Danny cleared his throat. His skin was adopting slight tones of red due to his embarrassment.

Truly, Hank had a very outspoken personality.

Even though Danny wanted nothing more than to go back to discussing subjects that actually mattered, acting as if he did not hear the Hank’s entirely oversharing admission, for some reason, his brain was not in the mood to comply with his wishes and kept replaying the scene in his head.

He simply could not focus properly as his mind kept wandering back to the image of Hank’s unabashed face as he shamelessly admitted the reason behind the why he kept money bills close at hand.

You know how sometimes you hear a catchy song, and it keeps playing in you head over and over to the point that you have to actively start singing something else just so that you can occupy your mind with something else?

Danny was feeling exactly like that right now.

“Heh, don’t be like that lad! It’s just shitting. We all do it. No reason to treat it as something special and be embarrassed about it.” Hank grinned from ear to ear as he noticed Danny’s discomfort.

Thankfully, after being called out on his awkwardness, Danny managed to get his thoughts back under control.

“So, how do you intend to pay for my help then?” Danny asked plainly, as if the previous topic and his own embarrassment had never actually happened.

Noticing that his guest was not too keen on keeping that line of conversation going, Hank merely snickered and dropped the subject.

Though Hank did find teasing the younger man amusing, he felt it was better not to push his guest’s buttons too hard and prudently opted to avoid making the situation anymore awkward for the youth than it already had been. He had just met Danny after all.

Besides, they had more important matters to talk about, so he simply let it go.

“Well, you know what our situation is like. I can’t promise you any sort of provisions as compensation, since we are currently going through a rough patch, as I have already explained to you… unless you are willing to be paid after the job is done. If so, after we finish clearing out all the zombies in the factory you can take your pick at whatever we find there.” Hank suggested, adopting a business-like attitude once more.

However, Danny merely shook his head, rejecting the offer. He simply could not accept those terms.

For starters, even if he had a good first impression of Hank, Joff, and even Sally, he did not know them all well enough. He did just meet them earlier that day, after all.

Who could say for sure that Hank would follow through with his part of the deal after Danny fulfilled his part? If they all went there together, who was to say that he wouldn’t be backstabbed after helping them with their problem?

Appearances could be misleading; Danny knew that very well.

Thus, even if he didn’t think that Hank would stoop so low as to burn bridges after he got what he wanted from him, he preferred to err on the side of caution.

Secondly, Danny didn’t want to be paid in the form of rations. He could easily get food by himself whenever he needed, so why would he be satisfied with it as his reward for the dangerous job?

To accept such an offer would be the same as losing a valuable opportunity to acquire other resources from the camp. Resources that he had a much harder time getting ahold of and that could actually make a difference to him.

Despite the fact that Hank and the others living here treated food as an incredibly valuable and scarce resource, Danny didn’t feel the same way about it. To him, food was one of the least valuable resources he could get out there.

If one was willing to take a chance to go scouting any random abandoned buildings and fight the undead for the prizes lying inside, chances are that you would eventually come across food somewhere.

It simply was not that complicated or hard to find food. At least, not for him. Even if it was dangerous, it was fairly straightforward.

That didn’t mean that Danny was right to attribute a low value to food and the people living in the settlement were wrong though. Neither did it mean that one party was taking advantage of the other.

It was simply a matter of different circumstances and perspectives.

While Danny was alone and had higher combat power, Hank had thousands of mouths to feed and had pitifully few people capable or willing to fight available to him.

That was just how it was for both of them. Each of them had their own needs, difficulties and points of view that made them see things differently.

Thirdly and finally, Danny felt it would be quite weird for him to do all the work in cleansing the location from any hostiles, only to be paid with a fraction of the valuables found there in the end.

Wouldn’t he basically be giving them the food for free in that case?

Danny had no problem helping people out every now and then without any promise of reward in return, but he was not that good of a Samaritan.

There was simply no way he would face a horde of zombies by himself, risking his own dear hide, just for the sake of it or because of some sort of moralistic sense that told him it was the ‘righteous’ thing to do.

He had to look out for himself as well.

Therefore, he wanted to get something out of it. Something that could actually help him in achieving his goals, or that helped him prepare for the future at the very least.

To be fair, it wasn’t as if Hank was purposefully trying to take advantage of him when he suggested those terms.

Hank still didn’t know that Danny intended to work alone, since Danny still had not broached that particular subject.

In Hank’s mind, even though he was trying to recruit Danny’s help, he would still have to commit quite a lot of manpower to this operation.

Therefore, it made sense to him that Danny only got to keep a share of the loot as he wouldn’t be doing all the work by himself in that case. However, Danny had no intention to work together with anyone else.

That was something he simply wouldn’t budge on.

Even so, Danny doubted that Hank would find fault with doing things his way, since it would work better for both of them.

Hank would not have to risk his men and limited resources while Danny would get to keep his secrets.

The only reason Hank hadn’t suggested something like that in the first place was that he never would have been able to guess that Danny was open to such a possibility.

