Chapter 108: I Want to Take a Gamble—Let’s Hope Boss Su Doesn’t Let Me Lose
Su Tao immediately raised her guard, maintaining perfect composure as she politely welcomed the group inside.
She had planned to lead them to the hotel lobby to discuss matters in detail.
However, Lei Xing refused.
He smiled at her—sharp tiger teeth flashing—his golden slit pupils locking onto her with an intense gaze.
“Boss Su looks quite young.”
Su Tao replied coolly, “Does Captain Lei take a client’s age into account before accepting a job?”
Lei Xing suddenly leaned in, only stopping two steps away from her. He took his time examining her, then chuckled softly.
“Not at all. But this is the first time I’ve had such a young female employer—surely I’m allowed to be a little curious?”
Su Tao graciously nodded.
“I’ll allow it. Now, have you satisfied your curiosity? You seem like a straightforward man, Captain Lei. Since you don’t want to go upstairs, we’ll talk here. Name your price.”
Lei Xing’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Interesting. You seem very confident. Alright, what if I ask for— Half a ton of fuel, half a ton of food and one kilogram of industrial-grade pure titanium? Can you afford that, Boss Su?”
Lei Xing leaned back slightly and smirked. “I have a solid reputation in this line of work. I wouldn’t name an outrageous price. Given the difficulty of your mission, this compensation is more than reasonable. See for yourself.”
As he spoke, he pulled out his communicator and tapped a few buttons.
A holographic 3D map materialized in front of Su Tao.
“This is Shou’an, currently the most overrun base with zombies. The warlords there don’t care about governance, leading to massive casualties. They also fail to clear out the bodies in time, attracting even more zombies with the scent of blood and flesh. Breaking through their perimeter to rescue people won’t be easy.”
Su Tao frowned. She hadn’t expected things in Shou’an to have deteriorated this much.
After a moment of thought, she said, “Fuel and food are fine. But I’ll need to change the industrial titanium condition.”
She didn’t even know what industrial-grade titanium was—let alone where to get it.
Lei Xing was a little surprised that she agreed so easily to the first two conditions. His expression grew more serious as he reconsidered the person standing before him.
Someone who could produce that much food and fuel was definitely no ordinary person.
But no matter how much he wracked his brain, he couldn’t recall any powerful organization, family, or faction with a young leader surnamed Su.
Just then, one of his teammates nudged him and subtly motioned with his chin toward the distance.
“Boss, look—gas pumps. Are those real? Or just models?”
Lei Xing followed his gaze and his pupils dilated.
Four brand-new fuel pumps stood there, alongside charging stations for electric vehicles.
But he kept his expression neutral and shook his head. “Compared to fuel and food, what I truly want is industrial titanium.”
Su Tao’s face darkened. “Captain Lei, I’ll be frank with you. You can have any other supplies, but I truly don’t have industrial titanium. If that’s a dealbreaker, I’ll just find another mercenary team.”
Lei Xing still didn’t back down. “Boss Su, you’re from Dongyang, so I’m sure you have connections there. Dongyang is no small base—it must have rare metal reserves. You can pull some strings.”
Su Tao’s expression turned colder. “Are you trying to teach me how to do my job?”
The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
The wolf, Xuedao, who had been lying quietly, suddenly stood up, baring its teeth and growling.
Seeing this, Lei Xing’s men also went on alert, their broad, muscular frames making Su Tao look even smaller and more delicate by comparison.
Her voice was icy. “Captain Lei, please leave. Looks like we won’t be working together after all.”
Lei Xing had underestimated her.
Despite being surrounded by over ten men, she showed no trace of fear.
Was she truly that confident because she had the power to back it up? Or was there something else at play?
Lei Xing gestured for his men to stand down before turning back to Su Tao.
“Boss Su, if you try to find another mercenary team, you might not make it in time. I’ve been to the address you provided—that building won’t last more than three days. By the time you find someone else, that family you want to save will likely have been torn apart by zombies.”
Su Tao didn’t waver. “Don’t try to manipulate the situation. Whether or not I make it in time is my concern as the employer. I’ll ask you one last time—can you change your condition? If not, then leave.”
Lei Xing remained calm, but one of his subordinates grew anxious.
The man hesitated before whispering to Lei Xing, “Boss, don’t worry about me. This job isn’t easy, but the payment is enough to last us a year. Supplies are scarce everywhere. We should focus on stockpiling food and fuel.”
Su Tao didn’t catch what they said, but she could guess.
“What do you need industrial metal for?” she asked.
Lei Xing studied her young, sharp features, then finally relented, motioning for the man to explain.
The soldier stepped forward. “This is Fire Snake. His ability is pyrokinesis—he can produce high-temperature blue-white flames. But during a previous mission, he lost a hand.”
Lei Xing pulled back Fire Snake’s sleeve, revealing a stump where his hand used to be.
“Because of his ability, his prosthetic must withstand extreme heat. Ordinary materials won’t work—it has to be industrial-grade titanium, a material once used for aerospace engineering before the apocalypse.”
Su Tao’s eyes glinted with understanding, but she asked one more question.
“Have you considered other solutions? Like finding a healer?”
Lei Xing shook his head. “We’ve tried. But finding a powerful healer is just as hard as finding industrial titanium.”
Su Tao smiled slightly. “Well, that’s a coincidence. I happen to know a healer who can regenerate lost limbs.”
Silence.
Everyone froze.
Lei Xing’s golden slit pupils shrank. “How can you prove it?”
Su Tao shook her head. “I can’t. That healer is currently in Dongyang. But if you complete this mission and deliver the survivors to Dongyang, you’ll meet him, and I’ll arrange for your treatment.”
Fire Snake was instantly suspicious.
“I don’t trust you. You suddenly appear out of nowhere with endless resources and claim to have an extremely rare healing ability at your disposal? We’ve been all over the place and never heard of you. How do we know you’re not lying?”
His tone grew harsher. “And the guy who contacted us—Ma Dapao—is just some low-level errand boy. If you have such a powerful background, why send him instead of someone with real authority?”
He was one step away from calling her a fraud.
Su Tao never thought keeping a low profile would actually make things more difficult.
She sighed. “…Maybe I should start promoting myself and Taoyang. It’s too much trouble not having any reputation.”
“I believe you.”
Lei Xing’s voice cut through the conversation.
Su Tao looked up, startled.
Lei Xing grinned, flashing his tiger teeth, and extended his hand.
“We’ll take the job.”
His golden eyes gleamed with excitement. “I won’t bother looking into you. I like taking risks—and I love unexpected surprises.”
“I want to gamble. Let’s hope you don’t let me lose, Boss Su.”
