Threatening Zang Xin

Zang Xin's expression finally changed completely after Mo Yuan said the word "arms."

Standing before the desk, his originally upright figure seemed to be lightly pressed down by something, and his shoulders sank slightly.

His gaze did not shift, but his pupils contracted for an instant.

It had to be admitted that a Limit Douluo's reactions and ability to control microexpressions were extremely powerful. Unfortunately, Mo Yuan was a human supercomputer.

The change in Zang Xin's expression was tiny, but from Mo Yuan's perspective, it was already clear enough.

He stared at Mo Yuan, pretending to look puzzled. "Arms? What are you referring to?"

"Hall Master Zang Xin is an expert at playing dumb, but there's really no need for that, is there? I'm not the Federal Court, and I can't convict you of treason." Mo Yuan's tone did not change in the slightest. He sounded as if he were repeating something he had already said, calm and natural, without the slightest hint of a threat. "So there's really no need to be so nervous."

He paused and watched Zang Xin's reaction.

"Of course, I don't care. If the Federal Parliament found out about this, how do you think they would handle it? A civilian organization that was nominally neutral, supplying high-level Soul Tools to two openly hostile military powers at the same time—the Security Committee probably wouldn't consider that mere business, would it?"

Zang Xin remained silent for a long time.

He lowered his head and looked at the desktop, his gaze resting on the edge of the unfolded blueprint, as if he were looking at something he had already foreseen but that had never been brought into the open.

"How did you find out about this?" he asked. There was no anger in his voice, nor even the lingering trace of surprise. It sounded more as if he were confirming how much room for maneuver remained now that an unavoidable fact had arrived before him.

"Didn't I tell you? I saw it myself." Mo Yuan said, "Actually, it's enough that you know this much. You don't need to know specifically where I got it, or you can just assume I'm bluffing. In any case, I have no intention of using this to blackmail you for now. But don't try to bargain with me over Ling Zichen's matter anymore."

Zang Xin raised his eyes and looked at Mo Yuan again.

His expression remained tense, but the heavy feeling in his eyes had already been replaced by another, more complicated emotion.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but withdrew the words at the last moment.

After several seconds of silence, he sighed. A kind of relief, almost like that of an elder, appeared on his face.

"You..." He shook his head. "Are you really not afraid that I'll kill you here?"

Mo Yuan did not answer immediately.

He raised a hand and materialized the pair of silver-gray Judgements of Shamash.

The twin guns merged in his palm, transforming into a greatsword. Once activated, the energy patterns on the blade began emitting an extremely faint orange-red glow, and the temperature of the air rose slightly the instant that light appeared.

He placed Judgement of Shamash on the desktop, its tip pointing away from Zang Xin, and pushed it over until it was less than half a foot from his hand.

"Heh, you're more than welcome to try. I have quite a few Soul Tool shields on me right now. Perhaps you can bet that you'll be able to shatter them all in one strike. But if you can't, you'll have to consider whether you can withstand my counterattack."

Zang Xin's gaze fell on the greatsword formed from the two guns.

When he had entered the room, he had already noticed a vague energy fluctuation around Mo Yuan. At the time, however, he had assumed it was merely residual energy from some conventional Soul Tool.

Now that the greatsword lay on the desktop, the energy field within the blade was dormant, but even so, the energy it gave off still made his scalp tingle. That feeling was far more dangerous than even the Level 9 Fixed Soul Guidance Cannon Shells he had seen.

It felt as though a blazing sun were sitting right in front of him.

Judging solely from the aura of this energy field, one could already roughly infer its destructive power when operating at full output.

"Are you threatening me?"

"No, no, I'm just stating the facts." Mo Yuan put Judgement of Shamash away. "Besides, I'm only telling you that I have more trump cards than you imagine. Whether I use them, and how, depends on your choice. You can't take those fourteen people, including Ling Zichen, back with you. You should know that yourself."

Zang Xin leaned against the back of his chair and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the tension had faded somewhat.

It was as if he had finally swallowed a conclusion he was reluctant to accept, and his tone relaxed. "Then how do you want us to cooperate?"

"Your people will stay here and continue their research. Don't even think about taking them back. Once they're here, they're my people. I won't bring those little schemes of yours into the open either. As for the rest, if possible, I hope the Tang Sect will prioritize providing me with some resources."

Zang Xin listened quietly until he finished, but did not answer immediately. He rapidly weighed the matter in his mind, then nodded. "Fine."

The resistance in his tone was gone. He sounded more like a merchant confirming terms he could accept. "But I have a few additional conditions. First, you'll be responsible for Zichen's safety. If anything happens on your side that results in her being injured, I don't care who you are—I'll come personally. Second, when the Tang Sect proposes purchasing the technical results you produce, the price cannot exceed seventy percent of the market price."

"Heh, fine. Don't worry. At least Ling Zichen won't be reduced to resonating with those runaway Positive Source Feedback Arrays while she's here with me."

Zang Xin's expression did not change. Although he knew Mo Yuan was mocking him, he had always been thick-skinned.

Then he stood up and straightened the hem of his robe. His movements were just as brisk as when he had entered, but the tension weighing on his shoulders had dissipated, replaced by the weariness of something finally being settled.

He took two steps toward the door, then paused and turned his head. "After I return, I'll have someone draft the framework of an agreement. Prepare your side as well. Also—the data. You'd better not spread it any further."

"Of course. I believe I'm still a man of my word," Mo Yuan said.

Zang Xin said nothing more and pushed open the door.

His footsteps gradually faded down the corridor, slower than when he had arrived, as if he were digesting something while he walked.

When he reached the stairwell, he hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not go take another look at Ling Zichen. Instead, he went straight downstairs.

The room fell silent again.

Mo Yuan leaned back into his chair, put Judgement of Shamash away, and picked up his pen again.

"The Tang Sect, huh..."

He shook his head and put the minor interruption out of his mind.

To be honest, whether the Tang Sect sold arms or not made little difference to him. At least, he did not care.

"But it is time to increase the strength I have on hand."

As he spoke, he took out another file—

"Technical Reliability Demonstration for the Super Mutation Factor."