After all, by going alone, Danny would have to face all the dangers by himself, without any form of support whatsoever. The risks would be much greater then.

To Hank, only a madman would opt to brave those dangers by himself instead of facing it with a proper group of allies to watch over his back.

Not to mention whether or not it was even possible to achieve anything by tackling the problem alone.

Taking all of that into account, Hank’s current offer sounded very reasonable in his own head, even though, in fact, it was not.

Given Danny’s preference for solitude and his unwillingness to receive food as payment for his services, it was no surprise he had refused such terms.

“Then what do you suggest?” Hank frowned at Danny’s immediate rejection.

Seeing that Danny had not even considered his offer for a single moment, Hank knew that the young man wasn’t satisfied with his suggestion and he wasn’t sure what to think of it. Though Hank felt his offer was generous enough, apparently, his guest did not think so.

Even though Hank desperately needed any help he could find to solve the camp’s dilemma, sadly, he did not have much wiggle room to work with in terms of what he could offer Danny to move him. They were experiencing a shortage of supplies at the moment after all.

At least that was what Hank thought.

He even had Sally bring forth one of the few cups of ice cream he had been saving in order to increase his chances of convincing this apparently capable newcomer to work for him! He only had a couple more left now!

Never would have Hank guessed that Danny didn’t want food as compensation for lending his help. In the middle-aged man’s head, nothing had higher value than food at the moment.

Even if you had no need for it by itself, food supplies also doubled as a simple but efficient form of currency nowadays. Anything you needed could be exchanged for with a few cans of food.

It made no sense to him then why Danny would refuse his offer without even trying to haggle. What could he even offer to this potential recruit that would be able to entice him in that case?

Hank did not know.

Therefore, Hank adopted a stoic expression, trying not to reveal his inner thoughts on how much he needed this win, as he waited for Danny’s counteroffer.

Hank was overthinking things though. The stress of the past few days caused by his worries and the pressure of managing the whole settlement was getting to him. There was no need for him to face Danny with such anxiousness.

Danny simply refused his offer because there was a limit to how much he could carry on foot, and because he also thought that it would be more efficient to negotiate directly for what he needed before sealing the deal.

“For starters, I want to access to your market. I want to be able to exchange goods at this place without any sort of tax or trade limitation being imposed on me.” Danny stated.

Hank nodded his head at Danny’s sensible proposal before replying:

“That sounds reasonable. However, we don’t have a market going on just yet. Much of our population is still without a job at the moment, merely surviving out there by making the most out of the supplies we periodically hand out.”. He scratched his chin while in thought before continuing.

“For us to properly establish a market and begin functioning as an actual town, first, people have to stand on their own two feet and start doing something productive with their time.”

“Until now, we tried to save as many lives as we could, providing food and shelter to anyone who joined our camp, no questions asked. However, that’s not sustainable in the long run.” Hank rhythmically tapped his index finger in the wooden desk as he elaborated his thoughts.

“We have no idea if help is on the way or if it is ever going to come at all. We have to consider the possibility that we are on our own, and start making changes considering the long-term.”

Danny listened silently to what Hank got to say, paying close attention.

Even though it seemed that he would not be able to get what he wanted, this was a good way to get information about the camp’s details, as well as their plans for the future.

“Also, we can’t have people go around working for free or for just a full meal like we have done so far. We did what we could with what we had so far, but we can’t keep going like this.”

“We need to encourage people to start making use of their time in a more productive way, and that starts with setting proper wages for those working for the camp.”

Danny thought that what Hank said made sense. After all, how could one be expected to work hard if they got nothing in return for their efforts?

In times of need, it was understandable to forego secondary things like personal benefits in favor of something of critical importance like common survival.

However, as time passed, people would slowly acclimatize to their new reality and begin to expect getting more out of life.

No one would be content in merely surviving if they could instead live. Danny could relate to that very much.

“Also, sooner or later, people will want to decide for themselves what to spend their free time with and what to spend the fruits of their labor on… besides, they WILL start complaining if I don’t do anything to make things go back to the way they used to be before all this mess started…” Hank crossed his arms and looked up while grimacing as he continued, no doubt thinking of all the annoyances he will have to put with when dealing with the folks living here.

As of now, people still have not come to terms with the sudden change. Fear and despondence still dominated their minds, but that was bound to change eventually.

As their situation slowly starts to improve, people will eventually want more. More comfort, more food, more pleasure. That was just human nature for you.

“They will want to buy things for themselves and to have their own private personal stuff, which is only fair to be honest. Therefore, restructuring the economy and planning for the future is of the utmost importance… but that is only if we manage to survive our current ordeal…” Hank lowered his gaze and stared at Danny.

The implied message was clear enough: if you want to set up shop here, then do your best to help me fix this mess! Help me help you!

Danny didn’t say anything in response to Hank’s dropped hint though, happy to let the older man continue his monologue. He felt that the leader of the settlement was building up to something.

Danny had the impression that Hank was not the kind of person to present such a long-winded explanation just to seek his compassion or understanding for his inability to fulfill Danny’s previous request of being granted access to their market.

