Pute kept probing for information about Digital Phantom. If he offended them... he could always throw money at the problem!
He could not authorize huge sums, but a few billion was pocket change. The military could simply put it on the books.
"Damn..." Datela muttered softly.
Even for him, five billion was no small sum, and Da Vinci was poorer still.
Sure enough, after rolling his eyes at Pute, Da Vinci merely said flatly, "Hand it over to the Experimental Platform."
It was not that easy for Above Supreme powerhouses to actually come to blows. If they lost, there was nothing to say; even if they won, they would still suffer backlash.
Minor verbal clashes were actually easy to resolve. They were all old hands who had lived for centuries—who did not engage in a little probing?
"No problem," Pute replied casually, then asked another question.
"Senior, can't five billion buy two sincere pieces of advice from you?"
"You already know Digital Phantom's appetite," Da Vinci answered, calm and collected. "Besides, my words carry little weight."
"Fine." Pute was used to throwing his weight around. Seeing that it had no effect, he would not continue humiliating himself.
"In a few days, I'll visit Digital Phantom... that First One, is he the leader of the team?"
Da Vinci acted as though he had not heard that last question. "You'd better not try the same tricks on them that you used on me."
"If the others make a move, they could take your life in minutes... You're not losing out by spending five billion for that warning!"
"I won't give you that chance!" Pute said expressionlessly.
"I can die on a battlefield against the enemy, but I won't die at the hands of my own people!"
With that, his body flashed. The