Ouyang Nantian nodded ceaselessly.
"Yes, it was indeed my useless grandson acting out. He usually bullies others with his status as the sole heir of the Ouyang family, causing trouble. To make matters worse, he tried to steal credit at this critical juncture. I have indeed taught him a good lesson."
Zhang Pingfan looked at the old man before him.
The elder must have come to him for more than just these few words.
"Ouyang Tiantian's problem has been addressed, and you are aware of it. You also know that Hunter is my enemy. Your Ouyang family is still sheltering him, which clearly shows you don't take me seriously. The reason I am meeting you today is because you are a senior. In your words, respecting the old and cherishing the young is a virtue of every citizen, right?"
Ouyang Nantian nodded and said, "I know the Village Chief is giving this old man some face by agreeing to come out and talk. I have also inquired about the matter of Hunter. This was a decision made by the younger ones among them. However, I have a question for the Village Chief, and I wonder if the Village Chief can enlighten me!"
"Ask away!"
"Hunter is a player, and he shouldn't have direct animosity with you NPCs, should he? Is it true, as rumored outside, that he stole your hidden profession, which is why you are so angry with him?"
Zhang Pingfan smiled and said, "No one has ever been able to steal anything from me. I was indeed surprised when he obtained that hidden profession!"
"So, it seems there isn't much of a conflict of interest with the Village Chief? Is it because you find him too powerful and need to eliminate him? Or does the Village Chief enjoy controlling others?"
Zhang Pingfan stared at Ouyang Nantian.
"The reason I am targeting him is not because he doesn't obey my control, but because he invaded our server. Players should do what players are supposed to do, not invade us!"
Zhang Pingfan had not yet told him that the current Hunter was no longer considered an inhabitant of Blue Star. However, it was understandable that someone who could figure out this server was not ordinary. He suspected this old gentleman in front of him might grasp a bit of it.
As expected, when the elder heard about Hunter invading the server, his expression immediately turned grim.
"Your server is said to be indestructible. Even the world's top scientists, gathered together, couldn't decipher it. How did he invade it?"
Zhang Pingfan shook his head and said, "According to the data we received, he is an intruder. He used extremely sophisticated methods, making it impossible for our server to eliminate him. Therefore, I had to let all players on the server hunt him. However, you have defied my intentions. I believe you also know that someone who can invade a server is no ordinary person, or even..."
Zhang Pingfan did not continue. The rest would be up to the elder to deduce.
"Village Chief, I understand your meaning. Such an uncontrollable person appearing in our world would undoubtedly make me feel uneasy. I understand the Village Chief's thoughts and actions. I will order the entire Ouyang Guild to immediately sever cooperation with Hunter. I also hope the Village Chief will spare our Ouyang family!"
Zhang Pingfan nodded. "I have no intentions of targeting any of your major families. It is you who have continuously sought to profit from me. Do you think I am someone you can exploit?"
"We dare not. We merely wish to cooperate with the Village Chief."
Zhang Pingfan shook his head. "There's no need for us to cooperate on anything. As you said, what I need is absolute control, not unknown partners. This is a game, but it's also not just a game. I believe you, as a senior, should know where to draw the line!"
"The Village Chief is right. I will seriously consider it!"
"Good. I will consider what happened before as if it never occurred. However, from this day forward, if your Ouyang family does anything out of line again, do not blame me for being impolite to them!"
"Village Chief, please rest assured. I will discipline them upon my return and guarantee a satisfactory reply!"
Ouyang Nangong took his leave.
Although the Village Chief said he would not hold them accountable, their family clearly did not have much room for development if things continued this way.
Upon returning, he announced that all cooperation between the Ouyang family and Hunter was nullified.
Although this person was strong, he was merely strong. If they completely severed ties, how could the Ouyang family continue to operate in this environment?
However, Ouyang Nantian's greater hope was to meet Hunter in person.
But after negotiations between the two parties, Hunter did not agree to meet Ouyang Nantian in reality, which greatly displeased Ouyang Nantian.
The Village Chief's power encompassed the entire game, and he had nothing to say about that. He held the lifeline of the game. But how could a mere player like Hunter dare to disregard his invitation?
It was at this moment that the two sides completely broke off relations.
The moment the Ouyang Guild severed ties with Hunter, the Chen and Li families were utterly bewildered.
Hadn't they agreed to advance and retreat together? How could they have been so unceremoniously abandoned? More importantly, they hadn't even obtained the Guild Token yet. This was clearly a case of crossing the river and burning the bridge.
"Ouyang Tiantian, what's going on with your family? Burning bridges, huh? Are you planning to offend both our Chen and Li families?"
Ouyang Tiantian was internally seething with frustration.
Being scolded by his father, being scolded by his grandfather, and now having to endure their anger.
"Get lost! I'm annoyed with everyone I see right now. As for severing cooperation with Hunter, that was my grandfather's decision, and it has nothing to do with me!"
"What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? You've taken all the benefits and left the mess for us two families. You're really something!"
"Think whatever you want. In any case, we can't continue cooperating. I've done what I needed to do. What you do next is none of my concern!"
After saying this, Ouyang Tiantian stormed off, leaving Li Wei and Chen Hai staring at each other. What had happened in the meantime? What happened to the promised alliance, the promised common enemy? How could they have been sold out so quickly, leaving the two families to face the Village Chief alone?
With such an incident, they had no choice but to relay the situation to their respective elders.
The elders of the two major families simultaneously contacted the elder of the Ouyang family. Such matters were not to be trifled with. Among the four great families, the three of them banding together had been quite stable. The Ouyang family's sudden withdrawal was rather unseemly.
In response, the Ouyang elder said nothing more than, "Don't offend the Village Chief."
Afterward, the two elders considered the matter and decided to abandon this cooperation. This meant that the Chen and Li families also abandoned their cooperation with Hunter, leaving Hunter once again without any shelter.
The Chen and Li families directly spread news within the game, stating that they had abandoned their cooperation with Hunter.
This was their way of informing the Village Chief that they had done the same and did not wish to oppose him.
When Zhang Pingfan heard this news, he merely let out a cold laugh. He knew very well the calculations of these major families. From the very beginning, they had never intended to coexist peacefully with him.