Chapter 83
Chapter 83: Is This What a CPU Is?
Gu Hang’s attitude when speaking was very sincere, as if he was not talking to a prisoner.
However, what he said was so cold.
More importantly, Bradford believed every word Gu Hang said.
He deeply realized that the Governor had no interest in deceiving him.
His mind was racing, the pressure of death forcing him to think quickly.
“You cannot make me wait too long. This night is very long, but I have many things to do and no time to waste on you.”
Gu Hang’s words sounded again, an unmistakable death sentence.
Bradford had never felt his mind work so fast in his entire life. His thoughts were not yet complete, his considerations not yet thorough, but he had to speak immediately: “I have been in the position of Alliance Council Member for four years, and I am very familiar with many businessmen in Revival City and even beyond. I know a lot of information!”
“Very good, that’s one,” Gu Hang said, “but it’s not enough. Your will is not strong enough; you won’t withstand torture, and in the end, you will say everything. The public trial and execution conference will take some time to convene, enough for us to extract everything we want from you, and it won’t prevent us from executing you in the end. This way, everyone can be used to their fullest potential.”
The Governor’s words, spoken with a smile, made Bradford shiver. “Used to their fullest potential”… is this what it means? Truly “used,” huh?
Sometimes he really wished the Governor wouldn’t be so honest. He wasn’t used to such frank conversations and found it extremely frightening.
But he had no choice but to grit his teeth and give another reason: “After the purge… the quality of the administrative personnel you promote will be hard to guarantee. Their work will be challenging. I managed to build myself up from nothing to where I am today; I am very capable. I will be loyal to you, do everything you want me to do, without complaint!”
“A valuable proposal, but keeping an old council member will tarnish the deterrent effect of the purge and the public trial to expose crimes. Your personal ability is not enough to compensate for this loss.”
After a pause, Gu Hang continued: “Bradford, your performance disappoints me. I thought you were a smart person who would realize that information and service cannot save your life, but you still proposed those two reasons. It makes me question whether it’s worth my time to listen to your reasons. My time is limited, and so is yours.”
With each exchange with Gu Hang, Bradford felt the fear and despair accumulating deeper within him. The Governor’s words and attitude seemed like a pair of large hands gripping his heart, tightening with each conversation.
He felt like he was about to suffocate, his mind nearly breaking under the terror of impending death.
But at this point, he finally could risk everything.
Gu Hang had always been very frank, openly discussing the purge and subsequent plans. And he, perhaps, needed to be equally frank about all his thoughts and ideas.
“I am a channel merchant; my foundation is not only in Revival City but spread across various places. In the eastern provinces’ many city-states, I have acquaintances in every city with a population of over 200,000; the manor lords in the southern Qing Valley region are close friends of mine. If Wohan wants to engage in grain trade, he needs me to connect with the manor lords; the oasis kingdom in the western great wilderness and the Black Bird Heavy Industries Group further west have trade routes painstakingly built by me. These are among the few heavy industrial hubs on Fury Owl Planet…”
“My network, the trade routes I’ve established, and the many people positioned along these routes are my greatest assets. But they are intangible and will disappear with my death. Even if I want to hand them over to you, if I die, I can’t. You can use torture to make me reveal all the contacts, communication methods, and even their personalities and experiences, but their trust in me cannot be easily replaced by just anyone you send. If I die, they will be like raindrops falling into the sea, never to be found again.”
“You worry that I won’t die, causing the public trial to be flawed. But I am willing to be your witness, testifying against the crimes of every council member as you need. There are many things you won’t even need to fabricate or list; I know a lot of truths.”
“As a liaison officer, diplomat, trade representative, intelligence officer… these are all irreplaceable values of me being alive. But you will undoubtedly have concerns. With my extensive network outside, it would be easy for me to escape once I gain freedom. For this, I am willing to relocate all my family members to Revival City; I am willing to have your most loyal guards accompany me on external missions, monitoring and able to execute me at any time; or if you have some kind of periodically acting poison and antidote, I am willing to accept that too.”
“Of course, none of this can be guaranteed. I might cruelly abandon my family; loyal guards might be murdered by me while outside; I might find an antidote for the poison outside… but that’s the risk.”
At this point, Bradford gritted his teeth and spoke words that he would later think were overly bold: “You are testing whether I am smart and honest enough, and I have given my answer; now it’s your turn, Governor, do you have the courage to take the risk?”
“Do you have the confidence that your future great endeavors will make me sincerely submit, so I won’t betray you?”
“Hahaha!”
Gu Hang laughed heartily, patting Bradford on the shoulder, unfazed by the slightly provocative words: “I now think you truly are a smart person. Clearly, I have immense confidence in myself. Let’s proceed as you suggested. I hope you won’t disappoint me, and I hope you live to see the day our great endeavor comes true and become a part of it, rather than falling midway.”
Bradford knew he had passed the test.
But he was surprisingly not filled with immense joy.
His feelings at this moment were very strange.
Survival after a calamity? Certainly, but there was also a special emotion towards Gu Hang.
It was a mix of a bit of hatred, a lot of fear, some admiration, some respect… and a bit of hope that even he could barely detect.
He recalled Gu Hang’s declaration on the first day he arrived on the surface.
He said he was going to rebuild the entire wasteland world, making sure everyone who submitted to him lived a good life.
This Governor Gu seemed different from every previous governor.
His declaration, upon initial hearing, sounded like empty talk, but upon deeper reflection, did he truly have the ability to achieve it?
If he did, would Bradford’s future be worse than being an Alliance Council Member and channel merchant?
Upon this thought, Bradford suddenly realized: Wait, am I getting CPU-ed?
