Chapter 163 Negotiation

Hearing this, both Heizei and Wang Mengmeng drew in sharp breaths. Was the entity they had previously planned to deal with in the cave of this caliber?

Even just a mere statue left here was enough to make them feel an oppressive force. If the true deity were present in person, to what terrifying realm of strength would that belong?

"Good thing you successfully formed an alliance with him. Otherwise, I doubt I would have even survived until today."

Recovering from his shock, Heizei patted his chest and said. Although Wang Mengmeng remained silent, she nodded in agreement.

Lin Qiu paid no attention to the reactions of Heizei and Wang Mengmeng. Instead, he looked around the immortal cave, wondering if he could find any treasures. Although he had previously received his inheritance here, he had rushed off to Mount Zhongnan immediately afterward.

Therefore, for Lin Qiu, it was well worth taking a thorough look around the cave.

Otherwise, missing out on any good items would hardly be a favorable outcome for him.

"Boss, what should we do next?"

While Lin Qiu was searching the cavern, Wang Mengmeng and Heizei once again asked him for direction. Both of them knew very well that slaying the Director of the Investigation Bureau this time meant they had completely and irreconcilably offended the people of the Flood and Wilderness. Where were they supposed to go from here?

Killing was satisfying in the moment, but when it came time to settle the score, there had to be a proper way out.

Hearing their question, Lin Qiu smiled faintly, looking completely unconcerned as he replied, "I figured out an escape route long ago, but right now, we have to wait for the state's people to arrive."

Lin Qiu had always been a man who planned thoroughly before taking action, and this time was no exception. He had already decided how to arrange a safe haven for Wang Mengmeng and Heizei. However, due to the appearance of Wang Changqing, Lin Qiu intended to observe what changes might occur on Wang Changqing's end.

If cooperation could continue, Lin Qiu was naturally inclined to maintain it. After all, the Great Iron Wall Project was already nearing its completion; interrupting the partnership at this juncture would not be appropriate for him.

"Could the people arriving be the ones who ambushed us?"

Because of past events, Wang Mengmeng did not truly trust the state's representatives, and her words were laced with hesitation.

"I know very well what kind of people are being sent through the teleportation channel I left behind. If they dare to transport people here to ambush us, I wouldn't mind letting them perish inside the passage."

Lin Qiu was already well-prepared for the scenario Wang Mengmeng mentioned.

If Wang Changqing had indeed colluded with the Flood and Wilderness and attempted to launch a surprise attack through the teleportation tunnel, the countermeasures Lin Qiu had embedded within the passage would immediately take effect.

Hearing Lin Qiu's words, Wang Mengmeng and Heizei asked no further questions. They knew very well that Lin Qiu had already mapped out a strategy for all these contingencies; all they needed to do was follow peacefully behind him.

Soon, the teleportation portal Lin Qiu had left in the ruins of the Investigation Bureau activated, opening a dimensional gateway not far from the cave. "Only three people are coming, and they are all ordinary mortals."

Sensing the situation within the teleportation tunnel, Lin Qiu wore a look of slight surprise.

He had originally expected Wang Changqing to bring at least a few security personnel by his side, yet he brought not a single one. Was he truly not afraid that Lin Qiu might harbor malicious intentions?

"This must be our first time meeting, right?"

As Wang Changqing stepped out from the portal, a smile immediately appeared on his face.

Lin Qiu nodded, fixing his gaze directly on Xu Bancheng, who stood behind Wang Changqing, and asked in a slightly chilly tone, "Don't you owe me an explanation? Why were they hunted down by the people of the Flood and Wilderness?"

Before returning to the ocean, he had specifically instructed Xu Bancheng to take good care of the personnel within the Investigation Bureau, yet Xu Bancheng's care had ended up in such a state.

Only Wang Mengmeng and Heizei remained alive from the previous team, and even then, had Lin Qiu not arrived in time, they too would have perished at the hands of the Investigation Bureau's agents.

"..."

A look of remorse appeared on Xu Bancheng's face. He knew that things had not been handled properly this time, and facing Lin Qiu's interrogation, he did not know how to respond.

"What's done is done; there's no need to bring it up again."

Wang Changqing timely spoke up, breaking the awkward silence in the cavern, and then asked Lin Qiu, "We still wish to cooperate with you. Is there any possibility of that happening? What happened before was our fault."

"I said before, if you want to cooperate with me, I need to see your sincerity first."

Faced with Wang Changqing's remarks, Lin Qiu curled his lip.

Before coming to the cave, he had told Wang Changqing that he must first use members of the Flood and Wilderness as a token of allegiance.

Without this token of allegiance, how could he trust the cooperation Wang Changqing spoke of? What if halfway through the process, they re-established ties with the Flood and Wilderness? That would render all of Lin Qiu's painstaking efforts completely worthless.

"I will have them send the people over immediately."

Wang Changqing naturally understood the implication of Lin Qiu's words. He immediately picked up his communicator to notify the personnel stationed at the teleportation array, and soon, several corpses were transported across.

"These are all agents that the Flood and Wilderness planted within our ranks, and they all belong to the leadership level—capable of deciding whether to continue or halt the Great Iron Wall Project. As for those of lower ranks, I didn't have them sent over."

Wang Changqing looked at the corpses with a blank expression.

When he first discovered that these individuals were lackeys of the Flood and Wilderness, he had felt profound grief and shock. He had never imagined that the decision-making echelons had been so thoroughly infiltrated, and he felt a lingering terror regarding the power of the Flood and Wilderness.

Because of this very matter, the remaining members of the leadership had held a day-and-night meeting, debating solely on whether to cooperate with the Flood and Wilderness or with Lin Qiu.

Ultimately, the conclusion they reached was to cooperate with Lin Qiu.

After all, Lin Qiu had already contributed the blueprint for the Great Iron Wall Project, whereas the people of the Flood and Wilderness, since their appearance, had done nothing but make endless demands upon Earth while offering no constructive solutions regarding the ocean threat.

Between the two options, the leadership ultimately chose to place their trust in Lin Qiu, wagering all their chips on him.

One had to realize that carrying out these executions meant completely severing ties with the Flood and Wilderness.

There was no longer any possibility of cooperation. Every single one of those who had managed to infiltrate the leadership level was a descendant of a prominent family within the Flood and Wilderness. This purge meant they had offended virtually every influential faction capable of speaking on behalf of the Flood and Wilderness.

If things fell through with Lin Qiu, they would find themselves entirely without foreign aid, facing a domestic situation where relying solely on their own nation's strength left the prospects looking dim indeed.