Chapter 1386 Temporary Cooperation
The tense atmosphere between William and Zayed eased slightly because of Xia Yu's presence.
Both sides knew that neither of them could possibly be a match for Xia Yu.
If they were to fight each other here, it would only benefit Xia Yu in the end. The master-level hairy cliff crab that they had been pursuing for so long would eventually fall into Xia Yu's hands!
“Zayed, we’ve all come here for the Hairy Crab, but Xia Yu is here now. In terms of strength, neither of us is qualified to capture the Hairy Crab.” William stared at Zayed and said in a deep voice, “Furthermore, I must tell you that besides that Master-level Shiny Hairy Crab, there is an even more powerful King Hairy Crab here!”
"But what's the point of saying all this?" William smiled slightly and said slowly, "Two master-level hairy cliff crabs, plus all these treasures, don't belong to you or me anymore."
“Champion William…” After a brief moment of surprise and anger, Zayed gradually calmed down. His gaze fell on William’s face, and he looked thoughtfully at the faint smile on his lips.
William is lingering here and saying so much; he must have something to do with it!
“You don’t need to beat around the bush, just say what you want to say.” Zayed didn’t want to hear William Champion continue beating around the bush, so he went straight to the point.
Hearing Zayed's words, William's smile widened. He felt the time was right and decided to speak directly: "Champion Zayed, we alone are no match for Xia Yu, but what if we join forces?"
“There are nine of us… Even if Xia Yu is strong, he has to consider his own strength and whether he wants to become our enemy!” William slowly revealed his spur-of-the-moment idea: “There are so many of us, we can definitely go toe-to-toe with Xia Yu!”
William's words silenced Zayed. In fact, he had already vaguely guessed William's thoughts and knew that William's suggestion was the only way at the moment. Otherwise, if both sides continued, neither would gain any benefit.
"Then how will the profits be distributed?" Zayed did not refuse, but stared straight at William and asked in a deep voice.
“Two distribution plans.” William held up two fingers, looking at Zayed opposite him: “First, our two teams will split the spoils 50/50. The two master-level hairy crabs in the nest will be divided equally between our teams. Other harvests will be distributed equally, and items that cannot be distributed equally will be deducted from their value.”
“What about the second option?” Zayed continued to ask.
“We’ve formed a new team of nine, and we’ll distribute resources according to our contributions.” William said, a look of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and reflection) on his face. He looked at Zayed and slowly said, “There are just too many powerful individuals in this secret realm. China, Russia, the United States… At first, with the alliance of myself, Remy, and Wilson, I wouldn’t say we could run rampant in the secret realm, but we were enough to face most of our enemies. Now it seems…”
William gave a self-deprecating bitter smile, shook his head, and then looked at Zayed and continued, "Although your six-person team is stronger than ours, I think you and I should feel the same way. When we encounter Xia Yu from China or those people from the United States, we can only go around them, right?"
Zayed did not rush to answer William, but instead carefully weighed the pros and cons of cooperation.
Although there were some minor frictions and disputes between the two sides before, these insignificant conflicts can be wiped out in the face of absolute interests. All they pursue is to maximize their interests!
After a long silence, Zayed took a deep breath and said to William, "If we adopt the second plan, which distributes resources according to contribution, who will be the team leader under the second plan?"
“You.” William did not argue about something so impossible, but directly acknowledged Zayed’s leadership: “But I must make it clear beforehand that if you are planning to send us to our deaths as the vanguard, I have the right to refuse.”
“Okay,” Zayed replied. “I promise you.”
"In that case, it's a pleasure to cooperate." William smiled and extended his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to work with you.” Zayed also extended his hand.
The two old foxes shook hands firmly, both wearing fake smiles.
The cooperation was reached, but how much sincerity did both sides have? Who knows?
…………
After a few minutes of discussion, William, Zayed, and the others finally reached a preliminary agreement on cooperation. Their newly formed team also sent Champion Remy, riding a Flying-type Pokémon, to negotiate with Xia Yu.
“Champion Xia Yu.” Remy’s gaze fell on Xia Yu. He had heard of Xia Yu and Sakaki before, but this was the first time he had looked at them so closely.
Looking at the incredibly young man in front of him, and recalling Xia Yu's formidable strength and swift and decisive methods, Champion Remy felt inexplicably nervous and apprehensive!
"Hmm." Xia Yu nodded slightly, looked at Remy in front of him, and smiled kindly. He slowly said, "Champion Remy, seeing is believing. I've heard of you before, and today I finally have a formal opportunity to meet you."
Listening to Xia Yu's polite words, Remy was momentarily dazed. He found it hard to connect the humble and polite young man in front of him with the rumored Sakaki.
"Champion Xia Yu, what brings you here?" Remy asked slowly, looking at Xia Yu.
Hearing Remy Champion's words, Xia Yu smiled indifferently, then slowly said, "You want to catch these two hairy cliff crabs?"
Seeing that Xia Yu had steered the conversation towards the two hairy cliff crabs, Remy stopped hiding his intentions and simply admitted, "Yes. We injured this shiny hairy cliff crab at the entrance and followed the trail all the way to their lair. Xia Yu, champion, as usual..."
“I know.” Xia Yu raised his hand to interrupt Remy. His usually calm eyes were now sharp as an eagle’s, his gaze intense and tangible as he stared at Remy. His voice became sharp: “You’re saying that you found this hairy cliff crab first, and that it belongs to you, right?”
In an instant, Xia Yu's aura changed drastically, as if he had completed the transformation from Xia Yu the Champion to Sakaki. His originally polite attitude suddenly became sharp, like a sharp sword suddenly drawn from its sheath, and overwhelming pressure came straight at Remy.
Remy felt his breath catch in his throat, as if an invisible hand was gripping his chest tightly. He instinctively held his breath, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead, as if even his blood had frozen at that moment.
“Champion Xia Yu.” Remy could only grit his teeth and speak to Xia Yu, “Your strength is indeed very strong, but there are nine of us, representing nine different countries. What you’re doing…”
However, before Remy could finish speaking, Xia Yu interrupted him, saying, "I don't like being threatened, especially such a weak and feeble threat!"
…………
