Chapter 158: Illustrious Fame

It was obvious the man was very reluctant.

But circumstances were stronger than people; the Crystal Group cadres were either absent or unwilling to come, so they could only rely on All Baimu.

He had no choice but to pinch his nose and agree.

What else could he do?

Could he still retreat? Failing to take this block as quickly as possible already counted as poor performance on his part; if he retreated now, he'd probably spend the rest of his life mining in the underground city.

After swallowing the Hound Squad, the Quicksand Squad certainly wouldn't lack talent—at least not someone like him.

Driven by All Baimu, the experienced Quicksand Squad members and peripheral members quickly seized command. Even though many people were unconvinced, the moment they saw All Baimu and Bouffalant, not one of them dared speak another word.

The beast, over two meters tall, simply by standing there radiated an utterly terrifying presence; forget people, even ordinary Pokémon didn't dare meet its gaze.

At this moment.

The sky had already gradually darkened.

Loudspeakers were set up again, releasing a steady stream of noise.

"Don't put up pointless resistance, surrender early. We have hot food and hot water here! Plus medical care!"

"Our Quicksand Squad guarantees we won't violate your personal safety or personal property!"

"Your companions have already surrendered!"

The cacophony filling their ears and the noisy scene breathed new life into the previously listless Crystal Group troops.

As usual, All Baimu took Otsuka to occupy the highest point of the block, but this time he also brought along several Hound Squad members to directly persuade surrender, saving the Pokémon from wasting energy.

Unexpectedly, this high ground had no one guarding it, and they smoothly reached the top of the block.

"Isn't that another top cadre's territory over there?"

He pointed in a certain direction; in the dim sky, one could clearly see many glowing bōsōzoku circling back and forth over there.

"Yes, that's Lord Kojero's territory."

A Hound Squad member quickly answered; the other few who hadn't seized the chance secretly regretted it.

"So that's how it is—they all let them through…"

All Baimu murmured softly.

The block the Crystal Group was responsible for bordered the territory of Kojero, the last top cadre of the Hound Squad. For those small organizations' people to get here, they had to pass through Kojero's territory.

But without the latter's approval, how could they pass through unimpeded?

"Master Liu Ge originally wanted to probe Kojero, but I didn't expect it to be reversed this time."

All Baimu shook his head, then looked at the Hound Squad members with amusement. "Speaking of which, why do you think the Hound Squad members holed up here haven't retreated to Kojero's territory? At this point, it's already clear they can't win, right?"

"I-It's impossible. Lord Kojero and Boss Rocky's relationship is terrible. If our Rocky Group people go over, we'll just have our Pokémon stripped off and be thrown into the mines to dig until we die—our families too."

Someone said dejectedly.

Ah.

The same internal strife as the Quicksand Squad.

All Baimu knew well that where there are people, there is the jianghu, but hearing that almost every one of these factions was rife with infighting, he really couldn't hold it together.

"Very good."

He looked at the Hound Squad members. "Now I have a difficult mission for you. Go persuade the Hound Squad members holding out here to surrender. Tell them the truth—tell them your boss is finished."

The Hound Squad members exchanged glances; no one dared accept this job.

After all, they knew perfectly well that once they ran into Boss Rocky's fanatical supporters, they'd be torn to shreds.

"If you succeed in persuading them, you'll be my people from now on. I won't dare say much else, but in the Quicksand Squad no one dares bully me, so naturally no one will dare bully you or your families. Understood?"

All Baimu coaxed patiently: "This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity. You know, out of so many prisoners, why did I choose you? Because I believe you have talents the other Hound Squad members don't. Do you want to spend your whole lives as bottom-tier lackeys?"