338: Chapter 337 Negotiations Also Require Bargaining Chips

As soon as Lei Poshan stepped into his room, before he could even steady his footing, he rushed to the wall and pressed a hidden compartment.

A heavy steel plate popped open with a "clack," revealing a palm-sized black satellite phone—this was the highest-level communication tool of Hongmen, with signals encrypted through multiple layers, used only for one-on-one contact with the Bishop of Hongmen.

Zhang Yu had been captured and their hidden networks completely destroyed; Dragon Country's move was too ruthless and too fast. He had to report to the Bishop for instructions as soon as possible.

Lei Poshan took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and dialed the number he knew by heart.

Before long, the call connected, and an old but vigorous voice came through.

“Lei, it’s not time for the year-end debrief yet. Why are you contacting me so suddenly? Has there been progress in the research of that Cauldron?”

Lei Poshan's back straightened subconsciously, and his tone was respectful: “Bishop, I apologize for disturbing your rest. Please forgive my incompetence; I have yet to decipher the secrets of that Cauldron.”

“No matter.” The Bishop's voice paused, sounding somewhat nonchalant. “As long as the Cauldron is in our hands, we will unlock it sooner or later. Since it's not about the Cauldron, has something gone wrong on Dragon Country's side?”

“Your Wisdom Eye is like a torch!” Lei Poshan gritted his teeth and laid out all the recent developments, from Ye Qingcheng establishing the Special Operations Department to Zhang Yu's capture and the complete uprooting of the hidden networks planted in Dragon Country. With every sentence, his voice grew heavier. “Bishop, almost all the forces I planted in Dragon Country have been pulled out by the roots!”

“What happened with that boy Zhang Yu?” The Bishop's voice instantly turned cold, carrying a hint of anger. “With his strength, there are only a handful of people in Dragon Country who can stop him. How could he fall into the hands of the Security Bureau so easily? Could he have been turned?”

“Bishop, the problem likely lies with a man named Qin Yi!” Lei Poshan hurriedly explained, his tone solemn. “Last time I spoke with Zhang Yu, he said this Qin Yi is ostensibly in the Middle Stage of Ming Jin, but his actual skills are unfathomable; even Zhang Yu couldn't take him down. This time Zhang Yu was caught, and nine times out of ten, it was that kid's doing!”

“Oh? Qin Yi? That name sounds a bit unfamiliar. When did such a tough character emerge from the Dragon Country Security Bureau?” There was a hint of surprise in the Bishop's voice.

“I had people investigate; Qin Yi is not a member of the Security Bureau!”

“Not from the Security Bureau? Then how did Zhang Yu cross paths with him?”

“I suspect it's for the sake of the Zhao Family of the Capital! Zhao Lintai of the Zhao Family has a grudge against him. Previously, Zhao Lintai suffered setbacks in Jingnan and Magic City one after another, which should have been Qin Yi's doing as well. Capturing Zhang Yu this time is likely his 'entry gift' to the Security Bureau!”

“Heh, interesting.” The Bishop chuckled, his tone playful. “So, Dragon Country is going to start reshuffling the deck? Is the Zhao Family of the Capital finished?”

“If nothing unexpected happens, yes.”

“Then, what are your plans next? Let me remind you, the organization has year-end evaluations.” The Bishop's voice suddenly became stern. “If you can't produce results, I won't be able to give an account to those old guys in the consortium—by then, whether you can keep your seat as the Head of Asia will be hard to say! You should know without me telling you how many people are eyeing your position!”

Lei Poshan's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said: “Thank you for the reminder, Bishop! Currently, the situation in Dragon Country is unclear, so I wanted to ask for your guidance on how to proceed.”

“Two paths.” The Bishop's voice was decisive. “First, fight Dragon Country to the bitter end! Their large-scale operation this time is for nothing more than two things: one, to avenge those who died at your hands; and two, for that Cauldron.”

“Fight Dragon Country to the bitter end?” Lei Poshan gripped the phone, calculating rapidly in his mind.

He himself wasn't afraid—looking across Dragon Country, there were already very few people who could rival him.

