Yielding Will Only Make Them More Arrogant

"Heh heh, strange, isn't it?" Seeing Xia Zhiqing's astonishment, the king smiled. "If I could, I'd be afraid of death too!"

"But..." At this point, hatred instantly filled the king's face. "The Dongping Kingdom has gone too far! Relying on its powerful military strength, it has exploited and oppressed our Taro Kingdom in every possible way!"

"My daughter, my wife, even the beautiful women among my people—they were all captured by him and toyed with until they died! The men were reduced to laborers and enslaved by them!"

"Not only that, all of our country's annual income went into his pockets! Our hard-earned money became capital for his extravagance!"

At that point, the king suddenly laughed. "I once thought yielding would make him restrain himself somewhat, but I was wrong. Yielding will only make him more arrogant!"

"Since I've already withered away to this state, I have nothing left to fear! He has ruined me like this, so I want his life!"

The king looked at Xia Zhiqing. "Do you know why the Dongping Kingdom hired you for this mission?"

Xia Zhiqing's brows twitched. He glanced at the prince, then said in surprise, "You specifically named me by threatening him with his son's life?"

Hearing Xia Zhiqing's answer, the king smiled. "It seems I didn't choose the wrong person!"

"Why did you choose me? Is there something special about me?" Xia Zhiqing asked.

"Only you have carried out missions involving the handling of state affairs! I had no other choice!" the king answered calmly.

Yet inwardly, he smiled bitterly. "I had no choice. You're the only bounty-hunting crew capable of killing pirates worth over a hundred million Beli. There was no other option!"

"After all, that king of the Dongping Kingdom has someone with a bounty of ninety-eight million Beli protecting him!"

That was the true reason he had chosen Xia Zhiqing!

Of course, he could not let Xia Zhiqing know that.

Xia Zhiqing sighed helplessly. So this old king chose me purely because he had no other choice!

He had thought there was something special about him that had attracted the old king.

Well, that had been excitement for nothing!

"You're so sure I'll agree?" Xia Zhiqing was curious where the old king got his confidence.

"You can add whatever conditions you want, until you agree!"

The old king was truly going all out!

"I have to admit, I'm tempted!" Xia Zhiqing put away his gun.

If he refused the old king, the mission target would die, his reputation would be ruined, he would get no money, and he would be hunted down!

If he agreed to the old king, his reputation would still be ruined, the mission target would still die, and he would still be hunted down—but at least he would get paid!

Of two evils, choose the lesser!

"You said I could name any conditions I wanted. Don't regret it!"

Xia Zhiqing looked at the old king as he spoke.

"Of course. After all, there are only sixty million Beli left in the treasury, and nothing else!"

The old king gave a sly smile, looking as though his scheme had succeeded!

"Looks like I've been played!"

Xia Zhiqing looked at the king. "I can agree to your request! But are you sure you can afford the payment?"

"How much do you want?" The king's eyes immediately lit up.

"Five hundred million Beli. How about it?" Xia Zhiqing said.

The reward for this mission had only been twenty million Beli, yet Xia Zhiqing had opened with five hundred million Beli!

That was a full twenty-five times more!

"Three hundred million. That's all I have!" The old king clenched his fists.

"Four hundred million. That's my bottom line!" Xia Zhiqing smiled.