Bargaining with a Tiger

I fell silent, my gaze shifting to Li Yang. Yet I had to admit that he was right.

If not for Han Qianqian, we would never have caused him trouble. After all, there was nothing in it for us.

Wu Yong cursed, "Even so, at least we have a chance. Maybe we can survive."

"Entrusting our hopes to a completely inhuman ghost—isn't that too foolish? Why don't we make a deal?" Li Yang looked at me.

"Go on. What deal?" I looked at him.

"I'll go in with you and deal with Han Qianqian. That way, you can survive. And I can survive too." Li Yang looked at me.

"What are the conditions?" I asked again.

"The condition is that not only can't you report me, you also have to pretend you know nothing." Li Yang smiled.

"Do you think I'll agree to that?" I looked at him.

"Of course you will. Aren't these conditions good for you? Besides, do you really think I'm afraid of threats?" At this point, Li Yang looked at me coldly. "If you report me, I'll make you pay. I can even deal with Han Qianqian, so dealing with you will naturally be effortless."

Chapter 36: Bargaining with a Tiger

Faced with Li Yang's temptation, I chose to remain silent. Wu Yong's eyes lit up, but he said, "Why should we believe you?"

"You have no choice but to believe me. Think about it—who does she want to kill most? Without a doubt, it's me. As long as I go in with you, she'll give up pursuing you and make me her first target."

"In that case, you'll be saved. You could say that with my help, you can easily escape her pursuit. And every time you escape, you'll receive generous rewards. I think you understand how great the benefits are with my help." Li Yang looked at me.

"You have to prove it first before we'll believe you," Wu Yong said.

"Fine. I'll go in with you next time. I'm just like you now." After Li Yang finished speaking, he gently lifted the back of his shirt, revealing three pitch-black scars.

I said nothing, my heart struggling fiercely. But I had to admit that Li Yang had a point. Yet Han Qianqian had let me go once. Perhaps she wouldn't deceive me either. This left me deeply conflicted.

Who should I trust?

But regardless of whom I should trust, I had only one goal: find a way to survive this nightmare. Whether I sided with Han Qianqian or Li Yang, as long as I could survive, that was all that mattered.

Li Yang glanced at me, then turned and left.

I sighed and helplessly waved my hand. "Bring Li Tongtian and the others here. Let's discuss this properly."

So, in a private room, I told everyone what Li Yang had said, and everyone began arguing heatedly.

Lan Lele's reaction was the most intense. She said furiously, "You absolutely mustn't believe Li Yang. He's a psychopath, a murderer! He killed so many women and turned Han Qianqian into that. Someone like him belongs in hell."

"But the problem is, he isn't an ordinary person. Even if the police pursued him, he might still escape. What if he came after us for revenge?" Li Tongtian asked.

At that, everyone fell silent, each of them saying nothing.

We were all ordinary people, merely clinging to life under Han Qianqian's hands. Being able to survive was already a stroke of luck. As for anything else, we didn't even dare think about it.

Han Qianqian was terrifying. And someone capable of dealing with Han Qianqian, Li Yang, was probably even more terrifying.

He possessed strength beyond that of ordinary people. Reporting him could indeed deal him a heavy blow, but when that happened, we wouldn't be able to withstand his retaliation.

At the thought of this, I sighed and looked at Li Tongtian. "But Li Yang's words are really hard to believe."

"Yeah. He's a murderer himself. How could he possibly help us so easily?" Li Tongtian said.

"I think Li Yang can't be trusted, but if he really can help us, we'll be able to survive. We might even gain greater benefits. As for what we promised Han Qianqian, we've already done it." Wu Yong suddenly lowered his voice.

When he noticed that we were all looking at him, a trace of panic flashed through his eyes. He waved his hands and said, "I know Han Qianqian is pitiful, but she's a female demon who killed so many people. Why should we risk our lives for her?"

"With Li Yang's help, we'll be able to survive more easily. Yes, Li Yang is certainly a heinous criminal, but what does that have to do with us? We aren't the police."

"So I think finding a way to survive is best. We won't report Li Yang for now and can use that to threaten him. He'll help us."

"It won't be that simple. What if he kills us to silence us?" Lan Lele said, her face pale.

"That's impossible. I left a hidden email address. If I don't send a message within three days, the email account will automatically send the messages inside it to the police." Li Tongtian's voice was full of pride. "I won't give him a chance to silence us."

"So, does that mean everyone agrees to cooperate with Li Yang?" I looked around and asked.

This time, even Lan Lele hesitated. She looked at me. "Why don't we trust Li Yang once? We can see with our own eyes whether he comes out of Han Qianqian's hands unharmed. If we can do the same, we'll be able to survive."

Anger flashed in my eyes. I slapped the table and said, "Li Yang is no good. He's unbelievably cruel. Cooperating with him is no different from bargaining with a tiger."

"But Han Qianqian is an even greater threat. At least we have evidence with which to restrain Li Yang. But what can we do against Han Qianqian?" Li Tongtian looked at me calmly, his voice low. "If we find a way to kill Li Yang, will she be grateful and stop pursuing us? I don't think it'll be that simple."

I fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Although I didn't want to admit it, no matter what, we couldn't place our hopes in Han Qianqian's mercy.

"In that case, we'll trust him for now. Let's see whether he can help us. If he can't, we'll find a way to expose him and ruin his reputation," I said.

"Good. It's decided, then."

"Right. Let's see how it goes. I really can't take this anymore."

Everyone agreed, and the situation suddenly became much simpler.

The next day, I found Li Yang and looked at him. "I agree to your terms, but remember this: we can expose you at any time. Even if you kill every one of us in a single breath, we've still left safeguards behind to expose you."

"I know. I don't want to live as a fugitive either. Given my crimes, I'd probably be wanted nationwide. I don't want to spend my life hiding." Li Yang smiled and extended his hand.

I extended my hand and shook his, saying coldly, "Also, stay away from Lan Lele. Otherwise, I won't let you off."

"No problem. I agree." Li Yang nodded.