Chapter 562: Chapter 562

Perhaps to the average person, Virtual Coins were just money, the same as the RMB before the apocalypse, representing everything. Virtual Coins could buy rice, steamed buns, snacks that had ceased production, daily necessities, and even houses. They could also be used to pull strings to secure a permanent job position.

But what did that mean to those living at the top of the pyramid in the apocalypse? Virtual Coins couldn’t buy extinct livestock or obtain materials no longer in production. Nor could they purchase scarce resources like gasoline and natural gas for daily use. In their eyes, Virtual Coins were merely numbers, utterly useless.

Let alone these people, even Jing Shu didn’t consider Virtual Coins to be of much importance. She never took them seriously.

Pfft! I don’t have any damn Virtual Coins. Not only do I have none, but I also owe the government millions in Virtual Coins! However, I do have plenty of Self-operated Coins circulating internally at the red worm factory. Do those count as Virtual Coins?

So, the people present didn’t care about these two hundred thousand Virtual Coins at all. How many Virtual Coins would they end up having in their hands? These weren’t as valuable as the various fresh vegetables and fruits from Stone Garden. It wasn’t a matter that required any deliberation at all.

"No, I disagree with trading them!"

"I also disagree with giving them; at the very least, we don’t want Virtual Coins."

"We can’t just give away the second phase of Stone Garden . This time it’s the second phase; what next, will they demand our very lives? Back then, we invested all our capital in it."

The atmosphere at the scene was fraught with shared animosity. The unanimous opinion was to not easily hand over the second phase of Stone Garden, especially since this phase was constructed at great expense by hiring people from the government. If they had built it themselves, they could have simply employed people from Stone Garden and spent only a third of the cost, or even less.

Jing Shu slightly furrowed her brows but made no comment.

Qian Duoduo tapped on the table for a while before turning his head to the gentleman who had offered the helicopter and asked, "Old Xu, what do you think?"

The man called Old Xu straightened up and asked cautiously, "Did they mention what would happen if we disagree? What will be the consequences?"

The bar then became eerily quiet. Everyone’s eyes turned towards them, ears perked to listen.

Qian Duoduo meditated for a moment and said, "They didn’t say anything explicitly. They just mentioned that Wu City is really facing a tough situation this time and asked us to consider it seriously."

"When has Wu City not faced a real crisis? Last month, and the month before, wasn’t there a shortage of food? How much did we at Stone Garden contribute? Every day, a small part of what we produce is sent to the higher-ups. Isn’t that enough?"

Old Xu shook his head. "Those words... The threat from the higher-ups is quite obvious."

Qian Duoduo nodded. "Yes, if we don’t give it, will they forcibly requisition it?"

With that, someone added as a reminder, "Have you all forgotten what happened when the apocalypse first struck? Several large factories were unwilling to hand over their materials for centralized management. Do you remember their fate?"

Old Xu shook his head again. "Mr. Qian, is this coming from Jin Tianci? Given your relationship with him, he shouldn’t be treating us this way."

"It is indeed Jin Tianci’s idea. Ah, it really puts me in a tough spot," Qian Duoduo sighed, then continued, "You might not know, but he might be reassigned back to the Imperial Capital. Before leaving, he wants to clear the path for his successor. He intends to be the bad guy one last time—to fill a big hole."

Jing Shu’s eyelids twitched. What was happening? Jin Tianci is leaving? In my previous life, Jin Tianci seemed to have died of illness in the third year, and the tyrant took office in the fourth year. Now, in this life, he hasn’t died from illness but is being transferred back instead.

Qian Duoduo turned his head and saw Jing Shu sipping from the rim of her cup. His eyes lit up, and he asked, "Jing Shu, what do you think?"

All eyes turned to Jing Shu again. This time, there were whispers, for a simple reason: among everyone present, only Jing Shu’s shares had been gifted to her by Qian Duoduo. Moreover, he had gifted her shares twice, the second time being after she returned from the United States, bringing back a complete set of vegetable dehydration technology.

"Me?" Jing Shu raised an eyebrow. She looked at Qian Duoduo’s seemingly expectant expression and sighed. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥

Was Qian Duoduo not smart? No, he was too clever.

He understood everything. But sometimes, understanding is one thing—just as everyone knows smoking is harmful to health. He saw through the essence of the whole situation at a glance, yet he was still troubled.

Letting go of the second phase of Stone Garden wasn’t just about losing what these shareholders mentioned. Looking further ahead, Qian Duoduo was losing ambition, hope, and a platform to showcase his abilities in the future.

"I think we should give the second phase of Stone Garden to the government," Jing Shu said calmly.

These words immediately caused an uproar.

"Why should we give it to them?"

"Do you know how much food we will lose by giving it away?"

"We were originally planning to build a complete ecosystem, with large-scale breeding farms and cultivation rooms, and stock up on a huge amount of food supplies. All of that will be gone if we give it away!"

Qian Duoduo waved his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down. Then he asked Jing Shu, "Oh? Why is that? Can you explain your thoughts? What benefits do we get by giving the second phase of Stone Garden to the government?"

Jing Shu tapped her cup, pondering. She thought Qian Duoduo’s previous approach was somewhat flawed. For instance, giving the government large amounts of supplies for free, frequently donating resources, and often appearing on Wu City’s list of influential figures. With its great reputation, abundant resources, and being known as the last paradise of the apocalypse, Stone Garden had attracted too much attention.

So what if he made contributions every day?

Qian Duoduo himself knew he was a fat sheep—a fat sheep with a background from the Imperial Capital. He might have been mistaken from the start, thinking that by constantly growing stronger and fatter, and occasionally giving away some of his ’fat,’ the higher-ups wouldn’t really dare to slaughter him.

Jing Shu spoke up. "Give the second phase to the government, but not ’giving’ in the sense the government means it; rather, ’giving’ in our sense. The second phase of Stone Garden is truly to be given, but how it’s given, the manner in which it’s given, is up to us. And we have conditions."

Then someone scoffed, "Give it away? So what if we have conditions? Let’s take ten thousand steps back—even if the leaders were our people, so what? Aren’t the tens of thousands of people living there appointed by the higher-ups? Aren’t the products produced owned by the government? What benefits do we get? What have we gained? Are you suggesting our conditions would dictate that everything produced belongs to us? Still talking about conditions? Do you think the higher-ups will even allow you to set conditions?"

"Exactly! The second phase of Stone Garden isn’t valuable in itself. What’s valuable is the future returns it will bring. Who will own the various supplies it produces? Would the government not want them? That’s what they’re after! How could they possibly agree to what you’re suggesting?"

Sometimes, you have to go against the conventional approach. One can’t just look at the superficial benefits; there are deeper benefits as well.

Most importantly, everyone’s interests aren’t always perfectly aligned. One must heed the wisdom of the great: seek common ground while reserving differences.