When her data and soul core lay exposed before Green without the slightest protection, Xiweina Ye finally panicked.
Her face fell, and she lowered her head as though she had lost her parents. "All right, Green. You win. What do you want?"
Green chuckled. "I'd planned to let you go if you handed over the technology you used to turn Black Claw into a mechanical life-form. But you missed your chance. Now you've made me waste so much manpower and so many resources, I'll have to raise my price."
Xiweina Ye did not regret her decision because of what Green had said.
She knew that no matter how persuasively Green talked, he could never have let her go.
Even if she had handed over the Mechanical Spark earlier, Green would still have squeezed her for every last drop until she had lost every bargaining chip she possessed.
"Don't push your luck, Green," Xiweina Ye said with a sigh. "Who do you think you're fooling with that little mind game? Every time I pay your price, you'll raise it again. You'll trap me in a vicious cycle until I have nowhere left to retreat."
Green did not deny the accusation. "Since you've seen through me, have you found a way out?"
Xiweina Ye faltered, bitterness rising in her heart. She could see Green's intentions as clearly as day, yet in her present situation, she had no way to counter him.
Damn it! One wrong move, and the whole board is lost. Xiweina Ye knew she had no bargaining chips left.
But she could not bear to surrender just like that. She steeled herself. "Green, I admit you've won this time. But if you think that means you can mold me however you please, you're dead wrong."
"Oh? Are you still planning