Since it was agreed to be a “negotiation,” it was natural to start with courtesy. As for whether to resort to force later, that would depend on the outcome of the negotiation. In this regard, the underworld is actually more particular than national political systems.
A few minutes later, a luxurious sedan, the Union-produced Duke Tiebula, drove into the factory. It had superior performance, lavish interior, complete functions, and a noble yet somewhat ostentatious appearance. Truly tasteful big shots wouldn't use it, but it was especially suitable for upstarts and the underworld.
Additionally, like most luxury sedans, this vehicle could also be equipped with military armor and shields. Clearly, this car was currently set up that way.
Then, two men with formidable demeanors, clearly Double Flower Red Poles, got out of the car first, followed by a man in a white suit, appearing to be in his early thirties. His looks and temperament were elegant and elite, giving the impression that he wouldn't be out of place in Nefi’s CBD.
Of course, generally speaking, a guy who wears a white suit outside of a wedding is usually a show-off and a clueless, refined scoundrel. This guy was certainly one of them.
“I haven’t seen these two before…” Sixth Uncle lowered his voice and said, “They might be people from that Spirit Sect! There’s no need to talk about underworld ethics with such people; just shoot them all first!”
“Let them speak; we can’t be the ones in the wrong!” Yahata said.
Hmm, a mere gang of gangsters, they’re actually quite particular, Yu Lian thought.
The man in the white suit looked at Autumn Mountain Yawata, seeming a bit surprised, but still smiled: “Heh heh, Mr. Autumn Mountain Yawata, seeing you so robust truly makes me… relieved!”
Yu Lian scanned the suit man’s face, then looked at the two Double Flower Red Poles, deciding it was best to be a quiet and beautiful man at this moment.
“I’ve always been very robust. However, the gentleman I met in the city before, who was unwilling to reveal himself, wasn’t quite as robust,” Autumn Mountain Yawata said, pushing up his glasses.
The other party’s expression didn’t change, perhaps just well-hidden. Then, Yahata continued, “Let’s get straight to the point, Mr. Horos. I hope you’ve brought goodwill this time.”
“We always bring goodwill! It’s just… you and your elders always refuse to believe it, treating me like a home invader. Actually, with our Norman Gang’s involvement, business can be done long-term,” the white suit shrugged. “As a token of sincerity, I’ve had my subordinates wait outside, and…”
He raised his hand, and in front of everyone, turned off the terminal on his hand, saying in the tone of a seasoned businessman, “Now, we can talk quietly. As I said, our Norman Gang and our friends will only take sixty percent. For this, we are willing to put in 500 million letter stars as capital.”
Seeing that Yahata still showed no reaction but also didn’t interrupt him, he continued, “Don’t worry, we only want to invest in this factory. We have no greedy intention of monopolizing your ancestral secret recipe. After all, we are all legitimate businessmen now!”
“…Heh, businessmen?” Autumn Mountain Yawata looked at the two stern-faced, powerfully built men.
“Legitimate religions satisfy people’s spiritual needs, and they are also a way to Explore the truth left to us by the universe spirit. Remember, the Spirit Sect is a legitimate religion approved by the Commonwealth! And it’s precisely legitimate religions that need funding! Asking believers for donations is what cults do!” the white suit said earnestly.
The two burly men showed arrogant expressions, as if they had followed a true god.
“Five hundred million is certainly not a large sum. But besides that, what you will gain also includes hundreds of millions of Spirit Sect followers, and the friendship of the Norman Gang! Of course, there are also sales channels in the more distant Cruel Star Domain! We can continue to expand production and spread our crystal capsules and other goods throughout the Universe!”
“You just said it’s not just crystal capsules, but other things too?”
“You have an excellent factory management team and experience. If you only produce a little generic medicine, it would be a waste of resources. Coincidentally, we also have such a formula, which is also one of our capital contributions,” His smile was full of warmth, and his words carried enthusiasm and persuasion, completely like an elite client manager in the financial industry.
“Why should all the ambitious black… uh, vibrant social groups, keep fighting in this small pond of Earth, only within the Commonwealth? Look at the end of the sky, look at the end of the star sea! If we join hands, why can’t we advance into the underworld of the entire Universe? We have that strength! Humans are the noblest race in this world, and humans should not only rule the bright world but also the underworld! The underworld of this Universe has been ruled by those disgusting, bloated slugs for too long, don’t you think so?”
“Yes, it sounds pretty good,” Autumn Mountain said expressionlessly.
Yu Lian simply pulled up his hood to cover his head and face, retreated into the crowd, and subtly opened his terminal.
“Then…” Mr. Horos, the man in the white suit, showed a relieved expression.
