Hua Xiezhi was not surprised either and gestured for him to continue.
Although Jierte was not often at headquarters, he had a very clear grasp of the situation.
He gave a rough account, then cautiously said, "Our related expenses... should be mostly paid up by now, right?"
Besides the 100 million rescue fee, Ping An also provided 50 million annually as a protection fee. This was a tactful reminder.
"You paid 120 million, with 30 million still outstanding," Hua Xiezhi answered casually. "Go on. What do you want?"
So direct? Jierte was slightly taken aback.
Then he understood. True powerhouses did not need to beat around the bush when speaking or acting.
On the other hand, although he was also A-rank, after leading the Ping An Merchant Group for so many years, he had grown used to weighing every gain and loss.
But even if the other side seemed easy to talk to, he could not assume he could simply make demands.
So he answered cautiously, "What they did was truly excessive. We were thinking... could we retaliate appropriately?"
"We support that request." Hua Xiezhi made the decision without even consulting their Supreme. "Since we took the protection fee, we will not stand by and watch. How far do you want us to go?"
Jierte thought for a moment. When facing the Space Pirates, these people had killed a Supreme.
He had been considering what request to make the whole way here. Only after hearing their unequivocal response did he make up his mind.
"I hope the retaliation can be ruthless. This is not the first or second time they have bullied us... the harsher, the better."
That was no longer something Hua Xiezhi could answer.
Qu Jianlei spoke up. "Other than this Kopaqi, how many more people need to