Apocalyptic Reincarnation: Start with a 30-million Bonus

"Chen Er, this is Captain Ju. From now on, he will be taking over my work, and when you come to negotiate a trade, he will be the one to meet you." Xiao Jun said to Chen Er after a quick glance at Ma Yingxue.

Chen Er felt a bit puzzled upon hearing this, not knowing why Xiao Jun, while doing well in Oil City, was leaving so suddenly.

But he didn’t question it, preferring to avoid unnecessary trouble, as long as the trades remain stable.

So he turned to Ju Tianrui and said, "Hello, hello, Captain Ju, I look forward to your guidance in the future."

While speaking, they walked towards the shed nearby.

The two groups sat on opposite sides, and Zuo Ruxue handed them each two bottles of water.

Xiao Jun glanced at Ju Tianrui, who nodded at him.

This scene was caught by Chen Er, and he wondered if this Captain Ju was of a higher rank than Xiao Jun.

With a doubt in his mind, Xiao Jun spoke:

"To get straight to the point, Chen Er, I’m wondering what Mr. Hu from your base said about the salt and sugar exchange we discussed last time?"

It’s here!

Chen Er thought to himself.

After pondering a moment, he placed his hands on the table and said, "Mr. Hu said it’s possible to trade, but our production of these two materials isn’t high, so we can’t offer a large quantity."

Beside him, Ju Tianrui asked, "Did you bring it this time?"

Ju Tianrui’s style resembled Li Yu’s—usually simple and direct, never beating around the bush.

Before Doomsday, there might have been some courtesy, but now, who cares? To stand firm, you need to show your strength.

If you have enough strength, however you speak, others won’t have much to say.

Chen Er coughed and said, "Of course we brought it, we brought thirty tons over. Additionally, we also brought ten tons of medicine."

Xiao Jun and Ju Tianrui exchanged a glance. Both knew that if they followed Director Li’s cap of eighty tons of oil,

The resources brought by Southern Paradise couldn’t be fully traded.

The previous ratio of oil to medicine was one to six; they brought ten tons of medicine, accounting for sixty tons of oil, leaving only twenty tons.

Even at a one-to-one exchange, they couldn’t trade all the materials Southern Paradise brought this time.

Xiao Jun coughed awkwardly and said, "Captain Chen, we forgot to mention last time that our oil production in Oil City is limited, so Director Li set a maximum of eighty tons per trade."

"Eighty tons?" Chen Er’s brow furrowed upon hearing this.

According to his plan, it was at least a hundred and fifty tons of oil to take back.

Since both salt and sugar were hard currency in Doomsday.

Though not like medicine where one ton exchanged for six tons of oil, it could at least exchange for four or five tons of oil, right?

"You... we brought them all." Chen Er said with a troubled expression.

Ju Tianrui gestured and said, "We’ve already agreed on the exchange ratio for medicine and oil; let’s discuss the salt and sugar exchange ratio first."

Hearing this, Chen Er tentatively asked, "What ratio do you think is appropriate?"

Ju Tianrui glanced at Xiao Jun.

Xiao Jun picked up the conversation, saying, "Last time Director Li was present, you were there too, he mentioned exchanging one ton of oil for one ton of salt and sugar, what do you think?"

Cough, cough, cough.

Chen Er choked on his water upon hearing Xiao Jun’s words.

With a bitter smile, he said, "Last time I thought you guys were joking? One ton of oil for one ton of salt and sugar, it’s not viable. This exchange method is too expensive for us."

Xiao Jun knew this exchange ratio wasn’t realistic, but bargaining works like this—start with an impossible condition, then any condition discussed afterward will seem better.

"What’s your offer?" Xiao Jun asked.

"We really want to cooperate with your base, how about following the medicine to oil exchange ratio?" Chen Er suggested.

Meanwhile, he carefully watched their expressions.

Ju Tianrui remained expressionless, leaned back, and listened quietly.

Opposite him, Xiao Jun had a look of difficulty on his face and said, "Are you kidding with this condition? We cannot accept such terms."

Silence.

Quiet.

The atmosphere suddenly turned delicate.

The exchange ratio in Oil City is one-to-one, while in Southern Paradise it’s one-to-six.

The difference is vast, clearly neither side’s expectations are met.

Ju Tianrui checked his watch, breaking the awkward silence,

And said to Zuo Ruxue, "Is Mr. Ma still repairing the oil well?"

Understanding the purpose of Ju Tianrui’s words, Zuo Ruxue instantly got it.

At the negotiation table, there are usually two scenarios.

One is when both parties have great demand for the other, making talks easy since neither can do without the other.

The second scenario happens when one party’s needs are essential while the other’s are not, essentially putting the needed party in a passive position, pressing them to lower their bottom line.

The cooperation with Southern Paradise wasn’t necessary for Oil City or Big Camphor Tree Base; the collaboration with Southern Paradise was nonessential.

They held absolute initiative.

Currently, Oil City produced excess oil, which the Big Camphor Tree Base couldn’t consume entirely, leaving storage surplus.