“However, I still have to refuse!” Autumn Mountain Yawata said coldly.
“I’m past my chuunibyou phase. Unifying the underworld and such sounds like the plot of a third-rate shonen gangster manga! No readers would watch that these days!”
This time, not only Mr. Horos in the white suit but also the two Double Flower Red Poles showed very ugly expressions.
“Besides, we are just the underworld, a gray population that exists because this world is imperfect. A truly efficient, powerful society has no room for us. So, please, be sure to understand your place! A mere underworld, actually clamoring about ‘unification,’ are you really afraid of not dying fast enough? True big shots can’t be threatened by a foot rag. Mr. Horos, have you and your master graduated from high school?”
Yu Lian was quite impressed with Autumn Mountain Yawata. Just based on his concept of social analysis, it already had a hint of class consciousness. In a world where the tech tree and culture tree were crooked, where mysticism ran rampant, and everyone’s sociological understanding was a bit amateurish, this was already a very forward-looking performance.
Horos sighed, “I originally thought you, being young, would be a person with dreams! Someone who could communicate! But in the end, the Autumn Mountain family is still a group of stubborn madmen!”
“Oh, is this so-called communication not your ultimatum? Since I was ambushed in the city, our war has already begun,” Autumn Mountain Yawata said coldly.
Horos also sneered, retreated to the car, and sighed, “Yes, what a pity!”
Everyone from the Kuki-gumi grinned menacingly and began to handle their firearms! Sixth Uncle shouted, “Great, let’s start fighting! Let’s make a big ruckus here! Big Apple City is so lively today, no one will disturb us! We can have a grand fight!”
Indeed, this was in the distant suburbs of Big Apple City, with no residents for dozens of miles around, so even a noisy fight wouldn’t disturb anyone. On the other hand, everyone already knew the situation in Big Apple City; just holding the uptown defenses was already a stretch. In such a situation, would the police really come to stop them from fighting?
“Lads! I’ve long disliked that white-suited pretty boy! Bring me his head! Don’t be afraid of breaking these bottles and jars! The boss said that if we defeat the Norman Gang and the cultists, you’ll be rewarded!”
Looking at the other side, the two black-clad Double Flower Red Poles had already assumed combat stances, and the man in the white suit, though still expressionless and appearing very calm, had already opened the car door.
“You should worry about yourselves! You’re surrounded! Hahahahaha, Demon Child drones? In the face of the Commonwealth’s epoch-making technology, they’re all trash! Young master of the Autumn Mountain family, you were right about one thing! Our war has already begun, and the so-called communication was just to buy time for my subordinates! Now, Big Apple City is in chaos, no one will care about the situation here, so let’s make a big fuss!”
He laughed heartily as he directly got into the car.
Everyone from the Kuki-gumi ignored him, instead looking nervously around. However, outside the buildings, it was still vast fields and plantations, where nothing could be seen clearly. Within those thriving crop fields, who knew how many enemies were ambushed!
“If you refuse to join! Then surrender! Or be destroyed! Autumn Mountain Yawata, put down your weapons! I will spare your life! Provided that your elders in Dongying must hand over the crystal capsule formula and agree to full cooperation!”
“Yahata!” Sixth Uncle was also a bit nervous. The reason he was so reckless before was his great confidence in their expensive warning network, but now, that confidence began to waver.
Autumn Mountain Yawata, however, shook his head firmly.
“Kill everyone else!” The man in the white suit opened his personal terminal in the car and commanded loudly. He was, of course, not commanding the two powerfully built men, but the “ambushers” who should have already infiltrated the vicinity.
“Kill them all! Leave no one!” He repeated, probably to boost his own morale.
However, almost ten seconds after the command, nothing happened.
Everyone from the Kuki-gumi was still a bit nervous, but some were already starting to get confused.
The man in the white suit was the most confused, but he tried to keep his expression calm, paused, looked around, and then shouted, “Attack immediately!”
Another ten seconds passed, but still nothing happened.
The situation gradually became awkward. The two powerfully built men guarding the car subtly shrank back a little, tilting their heads unnaturally.
“Attack!”
Still no one responded, and some in the Kuki-gumi had already started laughing.
Horos grew anxious and directly yelled into his terminal, “Weeks! Fly! Where are your men? Are they not in position yet? Answer me immediately!”
It was then that he suddenly realized the terminal was silent, with no one answering.
And at that moment, dense gunshots rang out almost simultaneously. They were coming from the direction of the city gate.
“You merely wanted to use the negotiation to let your elite troops, wearing new stealth equipment, infiltrate the surroundings and then launch an attack, didn’t you? How shallow!” Autumn Mountain Yawata pushed up his glasses, forcing a chilling, unsettling sneer onto his face.