Chapter 1244 - 1106: Each Flaunts Their Power

Chapter 1244: Chapter 1106: Each Flaunts Their Power

The seventeen murders that took place that night didn’t cause a stir on Purple Star—except for the one who died in the City Guard Prison.

On which planet do people not die every day? Especially when the ways of dying are all over the place, and quite a few of them look like accidents.

Only two forces knew what was really going on: Hongyun and Ping’an.

Ping’an only pieced together the recent string of anomalies after they received a warning.

Still, their investigative ability was indeed strong. Once they got serious, their verification speed was anything but ordinary.

Hongyun had no way to complain; not only could they not put pressure on the Government, they couldn’t even stir up public opinion.

If they really laid everything out, their previous moves would naturally be exposed.

But after daybreak, they found the eighteenth corpse.

He was a B-level Wind Attribute intelligence operative, found drowned in the bathtub of a hotel room.

Just from his Attribute and Cultivation Level, it was obvious he was elite from the Hongyun Financial Group!

Even so, the people from Hongyun suppressed their anger and arranged with the Ping’an Trading Group to meet at an abandoned dock on the outskirts at dusk.

Just by analyzing the time and location of the meeting, it was obvious they had bad intentions.

If the talks broke down, things could easily escalate into a fight, and both the darkness and the river would be perfect for retreat.

Ping’an agreed anyway, and in the morning they sent more than ten speedboats to the dock to patrol the surrounding area.

—You picked the time and place. We send people to check it out, that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

When it came to ground equipment on Purple Star, Ping’an really wasn’t afraid of anyone.

The people from Hongyun didn’t care either; on a Habitable Star, the other side couldn’t possibly use overly powerful weapons.

As the sky dimmed, Hongyun’s motorcade arrived at the dock: two motorcycles and eight vehicles in total.

Two of them were bulletproof buses, and two were heavy-duty off-road vehicles.

Ping’an Security had already set up the scene, over a hundred men in all, controlling the surrounding high points.

The security team hadn’t revealed their weapons, but it wasn’t hard to imagine they weren’t unarmed.

The atmosphere on site felt a bit like one of those underworld-style sit-downs.

After the people from Hongyun got out of their vehicles, dozens of their own security stepped out to guard the perimeter, also empty-handed, at most carrying some portable weapons.

But there was no doubt there were weapons in the vehicles, and some people had stayed inside.

Ping’an’s security didn’t check them, because the nature of today’s meeting was a negotiation, not a shootout.

Hongyun’s Supreme was the last to appear. He had a stocky, short-limbed build, but his chest jutted high; he glanced around with a markedly imposing air.

When he saw Hail, the boss of Ping’an Security, he frowned and spoke with a natural authority, "Where is he?"

"On the way," Hail answered in a muffled voice. "He’ll be here soon."

He knew full well Kading had probably died in a scheme by the other side, but he couldn’t show it—he wasn’t the main character today.

"Tch." The Supreme on the other side snorted disdainfully. "You think being late gives you status? I haven’t seen something this childish in years."

Whatever else you said, his presence was solid.

Two minutes later, a soft whirr sounded in the air as two bulletproof aircraft flew in.

The aircraft landed in an open area, and Xiao Moshan took the lead in stepping out.

The seven of them didn’t assume any defensive posture at all, walking straight over and sitting down on the chairs Hail had arranged.

Now the two sides were face to face, each with a row of seats, separated by a bit more than ten meters.

Seeing the other side acting as if no one else existed, the stocky Supreme snorted coldly. "Just advanced...and the attitude’s already that big."

As he spoke, he also sat down in his seat.

His reaction seemed a bit passive, but he carried himself with complete openness.

This was how a major power behaved: if you had enough control, why care about being passive in form?

Bentley, however, was also acting quite arrogant. He gave the other man a faint glance and didn’t even bother to speak.

—So what if I just advanced? What the hell does that have to do with you!

Seeing that he wasn’t talking, the Supreme opposite also shut his mouth, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.

Then a Gold Attribute A-level beside him spoke. "This time, did you finally send someone who can actually make decisions?"

A-level to A-level, Xiao Moshan replied in a deep voice, "I already said, I can make the decisions. You’re the ones who insisted on seeing a Supreme!"

The scene fell into silence; no one else spoke—the Gold Attribute A-level’s words still failed to draw a response from Bentley himself.

After a long while, the stocky Supreme spoke again. "Which faction are you from?"

"What’s it to you?" Bentley said calmly. "Let me repeat: the ore...we’re not selling!"

"I’m afraid that’s not up to a newly advanced guy like you!" The stocky Supreme let out a cold laugh.

"I’m really curious. You know we’re from Hongyun, and you still dare refuse...who gave you that kind of nerve?"

Bottom line, he still wanted to first feel out the other side’s background. No matter how big a force was, it couldn’t afford to make enemies casually.

Bentley didn’t bother with that at all. Instead, he frowned. "Whether I just advanced or not, what’s that to you? Want to go a round?"

"I’m laughing because you’ve got no one!" The stocky man burst out laughing. "You’re even dragging a newbie who just advanced to fill the numbers—you really don’t put Hongyun in your eyes?"

