Chapter 431: One Word Out of Place, and They Draw Their Weapons

"What are you going to use to trade..."

Liao Youzhi felt slightly relieved upon hearing Zhang Su's words, but then immediately burst with rage.

He exchanged a glance with Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi, suppressed his anger, and said: "Zhang Su, even though this is the end of the world, we're all people of standing—this matter of yours has not a shred of logic. You dare threaten to hold our people hostage for ransom? Do you really think our three families are easy to bully?"

"And aren't you worried about your friend Li Zongkai's safety? Or the survival of the Civilization Guard?"

After Liao Youzhi finished speaking, Zhang Su remained perfectly calm, but Wu Daqiang and the others wore obvious signs of anxiety—the entire Tianma Island force was safe and sound up north, but their own brothers and their leader were truly under the enemy's control.

"Hahahaha, that's right, Old Li is my friend—you can threaten me with his life all you want, but I've got thirteen lives in my hands. Can't you even count? What the hell do you think you can bargain with?"

Zhang Su's icy voice drifted through the mall; he deliberately avoided mentioning the men Li Zongkai had brought, aiming to confuse the issue. He'd originally planned to claim he held eighteen lives, but that would've seemed too obvious.

Liao Youzhi suddenly felt overwhelmed. Clearly, Li Zongkai meant little to this man—but he still had a card to play! "Zhang Su, as the leader of a faction, your brain must be broken. You've got thirteen lives? So do I! Do you know how many the Civilization Guard sent? Let me tell you—twenty-one people total, including Li Zongkai. Got it? Twenty-one versus thirteen—which is more, which is less? I'd like to see if you can count!"

Seeing the opponent react quickly, Zhang Su turned to Wu Daqiang and asked: "How many combat personnel do you have in your camp? You sent five out—does that mean twenty more are still there?"

Wu Daqiang nodded reluctantly: "Twenty regular troops, twenty reserves. Chairman Li must've coordinated with your operation—he took out all the regulars and picked a few from the reserves!"

His meaning was clear: we've gone all-in—don't turn on us now, you've got to save our brothers! Zhang Su nodded inwardly. Given the Civilization Guard's strength, forty combatants was already impressive. He waved his hand to reassure Wu Daqiang and the others, then turned to Liao Youzhi.

"Twenty-one is indeed more than thirteen—but Liao Youzhi, understand this: besides Old Li, the other twenty are Civilization Guard members, not my Tianma Island men. Are you trying to bullshit me?!"

"I won't waste time with you. If you want to save Old Li and the Civilization Guard's men, fine. But if you think you can use them to blackmail me, I'll kill a few of your men right now to show you what I'm capable of. Fine—you've got fewer people? I'll kill three of yours!"

The moment Zhang Su ended his transmission, Liu Yao rushed forward and snatched the communicator from Liao Youzhi's hand: "Zhang Su, don't you dare! If one hair of my men is harmed, I'll kill you! Hey, hey, talk to me, damn it!"

"Commander Liu, this is a one-way intercom—you can't reply unless you release the button..."

Li Zongkai, watching Liu Yao rage and shout, kindly offered a reminder.

Liu Yao immediately released the transmit button.

About ten seconds later, Zhang Su replied with utter calm: "Too late. So—wanna talk properly now? Oops, three hostages gone. You're not gonna back out, are you?"

The moment Zhang Su finished speaking, another voice came from the other side: "Talk, talk, Zhang Su, we should talk this through—don't rush..."

"Fuck you, Zhang Su! I'm wiping out your damn Tianma Island!"

Liu Yao flew into a frenzy, shoving Yang Xinqi aside, jumping and screaming. He thought Zhang Su was lying—but it made no sense to lie. He was torn between fury and doubt.

"My men are dead, but mine are still alive. I'm warning you—be kind, or you'll kill mine too!" Yang Xinqi was frantic too—he never imagined Zhang Su would be this brutal, killing without warning.

"What if..."

At this tense moment, Gong Chengming, who had been nearly invisible beside them, finally spoke.

"Let's first confirm whether their claims are true."

Gong Chengming stepped forward, speaking with solemn gravity.

At that moment, Yang Xinqi still hadn't released the transmit button. The voice reached Zhang Su clearly—he hadn't even known Gong Chengming was there. The situation grew even murkier. But at least his goal was achieved: the enemy was already quarreling over the hostages. That was exactly what he needed.

Unlike Tianma Island's unified front, the so-called Four Tigers of Beicheng had already fallen apart—name only, nothing more.

Liao Youzhi noticed the communicator's signal light flashing and snatched it back from Yang Xinqi, his face dark: "I don't believe you really killed the members of the Little Eagle Society. Unless you let Wu Baokang speak to me!"

"Wu Baokang? Hmph. I'll admit Wu Baokang's a tough bastard—but are you sure he won't break? Fine, if you want to hear him, go ahead. You just want to confirm your own men are still alive, right? Don't make up excuses. Bring Wu Baokang over!"

Zhang Su watched as Wu Baokang was dragged before him. He casually untied the rope around Wu's mouth, raised the communicator, and said: "Go ahead—your boss wants to talk to you."

Wu Baokang glanced at Zhang Su with a complex expression. This man was terrifying—calculating, unpredictable, ruthless, and powerful. Seeing Zhang Su wave the communicator, he spoke.

"Leader, it's me."

"Little Wu!" Liao Youzhi's heart tightened. Hearing his subordinate's voice, he felt half-relieved and immediately asked: "What about the Little Eagle Society men?"

Wu Baokang lowered his eyes, sighed, and muttered: "Dead. Completely dead."

They'd been dead since last night—long since cold and stiff!

"Alright, come on—Fan Dahai of the Light Knights, right? You too, let out a loud fart!"

Zhang Su walked over to the Tianqi Team members with the communicator, untied Fan Dahai's mouth.

Fan Dahai met Zhang Su's gaze and understood instantly. He screamed: "Ah, Boss! The three Little Eagle Society guys died horribly—throat slit clean! So terrifying, Boss, you've got to save us!"

Yang Xinqi's face was grim, his mind racing as he scrambled to figure out how to rescue them.

"You heard that. Of course, you can suspect they're cooperating with me to deceive you—do whatever you want. Believe it or not." Zhang Su released the transmit button and casually handed Fan Dahai a cigarette as a reward for his cooperation.

Liu Yao's tense heart finally sank—not because he cared deeply for his three men, but because of the humiliation. Why did everyone else escape unharmed, yet only his men were killed? What logic was this?! Seeing Liu Yao about to explode again, Gong Chengming quickly spoke up: "Leader, we mustn't act rashly. We must negotiate peacefully and bring our brothers back."

"Exactly!" Yang Xinqi chimed in immediately, ignoring Liu Yao's blazing eyes: "We can't abandon the rest of our brothers just because a few are dead. We must negotiate with Zhang Su!"

"If we negotiate now, where's our prestige? Where's our face?"

Liao Youzhi's expression was grim. The situation had grown far more complex than he'd anticipated. He should've known Li Zongkai was a weak bargaining chip—he should've just attacked outright...

Li Zongkai had foreseen this from the start—but Liao Youzhi only realized it now. Too late.

"Prestige and face can be regained—but once our brothers' lives are gone, they're gone forever!"

Gong Chengming's expression was grave, his tone heavy.

These words struck deep into the hearts of the dozen-plus Survivors' Alliance fighters—not just the Vanguard Team's men, but even Liao Youzhi's personal guard felt moved.

Who wouldn't prefer a leader who values their life?

(End of Chapter)