Commander Jeff paused for a moment, then realized what the other party meant.
He laughed in exasperation, "I was trying to be a little more amicable, little guy... but Hong Yan isn't here right now."
Wu Youren nodded slightly. "It seems we still owe him. This will affect our reputation."
Are they really that confident? Jeff felt a growing sense of unease—how many of these explosives had they buried?
He knew the other party was skilled in mechanisms, but he had previously thought that even a Great Knight plus a few Knight couldn't handle a teenager.
But if there are a lot of explosives, it really could be... a bit dangerous.
The other party has been hiding here for quite some time.
He doesn't like playing on someone else's home turf, even if the opponent is just a Knight Apprentice.
The most crucial point is that he was willing to be embarrassed by Hong Yan just to approach Red Pine, because he genuinely wanted something from him!
When New Army does things, he only cares about the result, not the process. Whether he's angry or not, his first priority is to achieve his goal!
Jeff laughed again. "This is between Hong Yan and me. On what grounds are you asking?"
The boy replied calmly, "I was merely analyzing your reputation, Commander."
"Reputation... what is that?" Jeff hoped the other person would understand that he wasn't one to play by the rules.
"Yes, that's true," Wu Youren nodded slightly, "An official should have no personal morals."
"That's... not bad!" Jeff clapped his hands twice. "I didn't expect the Jin to have such a proverb. Guess what I wanted to talk to you about?"
"I won't guess," the boy shook his head, "I just want to know, what about the debt you owe Hong Da?"
"No matter what you need me for, if you haven't paid your debt... I'll be in a very difficult position."
He ignored all other factors and only emphasized one point—I'm with Instructor Hong!
"Tsk tsk, you're not even as good as a teenager," a hoarse, smoky voice came from afar, "Aren't you ashamed?"
"Damn it," Jeff snapped, "You actually followed me?"
"Swearing... this is a one-time thing!" Hong Da didn't appear, continuing leisurely, "I really don't want to get involved in this mess!"
"But a life for a life, and a debt must be repaid!"
"I've already given you one!" Commander Jeff getting a little frantic. "Installment payments, is that so unusual?"
This time he came because he had really bled, but there was nothing he could do; the pressure from his superiors was too great.
"Don't make things difficult for him until you've paid off your debts," the husky voice faded into the distance.
"Damn it... yeah, they're really risking their lives for money!" Commander Jeff shook his head helplessly.
He had initially thought the other party would indeed let go, but now that he realized he still owed them two yuan, no wonder they were so persistent.
When the topic of repaying debts came up, he couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, thinking back to the answer the other party had given him last time.
That ridiculous pilot program proposal alone costs three Marching Stone...
That's fucking black! Blacker than our New Army!
"Fine," he composed himself and looked at the boy. "You guessed it, she came along?"
"You're asking about that money-grubber?" Wu Youren shook his head. "What I said should be in line with common sense, right?"
Although Jeff was a bit far away, just by looking at the boy's reaction, he could tell... his gaze was definitely that of a very clear and innocent person!
"I won't beat around the bush. You should be able to guess what I want to ask you."
"I really don't know," Wu Youren shook his head. "I'm still young, I don't know much."
"I'm not going to waste my breath on you," Jeff thought, feeling inexplicably irritated by those clear eyes.
"The pilot program is already in place. You need to come up with a plan on how to implement it!"
"How exactly are you trying to cook this fish multiple times?" Wu Youren was getting impatient. "After you get the plan, do you expect me to actually implement it?"
"That's not impossible," Jeff chuckled dryly. "I'll go to the hostage residence myself... to Jin Garden to demand the person!"
"What a shameless bastard!" Wu Youren was speechless. "You're the commander of the New Army!"
"Tsk," he rubbed his temples in frustration, "I'm not sure if there's a solution. Could you tell me what I can get in return?"
"You helped your boss collect one-third of the debt," powerful people really can be shameless.
"I need the benefits that belong to me!" Wu Youren said seriously.
"This... removed your hostage status?"
The boy shook his head. "The kind that I can get right away, sir. I don't want to offend your reputation."
"Go ahead and ask," Jeff said casually. "As long as you're willing to reveal your needs, I'll definitely meet them."
"Do you have any immunity from death?" Wu Youren answered without hesitation, "I'm terrified of death; it's my strongest desire."
"Damn it," Jeff said, feeling a little dizzy, "What am I saying? What are you saying... Do you still want to live forever?"
"I'm afraid of being blamed," the young man replied calmly. "As long as I don't do anything to harm Liang, I'll be spared if anything happens!"
"You fucking bastard!" Commander Jeff was utterly speechless. He wanted a get-out-of-jail-free card too!
"Your reputation... I'm really worried about being blamed," the boy replied calmly.
"Sure, but you'll have to pay me back first!" Jeff really dared to agree.