Therefore, Danny was happy to patiently wait and see where the man was going with this.

“It will be quite some time until we can recover some semblance of normalcy and stability. There are a lot of changes that need to be made, and details to be ironed out yet… we had our hands full just trying to keep everything from falling apart until now though…” Hank said tiredly before sighing.

Whether the man was sighing because he had failed to elicit a response from Danny even after saying all that, or at the prospective difficulties he was bound to face in the future, Danny could not tell. Either way, the commander continued soon after.

“…though there is no market to speak of just yet, I can grant you access to our main warehouse. You can check up if anything in there catches your fancy and trade for it afterwards. Is that acceptable?”

It was as Danny had expected. Though there was currently no market at the camp for him to make use of, Hank offered something almost just as good: direct access to their supplies and the right to trade with them for what he needed.

Though Danny would be under higher scrutiny by trading directly with the governing power of the camp, that was entirely acceptable to him since he only needed a place to unload his unneeded goods and exchange them for things he could not find himself.

Provided that he was free to trade anything and wasn’t prohibited from exchanging certain goods, then those were agreeable terms.

“And I will be able to trade for anything? Nothing held back?” Danny asked to make sure they were on the same page.

“That’s right. As long as you are willing to pay the appropriate price, of course… keep it within reason though, eh Lad?” Hank added the reminder at the end, making sure that Danny understood not to abuse his trust.

Danny wasn’t above profiting a little bit from the situation, but he had no intention to intentionally screw them over.

It wasn’t as if he would take advantage of their lack of information to rob them blind or to take most of their valuable supplies all for himself, so he paid little mind to Hank’s warning.

A few bargains here and there would not be a problem as that would not be enough to actually harm them and were more than enough to satiate Danny’s greediness.

Besides, it was not as if the people living here were stupid.

They would not simply stand up and watch with smiles on their faces as Danny fleeced them and ran away with all the good stuff.

There was no shortage of smart people in the world and only a fool would assume himself or herself to be the most intelligent person around. To easily dismiss others as if they were irrelevant was to ask to be face slapped.

Also, pushing them too far right now would be an incredibly foolish and short-sighted thing to do. By doing that, Danny would be souring their relationship for some meager short-term benefits, spoiling any chance of a mutually beneficial relationship in the future.

“It will do.” Danny nodded in agreement.

‘That was the easy part, now for his more difficult demands…’ Danny silently thought.

“Also, I want you to give me a pair of guns, one for long-range shooting and one handpiece, both with sufficient ammo.” Danny said with a straight face.

After hearing his request, Hank’s eyes flew wide open as he stared at the young man in front of him with disbelief.

Even after Hank had told him all that about how hard it was for him to convince his people to save on their ammunition, and how he was doing everything in his power to save their guns for a rainy day, this kid still had the cheek to ask for his precious few guns and bullets!

The gall on this one!

“Absolutely not!” Hank screamed out loud, smacking the table in the process. He could not believe the little guy’s greediness.

Hank did not even know how useful Danny would be for this operation - or if he would be of any use at all – and the lad was already asking him for an arm and a leg.

Either the boy was completely insane or Hank was losing his touch after staying cooped up for so long in this damn office. To think that someone would have the guts to actually say something like that to his face…

“Lad, even if you want to haggle, there is a limit to how much shameless you can be. You need to learn to keep your demands in line with reality…” Hank narrowed his eyes and fiercely stared Danny down. Bulging veins could be seen in Hank’s temples and neck.

Though Hank could be said to be quite a shrewd and intelligent man, he was also a very outspoken and short-tempered one.

Combining his massive size and his big and now tightened muscles with his angry expression, Hank made for a very intimidating sight as he leaned over the wooden table and came threateningly closer to Danny.

However, Danny remained unbothered by the other man’s display.

No matter how much bigger Hank was than him, or how strong he appeared to be, Danny was confident he could easily take him down with his newly developed strength, so he wasn’t worried.

He was even certain that he could make his escape from the camp if he was forced into a fight with Hank, but he doubted it would get to this. Danny knew that the man was only trying to pressure him into a more advantageous deal.

It was all posturing.

Though his request had left Hank genuinely fuming, one didn’t get to sit in the big chair by being stupid enough to attack anyone who said something wrong or made him angry.

Seeing that Danny remained unmoved by his intimidation attempt, Hank merely harumphed and leaned back into his chair before saying:

“If that’s your price, then we don’t need your help. I’ll figure something out myself. You can go.” Hank said while shooing Danny with his hand, as if he was no longer interested in recruiting the young man and couldn’t be bothered to reason with him.

“Don’t be like that, Hank. I wouldn’t be so fast to refuse me. I think you will agree that my conditions are quite fair.” Danny smiled at Hank, completely unperturbed by his temper.

“Oh yeah? And pray tell, why in this dream world of yours would I think that your offer is even remotely acceptable?” Hank said sarcastically, while cleaning ear with his pinky finger.

“Well… because I will deal with your problem all by myself.” Danny delivered his sales pitch with a devilish charming smile.