202: We are here to seek cooperation

Wang Ze hadn't expected Tian Ming to be so overbearing.

"Since you're here to negotiate, then let's negotiate properly. Don't put on airs in front of me," Tian Ming said calmly, looking coldly at Wang Ze.

Wang Ze's expression subtly changed, and his tone softened a bit.

"Zheng Haoyu led a defection, which caused immense damage to our company. Now, with so many mutated creatures, our human living environment has deteriorated. I'm here today primarily to discuss how to handle this matter with you and jointly deliberate on a union."

Tian Ming waved his hand lightly, and the pressure on them suddenly lessened, restoring their freedom of movement.

Wang Ze secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He now believed that the intelligence he had received earlier was all true; the leader of this Shelter was almost omnipotent.

"Ji Ruping, prepare tea and welcome our guests!" Tian Ming touched his earpiece and spoke into it.

"Understood, Boss. I'll arrange it right away."

Tian Ming glanced at Wang Ze: "Let's go, to the conference room. We can sit down and talk slowly."

Wang Ze nodded, and the group followed Tian Ming to the conference room.

In the conference room, Tian Ming sat at the head of the table, while Wang Ze and the others sat on either side.

Wang Ze no longer had his previous arrogance. As a company executive, knowing how to deal with people was an essential skill. These individuals were originally elites, but in front of a strong person, they naturally put away their pride.

After a moment, Wang Ze spoke first: "Mr. Lu, Zheng Haoyu is our person. Isn't it a bit too overbearing for you to silently bring our people under your command?"

"Good birds choose their trees to perch. Their choice to join my Shelter was their own will. I can also provide the Ability Users potion that your company researches. Everyone has their own choice. According to your values, freedom is sacred and inviolable. I hope your company can recognize itself and respect the choices of those below."

When it came to speaking officialese, Tian Ming could do it effortlessly. Zheng Haoyu and these people were just the beginning. Tian Ming naturally wanted the other talents from Life Origins Company; otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to waste time talking to Wang Ze here.

"Heh heh, Mr. Lu certainly knows how to talk," Wang Ze said with a forced smile. "However, our company won't easily give up on Zheng Haoyu and the others. They are talents our company cultivated with a lot of resources."

Tian Ming said indifferently, "As I said, everyone has their own choice. No matter how many resources your company spends, it cannot change this fact."

Wang Ze's face darkened, and he thought to himself, this guy is really difficult to deal with. He pondered for a moment and said, "Then how will our interests be guaranteed? Mr. Lu, do you really want to be an enemy of Life Origins?"

A slight smile appeared on Tian Ming's lips, and he said, "Your weapons are indeed formidable. Destroying my Shelter should be no problem. But me destroying you is also no problem. So, let's talk properly, and don't always have threats on your lips."

Wang Ze took a deep breath and said, "To show our company's sincerity to you, we can no longer pursue the matter of Zheng Haoyu and will respect their wishes."

Tian Ming smiled disdainfully. What kind of sincerity was this? Not pursuing it became their sincerity? As expected, such a company was accustomed to arrogance, with double standards ingrained in their bones.

"Let's talk business. You want to pursue it, but you also need the ability to pursue it. What is your ultimate goal in coming here?" Tian Ming didn't want to continue wasting time with them, so he directly asked the other party to get to the point.

Wang Ze's eyes narrowed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "We originally hoped Zheng Haoyu would voluntarily return to our company, but to show our sincerity, they can continue to serve Mr. Lu. At the same time, we also hope to establish a strategic partnership with your Shelter."

Tian Ming said indifferently, "Establish a strategic partnership? That's fine, more friends, more paths. However, I have a slight question I'd like to ask."

"What question?"

"I want to ask, a strategic partnership. How exactly does this strategic cooperation work?"

Wang Ze pondered for a moment and slowly said, "We can share resources and benefit each other. We can provide more resources you need. And our company can also provide some defensive weapons for your Shelter."

"That's great, but there must be conditions, right?" Tian Ming was not tempted. Everything has a price. If this price was within Tian Ming's acceptable range, he could consider it. If the price was too high, then everything was off the table.

Wang Ze pondered for a moment but still stated his conditions directly: "The condition is that your Shelter must cooperate with our strategy, especially you, Mr. Lu. Your superpower has already far exceeded the standard for Ability Users. We hope you can visit our headquarters."

Tian Ming's eyes narrowed slightly, and he asked coldly, "Are you going to experiment on me?"

Tian Ming's tone grew cold, vaguely carrying a hint of killing intent. Life Origins Company was able to find a new path and develop the superpower potion. Then they naturally would have a way to deal with super-powered individuals; otherwise, there would be no such thing as power hunters.

Wang Ze also felt Tian Ming's killing intent. His heart trembled, but he dared not back down at this moment. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Mr. Lu, we just hope you can cooperate with us on some research. But we guarantee that such research will not cause you harm."

Tian Ming asked indifferently, "Why should I believe you? What do you guarantee with?"

Wang Ze's expression subtly changed. He hadn't expected Tian Ming to be so cautious. He pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Lu, we can first sign an agreement to ensure your safety and rights."

This was a huge joke. In the Apocalypse, what rules were there to speak of? Wang Ze was insulting his intelligence, but Tian Ming didn't expose the joke.

"This matter is not urgent. Whether I go with you depends on whether your sincerity is enough first. My Shelter has a somewhat serious power shortage problem. I wonder if you have any reliable energy solutions. The requirements aren't high: reliable, stable, and safe."

A hint of a smile appeared on Tian Ming's lips. The other party was about what he had expected. They were definitely planning something regarding him. It would be better to go with the flow and get some of their technology first. As for whether the sincerity was enough, that was up to him to decide.

Wang Ze breathed a sigh of relief. He had originally thought Tian Ming would get angry, but he hadn't expected his reaction to be so calm.

"Our company has some excellent energy technologies, and their efficiency and stability are quite good. Our company has a lot of technology, and we don't have the authority to privately authorize its use to you. I'll have to ask for instructions from above on this."

"What about weapons? We're also interested in your mechs and exoskeletons, and even those two spaceship-like things parked outside, we're very interested."

Wang Ze's heart sank, and he looked at Tian Ming warily. This young man's appetite might be much larger than he had imagined.