Chapter 270
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Chapter 270: Negotiations Break Down
“How can this be? Why is this happening?”
“Damn it, what is Yi Chen thinking? The human federation truly owes him, but with such an astonishing compensation, what more could he possibly want?”
“He has always been rational and calm, with great ambition. Normally, even if he felt discontent, he would at least choose reconciliation first. But from his tone, he doesn’t seem to be negotiating for more chips at all.”
“Even if we offer higher terms, he still wouldn’t back down.”
The leaders from the parliament and military were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Seeing the chaos among the parliament and military leaders, including Lu Qingxian who was negotiating, the Tree-Dwelling Tribe envoy reminded them, “Moral obligation, pressure!”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
These leaders had emerged from a world of schemes. They were momentarily flustered, their mentality affected.
However, with the envoy’s reminder, they quickly realized their focus and acted.
They hurriedly used their communicators to alert Lu Qingxian.
Lu Qingxian immediately reacted and sighed heavily, “In this vast universe, dangers lurk everywhere, and extinction is always just a mistake away.”
“This star cluster is filled with smoke and turmoil. The Angelic Beings, Frost Tribe, Three-Eyed Tribe, Devouring Tribe, and Wind-Walking Tribe have formed an alliance, attempting to annihilate us, humanity. One wrong step could lead us to irreversible disaster.”
“We have long wanted to clarify the truth to the Country Lord, but due to internal strife and external threats, all of humanity faces existential peril. We wanted to use the skills created by the Country Lord to enhance the power of our Large Battleships, which is why we delayed.”
“We hope the Country Lord, thinking of our shared humanity, can set aside past grudges and join hands with the human federation, working together to repel foreign threats.”
Yi Chen remained silent, quietly watching Lu Qingxian’s impassioned performance.
He had made up his mind to destroy the human federation without killing any of the high-ranking officials. He would strip them of their powers and lock them away, letting the best performers earn their keep.
“Country Lord, I implore you to consider humanity!”
The more Lu Qingxian spoke, the more agitated he became. Tears streamed down his face as he knelt before Yi Chen.
Yi Chen suppressed his boiling anger and continued to watch the performance.
It was a wise choice that Lu Qingxian had not approached in person.
For if he had not been just a virtual image, even if Yi Chen could contain his fury, he would not have killed him on the spot, but he definitely would not have made it easy for him.
After a lengthy performance, seeing Yi Chen remain indifferent, Lu Qingxian felt helpless.
This guy was indeed as ruthless as the character reports suggested.
Since that was the case, he had to change his approach.
Feigning a sigh, he helplessly said, “What the Tree-Dwelling Tribe really accepts is the human federation.”
“If the Country Lord refuses to forgive the human federation, how could we dare to fully cooperate? If the Country Lord signs a contract with the Tree-Dwelling Tribe, it would probably have no effect and might even provoke their resentment.”
Yi Chen remained indifferent.
Though he felt impatient inside, he still maintained his calmness and restraint, waiting for the other party to leave on their own.
He had not signed a contract with the powerful being from the Tree-Dwelling Tribe, so he wouldn’t recklessly expose it without having all the information, allowing the human federation to be prepared.
Relieving his anger in the moment was pointless.
Seeing that Yi Chen continued to be unmoved, Lu Qingxian opened his mouth but ultimately chose not to threaten further.
If he forced Yi Chen to make a harsh statement, there would be no room for negotiation left.
He understood well that Yi Chen could think of the other threats without needing him to verbalize them.
Perhaps he had even thought of them already.
Such a straightforward rejection of a tremendous benefit clearly indicated extreme anger.
Yet in this state of extreme anger, Yi Chen still managed to maintain restraint and composure, undoubtedly aware of the completely unequal power between them.
“The powerful being from the Tree-Dwelling Tribe is only temporarily away for some matters and will return within a day or two. I hope the Country Lord can calm down and accept the compensation from the human federation for the sake of all humanity.”
“Even if you are still furious and unwilling to forgive the human federation for now, I hope the Country Lord can temporarily set aside past grievances and sign a contract with us in advance, ensuring that nothing seems amiss to the powerful being from the Tree-Dwelling Tribe.”
