The Ultimate War Of The Apocalypse
Chapter 324 - 317 Information Asymmetry

Chapter 324: Chapter 317 Information Asymmetry

Back at the base, Andrew climbed out of the armored vehicle and then took Gao Yuan’s hand, smiling, "Today’s negotiation was very successful, and for that we have to thank your help. Now, we have hope of going home, and it’s all thanks to you."

Actually, Gao Yuan didn’t do anything today because Li Yang, the translator, was too busy to explain to him what was happening, what the two sides were discussing.

Andrew said in a deep voice, "I need to call everyone together for a meeting. We should get ready to leave this place, and I hope you can attend. You have a wealth of experience, and I hope you can offer us some valuable suggestions."

Gao Yuan thought for a moment and replied, "I won’t attend the meeting, but he will. He’ll tell you everything that needs attention without holding anything back. I want to rest for a bit now."

Andrew nodded, shook hands with Gao Yuan, and went off to show off his newly exchanged handgun to Cahill.

Gao Yuan looked at Li Yang and asked, "They all seem pretty happy, what did you say to them?"

Li Yang replied calmly, "Not much, just let them get what they needed."

"Caught in a double bind?"

"Hmm."

Gao Yuan started laughing and said, "Not bad at all, what a good outcome. Anyway, they won’t be seeing each other again, so this secret will never be uncovered."

Gao Yuan and Li Yang walked towards their living quarters, where they saw Lizhizi with his Treasured Sword, watching over a dozen people practicing Tai Chi Fist.

Anyone who says you can learn Tai Chi Fist in just a couple of days is a liar, but there’s no helping it if there are fools willing to believe that.

At this point, Lizhizi truly looked the part of an ethereal Taoist master, quite impressively so.

"Yo, Taoist Master, you’re busy I see," someone greeted.

Lizhizi turned around, nodded slightly with a smile, and said, "Just giving them some pointers."

There were fifteen people in total, among them eight women. Lizhizi now had the most disciples, especially female disciples.

There was no helping it, appearance really does earn extra points, and Lizhizi’s Tai Chi Sword was indeed beautiful. Especially when the disciples were free, Lizhizi would perform with a graceful agility that if he didn’t attract attention, it would have been strange.

Gao Yuan and Li Yang returned to their room, and there were Panxin and Li Jingang waiting for them, while Wang Ning, who also received the notification, had already returned to the barracks beforehand.

"Atiq and Andrew have reached an agreement. Starting today, they’ll regularly fire a few shots to prevent the other group from realizing that they’re now in collaboration with the Americans. We’ll need a few days to complete the preparations for evacuation before we leave this base. The base, along with its facilities and weapons, will be left to Atiq and his tribe," explained Panxin.

After finishing, Gao Yuan turned to Wang Ning and asked, "When can Liu Deguang leave?"

"Ten days. He needs at least ten days. It’s too risky for him to travel long distances with a convoy right now. If we’re in a rush, a week is the minimum."

"Ten days, that should be about right. We don’t have to hurry too much."

Gao Yuan turned to Panxin and Li Jingang and asked, "Have we figured out our route yet?"

"We don’t have a choice of route, but isn’t it too dangerous to take hundreds of people from this base on the road together? I’m worried about an attack by the Aliens."

Gao Yuan laughed, "I’ve already thought of that. For safety’s sake, we’ll split the evacuees into two parts. We’ll go first, and the main force will follow. Even if the Serpent People take notice, they should attack the larger force first, right?"

Everyone nodded then Gao Yuan continued in a low voice, "Stay sharp, everyone. In case things go south, we need to make a quick getaway on our own."

The group nodded again, and then Li Jingang said quietly, "You’re planning on selling out our allies, aren’t you?"

"What?"

Li Jingang shook his head, "Nothing, it’s nothing."

Gao Yuan looked at Li Jingang with disdain and said, "Do you really consider them allies? We’re getting along right now because they need us. But if the Aliens come or any other disaster strikes, that bunch will definitely sell us out first."

Li Jingang thought for a moment then said, "That’s true. Well, in that case, I won’t feel guilty about it."

Li Yang spoke softly, "Andrew told me he hopes to notify the friendly forces in Kabul and wishes the forces from Kabul would evacuate the country with us."

"Andrew’s being quite visionary, huh."

Li Yang said, "Do we agree?"

"Agree, my ass. It’s hundreds of kilometers from here to Kabul. Think of how many people we would encounter on the way, how long it would take to meet up with the troops stationed in Kabul, and whether we could even make it is up for question. Tell Andrew that if he wants to help the Kabul Base, that’s fine, but we definitely won’t be joining."

Li Yang said, "Alright, I’ll convey your stance."

"If they want to evacuate together, that’s fine. Tell the people in Kabul to meet up with us here, give them ten days. If they can make it, great, if not, too bad. We don’t have time to linger here. If they really want to delay, then they’ll need to negotiate with Persia themselves."

The main reason Andrew was so polite to Gao Yuan and company was because of Persia. Without their help, there was no way Andrew could lead hundreds of people through Persia to Europe. So, while the threats from Atiq and the others were secondary, Persia was the real barrier in their path.

Panxin said softly, "If we include everyone from this base, we’ll have nearly five hundred people in the group. With this kind of strength, we can cross all of Afghan without anyone stopping us. Reaching the border of Persia is just a matter of time. If Persia really agrees to let Andrew’s people pass through, great. But what if Persia refuses..."

Gao Yuan exhaled softly and said, "I said we’d do our best, didn’t I? I never said it was a sure thing."

Panxin was taken aback, then he frowned and said, "But... if we let them leave the base and they can’t get into Persia at the border, wouldn’t that be sending these people to their deaths?"

Gao Yuan sighed, "I just don’t understand what you all are thinking."

Panxin said softly, "It’s okay not to help, but don’t harm them, there are so many people..."

Gao Yuan said with frustration, "Do you know what our biggest advantage is? Asymmetry of information! Throughout this journey, whatever we say goes because they can’t verify anything, right? So, when we get to Persia, it’s still going to be whatever we say. Just make up some lie and be done with it."

Li Yang nodded and said, "That’s right, don’t overestimate their... hatred. When it comes to interests, especially the hope for survival, no one can stick to their principles."

Gao Yuan continued with a smile, "So don’t worry about the attitude of the Persians. If there’s still a Government in Persia, there’s everything to talk about. If Persia has descended into total chaos with no organization left, then our group is a force to be reckoned with. If... there are not so many ifs. Just take it one step at a time, why worry so much."