302: Chapter 303 Online Notification: The Old Man's Blood Pressure Couldn't Be Controlled

Zhao Shouzhen was completely dumbfounded.

He felt as if his brain were an old computer infected with a virus, completely crashing.

"This... this is what you call compensation?"

"This is fucking highway robbery!"

No, this is even more ruthless than highway robbery!

This is like snatching the deed to your house, and kidnapping your bodyguard and daughter while you're at it!

Who is Sword Saint Ye Qingtian?

The Federation's Rank 4 Peak Sword Saint, the pride of Longya Academy, and their pillar of strength!

Lin Qi opens his mouth and demands to take him away to work for him?

That's equivalent to carving a piece of flesh directly out of Longya Academy's heart!

The curse on Instructor Su Qing is indeed a thorn in the Academy's side.

But Instructor Su Qing herself is an invaluable talent.

Lin Qi says he'll lift the curse and call it even?

No matter how you look at it, this deal is a huge loss!

As for the last one...

Designating the entire D-3 Region as his private territory?

What kind of international joke is that!

This is Federation territory!

Even if it's a wasteland, it's still national territory!

Since the founding of the Federation, no one has ever heard of anyone designating such a large piece of national territory as private property!

If word of this got out, the entire Federation would explode!

Zhao Shouzhen's mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

He felt that his decades of life experience had been crushed to dust by the three sentences from the young man before him.

This kid doesn't play by the rules at all!

He isn't negotiating.

He is issuing a notice.

He had that matter-of-fact air, as if he were saying, "I cleaned your house for you, isn't it only natural to charge you a little property management fee?"

"Lin... Lin Qi..." Zhao Shouzhen felt his throat go dry, "Are these three conditions of yours... aren't they... aren't they a bit too..."

He wanted to say "too excessive," but the words died in his throat.

Because he saw the look in Lin Qi's eyes.

In those eyes, there was not a shred of room for negotiation.

Only calm.

And an absolute confidence that said, "I've notified you; whether you agree or not is your business, but the result will be the same anyway."

Zhao Shouzhen understood instantly.

He hadn't come here to "negotiate" at all.

He was just a messenger.

These conditions Lin Qi proposed might look like they were addressed to him, but in reality, they were for General Luo Zhenbang in the capital, and for the entire Federation leadership.

Either agree.

From then on, the Federation would gain a "God" who, while uncontrollable, was at least neutral and might even become an ally.

Or, don't agree.

The result might be that the Federation gains an enemy with unfathomable strength, who acts on a whim, and has absolutely no goodwill toward the Federation.

How should this choice be made?

Zhao Shouzhen knew even with his eyes closed how General Luo Zhenbang would choose.

He gave a bitter smile, feeling that he had never felt so stifled in his life.

As a dignified Rank 5 Expert and Vice Principal of Longya Academy, he was usually held in high regard wherever he went.

Yet today, in front of an eighteen-year-old boy, he didn't even have the qualification to bargain.

"I will convey your conditions exactly as they are to General Luo," Zhao Shouzhen took a deep breath to calm himself, "However, I cannot guarantee that the military and the council will agree, especially the third one."

"That is a matter for you to worry about."

Lin Qi's answer was, as always, blunt and brutal.

"I am only giving you twenty-four hours."

"After twenty-four hours, if any unrelated personnel are still on my territory..."

Lin Qi looked up at the shuttle that Zhao Shouzhen had arrived in.

"I cannot guarantee it will still be able to fly."

A naked threat.

Without any attempt at concealment.

Zhao Shouzhen felt his blood pressure spiking.

He had lived for nearly a hundred years and had never seen such an arrogant young man!

Yet, he couldn't even lose his temper.

Because he knew that what Lin Qi said was true.

He really dared to do it, and he really could do it.

"Fine... fine..." Zhao Shouzhen repeated the word "fine" twice, unsure if it was out of anger or helplessness, "I will convey the message."

"Mm." Lin Qi nodded, then waved his hand as if shooing away a fly, "Then you can leave."

Zhao Shouzhen: "..."

He felt that if he stayed any longer, he might actually give himself a heart attack from anger.

He took a deep look at Lin Qi, then at Instructor Su Qing beside him with her strange expression, and Zhang Wei with his look of adoration.

In the end, he said nothing, turned around, and walked silently toward the shuttle.

That back view, no matter how you looked at it, exuded a sense of bleakness and desolation.

Watching the shuttle slowly lift off and disappear into the horizon.

Zhang Wei finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

"Pfft—hahaha!" He clutched his stomach, laughing until tears came out, "Brother Qi! You... you're just too vicious!"

"Did you see the look on that old man's face? Like he swallowed a fly! Hahahaha!"

He felt he had never seen such a satisfying scene in his life.

That was a Rank 5 Expert!

One of the top figures at the pinnacle of the Federation!

Yet he was rendered speechless by a few words from Brother Qi and ended up running away with his tail between his legs!

What is called having style?

This is what you call style!

Instructor Su Qing couldn't help but smile, the corners of her mouth curling into a very faint arc.

She felt that Zhao Shouzhen would probably have nightmares for several days after returning today.

"Alright, stop laughing." Lin Qi glared at Zhang Wei, "We haven't finished the real business yet."

"Huh? What real business?" Zhang Wei stopped laughing, looking curious.

The BOSS has been beaten, the Federation people have been dissed, the territory has been snatched—what else is there?

Lin Qi didn't answer him.

He just walked over to the ruins of the altar and crouched down.

He reached out and gently dug into the ground that had turned into Ashes.

Soon, something resembling a heart, pitch black all over, covered with irregular cracks, and still pulsing slightly, was dug out from the Ashes by him.

"This is..."

Instructor Su Qing and Zhang Wei both leaned in.

They could feel that this black heart was radiating an extremely pure, yet extremely evil Abyssal energy.

"The core of the Abyssal Aggregate," Lin Qi explained, "A bit of 'source code' I intentionally left behind during the formatting earlier."

"Why keep it? This thing doesn't look like anything good," Zhang Wei said with some disgust.

"A good thing? Of course, it's a good thing."

The corners of Lin Qi's mouth curled into a dark, scheming smile that Zhang Wei found somewhat familiar.

"The curse on Instructor Su is, after all, the Abyssal Law, isn't it?"

"Using the Abyss to defeat the Abyss."

"Isn't that perfectly logical?"