68: What is truly terrifying is the monopoly of information!
Bai Wanning narrowed her eyes, the dagger in her hand pointed at Xie Yi's forehead, and she said coldly, "You'd better tell me all the details of that deal, or I promise, my dagger will fall faster than my questions."
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" Xie Yi raised his hands high, speaking rapidly.
It wasn't his first time doing dirty work, but Bai Wanning's ruthlessness made him afraid to play any tricks.
If it were anyone else, he would have long since snatched the dagger and dealt with them, but this woman in front of him, he didn't even dare to move.
He swallowed, quickly explaining, "It's Boss Zhou, Zhou Jinchuan. He and Lu Gui had an agreement long ago. I was to drive the truck full of weapons and antiques to Boss Zhou, and in exchange, I was to bring back the gold Lu Gui had prepared."
"Gold?" Bai Wanning's eyes brightened slightly, but the next second they turned cold, the tip of the dagger almost touching Xie Yi's forehead. "Are you kidding? The world is in such chaos; where did he get the time and guts to smuggle these things?"
"Miss, you're still too naive." Xie Yi smiled bitterly, lowering his voice. "The higher-ups knew something was going to happen in Y City a long time ago; they prepared for several months."
"Common people like us are the ones kept in the dark. The real danger isn't the Apocalypse itself, but their monopoly on information."
"Those officials' homes have long been stocked with enough supplies and money. Let alone smuggling weapons, even if they wanted to live as if the Apocalypse hadn't happened, they could maintain it. And people like us still have to struggle to survive in this disaster."
Only then did Bai Wanning recall the various events of her previous life.
If she remembered correctly, within four or five months of the Apocalypse, several large bases were established.
At the time, she thought those were supported by extraordinary powers, but now, hearing this, she understood that those so-called "survivor bases" were originally shelters planned in advance by these high-ranking officials!
Selfish, cold-blooded, and condescending—that was their true nature.
They not only blocked all news from Y City but also secretly arranged better lives for themselves behind the backs of the common people.
Bloodthirsty bastards!
No wonder they had time to establish those illegal organizations. With ample supplies and stable positions, they naturally didn't need to worry about survival.
"Lu Gui arranged the deal with Boss Zhou? That's what you just said, right?" Bai Wanning slightly raised the dagger in her hand, its tip once again touching Xie Yi's forehead.
Xie Yi nodded repeatedly, like a pecking chick, his eyes filled with terror.
Bai Wanning narrowed her eyes, slowly recalling everything about Zhou Jinchuan.
She turned to look at Xie Yi, her voice calm but with an oppressive tone, "Is it the man with a large mole on his chin?"
"Yes, miss," Xie Yi replied, nodding.
"Ah, that's Zhou Jinchuan." Bai Wanning gritted her teeth, wishing she could rush out right now and chop him down with a single blow. "He really is a shameless scoundrel."
Besides the organization members and the Bai family, there were a few other people Bai Wanning hated to the bone, and Zhou Jinchuan was one of them.
She wasn't sure if Zhou Jinchuan was the organization member who took her son for experiments, but she knew he must be involved with the people behind the scenes.
At least, he was a lackey who provided weapons to those who stood above others in the Apocalypse.
What was even more disgusting was that Zhou Jinchuan had a fetish: he liked to toy with underage girls.
Back then, Bai Wanning was pregnant with Bai Cai and had no time to take care of herself. All the good things were snatched away by Bai Xue and the Bai family. She was so thin throughout her pregnancy that she looked like a middle schooler.
She wasn't tall to begin with, and long-term malnutrition, oppression, and exploitation made her look much more haggard than before the Apocalypse.
Once, when she was out on a mission, she was targeted by those people from the organization, and Zhou Jinchuan was one of those wolves.
That day, she was knocked unconscious and woke up tied to Zhou Jinchuan's bed, drugged and unable to move even a finger.
She was terrified, not just for herself, but also for the unborn child in her womb!
Fortunately, she awakened her ability at the critical moment, barely controlling her power. She kicked Zhou Jinchuan unconscious and then desperately escaped.
If it weren't for that outburst, she might have truly been ruined by him.
Even after escaping, she could never forget how that man once touched her face and viciously swore to kill the child in her belly.
He said he hated women who were pregnant with another man's child yet still tried to seduce him.
He said if she didn't abort the child, he would do it himself!
At that time, Bai Wanning was almost impulsive enough to kill Zhou Jinchuan on the spot.
But Bai Xue blocked her, using the excuse "for the family's sake" to coax her into backing down. She said, "If you kill Zhou Jinchuan, our family will be finished."
A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Bai Wanning's eyes, but she quickly controlled her emotions.
She knew very well that she currently had no way to deal with Zhou Jinchuan. He had extensive connections at the top, and presumably, he had already stockpiled enough weapons for self-preservation, but this didn't mean she was completely helpless against him.
She pursed her lips, scoffing inwardly, "The road ahead is long; there's no need to rush."
She turned to look at Xie Yi, who was sitting on the hospital floor, and asked, "How much gold did the man named Zhou promise Lu Gui?"
"I think at least fifty catties," the skinny man immediately replied.
As he spoke, his rat-like face twitched slightly, and he looked back over his shoulder, as if fearing that Lu Gui would suddenly rush out and hold him accountable for leaking secrets.
Fifty catties?
Not a lot, but certainly not a small amount either.
She pressed on, "And what's the exact location of the transaction?"
Seeing that she was indeed interested in the deal, Xie Yi immediately smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Boss, the transaction location is at that old factory on the cliff next to Zhujia Village."
"It has abundant inventory: solar panels, diesel engines, cotton quilts, yachts, and food. All of these were prepared by Boss Zhou to exchange for the weapons and fifty kilograms of gold that Boss Lu is bringing."
"Will the man named Zhou himself appear?" Bai Wanning asked with sharp eyes.
The man laughed upon hearing this.
"Miss, how could Boss Zhou personally come for such a small business? He's already sent people. You're not planning to raid the warehouse, are you? That place isn't something ordinary people can touch. The boss isn't simple; even if a dozen people went, they might not gain an advantage."
Bai Wanning, however, was not deterred.
She just looked at Xie Yi and said in a light tone, "Are you willing to take me to that warehouse? If so, I can let you take twenty boxes of supplies, including five boxes of weapons."
Of course, she had ways to force out the exact address, but she could tell at a glance that Xie Yi wasn't a fool. If she could win him over, he would certainly be useful in the future.
As soon as Xie Yi heard he could take twenty boxes of supplies, he became excited.