Others try to survive on an island, I try to survive on a raft?

Chapter 149 The Self-Awareness of Cattle and Horses

But in fact, just as Su Jin had thought, the team was on the verge of collapse.

This time, before Mu Qing could even speak, the group of people behind her started chattering away.

"Boss Su, we want to change the meat. We want the meat of that rock snake that gives you strength!"

"We need salt, and seasonings too. Do you have cumin?"

"I see you're wearing new clothes, could you change into something? Ugh, it's so cold lately!"

"Any cigarettes? Or alcohol? I'm dying to breathe!"

The scene was as chaotic as a vegetable market. Everyone was talking about their own things, and no one paid any attention to Mu Qing, the leader.

Mu Qing tried to interject several times, but was drowned out by louder voices. She felt as if a large stone was stuck in her chest, making her feel suffocated.

Finally, she shut her mouth and looked coldly at Zhao Dezhu: "Captain Zhao, since everyone has such ideas, what do you think we should change it to?"

Zhao Dezhu didn't refuse and grinned, "I think, Sister Mu, what we lack most right now is productivity. Boss Su, we need to get new axes, preferably one for each of us, so we can cut down trees and pay off our debts faster."

"Besides this, we also want some Tier 3 sea beast meat, the kind that can turn people into superhumans, and some black coal. It's getting colder and colder, and we can't sleep at night without this stuff."

"Give us those two big iron pots too, and then—finally, can you spare us some gunpowder, even homemade explosives, for self-defense?"

The list he rattled off in one breath made Mu Qing's face turn black.

This is hardly a transaction.

This is practically making a wish!

With their current repayment ability, even selling Zhao Dezhu wouldn't be enough to pay half of these things!

Sure enough, Su Jin frowned slightly after hearing this, tapped the side of the boat lightly with his fingers, and said calmly, "I remember saying two days ago that some things, such as black coal and Tier 3 meat, cannot be exchanged for potatoes and sugarcane."

"As for gunpowder—that's a controlled substance. What will you trade for it? Your lives?"

The air seemed to freeze instantly.

Mu Qing walked to Zhao Dezhu's side and said in a low voice, "Zhao Dezhu, you're a smart man. You need to think this through. We can't afford to pay off so much debt, and—if we anger this man, we'll be in big trouble!"

She regretted it a little. Why did she think Zhao Dezhu was somewhat trustworthy before, and why did she tell Chen Yao to go to him if she was in danger?

Looking back now, the other person was a gambler with a bit of an addiction. He would get carried away as soon as he felt a little good and then bet big chips.

If Chen Yao had believed Zhao Dezhu, she might have died even faster.

Zhao Dezhu remained completely calm. He took out the dark silver leaf from his pocket, waved it in the sunlight, and showed it to Mu Qing, as well as to Su Jin.

"Boss Su, let's not beat around the bush, you should recognize this, right?"

Su Jin raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

He knew this, of course, and it wasn't really that surprising.

"Steelwood." Zhao Dezhu put the leaves away, raised his head and straightened his chest: "Our expedition team has found traces of this thing, probably in the valley on the west side of the island."

"If you agree to our terms, give us the goods on credit for two days! Just two days! We'll definitely cut the steel and wood back and deliver them to you!"

Su Jin stared at Zhao Dezhu for two seconds, then suddenly laughed.

His smile was as bright as if he had seen a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

"very good."

He waved his hand and said to Lin Xuan behind him, "Give them the tools! Axe, iron pot, all of that! As for the Tier 3 meat and black coal—for Steelwood's sake, give them half first!"

"it is good."

Without saying a word, Lin Xuan and Shen Ruying turned around and went into the warehouse.

In less than five minutes, bundles of brand-new axes and two large, black iron pots were brought out, along with a small bag of black coal.

Apart from the tools and iron pot being newly made, the black coal had been stored for a long time.

Upon seeing these things, the survivors at the bottom of the cliff became as excited as a group of monkeys, as if they had regressed to their primal nature.

"Wuhu, Wuhu~"

"Brother Zhao is awesome!"

Some people even picked up a handful of black coal and inhaled it as if it were some kind of high-end perfume, which made Mu Jing feel a chill.

Someone picked up the large pot and started banging it like a drum: "With this pot, we can make a big pot of meat soup tonight, and we'll never have to eat that half-cooked roast meat again!"

Some people picked up a large axe as if they had obtained the holy sword of physics: "Hey, hey, finally I got an axe! Now I can join the hunting team too! Brother Zhao is awesome!"

Praises poured in for Zhao Dezhu; at this moment, he was the absolute core of this small group.

Chen Yao stood at the edge of the crowd, clutching the hem of her clothes tightly in her hand.

She glanced at Zhao Dezhu, who was surrounded by the crowd, then turned to look at Mu Qing, who stood alone to the side, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

Although reason told her that Mu Qing's concerns were valid and that this kind of mortgaging of the future was dangerous.

But looking at the pile of supplies in front of her, including black coal, she had to admit that this feeling of decadence was surprisingly appealing.

After enjoying the cheers from the crowd, Zhao Dezhu walked over to Mu Qing. Although his tone was polite, it carried an undisguised sense of superiority: "Sister Mu, don't keep such a long face. I already said we need to be flexible."

He grabbed a lump of coal, sniffed it greedily, then disgustedly tossed it aside. Finally, he lowered his voice and said, "Sister Mu, I know in my heart what Captain Su thinks of us."

"To put it nicely, they are trading partners; to put it bluntly, they are a herd of beasts of burden doing hard labor."

"But—if you're going to be a beast of burden, you have to be aware of that."

Zhao Dezhu chuckled and began to boast about his years of experience in the workplace: "Think about it, there are few people and many resources on this sea right now. He has cannons and technology, but he lacks manpower."

"He won't just fire us, because where else can he find such obedient and hardworking oxen and horses?"

He pointed to the pile of supplies and said with a slightly relaxed tone, "For us, this is a huge sum of money, a lifesaver, but for that big shot, it's just a little bit of profit leaking through his fingers."

"If they just let a little bit leak out, it'll be enough to make us stuffed to the point of vomiting—this coal smells awful, I should have known better than to smell it."

He felt a little nauseous, and Mu Qing walked away a couple of steps in disgust.

She took a deep breath, forcibly calming her frustrated emotions, and stared coldly at him: "Zhao Dezhu, do you even know what it means to 'boil a frog in lukewarm water'?"

"We're squandering our potential and taking on huge debts. What if his ship doesn't come one day? Or what if he suddenly turns his back on us? How will we survive?"

"By then, we had become accustomed to relying on his supplies. Once the supply was cut off, we would lose even our ability to survive independently."

"How could he not survive?" Zhao Dezhu said dismissively, shrugging his shoulders. "Sister Mu, you're overthinking it. Even if he doesn't come back, the island is still there, right? And these axes and iron pots are still there, right?"

'

"He has helped us complete our initial capital accumulation. Even if we lose contact in the future, we can still rely on these tools to support ourselves on this island."

"Although we may not achieve anything great, and we may not be able to build big ships to go to sea, as long as we can ensure that everyone has food and drink, isn't that enough?"

'

That's his understanding, and perhaps that's how most people understand it too.

But Mu Qing's thoughts were different.