Super Mothership
Catherine had been watching for a long time. From her initial shock, she was finally starting to grasp what was happening.
Lord Arthas had clearly calculated that the other side wouldn’t dare truly fall out with them, so he deliberately put on the act of an arrogant, reckless delinquent who didn’t care about the bigger picture.
Negotiations are all about a clash of momentum. Whichever side has the stronger presence and greater confidence will seize the upper hand as talks progress.
Just now, the confrontation between the two sides seemed fierce—tempers flaring, conflict escalating step by step—but in reality, both were using their bargaining chips to strike directly at the opponent’s weak points.
The Black Butler had brought up the Council’s decisions, the Ant Empire, and the lure of advanced technology—these were all important chips that Arthas could not ignore.
But in this regard, the Gemini, who had lost the war, faced powerful enemies, and had been forced to sign a truce, were at an absolute disadvantage!
On top of that, the All-in-One Society’s intelligence-gathering abilities were terrifying. From the Black Butler’s words just now, it was clear they had likely already figured out the Council’s strategic intentions in detail. That meant that even before negotiations truly began, the other side already knew the bottom line of their position.
So from the very start, Arthas’s task in these negotiations had been a passive one!
But unexpectedly, Arthas took a completely different approach—using arrogance as a weapon, bluntly telling the other side that he didn’t care about the Council, didn’t care about profit, and didn’t care even if both sides were dragged into mutual destruction.
He wielded the swagger of a spoiled heir, using personal grudges as the entry point—emphasizing his anger, his determination for revenge, and the political power he represented behind him.
As the saying goes: it’s easy to deal with the king of hell, but the little devils are hard to handle. Faced with a spoiled heir who disregarded the big picture, who didn’t know the greater good, who only wanted to settle private scores—the trump cards in the Black Butler’s hands, crafted so carefully against Gemini, instantly turned worthless!
Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses!
So negotiations… could be conducted like this!
As Catherine thought of this, her eyes glittered with admiration as she looked at her superior.
The tense standoff continued. The Black Butler lowered his head in silence, seemingly lost in thought, weighing pros and cons.
The surrounding people were all nervously waiting for what would come next. Even those who had trouble following the verbal exchange could sense that the talks had reached a critical turning point!
“Hmph!” The Black Butler finally gave a cold snort, breaking the long silence.
“It seems that before we’ve even begun, we’ve already run into serious disagreements… I propose we take an hour’s break. Both sides need to cool down before continuing.”
Although his tone still carried barely suppressed anger, the atmosphere—which had been tense to the breaking point—suddenly dropped from its peak, easing considerably.
Bang! The negotiators on Gemini’s side seemed to simultaneously hear the sound of a weight dropping from their chests. They all let out a sigh of relief.
“So long-winded, so indecisive!” Arthas only curled his lip dismissively, then turned and walked away, waving his hand casually behind him as a farewell.
His attitude remained as arrogant as ever, but it was clear he hadn’t rejected the proposal to resume talks after a break.
The accompanying staff were still somewhat dazed—how could they be taking an intermission when the talks hadn’t even really started?
But under these circumstances, for the Black Butler not to storm out and instead propose a cooling-off period…
It seemed, oddly enough, that after Lord Arthas’s outburst, their side had inexplicably gained the upper hand?
It wasn’t until Arthas had walked several steps away that they finally came to their senses, hurriedly gathering the negotiation materials and rushing after him…
…
Fallen Angel, Commander’s Lounge.
“Sir, just now… was that deliberate?” Catherine respectfully handed a glass of crimson fruit juice to Nie Yun to soothe his throat.
Nie Yun raised the glass, took a satisfying sip, savoring the sweetness of the alien drink, then smiled at Catherine. “You noticed?”
At this moment, his expression was calm, a gentle smile at his lips. Paired with his handsome features, he looked every bit the refined, jade-like gentleman—a peerless hero with no trace of the arrogant, domineering heir from earlier.
“Brilliant, Captain!” Catherine said in admiration.
“It’s just that… there’s one thing I don’t quite understand. How could you be so sure the other side wouldn’t turn hostile?”
This was the most crucial question of the whole negotiation, one Catherine had pondered over and over but couldn’t resolve.
If that fundamental judgment had been wrong and the talks had collapsed, then this textbook-worthy display of negotiation brilliance would have instead become a case study in Arthas being demoted three ranks…
Nie Yun smirked inwardly.
Why was he so certain?
Because if I don’t want to turn hostile, then I won’t turn hostile!
Have you ever seen two hands fight each other until their own nose is bloodied?
That was his inner grumble, but of course, he couldn’t say that aloud.
“Since the other side took the initiative to propose establishing trade relations, it means there’s profit in it for them. Their willingness to negotiate is not much less than ours.
Merchants seek profit. As long as you grasp that point, you’ve already got an eighty to ninety percent chance of holding the upper hand.
Besides, there’s no such thing as a flawless strategy. I was just playing a bad hand, gambling on a possibility with limited intel. In the end, you saw it—I went all in, and the result turned out pretty good! Hehe…”
“I see!”
Catherine’s gaze filled with even more admiration. This was a leader with wisdom, vision, and boldness!
“I have one more question… If your gamble failed, and the other side really flipped the table and walked out, what would you do?”
In Catherine’s mind, someone as brilliant as Arthas must surely have an even more impressive contingency plan for failure.
“What would I do if I lost the gamble? Of course, I’d admit defeat, bow, and apologize!” Nie Yun gave her a little look as if to say, You really don’t know even this?
B… bow and apologize?!
Catherine: “…”
Blank-eyed, Catherine walked out of Nie Yun’s lounge, muttering to herself in a half-crazed way: “Endure humiliation for the greater good… This must be enduring humiliation for the greater good…”
…
Meanwhile, having talked his way out of the “question storm” from the problem-girl Catherine, Nie Yun finally had time to execute the next stage of his plan…
“Tiger—Snake—Dog—Dragon! Forbidden Art—Impure World Reincarnation!”
After a flurry of dazzling hand signs, Nie Yun pressed his palms together, then slammed his right hand onto the floor. Dense tadpole-like runes spread outward from his palm.
The next moment, the metallic floor before him rippled strangely, and a metal coffin slowly rose from it…
Mechanical Bug: “…”
Damn it, I’m just here to deliver a package, and you’ve got to make it so complicated with passwords and flashy effects? Don’t you care about labor costs?
Clang! The metal coffin lid slid open on its own, revealing the figure inside…
Nie Yun gazed at the face identical to his own—equally handsome—and nodded in satisfaction.
Snap! Nie Yun clicked his fingers.
The Mechanical Bug, already implanted into the nervous system and fully adjusted for compatibility, instantly activated. The figure’s eyes slowly opened, revealing a pair of enchanting violet pupils.
“Well then… I’ll leave it to you.” Nie Yun smiled and stepped forward, extending his right hand.
“My pleasure.” The figure inside the coffin showed the same smile, stepped out, and raised his right hand as well.
The two were like mirror images—same appearance, same attire, moving in perfect synchrony as they approached one another…
Clap! Their palms struck together with a crisp sound, as if sealing some kind of transfer…
TL Note- Dattebayo....
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