But Hongmen was different. Today's Hongmen was no longer the underground organization of the past; hundreds of thousands of followers across the entire planet needed to eat, and the consortiums behind them were eyeing the cake that was Dragon Country, the world's largest economy.

If a real war broke out, let alone the followers not being able to handle it, those old guys would be the first to jump out in opposition!

“Bishop, fighting Dragon Country to the end will only result in a pyrrhic victory at best, which isn't worth it for the organization!” he said in a low voice.

“It’s good that you understand.” The Bishop's voice softened slightly. “Then there is only the second path—negotiate with Dragon Country.”

“Negotiate?” Lei Poshan was stunned, his tone filled with disbelief. “I've killed so many of their people; how could Dragon Country be willing to talk?”

“Hmph, you’ve lived for more than half a lifetime, yet you don't understand this simple logic?” The Bishop's voice carried a hint of mockery. “In that global war years ago, how many people died? Didn't they still end up sitting back at the negotiating table? Whether you can talk depends on the chips! On the conditions! As long as you have chips in hand and the conditions are right, there is nothing that cannot be negotiated!”

“But, what if Dragon Country wants the Cauldron?” Lei Poshan pressed, as this was his biggest concern.

“Lei, tell me the truth. With your strength, where do you rank in Dragon Country right now?” The Bishop didn't answer directly but suddenly changed the subject.

Lei Poshan was taken aback, then said solemnly: “When I left Dragon Country, I was on par with Si Zhengxiong of the Southwest Si Family and Patriarch Chen Kui of the Taiji Chen Family, ranking in the top three. Now, Si Zhengxiong failed to break through to Hua Jin and ended up paraplegic; Patriarch Chen Kui is also too old to walk. Among the younger generation, few have even reached An Jin—in terms of strength, I am now the number one in Dragon Country!”

“Doesn't that settle it?” The Bishop's voice carried a hint of smugness. “If even you, the number one in Dragon Country, can't decipher the Cauldron, on what basis could they unlock its secrets? It only has value once its secrets are deciphered! Otherwise, it’s at most a piece of ancient bronze! If they want it, let them take it and study it—they won't be able to figure it out anyway!”

Though Lei Poshan didn't entirely agree with the Bishop's perspective, he still conceded: “I understand! Thank you for the guidance, Bishop!”

“It's good that you understand, but while we negotiate, we still need to have the necessary chips! We must not let Dragon Country be too arrogant.” The Bishop's voice turned cold again. “You said just now that Dragon Country established a Special Operations Department, and the person in charge is Ye Qingcheng?”

“Yes! Dragon Country has also transferred young Martial Artists from several Ancient Martial Arts Families into the Special Operations Department, specifically to oppose our Hongmen.”

“Overestimating themselves! In that case, we'll start by taking a swipe at this Special Operations Department! Give them a lesson!” The Bishop's voice was ruthless. “And let Dragon Country know that our Hongmen is not a soft persimmon that can be squeezed at will!”

“But Bishop, Ye Qingcheng is from the Ye Family of the Capital. Touching her might completely infuriate the Dragon Country high-level! It might be hard to clean up the mess then.” Lei Poshan was somewhat hesitant.

“If you can't touch her, can't you touch others?” The Bishop sneered. “Those youngsters transferred from the families—which one of them isn't their Family's precious darling? Capture a few and hold those families in your grasp; the Dragon Country high-level will naturally have misgivings!”

“Brilliant! Truly brilliant!” Lei Poshan couldn't help but praise. “I'll go arrange it right away!”

“And Zhang Yu.” The Bishop's voice suddenly became ice-cold. “Cut him off when it's time; don't leave any future trouble. Understand?”

Lei Poshan's heart sank, but he still gritted his teeth and said: “Understood! Rest assured, Bishop, I know what to do!”

“Good. That's all for now.” With that, a series of busy tones came from the receiver, and the call was disconnected.

Lei Poshan held the phone, standing there with his expression shifting between light and dark. Just as he was about to put the phone back into the hidden compartment, a hurried knocking came from outside the door.