Section 90: Negotiations and Disputes

Leaving? What do you mean? "Are you going out for something? Is it related to the Han army? Don't go, I have things I need to discuss with you."

"No." Gru picked up his glass and took another sip. "Commander, I am formally requesting to leave Wuzhou."

The surroundings fell silent instantly. Some wore expressions of astonishment, while others looked thoughtful.

"Why?" Lin Feirui was equally shocked. "Is it because of what happened earlier?"

"Yes, and no," Gru said, swirling his glass.

"I’ve been thinking a lot lately. You were right to hit me back then; it was my mistake to say such things when the situation was so critical." Gru turned toward her. "Recently, I reviewed my own actions and identified the source of my greatest error."

"And what is that?"

"It’s that I couldn't resist the temptation to join your team," Gru said, his expression respectful and his tone steady. "I was too greedy for safety; because your group was capable of winning, I joined with such joy. In these past few scenarios, I had almost forgotten the cruelty and madness inherent to this space."

"A setup like yours, where combat relies on you and the spoils go to you, is certainly safe. But the moment I face a true crisis, I find myself completely incapable of resistance. I’m sorry, but I must leave."

"Of course, I am grateful for your care during our past battles; I owe you a great deal. I gave my all during the ferry mission, hoping that would, to some extent, repay your kindness. If you feel it isn't enough, I can hand over the universal points I have on me. I hope you will permit me to leave."

After saying this, he glanced at Huakai, then turned back to Lin Feirui. "Do you agree?"

In an instant, a flurry of thoughts raced through Lin Feirui’s mind. Was he doing this on purpose? Bringing up this topic in this setting? Did he want to leave? Or was he using this as leverage to demand something else? Had he coordinated this with the others?

She looked at Huakai, whose eyes were filled with silent inquiry. Should she activate the parasite? Should she kill him? The problem was...

"We should respect his decision, Commander." After a few seconds of silence, Red Lightning spoke up.

What did he mean? Had he discussed this with him beforehand? She looked at Red Lightning warily—one of her greatest supporters during the previous predicament.

"Vice-Commander Gru performed exceptionally well this time, and his actions were crucial," Red Lightning continued, not meeting her eyes. "Post-battle intelligence shows that the Revolutionary Army sent many people to incite the soldiers at the ferry. If he hadn't made a split-second decision to use his own items to lead the Han army there, the Revolutionary Army might have crossed the river and linked up with the main force of the Yellow Turbans."

"And afterward, he reorganized the Han forces there, which gave us the opportunity to mobilize them and ultimately defeat the enemy..."

What is your game? Are you trying to let go of my toys?

"Besides him, everyone gave their all in this battle," Red Lightning went on. "At the very end, Big Soldier was hanging on despite seven negative status effects, his health bottoming out, yet he stayed on the front lines. Dart exhausted all his items and energy—a single common enemy soldier could have killed him. Black Fiend is still missing; he likely died in the inferno. All of us..."

"Not to mention," Huakai added with a sarcastic edge, "the hard work of our Great Commander Red."

"I don't intend to boast," Red Lightning said, as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm at all. "But this enemy was truly extraordinary. He allowed the enemy to surrender and, as a contractor, gave the defectors tasks and generous rewards. Whether it was when we faced immense pressure or during the heat of battle, I also made my own small, insignificant contribution."

"Hmph!" Huakai didn't say anything more.

"I bring this up now," Red Lightning said, gazing at Lin Feirui for the first time since he began speaking, "not because I intend to make unreasonable demands. It is simply that, Commander, we deserve the rewards we are owed."

I see. This is the source of the crisis. Lin Feirui stared at her subordinates.

They had contributed to this victory, so now they intended to demand a higher share of the rewards.

How should she handle this? Activate the parasites? Kill a few of them? No... if she did that, Wuzhou would be finished.

The one leading this charge was Red Lightning, the person who had supported her most during their previous plight. If he had come to her privately, she would have been happy to give him a larger share. But this...

"I think Red Lightning makes sense," another voice chimed in—it was Dart Squire. "This time, it would be more appropriate to distribute the universal points according to everyone's contributions."

With those two leading the way, many other members voiced their agreement. It is difficult to get a crowd to oppose a proposal that benefits them, especially when someone else has already taken the lead; if someone else is doing the work, why not go along with it?

"They're right," said Little Tao, another supporter.

"Commander, the previous distribution method was indeed too unfair. You took 90%, and everyone else split the remaining 10%..." a quiet voice reminded her.

"What do you think you're doing!" Huakai slammed her hand on the table. "Are you trying to revolt? Do you want to die?"

"Little Flower," Red Lightning turned to Huakai. "Are you really going to say that to us?"

Several people—Red Lightning, Big Soldier, Dart, and Ling'er—turned toward Huakai. Faced with the accusing glares of old friends who had known her longer than Lin Feirui, who had gone through countless scenarios together and saved each other's lives multiple times, Huakai stammered, her face full of conflict.

"I... I didn't mean that..." She looked at Lin Feirui, then back at Red Lightning, and sank back into her chair.

This is bad. Lin Feirui maintained a smile, but her heart was in turmoil.

Huakai could strike at Gru or Charles, but she would never strike at these old comrades. Forcing her to do so wouldn't work; it would only end in mutual destruction. Wright wasn't here, and even if he were, he wouldn't know how to handle a situation like this. Gru intended to leave; if she agreed, perhaps he could help... She glanced at Gru, seeing him staring down into his drink.

No, she couldn't ask him. If they had coordinated this beforehand, doing so would only lead to humiliation. If that happened, it wouldn't be a simple matter of making concessions.

In that case... though it pained her, she had no choice but to agree.

"You're right," she said, deciding, and turned to Red Lightning with a smile. "I had thought about this before, but the specific details were difficult to manage. How do you suggest we proceed?"

"First, there are still over two hours before this battle is settled. I hope you will immediately distribute the spoils of this battle to everyone according to the proportion of their contributions." Red Lightning pulled a list out of his pocket that had clearly been prepared in advance. "This is our calculated distribution of credit. Please take a look."

First... "And then?"

"And then," Red Lightning straightened his torso, looking at her with an insulting, egalitarian air. "We hope that we can be the ones to arrange the mopping up of the enemy's remnants."

"No, that is absolutely out of the question," she refused flatly. "Do you think we've already won? The enemy's main force is still out there! They haven't been defeated yet! If something goes wrong... No! Absolutely not!"