own.

The people he brought stood behind him with arms crossed, in a provocative posture.

Qi Yun didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Alliance Leader Yu, I came here mainly for information regarding the third wave of the corpse tide."

Yu Jie's eyes flickered: "Yes, we have obtained some information. We are also willing to share it with the most powerful force on the island to jointly deal with the crisis. It's just…"

"Just what?" Qi Yun asked.

"It's just that we paid a significant price for this information, and we hope to use it to reach some cooperation with the 01 Tribe." Yu Jie wore a troubled expression.

Su Mu suddenly tapped Qi Yun's calf with the tip of her shoe.

Qi Yun looked at Su Mu.

Su Mu's eyes conveyed a signal: let her handle it.

A hint of interest flashed in Qi Yun's eyes. Very well, it would be good to see what this mother was made of.

"Alliance Leader Yu, whether this information is worth us cooperating with you shouldn't be priced by you, but judged by us. Don't you agree?"

Su Mu spoke, her voice carrying a strange penetrating power.

Yu Jie was stunned, finding this woman somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was.

"And this lady is…?" Yu Jie asked tentatively.

Su Mu smiled slightly, a gentle and proper smile: "Alliance Leader Yu really has a poor memory. I am Ye Xi's mother, Su Mu."

"Su… Su Mu?!" Yu Jie's pupils constricted, and he looked at this woman, who was brand new and possessed a calm and powerful aura, in disbelief.

The change was too great!

Qi Yun spoke: "Su Mu's meaning can represent my meaning. Alliance Leader Yu, please continue."

Su Mu cast a grateful look at Qi Yun.

"Alliance Leader Yu, the fact that you are willing to reveal that you possess this information—doesn't that just mean you believe the value of cooperation is higher?"

Yu Jie's expression changed slightly, and he wanted to refute.

But Su Mu didn't give him the chance and continued, her speaking pace steady:

"If you truly believed that the value of this information far exceeded the returns we might bring, you wouldn't have revealed its existence to us from the start. You are releasing your goodwill for the sake of cooperation."

Su Mu's voice echoed in the stone house, her logic tight.

Sweat appeared on Yu Jie's forehead.

This woman not only saw through his thoughts but also reversed the initiative of the negotiation from "you must cooperate if you want the information" to "it is you who are begging to trade the information for our goodwill."

"We naturally hope for a fair cooperation and transaction," Yu Jie tried to recover.

"Fair?" Su Mu gave a light sneer.

"Alliance Leader Yu, you are not stupid. This is not the negotiating table of a civilized society. On this island, from beginning to end, there is only one law that is believed in—Might Makes Right!"

Her words suddenly became cold and forceful:

"Today, we are willing to sit here, listen to your conditions, and talk with you, which is already giving you face and giving the Orderly Alliance a chance, out of consideration for your previous tactfulness and the potential value of this information."

"If we really wanted the information," Su Mu's gaze swept over everyone from the Orderly Alliance in the room, finally returning to Yu Jie's face, her tone flat.

"With our strength, do you think we need to sit here and talk to you?"

This was almost a naked threat!

Looking at Su Mu, Qi Yun felt that perhaps he should learn some techniques tonight.