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

Chapter 144 Slow Recruitment, Preferential Recruitment, and Recruitment with Conditions

Chapter 144 Slow Recruitment, Preferential Recruitment, and Recruitment with Conditions

As the Ark broke through the waves and sailed into the deep sea, the cliffside island gradually shrank into a small black dot in sight.

Li Yuanyuan lay on the side of the boat, staring blankly at the sea for a long while. Finally, she couldn't help but turn around and ask the question that had been nagging at her all the way: "Brother Su, weren't we supposed to be out recruiting people? How did we end up as loan sharks—no, as philanthropists offering interest-free loans?"

In her simple little mind, this deal was a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

The tools were sent out, the meat was sent out, and all we got in return was a bunch of IOUs, without even a trace of a person.

Isn't this just a simple act of kindness?

Su Jin looked helplessly at the adorable, clueless girl and sighed, "A philanthropist? Do I look like one?"

However, he was too lazy to explain why he was lending money, and simply asked in return, "Look at the way those people are acting, they're practically treating us like charitable saviors. Only that girl named Mu Qing is a little smart and a bit afraid; the rest are practically idiots. Would you take her if I gave her to you?"

Li Yuanyuan imagined Zhao Dezhu lying on the deck, complaining of being exhausted, and quickly shook her head: "I can't carry him, I can't carry him. Whoever gets this blessing will want it."

Putting aside the fact that she's not cut out to lead a team, besides, even if she's incredibly capable, she probably won't achieve much with such a disorganized group of people.

"That settles it then."

19

Su Jin shrugged: "With so many idiots, I still have to pick the tall ones from among them. Those who aren't chosen will definitely make a scene, saying it's unfair. It's such a hassle."

Shen Ruying, who had been standing to the side, looked up and said with some regret, "So you're not going to confess then? We've finally encountered so many living people—"

"Besides, I don't think there are any sea monsters bothering them on their island. They must have some survival wisdom to have survived this long, right?"

Lin Xuan pushed up her glasses and took over the conversation, analyzing, "I've observed that their stronghold was chosen in a very cunning way, all on cliffs and precipices."

"Although the sea monsters are fierce, most of them cannot climb rocks. In addition, they may have just survived the active period of the sea monsters in this area, or used some kind of driving-away method. It is not a fluke that they survived."

She paused, then looked at Su Jin: "Brother Su, although these people are of varying quality, our ship is indeed short of manpower."

"Even if we hire a few people to do manual labor, it will free up the rest of us. Although it will mean a few more mouths to feed, with our current reserves, supporting a few idle people won't be too much of a burden."

"Who said I'm not recruiting?" Su Jin smiled and said casually, "I'm just recruiting slowly, selectively, and conditionally. I definitely can't take all of them. I call this delayed gratification, understand?"

"If we recruit now, it's like picking up trash; if we wait a while, it's like picking fruit."

Seeing the three girls' bewildered expressions, Su Jin patiently explained, "Human nature is the most vulnerable to temptation."

"They're dirt poor now, and to survive, everyone'll pretend to be hardworking. Even Zhao Dezhu, who was assigned tasks, didn't shirk them, did he?"

"But once we had tools, a stable food source, and life became a little easier, the real differentiation began."

"Lazy people think, 'I have enough to eat today, I'll work again tomorrow,' and then continue to lie down, while diligent people think, 'I need to store more food, and I need to make my house more sturdy.'"

"Born in hardship, die in comfort"—this saying is the truth in the last days.

Su Jin snapped his fingers: "After buying and selling goods two or three more times, I feel like one will be enough. By then, it will be easy to tell who is making a living and who is still just wasting their life."

"What we need are wolves that can maintain self-discipline even in a comfortable environment, not pigs that bask in the sun after being fed."

""

This theory left the three girls completely stunned.

You can play it like this?

Su Jin took a sip of water and chuckled, "Besides, do you think there's no one to do my work right now?"

"As long as the cannons on my ship are still there, they will work hard to pay off their loans!"

Of course, there were some things he hadn't said yet.

In fact, the other party doesn't even have the five social insurances and one housing fund now. Being treated like a beast of burden and still having to be grateful is not the ideal employee.

This was also the choice of this group of people; it was a fair transaction, and he didn't force anyone.

Although he didn't say it, everyone was somewhat aware of it.

The deck fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Xuan looked at Su Jin, and after a long while, she managed to choke out a sentence: "Although, in the end, I still want to say—"

"When you hang the streetlights, you definitely hang them higher than everyone else."

But she had no right to criticize anything, because she was also on Su Jin's side.

These tools used in the exchange were no ordinary items. The iron was something they had gone to great lengths to obtain, and the handles were made of steel and wood branches, representing the pinnacle of iron tools.

And to be honest, Su Jin's conditions weren't many; in fact, she felt they were too few.

Suddenly, she felt very fortunate that she had risked everything to board the ship and get a first-class ticket.

Undoubtedly, it was a high-stakes gamble, and she won.

On the other side, Mu Qing watched the Ark depart and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Businessmen, what a clever scheme!"

She clenched her fists, a deep sorrow swirling within her that she couldn't shake off.

Chen Yao was initially very happy to receive the sickle, as it was not only handy but also brand new and of excellent quality, and that it would definitely increase her efficiency.

But when she turned around, she noticed that Mu Qing's expression was off, so she quickly went up to her and said with concern, "Sister Mu, don't worry, with these tools, we will definitely be able to pay off the loan, and our lives will definitely get better in the future."

Mu Qing shook her head and said, "I'm not worried about that. I'm thinking they're probably from Earth too. I've seen that 1.55-meter-tall woman before; she's a food blogger and internet celebrity."

"Before I traveled to this world, I saw her live streaming, so they probably traveled at the same time as us."

"But why is it that everyone starts at almost the same level, yet they can board big ships, even hunt sea monsters, and have cannons and gunpowder on board, while we—"

She turned to look at her team members, who were all receiving the new tools and treating them like toys, wielding their swords like Guan Yu, having fun without any sense of the impending apocalypse.

She didn't know how long she could survive with this group of people.

Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, if a sea monster they can't handle comes along, they might all be wiped out.

Chen Yao glanced back silently, all her previous excitement vanishing.

At this moment, she finally understood how difficult it was for Mu Qing to be the leader.

Mu Qing gently patted her little head. Right now, she needed to deal with the immediate matters first, as there was still a lot of work waiting for her to do.

"Everyone assemble. Those who have the tools, come forward. I'm about to assign tasks."