Webnovel Author In The Apocalypse World

Shin Woncheon, more familiar with Kim Haru, immediately snapped out of his reverie and quickly reminded her, "Yeongseok, it's time to discuss the cooperation."

Kang Yeongseok gave Kim Haru a complicated look and sighed, "I'm sorry, but I can't make the decision on this cooperation."

Kim Haru frowned.

Shin Woncheon and his teammates immediately grew anxious as well.

"What's going on, Yeongseok? These are virus-free vegetables! The research institute hasn't even made much progress on this, and now we're not going to cooperate?"

"Exactly! Noonim, have you lost your mind?"

"Shut up, you're the one who's lost it!" Kang Yeongseok shot a glare at Ryu Hyunwoo before turning around to Kim Haru. "It's not that we won't cooperate with you; it's just that what you have is too valuable. With my rank, I'm not qualified to be the one negotiating with you. It would be disrespectful to you if I were the one handling this."

"So," she continued, "I must ask you to wait a little longer. I will report this to my superiors, and when the time comes, the safe zone commander himself will come to negotiate with you personally."

Kang Yeongseok firmly believed that as long as the safe zone commander wasn't a fool, he would definitely come in person after seeing these test results.

At this moment, Kim Haru was someone Kang Yeongseok regarded as a distinguished guest who needed to be treated with utmost caution. Her tone had become much more respectful. As for how the Kim Haru of before had suddenly transformed into the current Kim Haru, well…

Who cared?

Shin Woncheon and his team finally relaxed.

See? Of course, Kang wasn't an idiot. How could she pass up such a great opportunity?

However, Kim Haru himself felt a little hesitant.

Meeting with the safe zone commander sounded like a bit of a nightmare for someone with social anxiety like him. Just imagining the situation—where he'd have to be mindful of every detail, from etiquette to clothing, speech, and body language—made him feel uncomfortable all over.

Was this cooperation even necessary…?

Kim Haru thought to himself.

Just as he was about to refuse, the faces of the people from the market who had stood in front of him, shielding him from enemies, flashed through his mind.

In the end, cooperation was still an option. While he couldn't bear to disappoint those faces, the main reason was that Kim Haru didn't really want to deal with all these people himself.

He didn't have to wait long before Kang Yeongseok brought news that the safe zone commander was on his way.

The Safe Zone Commander of Pyeongseong Saze Zone was a middle-aged man who appeared very kind, with a constant smile on his face. When he met Kim Haru, there wasn't a trace of arrogance. Instead, he enthusiastically grabbed Kim Haru's hand and shook it up and down, his face brimming with joy.

"You must be Mr. Kim? A brilliant young man, truly a brilliant young man! I've seen the test results for your vegetables, and do you know how many lives you will save? You might even change the entire post-apocalyptic world!"

"You are our hero!"

Kim Haru: "…"

Alright, the flattery started right away. This was a bit too much, wasn't it?

It felt just like in a game, when a player first creates a character and meets their first NPC. The NPC always says something like, "You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for so long. The world depends on you."

As a seasoned gamer, Kim Haru knew this routine all too well. Did they think he hadn't seen this before?

Kim Haru didn't say a word.

The safe zone commander's eyes flickered as he quickly assessed Kim Haru's personality, but he wasn't the least bit offended. Only those with real ability could afford to be aloof.

And the person before him was indeed capable.

Without beating around the bush, the safe zone commander went straight to the point: "I won't hide it, Mr. Kim. We are extremely eager to collaborate with you. Whatever conditions you have, we will do our best to meet them. May I ask what your thoughts are?"

Kim Haru tapped the table lightly, forcing himself to suppress the discomfort of speaking with strangers. "First, the vegetables are limited. Second, the division of profits. Third, benefits."

Kim Haru's words were concise, and the safe zone commander understood quickly.

"You mean the number of vegetables you grow is limited? Could you give us a specific number so we can plan how to distribute them?"

"There's no specific amount; it's just one person growing them, so not much." Kim Haru shook his head.

The safe zone commander fell into thought for a moment, then his eyes brightened. "Would you be willing to become a consultant for Pyeongseong Saze Zone's research institute?"

"Hm?"

"It's like this. I've learned that the price you sold your vegetables for wasn't high, so I believe you are driven by a desire to change the world. But with only yourself, even if you worked tirelessly from dawn to dusk, you could never grow enough vegetables to meet the needs of the entire post-apocalyptic world. Instead of giving people fish, why not teach them to fish?

You can sell your vegetables however you wish, and Pyeongseong Saze Zone is willing to provide whatever conditions you desire. All we ask is that you guide the people at our research institute, and help them learn to grow normal vegetables, so we can push this initiative forward.

Let's ensure that everyone struggling in the apocalypse can eat uncontaminated vegetables and no longer worry about turning into zombies at any moment!"

Kim Haru's expression remained cold, but inside, he found the proposal both amusing and surprising.

Change the world? He had never thought that far. The ambitions of powerful figures were certainly on a grander scale.

Kim Haru didn't scorn the safe zone commander's grand vision of saving the world, but he didn't have the ability to grow "normal" vegetables; it was all thanks to the system.