Chapter 129 Rule

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, staring at Horlaide without a word for a long time, then shook his head. "I won't help you convince them, keep the money."

Horlaide was a little surprised. "Why?"

"Every industry has its rules." Han Xiao was a mercenary to earn money, but since he had entered this line of work, he would abide by its rules, value his reputation, and betraying the employer was the worst violation. He would not help Horlaide cheat his employers.

"Aren't you a mercenary for money? Fifteen people can be sold for three million Enas, even if you only get 10%, that's a huge sum that would take you a long time to earn. Considering that you are a colleague, I am willing to share some profits with you to compensate for the reward you mercenaries failed to get for the rescue. Are you really ungrateful?" Horlaide didn't think so.

"Sorry, my creed is reputation first, honest operation."

Han Xiao was unmoved. This money was indeed a lot, but he just didn't want to comply with Horlaide's wishes. It could also be said that he was abiding by his reputation. Besides, he accepted the Silvers' commission not for money, but for the advanced knowledge of compression technology.

Regardless of whether the Silvers would compromise, if they paid to redeem people, what would be the point of having mercenaries? He would not be able to get his reward.

Horlaide curled his lips. "Suit yourself. I'll negotiate with your employer myself."

Han Xiao took out his communicator and contacted his employer. The face of a Silver appeared on the screen. The employer saw Han Xiao at a glance, a little surprised. After thinking for a long time, he remembered that Han Xiao was also their mercenary, and asked in confusion, "Why are you contacting me? Where are the people from Sky Ring? By the way, where are you now, when will you be back?"

Han Xiao shook his head. "Some accidents happened. We were intercepted, and the rescue target was sent to the slave market. It was all in vain. The people from Sky Ring, Blade, and Zijing were all arrested. Now I am responsible for this task. I have found the manager of the slave market. He wants to negotiate with you."

"Heh, your clansmen are in my hands..." Horlaide straightened his clothes and slowly repeated his conditions.

The Silver employer was shocked and angry.

"Too expensive! We can't accept this price!"

"Sorry, you are not qualified to bargain with me." Horlaide was full of confidence. With people in his hands, he was sure that the Silvers would not abandon their clansmen. Three million Enas was a lot, but the Silvers had a solid family background, and if they were willing to raise money and bleed heavily, they could barely get it out.

"...We need to discuss it." The Silver employer gritted his teeth, but dared not refuse outright.

"Contact me when you've made up your mind, but time is limited. Many big customers are thinking about your people. You are not the only buyer." Horlaide threatened, with a smug look on his face.

Han Xiao put away the communicator, expressionless, and went straight out the door. Horlaide waved goodbye enthusiastically, but sat in his seat without moving.

As he stepped out of the door, a man wearing a mask was about to walk in. The two brushed past each other. At that moment, time seemed to slow down. Han Xiao's hair suddenly stood on end, and his brow felt a tingling sensation, as if a knife was hanging in front of him.

The flow of time seemed to slow down. At the moment of brushing past, the two subconsciously looked at each other. The collision of eyes and eyes was like the collision of two sharp blades, shining a cold light, making the surrounding environment gray, leaving only each other in their eyes. The picture was like a freeze frame, silent.

The next second, color and sound broke this moment, like a shattered ice mirror, and the two passed by each other safely.

After walking a few steps, Han Xiao looked back, his eyes moving slightly. With his own high rank, his perception would also be keen. Close contact with a strong person would produce an instinctive sense of vigilance. The masked man gave him a very strong sense of danger, not only in strength, but also in the masked man's own temperament, which carried a murderous aura. Only someone with enough perception could detect this detail.

He had a hunch that this masked man was also here for the Silvers.

"I wonder who he is from..."

Han Xiao shook his head, put aside his distracting thoughts, and contacted his employer separately.

The Silver employer said unhappily, "We rescued the people, how did they get caught again? This is your dereliction of duty! What should we do now, do we really have to pay?!"

Han Xiao dealt with a few words and said, "Don't rush to compromise. Since the captives are temporarily safe, I'll think of another way."

"...Okay, remember, we must give priority to protecting their safety."

After hanging up, Han Xiao scratched his head, a little headache.

"This is not easy to do. The captives are all in Horlaide's hands. My current identity is a member of Longtan. I can't rob them openly. Hmm... If I want Horlaide to release people unconditionally, there is only one way, to take the upper route, persuade the housekeeper Jenny, or even persuade Amers..." He suddenly had some clues, his spirits lifted, and he left in a hurry to think about the plan.

At the same time, the masked man who had just brushed past him was Ash, and he also approached Horlaide, expressing his intention to buy the Silvers.

"How much are you willing to pay?" Horlaide asked.

"Fifty thousand per person."

Horlaide shook his head, losing interest.

Ash frowned. "This price is almost half higher than the market price, and you still think it's too little?"

"A big customer is offering more." Horlaide said.

"Seventy thousand." Ash added in a deep voice.

Horlaide still shook his head.

"At most one hundred thousand."

"Still not enough."

"Then how much do you want?" Ash was very patient.

Horlaide smiled slyly. "That big customer offered a price of two hundred thousand per person. Of course, the deal has not yet been finalized, but... if your offer can exceed two hundred thousand, hehe, then it's hard to say..."

"Understood, I'll go back and consider it."

Ash nodded calmly and left the slave market, returning to his lodging.

"Captain, how did the negotiation go?" A member of the special forces team asked.

Ash took off his mask and said calmly, "Change the plan, we're going to snatch people."

DarkStar wasn't unable to afford the money. The problem was whether it was worth it. And even if they agreed to this price, maybe that profiteer would use the so-called "big customer bids again" as an excuse to raise the price again, turning it into a bidding war.

What kind of force is DarkStar? We are a bunch of villains! If we obediently become suckers, do we still have the professional ethics of being villains?!

...

Far away in the Feiwon Star System, a fierce dispute took place on the planet where the Silver employer was staying.

"The other party has made an offer, what are we waiting for? Raise the money immediately!"

"Wait, things are strange. Could it be that the mercenaries colluded with the slave owner to jointly cheat our money? The Shattered Star Ring is full of greedy and barbaric people. We must guard against this possibility." Someone suspected.

"In any case, safety is the top priority. The three major mercenary groups of Sky Ring, Blade, and Zijing have all failed. How can that small mercenary group called Black Star be reliable? If they take risks to complete the task, it will put the captives in danger. Let's pay the money!"

"What if they still don't release people after receiving the money?" Someone worried.

After arguing for a while, the captain, who was more prudent, made a decision and said, "Their last failure was due to force majeure. I am willing to trust them one more time. In any case, let the Black Star mercenary group try it first. If it really doesn't work, he will definitely give us an accurate answer. Paying is the last resort."

...

A team of players were driving a flyer, circling and patrolling an area.

Lige was in the flyer. He avoided everyone's sight and quietly took out the secret language bead, carefully looking at it.

"What is this thing..." Lige murmured, "The item description says that you can get a reward by giving it to a special person, but there is no hint of who the special person is. Do I have to trigger it myself..."

Lige was experienced in the game. This kind of event-triggered quest item without clear hints usually required taking the initiative to show the item to different NPCs. If he found a person with an unusual reaction, that would basically be the "special person".

"Let's do it." Lige secretly made up his mind.