It's just empty promises; anyone can do that. Besides, if you think about it carefully, the other party's life or death is really insignificant to the Liang.
He's just a hostage from another country, not some key figure in Liang.
If things get really complicated, just find a pretext to sentence someone to death, then let them go, wouldn't that solve the problem?
"Solve my two problems today, that's the first one. When you ask me the second one, I'll give you a get-out-of-jail-free card!"
The New Army estimated that the other side wouldn't agree easily and would need to negotiate further.
To everyone's surprise, the boy spoke up without hesitation, "Okay, go ahead with your question... Can Hong Da be a witness?"
In the wilderness, a cold wind howled, but there was no hoarse voice.
"You're very confident," Jeff laughed. He dared to promise an answer without even knowing the question?
But it didn't matter anyway, since it was a free lunch. He then raised the problems he encountered.
So simple... Wu Youren remained silent. "Couldn't you have made it a little more difficult?"
Jeff was really embarrassed by that suspicious tone. What the hell is with that tone?
But he nodded nonetheless. At this moment, saving face meant nothing. "That's right, this is what needs to be fought from the bottom up!"
"Bribery, huh?" Wu Youren was starting to lose his composure. He'd thought it would be at least a calculus problem, but it turned out to be four arithmetic operations?
"Why not secretly bribe some Knight, and that'll get things going?"
"What kind of bullshit answer is this?" Jeff couldn't take it anymore.
First, I couldn't stand the other person's tone; second, it was the answer itself, "A prestigious Knight owns his own property."
"And there are also Knight, some with masters... You want me to bribe those lone Knight?"
The influence of single Knight is very low; despite their large numbers, they are the least fortunate of the three types.
Everyone says that Knight lead a life of bloodshed and danger, which mainly refers to this type of life.
Wu Youren's judgment had finally lost its clarity. "I meant bribery!"
"I had no intention of betraying you!" Jeff retorted angrily. "Would bribing a few Knight be of any use?"
"I know where the problem lies!" The boy nodded in sudden realization.
Their conversation was completely nonsensical.
The other party's idea was to bribe a few key figures to push things forward or get things started.
Admittedly, this perception is correct. Back on Blue Star before his transmigration, weren't Flying Monkey and Sage Ze both of this type?
But please, when organizing an event, there's more than one approach. Various colors, various "spring" themes—could you please consider this?
"I'm not asking you to bribe one or a few people, I'm asking you to spend more money, or throw money around."
"One leads to ten, ten leads to a hundred, get all the Knight involved... even Knight Apprentice will do!"
"This..." Jeff listened, feeling his brain go blank for a moment, "How much will this cost?"
Wu Youren didn't even bother to answer. With that kind of intelligence, he's not fit to be the New Army? Bah!
Wait a minute, no, this kind of troublemaking tactic, to be honest, isn't something that ordinary civilizations would use.
Take the Blue Star Divine Land as an example. Historically, there have been strategies to sow discord and to bribe military leaders, local celebrities, or powerful figures...
However, even if the soldiers guarding the city gates were bribed, it would only be possible for a small group of people.
It's really rare to see someone throwing money around on such a large scale!
Jeff is now caught in a similar mental trap.
The society of Great Liang was no longer based on tribal systems, but without influence, it was impossible to stir up trouble!
He remained silent for a full five minutes before finally asking, "An organization similar to the Fallen Knight...?"
Ultimately, there are still comparable objects.
"Pretty much," the boy replied calmly, "It won't actually cost much."
"You make it sound so easy," one of the men in white couldn't help but say. "Do you know how much it costs to bribe a Knight?"
He's Knight too—please get this straight, it's Knight you bribed, not a Knight Apprentice like you!
"Shut up!" Commander Jeff suddenly snapped. "Did I fucking tell you to speak?"
After a while, he sighed softly, "Actually, it doesn't have to cost too much money, just enough to cover the initial investment."
Wu Youren remained silent, wondering how much it would cost to connect a large group of wandering ghosts.
So what if the Knight is a bit more expensive? Think about it: what will you gain after it's all done?
If the return on investment isn't high enough, can some companies really make the most of color and the concept of spring?
One of the Knight finally realized what was happening and said in a sinister tone, "Entering the game is easy, but getting out... is difficult!"
Wu Youren couldn't help but nod slightly; this guy's intelligence seemed to be at least somewhat present.
"Don't say anything, let me think," Jeff said, feeling like his brain wasn't working properly.
For the New Army to behave like this is somewhat shameful. If you can't figure it out, you can go back and think about it slowly—just like the illegitimate son of the Duke of Wei.
But he knew very well that once he got back, he would have no one to ask if he had any more questions.
There's someone right here to ask questions, why go back and look for someone else?
As for being shameful? Not at all! We've already gone to such lengths, what's a little more shamelessness?
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, "Starting up will still require some money."