When the message came through the loudspeaker, the expressions of the Giant Hammer Mercenary Corps members inside the armored vehicle grew even uglier.
No one had expected the initiative to shift completely into the other partyâs hands in just a matter of moments.
More importantly, the other party was staying over 150 meters away, completely dashing any hope of a counterattack.
At such a great distance, the threat their firearms could pose was minimal.
Of course, they could try to get closer to shoot or repair the tire, but either choice required them to get out of the vehicle.
And with the enemyâs Gun Technique, getting out of the vehicle was tantamount to becoming a living target. They might not even need to get outâif they tried to aim through the firing ports, the enemy would probably shoot them first.
Ren Hong felt a bitter taste in his mouth, but some things had to be done by him. Taking a deep breath, he pressed the loudspeaker button. "Friend, letâs talk this through. Itâs a misunderstanding. This is all just a misunderstanding."
"Is that so?" Lin Xinghaiâs tone was laced with amusement. "Then why didnât you stop when we fired a warning shot earlier?"
"Ahem! Well... we thought your gun had misfired!" Ren Hong managed to force out an excuse.
"And before that? Why didnât you allow our signal to connect?" The amusement in Lin Xinghaiâs voice grew stronger.
"Our signal receiver was damaged when we were breaking out of the zombie horde." Ren Hongâs words came much more smoothly this time, as this was an excuse he had prepared earlier.
"Fine, then! Time to pay up!" Lin Xinghai had no desire to banter any further. He cut straight to the chase, laying out his demands. "I want all the Elemental Crystals, Energy Crystal Stones, and ammunition in your vehicle. Hmm... and donât say Iâm unreasonable. Iâll let you keep 100 regular bullets, just in case."
"My friend, isnât that price a little too steep?" Ren Hong said, his voice laced with anxiety.
"Iâm not interested in debating this. We all know perfectly well why weâre in this situation. Iâve made my demands. Of course, youâre free to refuse." After saying his piece, Lin Xinghai switched off the loudspeaker and ignored them.
The choice was simple now: their lives or their wealth.
Of course, for Ren Hong and his men, there really was no choice at all. Without their lives, no amount of wealth was worth anything.
...
Ling Xiu and the others, having witnessed the entire process, had only one thought... How satisfying!
Normally, when dealing with any other Mercenary Corps, they had to be extremely cautious. Even when they were in the right, theyâd have to tread lightly and offer appeasements if the other party got upset.
But with Lin Xinghai at the helm, the situation was completely reversed. Of course, they were still in the rightâLin Xinghai was just being a bit more domineering about it.
"Okay, theyâll definitely agree. But we have another problem: we need to send someone over to supervise them and make sure they hand everything over."
"Whoever goes to supervise might be in some danger. Anyone willing to volunteer?" Lin Xinghai asked.
If no one supervised, they would have no way of knowing if the other party had actually handed everything over.
Lin Xinghai thought for a moment, then added, "You can rest assured. As long as they donât have a death wish, they wonât dare try anything. If they do, I guarantee Iâll leave every last one of them here."
He himself couldnât go, of course. Without him pinning them down, the rest of his team posed no threat.
However, Lin Xinghai noticed that after he finished speaking, the others were all looking at him with strange expressions.
"Whatâs wrong?" Lin Xinghai asked, curious.
"Nothing. Itâs just... I guess youâre not infallible after all, Brother Lin," Ling Xiu said with a laugh.
Before Lin Xinghai could even ask, he had his answer. He saw Zhang Meiling, in the back seat, split into two in the blink of an eye.
It was only then that he remembered: Zhang Meilingâs Superpower was creating a doppelganger. What amazed Lin Xinghai was how incredibly realistic it was.
If he hadnât seen her create the doppelganger with his own eyes, he would have been completely unable to tell which was real and which was the copy.
It wasnât just a visual illusion, either. Even when he probed with his Perception Power, both of them felt real.
"Does your doppelganger have senses?" Lin Xinghai asked.
That would be a requirement for supervising them.
"Yes, it does. In fact, unless you attack it, youâd never know it was a doppelganger just from normal conversation or contact." The one who replied was Zhang Meilingâs doppelganger. She even extended her hand for a handshake.
Seeing this, Lin Xinghai reached out and shook her hand. He was once again astonished.
The touch felt completely real, warm even. It was utterly indistinguishable from a real hand.
"I can imagine this doppelganger of yours could be incredibly useful in... certain situations," Lin Xinghai couldnât help but remark.
"I wouldnât be so optimistic," Zhang Meiling said with a hint of resignation. "This doppelganger will dissipate if itâs hit with a single punch from an ordinary person. More importantly, it only lasts for three minutes."
The first part didnât seem like a big deal to Lin Xinghai, but if it only lasted three minutes, then the Superpowerâs utility was indeed quite limited.
Just as they finished their discussion, Ren Hongâs reply came over the loudspeaker: "Agreed!"
Lin Xinghai switched on his loudspeaker as well. "Excellent. Since you agree, put all the Elemental Crystals, ammunition, and Energy Crystal Stones outside the Armored Vehicle now."
"Iâll be sending a team member over to inspect. Only after we confirm youâve put everything outside will I permit you to start repairing your Armored Vehicle. So if you want to get it fixed quickly, donât waste time."
With the zombie horde steadily approaching, the members of the Giant Hammer Mercenary Corps didnât dare delay any further. They immediately followed Lin Xinghaiâs orders, reluctantly hauling the goods out of their vehicle.
Once they had moved most of it, Zhang Meiling created another three-minute doppelganger and sent it over to quickly conduct an inspection.
It seemed the other party had accepted their reality. They didnât try any tricks, leaving only the 100 rounds of regular ammunition for themselves and moving everything else out of the vehicle.
Things were much simpler after that.
With Lin Xinghaiâs permission, the members of the Giant Hammer Mercenary Corps immediately disembarked. They quickly retrieved the wheel and used their repair equipment to crudely weld the axle assembly back together. While it was nowhere near as sturdy as before, the vehicle was now barely drivable.
Before they left, Lin Xinghai switched on the loudspeaker one last time. "Itâs been a pleasure. One last thingâan introduction. My name is Lin Xinghai, a member of the Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps. When you get back, Iâll have our commander have a âtalkâ with you."
Hearing Lin Xinghaiâs words, Ren Hongâs mouth fell open. All he could taste was bitterness.
Just moments ago, he had been comforting his Mercenaries with phrases like, "revenge is a dish best served cold," and had sworn that once they got back and repaired their Mecha, they would definitely make trouble for the Superpower Alliance.
But now, before he could even think about getting even, his opponent had already declared they were coming for him.