Asking a Tiger for Its Skin

Zhang Xuezhou had dealt with Montes Arthur when he first joined Qin Meng. Montes Arthur was not a mild-mannered gentleman, but he was definitely good at cooperation and mutual benefit.

Even though they had been in conflict, they cooperated after the direct confrontation.

Just like the confrontation between Ren Yisheng and Badun, the cooperation between Zhang Xuezhou and others at that time was also forged through struggle.

The current situation is the same old thing in a new guise, constantly repeating everything from the past.

Unless the two sides engage in a life-or-death struggle, they will eventually negotiate.

"Let's each take a step back," Zhang Xuezhou said. "We'll have six, you four!"

"This..."

"The ferocious beast will survive; if it doesn't, we won't give it away!"

Montes Arthur looked troubled; he had already done his utmost to ask for a fair distribution.

He was in a difficult position regarding Zhang Xuezhou's offer of compromise, but when Zhang Xuezhou added further details later, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"In that case, it's a deal!"

Conditional allocation based on merit is another matter, at least it's less unacceptable to people.

Zhang Xuezhou generously agreed not to participate in the profit sharing, which at least saved Badun's face.

According to Badun's estimates, the giant ape beast was either already dead or on the verge of death, and would be nothing more than a corpse if sent to the Aomeijia Alliance.

Zhang Xuezhou and others, however, believed that the giant ape beast could be delivered alive to the Aomeijia Alliance.

This is essentially a gamble for both sides.

This kind of gambling is barely acceptable.

If they can obtain living subjects for research, the allocation of 40% of the materials will far exceed Badun's original budget, which is not a bad thing.

If the obtained ferocious beast is dead, the materials belong entirely to the Aomeijia Alliance.

Although no matter how it's distributed, this is far less than Badun's original hunting spoils, everyone has to accept Qin Meng's rules.

That's just how things are in Qin Meng; there are plenty of cases where someone can be overjoyed one moment and weeping the next.

After the clash, everyone had a rough estimate of the strength of their respective teams.

They might avoid each other and never see each other again, or they might cooperate when an opportunity arises; many different forms of this behavior are constantly playing out in Qin Meng.

Montes Arthur preferred to handle these matters peacefully to avoid having to pay a higher price when demands arose in the future.

"Snort!"

"Cut!"

Badun snorted in displeasure, while Ren Yisheng responded with a spit.

Montes Arthur acted as a mouthpiece, and Zhang Xuezhou clearly represented Ren Yisheng's decision as well, so it would not cause any internal conflicts, even if the goals set by Ren Yisheng's tough stance were not achieved.

"Come on, Brother Batia, let's put this giant ape on the delivery wheel!"

The people behind both sides were a little upset, but they had clearly agreed to the exchange.

Zhang Xuezhou and Montes Arthur finalized the contract, while Batia and others took over tasks such as driving the trucks.

"My God, this thing is still alive!"

Lina, the medical officer in charge of examining the injuries, entered the truck's cargo compartment, then quickly crawled out in fright.

"What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful!"

Montes Arthur laid out the basic agreement, and only after Adrian, who was in charge of drafting the documents, understood the requirements did he board the dilapidated truck.

After some investigation, Montes Arthur emerged, his face pale.

"This beast is in pretty good physical condition," Montes Arthur said, barely managing to remain calm. "Did you forget to use electricity to stimulate it?"

"Why use so much electricity?" Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand and said, "Too much electrical stimulation can easily lead to physical stiffness and death. It's good for it to move around in the cage!"

"It's trying to pry open the alloy cage and get out," Montes Arthur said. "This beast looks rather ferocious!"

"Then it missed its chance!"

Ren Yisheng and Badun did not fight in the final stretch, and the giant ape beast did not have a chance to escape in the chaos.

The fact that it could break the alloy cage body at least proves that the ferocious beast's physical condition is not bad. Not to mention that it would still be alive when it returned to the Aomeijia Alliance, it might even survive if it returned to the Scarlet Alliance State.

The certainty surrounding Zhang Xuezhou and Montes Arthur's signing of the contract was undoubtedly increasing. Once Montes Arthur and others underwent live verification, all subsequent procedures could be finalized.

"Something's not right. I clearly saw the beast bleeding profusely; it couldn't possibly survive that kind of injury!"

Are you sure what you're seeing is real?

"I hate people like you who manipulate minds!"

Zhang Xuezhou and others were signing and certifying the agreement, while Badun and Ren Yisheng were exchanging information remotely.

Although there was still some tension between the two during their conversation, at least they didn't start fighting again.

"Professor Zhang, according to our internal sources, there is also a giant white serpent beast in this coastal area. Would you be interested in hunting it together?"

"White Snake?"

"This is a very powerful and ferocious beast. It is extremely skilled at attacking the mind, and the slightest carelessness could trigger mental madness. I came here to confront and fight it, and it would be best if you could help!"

Montes Arthur lowered his voice to communicate, then gestured towards Ren Yisheng.

Compared to Montes Arthur's mental fortitude, Ren Yisheng is clearly far superior.

Montes Arthur's invitation was not specifically directed at Zhang Xuezhou, but rather at Ren Yisheng.

This made Zhang Xuezhou frown slightly.

Few ferocious beasts are adept at attacking the mind; the hairless tiger that Zhang Xuezhou had previously encountered was one of the best among them.

Montes Arthur then suggested the White Serpent Beast, which made Zhang Xuezhou wonder if the true form of the Hairless Tiger was indeed the White Serpent.

Zhang Xuezhou and his group's goal in coming to Qinmeng was not the ferocious beasts. If these beasts were still lingering near the snake cave, they wouldn't mind taking advantage of the situation to deal with them. This made Zhang Xuezhou immediately express his great interest, and he would try his best to persuade Ren Yisheng.

"Whether we live or die, as long as we succeed in the hunt, everything will be split fifty-fifty," Montes Arthur said. "We can even handle logistics and research output, what do you say?"

"I have no objection to the profit sharing," Zhang Xuezhou, blinking.

"Then it's settled for now!"

Montes Arthur was extremely satisfied with the verbal agreement they had reached.

Although Ren Yisheng and Badun had some unpleasantness in the past, their strength was not in question, and both Ren Yisheng and Badun had extremely unique control.

Prior to this, there had never been two Eighth Sequence individuals working together.

Compared to the high risks of risking one's life, this is far less desirable than a dominant, overwhelming hunt, and a 50/50 split of the spoils is far better than nothing at all.

Montes Arthur felt that Zhang Xuezhou agreed too readily, as if the other party treated the ferocious beast as a mere exotic creature, completely disregarding the high danger involved.

Zhang Xuezhou and his group entered Qinmeng with too little equipment, and it didn't seem like they were going to go deep into Qinmeng for a hunt.

This made Montes Arthur very suspicious of Zhang Xuezhou and the others' purpose in coming to Qinmeng.