"Old man, you're full of tricks when it comes to playing people," Lin Feng chuckled, teasingly.
"Hey! What are you talking about!"
"This is called tactics!" Luo Yongtian feigned offense and chided.
Lin Feng met his gaze, and the two shared a knowing smile.
"Right, tactics!"
Laughter erupted in the room, unheard by anyone outside.
After the laughter subsided, Luo Yongtian stroked his beard again.
"However, in this day and age, everyone has their trump cards, and I can't guarantee you won't get injured in this fight."
"To ensure things proceed smoothly, I've also prepared a foolproof backup plan."
Lin Feng extended his hand.
"Spit it out, old man. Tell me everything at once!"
Backup plans, Lin Feng liked that!
He himself was someone who always liked to have contingency measures for everything.
"My plan is called 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!'" Luo Yongtian leaned in conspiratorially.
"I didn't just bring Luo Da along this time for him to broaden his horizons!"
"Since Devonte and Iven could temporarily join the Seventh Faction, why couldn't Luo Da temporarily join the Fifth Faction, am I right?"
Lin Feng leaned back again.
Luo Yongtian continued, "Don't be fooled by Luo Da's usual reticence."
"His strength is absolutely capable of helping you!"
"He hasn't reached the level of a leader yet, but compared to the Second Sequence members under your command, he's several tiers stronger!"
"With Luo Da temporarily joining the Fifth Faction, he can become a hidden pawn against Joseph when the time comes!"
"So, what do you think? How's my backup plan?"
Luo Yongtian was determined to help Lin Feng eliminate these two faction leaders!
If Lin Feng hadn't known Luo Yongtian's stance, he might have thought the old man was setting a big trap for him!
Lin Feng didn't refuse immediately, instead calculating Luo Yongtian's intentions and the implications of this matter.
After a moment of consideration, Lin Feng replied.
"Are you really willing to sacrifice your adopted son like this, old man?"
"In a fight like this, life and death can be decided in an instant..."
Luo Yongtian remained unfazed.
"What's there to panic about? You handle the short one, Devonte, and Iven. Luo Da is just a reserve combat force against Joseph."
"Luo Da's strength is not bad. Even facing Joseph at full strength, with some things I've given him, he can hold on for a while."
"In that case, I don't believe Joseph can kill Luo Da before you can deal with him, do you?!"
Luo Yongtian narrowed his eyes.
Lin Feng inwardly cursed the old fox.
He was subtly nudging Lin Feng to look out for Luo Da, at least not to treat him as expendable.
However, Lin Feng liked this plan and intended to accept it.
Even if it might not be used, it had to be in place!
Luo Yongtian had no reason to lie about Luo Da's strength.
Replacing one of his Second Sequence combatants with Luo Da was indeed a beneficial move.
As for who to replace, Lin Feng had already decided.
Li Xieqian and Hannah were out of the question, and so was Hai.
That left the one who couldn't even kick up a fuss, and the blond middle-aged man.
Normally, it would be the taciturn one who would be replaced, but Lin Feng's intuition told him to replace the blond middle-aged man.
That fellow didn't look like someone loyal.
Though nothing had been shown yet, Lin Feng trusted his instincts.
Meeting Luo Yongtian's gaze directly, Lin Feng smiled after a long pause.
"You're right, an eye for an eye!"
"I agree to have Luo Da temporarily join my faction, as a reserve combat force against Joseph!"
With the latter part of his statement, Lin Feng also conveyed his attitude – he would ensure Luo Da's safety.
Luo Yongtian visibly relaxed.
He had genuinely feared that Lin Feng, out of arrogance or other reasons, might refuse the plan.
Now, it seemed Joseph and his two brothers, along with the short one, were all but guaranteed to meet their end.
Good, the first thing he came to see Lin Feng about had yielded perfect results.
"In that case, after we finish our discussion, Luo Da can stay by your side temporarily!"
"Now, let's discuss the second matter..."
Lin Feng poured Luo Yongtian another cup of tea and leaned back in his chair, appearing completely relaxed.
He had anticipated that Luo Yongtian would have more to discuss.
If it were only about the leader's battle, there would have been no need to send Luo Da and An away.
Luo Yongtian ignored the tea and straightened his posture, saying in a somewhat serious tone, "The second matter concerns the First Faction and the existence of Zero."
...
Lin Feng's hand paused mid-sip of tea. He looked up, meeting Luo Yongtian's gaze.
Slowly setting down his teacup, Lin Feng also became serious.
"Old man, you say..."
Lin Feng had only met the First Faction once. It was said that within the entire Black Robe organization, the First Faction was an elusive entity, rarely seen.
And Zero, whom he mentioned next, was one of Lin Feng's ultimate goals in infiltrating Black Robe.
Eliminating Zero was intertwined with eradicating the Black Robe organization!
Zero, as the core system of Black Robe, meant that if it wasn't destroyed, Black Robe wouldn't be considered truly wiped out!
"Your grand display of eliminating two faction leaders, and the combat power of three First Sequence leaders, is something the First Faction and Zero would not want to see happen..."
Luo Yongtian's voice was somewhat somber.
While dealing with these individuals might not require much caution, the attitudes of Zero and the First Faction could not be ignored.
"I don't understand why Zero hasn't appeared before you yet; it's clearly abnormal."
"But regarding the two factions joining forces to deal with you, that was not allowed in the past."
After a moment's thought, Luo Yongtian continued his explanation, "The prohibition wasn't a stated rule, but rather the stance of Zero and the First Faction."
"No matter who among you wins, at least one First Sequence combatant will be lost. That's not a good outcome for the entire Black Robe organization!"
"Therefore, in such a situation, Zero and the First Faction had to be considered."
"However, it's fortunate that Joseph and the others initiated the conflict first. Otherwise, I suspect the First Faction would already be standing before you..."
Lin Feng found this rather amusing.
Joseph initiating the conflict?
No, no, no, it was clearly him who initiated it, it's just that no one knew.
"And if you truly eliminate these individuals in this battle, I believe the First Faction will likely step forward to hold you accountable."
"This is the second matter I wanted to discuss."
Luo Yongtian sighed as he spoke.
The First Faction was not only the most powerful in terms of combat strength but also the closest to Zero.
At times, direct missions from Zero were even issued through the First Faction.
Therefore, before Luo Yongtian and Aigar's plan could be fully executed, they had to guard against and deal with the First Faction.
Dealing with them didn't mean annihilation, but rather finding a way to ensure the First Faction couldn't find any leverage or fault.