55. The Atmosphere is Very Free
From Lin Ke’s Perspective.
After having her subordinates tie up Jack the fat pig and his gang securely, and throwing them into a manure truck to be sent to her secret base in the Rodma Empire town, Lin Ke, out of gratitude, also shared this news that should have been kept secret with the people of the Great Ying Empire, and then… she began her own “process.”
Let’s not even mention that Jack’s actions, if placed in the Meri United Kingdom, would be no different from treason; more importantly: was it that after becoming the supreme leader, her vision had become too high, or had his family’s leader become arrogant, refusing to follow through on a prearranged deal, and instead conspiring with the Rodma people to pull something on her!
Fuck you, man!
This time, it was somewhat unexpectedly resolved with the help of this loyal ally from the Great Ying Empire, but…
“Ahem…”
Lin Ke coughed, adjusted her posture, and refused to let herself think about unnecessary matters.
But what about next time!? She is the supreme leader of the Meri United Kingdom, not some princess hidden in a high tower; such things must be completely eliminated after the first occurrence!
Her gaze landed on an abandoned warehouse located on the edge of Rodma town, where Lin Ke had brought Jack and his group for a “friendly talk.” At the moment her subordinates emerged carrying a bag of cement and holding an empty bucket, Lin Ke stood up, crushed the bird’s nest coffee box she had recently taken a liking to, and tossed it aside.
“How is it? Did you confess?”
“Yeah! Don’t worry, head of the family!”
The subordinate put down the water bucket and made an ‘OK’ gesture towards Lin Ke. “That Jack is really cowardly. I only poured one bag of cement, and he already confessed!”
“Idiot! He wouldn’t confess to just one bag of cement!”
If it weren’t for the coffee cup already being thrown, Lin Ke would have wanted to throw it right in her subordinate’s face. “Don’t be fooled by that fat guy’s cowardice. Anyone who can survive among the major families in the Kingdom is nothing but scum! Even if you kick his ass until it’s ulcerated, he’ll still keep his secrets! Go pour more, pour it up to his neck! Only then might he say something useful!”
“Yes, miss!”
The subordinate saluted and went back carrying the bag of cement!
“Oh, right, I need to go out for a bit. You guys don’t mind me, just keep hammering these people and see if you can extract more information, it’ll also help us with the retreat.”
Lin Ke didn’t tell her subordinates her destination; she just organized her belongings, brushed off the cement dust that had stuck to her, and set off.
After all, the place Lin Ke planned to go to this time was quite unfriendly—she was going to see that Nilu from the Rodma Empire once again.
Because: although the previous matter had been resolved, and the people from the Great Yung Empire had readily handed Jack over to her, from the outcome, it was clear that the whole incident was a result of her own negligence, and the retreat plan had consequently fell through. From a transactional perspective, she completely owed them a huge favor this time, which made it difficult for her to do business with them in the future.
Instinct told Lin Ke that Nilu from the Rodma Empire was targeting the Great Yung Empire and Rosia, and her side was relatively safer. So she decided to treat it as “after-sales service” and planned to see Nilu once more, at least to extract some information from her. As for safety? Hmph, her subordinates had long prepared for that.
Going alone to the town where the city lord was located, she then followed the protocol to submit a request to meet Nilu, who was said to be a different species known as “fairy,” unlike humans.
Lin Ke had thought that the previous incident would put her on the “blacklist” of the Merli United Kingdom, and even if the other party didn’t dare to act aggressively, they would at least find various excuses to delay. But this time, Lin Ke was surprised: Nilu’s response was unexpectedly quick. Not only did she agree to meet her privately, but there was also no need to wait long.
At sunset, there was a knock on the door, and Lin Ke, who had been waiting, finally saw Nilu’s figure.
“Miss Lin Ke, you were looking for me?”
The girl in front of her smiled, as if nothing had happened in the past few days. Although Lin Ke was the first partner to come over for “cooperation” after sensing the “opportunity” from the Rodma Empire, she had always felt uneasy about this “partner.”
Should it be called… intuition? Lin Ke always felt that this Nilu was extremely dangerous. As for cooperation, it seemed like she was the one taking advantage, but there was also a suspicion that “the other party knows everything.”
The previous incident with Jack was even more so; Lin Ke was the first to doubt that the useless guy could set up such a precise trap. Unless Nilu had bypassed the Merli United Kingdom she represented and had some private dealings with Jack…
Thinking of this, Lin Ke felt a chill run down her spine; that was also the purpose of her visit.
“Pretty much.”
Lin Ke met Nilu’s smile. “Time is tight, and since we all know what’s going on, I won’t beat around the bush. Miss Nilu, clearly I am the supreme leader of the Merli United Kingdom and the representative for this negotiation, and I’ve already completed several transactions with you. Before this, I’ve also purchased information from your territory quite a few times…”
“So… you suddenly bypassed me and went directly to that fat guy to deal with me.”
Lin Ke took off her hat and looked coldly at Nilu. At times like this, being friendly would only make the other party laugh it off; only by applying pressure would they open up!
“What are you thinking?”
Is my offer too low? In the past, Lin Ke would have thought so, but facing this Nilu, she always felt that she had other motives. This was also the first time Lin Ke thought about “terminating the transaction” and wanted to leave the Rodma Empire quickly; this kind of empire was not a place for humans to stay…
“I’m not thinking about anything much, Miss Lin Ke. I just hope you won’t ‘interfere’ in this matter, which is why I hope you can leave alone. However, I didn’t expect that gentleman to go a bit overboard~”
What Lin Ke received was the same formatted smile that Nilu always had when meeting her. Hmph, it was clearly a fake smile; does she think I’m a three-year-old?
“Interfere in what? Tell me the reason, don’t keep me in the dark!”
But mentioning this made Lin Ke realize something strange; as long as she could get Nilu’s purpose out, and then tell that guy from the Great Yung Empire, wouldn’t that mean she had repaid the favor she owed?
“It’s a trivial matter that doesn’t require your involvement, Miss Lin Ke.”
Listening to Nilu’s response, Lin Ke also saw the “blind spot.” After all, she should be seen as a partner in Nilu’s eyes, so why not take this opportunity to quietly inquire…
However, before such thoughts could even fully form, Nilu’s words began to change flavor!
Even before Lin Ke could respond, Nilu was already smiling and letting out a sigh.
“But it seems now that you are not in a position to ‘stay out of it.'”
“What…”
“Since it seems you have no intention of cooperating with me, then… please forgive my next actions, Miss Lin Ke~”
In the next moment, Lin Ke had just begun to understand the meaning behind Nilu’s words when she unexpectedly discovered: something beyond her understanding was happening to this woman—there was actually a spark in her eyes?
Then…
It flew out!
—