"Where is your location?" the man over the radio asks, his voice tinged with a mix of urgency and caution.
Instead of replying, I challenge him, slightly amused by his direct approach, "Aren't you going to ask how we got to know this channel?"
"It doesn't matter," he dismisses quickly, his tone firm. "As long as you have what we need."
His response confirms what I had suspected—they are desperate for the black-eyed infected. This gives us an unexpected edge, and I decide to probe their willingness to negotiate. "As I said earlier, we have what you want. What can you offer if we hand this over to you?"
He doesn't hesitate, "Whatever you want. Just name it. We can give you resources or we can provide you a shelter."
I chuckle quietly. It's typical for them to assume we're desperate for resources or shelter, but that's not what we're after. "I need information," I counter.
"What kind of information?" he probes, his tone now laced with caution.
