They had exposed the mole and gained new talent at the same time.
Golden Tooth had more men, yet he had suffered a silent loss. Ma Ye had fewer men, but the suppliers were standing with him.
By this point in the standoff, both sides actually wanted to back down.
This was not some remote wilderness. No one wanted to start a gunfight here. Both sides had gained something, so withdrawing now was the best course of action.
The only problem was who would be the first to say it.
Logically, the three suppliers should have stepped forward to smooth things over by now. Regardless of whether they intended to cut off Golden Tooth's supply afterward, they should at least put on a show and take a step back for the moment.
Yet the three suppliers seemed either not particularly clever or unwilling to play smiling tigers. In any case, they had no intention of pretending to let go of their grievances.
Just as the situation remained deadlocked, Cao Jing arrived.
Before Golden Tooth's men had rushed into the warehouse, Cao Jing's transaction with the other side had already concluded.
There was no doubt about it—the deal had failed. They had not brought the goods at all!
That blatant lack of sincerity made Cao Jing afraid to even take out the money. After calling Ma Ye for instructions, he withdrew.
Ma Ye did not criticize him in the slightest. Instead, he comforted him a little and told him to come to Di Feng Park.
The other side's failure to bring the goods had been arranged by Ma Ye from the start.
So long as nothing happened on Cao Jing's end, it proved that Cao Jing was not the mole. He could also come over and support Ma Ye.
Now, Cao