“If the Country Lord has considered this, just have someone outside the flying treasure give a command, and I will return with even greater sincerity and apologies.”
Lu Qingxian slightly bowed and instructed the battleship to cut the signal.
In the next second, his virtual image vanished.
“Tell me! Which force do you belong to?”
Yi Chen turned to Bai Ruo Xin, whose mood was anxious.
His cold gaze carried an ineffable pain.
The more one cares for someone, the more intense the hurt can be.
Faced with pressure he could not resist, he forced himself to suppress his anger, confronting Lu Qingxian calmly.
He even swiftly assessed the pros and cons based on known information and devised a response plan.
But when he looked at Bai Ruo Xin, his heart was in turmoil, his mind a complete mess.
He actually wanted to directly send Bai Ruo Xin away, unwilling to learn more of the truth.
That way, he could prevent greater disappointment and pain.
Yet a painful reality was inevitable; he had to force himself to muster the courage to face everything.
Otherwise, inner demons would haunt him.
Bai Ruo Xin shared Yi Chen’s thoughts.
Facing the truth was unavoidable; it was a cut whether she faced it head-on or turned away.
She took a deep breath and explained, “The Country Lord’s grandfather was once a Nine-Star General in the human federation. Because of internal strife and external threats, the parliament maintained a policy of steady restraint, which differed from the Country Lord’s grandfather’s radical ideas.”
“Thus, the Country Lord’s grandfather founded the Revival Army, seeking to seize power. However, he ultimately could not overcome the parliament and was sent to an exile planet.”
“My grandfather, Bai Zhenshan, was the vice commander of the Revival Army. He had always aimed to fulfill Commander Yi’s last wishes, but he could never succeed.”
“It was not until the Country Lord appeared that my grandfather saw hope. He sent me to infiltrate the exile planet to help the Country Lord eliminate threats and seek opportunities to escape.”
Bai Ruo Xin looked at Yi Chen’s stern expression and said cautiously, “Given the relationship and friendship between our two families, the Country Lord is still my elder brother…”
“Then should I still prepare a gift for you?” Yi Chen snorted in anger.
Yet his mood improved quite a bit.
If Bai Ruo Xin was not lying, this was a thousand times better than his worst expectations.
Bai Ruo Xin felt a stir in her heart.
Could it be that her life was saved?
From what she knew of Yi Chen, since he had not killed her on the spot, it was unlikely he would do so now.
The Tree-Dwelling Tribe and the human federation could force Yi Chen to restrain his anger.
But a mere Revival Army did not have that qualification.
“356 is the resource planet where the secret headquarters of the Revival Army is located. Lu Qingxian has threatened me twice…”
Bai Ruo Xin looked at Yi Chen with a wronged expression, leading the blame elsewhere.
“Tell me everything you know and all the information you have,” Yi Chen said, feeling uncertain about how to punish Bai Ruo Xin.
He wasn’t as ruthless as Bai Ruo Xin thought because she underestimated her importance in his eyes.
If Bai Ruo Xin truly intended to deceive him and approached him with the goal of controlling him,
he would have no hesitation in cutting her down with one sword, even if she bravely confronted the powerful being from the Tree-Dwelling Tribe and, ignoring Lu Qingxian’s threats, spoke the truth.
To eliminate this inner demon, he would lose the ability to trust anyone again in his life, even holding suspicion against the Little Gold Ball, whom he considered family.
Bai Ruo Xin’s approach was not meant to control him; her act of hiding the truth was merely a one-sided desire to ensure his safety.
He was not so merciless as to kill the person closest to him for that reason.
However, with no punishment at all, it was difficult for him to shake off his displeasure.
No matter the reason, it did not change the fact that Bai Ruo Xin had been acting in front of him all along.
Yet, this displeasure was trivial compared to the dual crisis of the Tree-Dwelling Tribe and the human federation.
It could be temporarily set aside.
Bai Ruo Xin quickly nodded, forgetting to celebrate her narrow escape, and organized her thoughts a little.
She began to recount the rise of the human federation and presented all the information and data she knew to Yi Chen as completely and clearly as possible.
