Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 2277: Transporting people
Previously on Apocalypse Gachapon...
For the first time, Ye Zhongming had the mood to savor the fine food and refreshments prepared exclusively for top-tier members.
He knew that his identity had received recognition here, even if only temporarily.
Dark Direction, compared to other racial organizations, had the advantage that it did not care who you were, only what you could do.
And coincidentally, Ye Zhongming could do a great deal.
The portion of Moonspan Gold allocated to operating expenses had been converted into food and drink of excellent quality, and satisfying one's appetites easily brought a pleasant mood.
In such a mood, Ye Zhongming received his second visitor of the day.
It was a21, the one who had been promoted to top-tier member on his recommendation.
Ye Zhongming was somewhat surprised by this visit, but upon reflection, he understood.
For the sake of caution, he had decided not to contact this person for now, nor to accept any tasks, because he was in no hurry to handle these matters.
But A21 was different—he was a newly promoted top-tier member, eager to quickly demonstrate his value. Thus, Ye Zhongming, who had asked him several questions, became his primary target for drumming up business.Ye Zhongming did not mind this, especially since he had just received preliminary confirmation from the organization.
A21 walked in and first bowed to Ye Zhongming, who was seated.
This was not only because he had heard from others that Ye Zhongming had spoken on his behalf earlier, but also because a11 was the foremost top-tier member, wielding significant influence and decision-making power.
That often meant he could make many things either simple or difficult.
a21 cared deeply about this—it was the very reason he had joined this organization.
Who did not love Moonspan Gold? If bowing could earn it, he would not mind bowing forever.
"Sit."
Ye Zhongming gestured with a hint of aloofness.
A21 sat down as instructed, then subconsciously glanced at the teleportation array over there. He first showed slight surprise, then a look of understanding.
Ye Zhongming was momentarily taken aback, then also realized something.
When a01 had come, he had been able to tell that Ye Zhongming was not the "true" holder of the a11 identity because... the other party was very likely—no, basically almost certainly—a peak expert, which was why he had been so certain that Ye Zhongming was not the one who had killed Kunzuo.
But A21 was different. He was probably not a peak expert; otherwise, he would not have had to wait until now to just become a top-tier member, nor would he have been ranked behind the other candidates.
Although he was most likely not a peak expert, he could still detect the energy fluctuations from the teleportation—after all, that was a very distinctive signature.
He had first been surprised that a11 had not bothered to conceal such fluctuations—was he not afraid of others finding out where his safe point was? Had he been careless?
But soon he realized that the other party probably simply did not fear anyone knowing. To have such confidence, one must definitely be a peak expert!
Thus, his attitude toward Ye Zhongming became even more respectful.
"I came simply to ask whether you truly have something to transport. I am indeed quite skilled in this area, and from your words, it seemed you might have such a need, so I'm being bold enough to come and inquire."
A21 kept a very low posture. When facing a peak expert, anyone who was not one themselves would adopt this most normal attitude.
When the two sides were not hostile, it was not fear—just instinct.
"What can you transport? Where can you transport it to? How good is your confidentiality? What is the maximum volume per trip? Is it just pure transport, or can there be additional actions?"
Ye Zhongming calmly asked several questions.
A21's eyes lit up—he felt business was coming his way.
"If it's just transport, then I truly can transport anything. Fees are based on the distance and the difficulty of receiving the goods."
"As for volume, it's hard to say, but in the vast majority of cases, I can transport everything in one go."
"As for confidentiality, rest assured—that's what I do. If I couldn't keep secrets, I wouldn't be able to stay in business, let alone stay alive."
After explaining all this, A21 paused and looked at Ye Zhongming. "Additional actions... my transport fleet does have some armed equipment, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean."
Ye Zhongming nodded. He knew that the man before him most likely commanded a secret fleet of no small size—whether it was entirely hidden and illegitimate, or whether it had a legitimate identity in peacetime and only acted when needed, that was hard to determine.
"Can you transport things to planets controlled by the Slave Race?" Ye Zhongming probed further.
A21 showed no surprise at all and nodded crisply. "Yes. Two ways. The first is like the official method—using special instruments to consume Moonspan Gold for a teleport. The second is short-range teleportation, which consumes more and is more dangerous, but can accomplish many things that long-distance transport cannot."
"For the first, my fee is only ninety percent of the official rate. For the second, that would need further discussion."
Ye Zhongming shifted slightly in his seat and then asked, "And what about transferring items or lifeforms from Slave Race-controlled planets back here—can you do that?"
This time, a21 looked at Ye Zhongming and did not answer immediately. After a few seconds, he said, "Are you planning to transfer a large number of resources and people out?"
"Can you do it?" Ye Zhongming asked again.
He had not originally planned to bring large numbers of Cloud Peak people out, because without evolving to level nine, there was little point in coming here.
Moreover, such "smuggling" violated the rules. A few individuals here and there did not matter, but doing so in large quantities would directly affect the pickup days and the cosmic races' control over novices—that would provoke widespread outrage.
However, if this person truly could do it, Ye Zhongming would consider bringing more people out, as long as it was not too many.
a21 lowered his gaze, a look of hesitation appearing beneath his mask.
"How about we leave it at that for now?" Ye Zhongming suddenly said. "First, you send one person to a planet controlled by the Slave Race. After that, I'll decide how many people to bring out."
"I know that sending people to such planets is a serious violation and very difficult. But I also know that some people can do it. If you cannot, or dare not, then I can only express my regret."
Back then, Li Qiang had apparently been taken from Earth and then sent back, so Ye Zhongming believed it was possible.
a21 gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, deal. But the price will be mine to set! And this task must go through a private confidential process, not be made public in the organization. Also, all arrangements will be mine to decide! If you agree, then we'll do it. If not, I won't take the risk."
"You know, if this gets exposed, I don't know whether you'll survive, but I definitely won't!"