146: Ultimatum

The situation instantly grew tense. Kadeyafu raised his hand, signaling Ivanyafu to calm down, and smiled, saying, "Uncle Ivanyafu, don't get angry. Let's do as Mr. Xu requested."

Ivanyafu looked at Xu Ning with dissatisfaction and said hesitantly, "But, we finally caught him with great difficulty. Is it appropriate to take off his mask now?"

"It's okay."

Ivanyafu sighed and reluctantly put away his gun. Then he untied the bag covering the man's head. The bag slipped off, revealing a bald head.

The man was thin, as if a gust of wind could blow him away. Due to the blinding glare, he squinted his eyes and looked around, his gaze filled with resentment.

He roared in russian, "You bastards, just wait and see!"

Xu Ning stared at the bald man, but couldn't find any information about him in his mind. He felt even more confused and asked Kadeyafu, "Who is this person? Why did you arrest him?"

Kadeyafu hesitated, unsure how to answer. After all, the reason he caught this person was because he thought Xu Ning wanted him to, but Xu Ning had never explicitly said so.

It was as if this matter had nothing to do with him at all.

The bald man gradually adapted to the strong light and saw where he was. He was surprised to find himself outside the gate of Tailayev Shipyard.

Although he didn't understand why these people dared to gather at the shipyard entrance, as a partner of the shipyard, he immediately grew bolder and shouted loudly, hoping to attract the attention of the guards.

This was his best chance to escape.

Suddenly, a faint engine roar came from the road.

Then, a cloud of dust rose at the end of the road. More than a dozen cars and motorcycles appeared in Xu Ning's sight like a pack of hungry wolves, approaching the crowd.

Seeing this scene, the Hunter Vulture Squad and Ivanyafu's guards exchanged glances, then adjusted their muzzles, pointing them at the newcomers.

The vehicles stopped about a dozen meters away.

Dozens of burly men holding weapons jumped out of the cars, ready for action.

From one of the cars, a fat man with a full, fleshy face, gnawing on an apple, stepped out.

Yatoniy took a bite of his apple and slowly walked forward, shouting at Xu Ning and the others:

"Yesterday I felt you were loitering near the factory. You didn't look like good people, and it turns out I was right. Speak, why did you arrest the representative of our Menskyuk Military Industry."

"Menskyuk Military Industry? Representative?"

Xu Ning was stunned, repeatedly muttering the name, then suddenly realized.

He turned back and looked at Kadeyafu helplessly, unsure how to speak for a moment.

How could this person come up with such an absurd idea as arresting the representative of Menskyuk Military Industry?

Did he naively think this would prove they were the criminals who stole the ship cannon design blueprints?

Xu Ning quickly explained to the newcomers, smiling:

"I think this might be a misunderstanding."

"Yes, a friendly misunderstanding that we can clear up."

Yatoniy crushed the apple core in his hand and said sternly:

"Arresting our representative and calling it a misunderstanding? Are you kidding us!"

"Release him quickly, or we'll shoot you into sieves!"

Ivanyafu raised his gun at the bald man and roared, "Who dares to make a move!"

Instantly, both sides were loaded, and no one dared to act rashly, fearing that the other side would misunderstand their actions and trigger a conflict.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, as if it could explode at any moment.

Xu Ning swallowed, his gaze occasionally sweeping towards the armored vehicle next to him. He had already secretly signaled the members of the Hunter Vulture Squad, ready to hide in the armored vehicle for survival if the situation became critical.

This way, they would have an eighty percent chance of winning, using the advantage of the armored vehicle to defeat their opponents. However, once a battle broke out, Tailayev Shipyard would likely not stand by and do nothing, as they were on their territory.

"Screech..." A sharp metallic scraping sound was heard.

The large iron gate of Tailayev Shipyard slowly opened, and the Ms. Anna they had seen last time walked out with light steps.

She looked around and said, "Mr. Makarov requests everyone to come in for a detailed discussion."

Then, she turned to Grigory and added, "Mr. Grigory, please rest assured, Mr. Makarov promises to guarantee your safety."

Grigory was precisely the representative of Menskyuk Military Industry who had been captured by Kadeyafu.

Yatoniy glared at Xu Ning and his group, sneering, "If they were truly trustworthy, why would they detain our representative? They are clearly bandits."

"You bastard!" Upon hearing this, Ivanyafu was so angry his eyes widened, about to curse.

"Captain Ivanyafu!" Kadeyafu stopped him in time.

The Ms. Anna said calmly, "Mr. Makarov stated that if you are still unwilling to put down your weapons, we will consider it a provocation to Tailayev Shipyard, and we have the right to request military intervention."

Hearing this, everyone present's expression became solemn. Clearly, this was Mr. Makarov's ultimatum. In front of the regular army, they were just a mob.

Everyone knew in their hearts that if they continued to stalemate, the situation would only get worse once the army arrived.

Xu Ning thought for a moment and decided to break the deadlock: "Hunter Vulture Squad, put away your weapons."

The team members looked at each other, but finally obeyed the order and put away their firearms.

Seeing this, Kadeyafu also ordered Ivanyafu to put down his weapons. Although Ivanyafu was dissatisfied, he could only comply in front of Kadeyafu.

Everyone looked at him, and saw him snort coldly, "Hand over our representative first, or there's nothing to discuss!"

Ivanyafu roared, "Don't be ungrateful, do you think I'm afraid of you?"

Yatoniy responded, "Then let's see, who will have the last laugh."

The Ms. Anna looked at Kadeyafu. She had recognized whose subordinate had tied up Mr. Grigory, and said, "Mr., please order your subordinate to release Mr. Grigory."

She then added, "This is the final ultimatum from Tailayev Shipyard."

Kadeyafu's expression instantly became complicated. He stammered, "But..."

Xu Ning quickly approached and persuaded, "What are you hesitating for? Release him quickly."

Kadeyafu said in a low, anxious voice, "But if we release him, who will prove that those ship cannon designs were stolen from our Malyshev?"

Xu Ning replied, "Even if you make him admit it in front of Mr. Makarov, once you loosen your grip, he will immediately recant, saying he was threatened by you. What will you do then?"

"Only the strong can gain trust. Mr. Makarov only trusts the victors."

Kadeyafu's face suddenly turned pale. He had never anticipated such a result. If things continued like this, weren't they destined to fail?

Thinking about how the Menskyuk Military Industry group would humiliate them with the designs stolen from them later, and potentially cause them to lose the opportunity to cooperate with Tailayev Shipyard.