Bentley looked at him with a hint of helplessness, like he was looking at an idiot.

He knew very well that the other side was trying to provoke him into losing his cool and spilling information.

But how could he possibly dance to someone else’s tune? He just repeated, unhurried, "Wanna have a go?"

"Have a go? Sure," the stocky man put away his smile; he was a little annoyed now.

Anyway, he was a Wood Attribute; attack and defense were both fine. "A Supreme battle, we gotta bet something, right?"

Bentley nodded at that, answering offhandedly, "Then let’s bet our lives... whoever walks out alive."

The stocky man’s originally fierce gaze froze for a moment at that. So brutal?

Of course, the relationship between the two sides was already at the breaking point, with deaths already in the double digits; talking a bit sharper was normal.

However, this was just business! With this much profit on the line, a few casualties were totally normal, no?

Only three A-level Awakened had died; and now the Supremes were supposed to fight to the death?

Right then, a Modified Warrior behind him spoke up, "Today the two sides are here to ne..."

A streak of white light flashed past, and a hole appeared in the man’s forehead.

He stared wide-eyed in shock, his right arm twitching as if he wanted to point at someone.

But in the end, he just went limp and collapsed to the ground.

That single shot stunned everyone.

In some movies back on Blue Star, during Black Gang negotiations, someone blowing a bubble with chewing gum could set off a shootout.

But in the Imperial... at least not right now. The standoff was tense, but neither side had even drawn their weapons.

— With Supremes present on both sides, if the Supremes didn’t speak, who dared make a move on their own?

The Gold Attribute A-level flickered forward, blocking in front of the stocky Supreme, glaring angrily at the other side. "You!"

Silver Fir calmly holstered the Laser Gun and spoke coolly, "The Supremes are talking. Show some manners."

That single shot had cranked up almost everyone’s emotions on the scene!

Security on both sides quickly drew their weapons, forming a standoff, and Hongyun’s people also started putting on Armor.

The reason it was "almost everyone" was because seven people were exceptions; they just sat in their chairs without moving a muscle.

The stocky Supreme’s fingers twitched; he almost put on Armor himself.

But seeing the other side not moving, he steadied himself too, sitting there at ease and unhurried.

Someone else did move, though, to Armor him up.

Having subordinates handle his defenses was, of course, a good thing; it kept him from looking weak.

Even so, his heart sank slightly.

Just from the other side’s chain of reactions, he could tell these people were truly not to be messed with.

They were a hair’s breadth from a fight, yet they sat there steady as a rock, not even putting on Armor!

A Supreme not putting on Armor was one thing, but even those A-level and B-level weren’t Armoring up... who knew where they got that kind of nerve!

Their weapons were already trained on the other side; as long as he gave the order, taking down a few of them shouldn’t be a problem, right?

Could be a pack of desperadoes! He came to that conclusion. Hongyun Financial Group had plenty of people who did this kind of dirty work.

But this time Hongyun was mainly here for a business negotiation; they hadn’t considered using anything too extreme, which was why they sent him.

As for those little homicides, they were just tactics in the course of a business negotiation.

Finding the other side steady to a frightening degree, he paused, then raised a hand, signaling his people not to act rashly.

Then he looked at the opposing Supreme and spoke evenly, "Murder for murder... I don’t need to explain that, do I?"

Bentley looked at him and spoke lazily, "Only the weak have to pay with their lives for killing. A few days ago... did you pay?"

"What ’a few days ago’?" the stocky Supreme denied flatly. He was a negotiator; lying through his teeth was basic operation.

Bentley gave a disdainful little laugh, not even bothering to respond.

But that only enraged the stocky Supreme. "Do you—do you even know who you killed?"

"Do we need to know?" Bentley shot back expressionlessly. "Just some rule-breaking ants."

The stocky Supreme drew in a slow breath and said, "I have to tell you, this time you’re in big trouble."

"Then let it be big," Bentley didn’t care in the slightest; instead his expression turned serious.

"We’re here to make a formal announcement: the Energy Stone Ore... we didn’t sell before, we’re not selling now, and we won’t sell in the future either!"

The stocky Supreme didn’t pick up that line. Instead, he pointed at the dead Modified Warrior and asked again, "Do you know who he is?"

Bentley’s brows furrowed; his voice carried a natural authority. "If you keep talking to yourself like this, we’ll be done here."

"Done? You don’t get to walk away anymore!" The stocky Supreme started laughing again, but his face was a little twisted.

"You really think you’re in control of the situation? Hahaha, that’s just hilarious."

Bentley’s fingers twitched. A white flash split the sky, and a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared, striking the river beside the dock.

The bolt wasn’t thick, but it was unbelievably pure. After the thunderclap, a faint scream could be heard.

"You!" The stocky Supreme stared at him in shock. "You really don’t care about the consequences at all?"

Bentley’s fingers twitched again; a second bolt of lightning slammed into the river.

Only after the thunder died down did he ask coolly, "When you were strong-arming people into selling, did you think about consequences?"