"That's none of your concern. We have our own ways to bring our people here instantly. However," Savage said, changing his tone, "we can help you resist the monster invasion, but we have our own conditions. That is, you must allow us to stay on this continent and allocate a region for us to reside in."
"What!?"
The old chieftain, the five elders, and all the people of the Gatekeepers present could not believe their ears.
In their view, seeking help from these outsiders and allowing more outsiders to set foot on this land was already an insult to their ancestors. Yet, these outsiders dared to shamelessly set conditions, asking them to cede a piece of the land their ancestors had lived on for generations.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"This is an insult! An insult to the Gatekeepers!"
"Even without your help, we can resist the invasion with our own strength!"
"Execute these outsiders!"
The angry roars plunged the entire meeting hall into an ice-cold atmosphere.
Bai Qi and Savage were not particularly surprised by their reaction, as it was within their expectations.
After the noise subsided slightly, Bai Qi spoke, "The demands made by my companion are completely reasonable. After all, this is not a small matter; people will die, many people. We cannot help you for free. Whether you accept our proposal or reject it, you understand the pros and cons. I will give you time to consider. Give me an answer in half an hour."
With that, Bai Qi and Savage stood up simultaneously and walked towards the exit.
As they neared the door, Bai Qi's lips moved slightly, and the voice of Wu echoed in his ear.
Wu understood after hearing the message and maintained a calm demeanor.
"Zhao Bu, E Bu, sirs, are we just leaving like this?" Bu Luoduo asked, somewhat bewildered, as they walked out.
"Of course not," Bai Qi replied. "We're just giving them some time to accept our proposal."
Bu Luoduo, not understanding, was about to ask another question but was interrupted by Bai Qi. "Alright, let's escort our friends out of here first."
As he spoke, a fleeting hint of killing intent appeared on Bai Qi's face.
"Sir... Sir, I'm sorry, we were just..."
Seeing Bai Qi and Savage, the few who had chosen to leave lowered their heads, stammering, unable to articulate a coherent sentence.
Bai Qi raised his hand and said, "It doesn't matter. Everyone has their own aspirations, and I won't force you."
He then turned to Savage and said, "Open a boom tube to send them back."
Savage nodded, took out the Mother Box, and gently pressed it. A boom tube emitting white light appeared before everyone.
Incidentally, the reason Savage couldn't initially teleport to the lost continent with the boom tube and had to follow the disk step by step was not because Savage enjoyed the exploration process.
The condition for opening a boom tube is that the exact coordinates of the other end must be known; otherwise, it cannot be opened.
Now that Savage was standing on the land of the lost continent, all he needed to do was know the coordinates of the destination to activate the boom tube.
"Is this thing reliable?"
"Can we go home by passing through this?"
"What if something goes wrong and sends me to another world?"
Since it was their first time seeing a boom tube, Gaidun and the others were skeptical about its effectiveness.
"Go ahead," Bai Qi said. "Through the boom tube, you can return to New York. When and how you want to go back after that will be your own problem, or perhaps you have a better way than this."
Indeed, whether it was the drill rig outside or the submarine, they were ultimately Savage's assets. Now, opening a boom tube to send them back was already going above and beyond.
Besides, even if they gave them the submarine, these few people probably wouldn't be able to operate it back.
"Alright, alright."
Gaidun shook his head helplessly and was the first to step into the boom tube.
With someone taking the lead, the others followed suit, entering the boom tube.
"Wait!"
Just as Bob was about to enter the boom tube, Bai Xu's voice came from behind.
Bob turned his head and saw Bai Xu running towards him.
"I'm sorry, I won't..."
"I know," Bai Xu interrupted Bob before he could finish, a hint of sadness on her face. "I know you still have your dreams to fulfill, and you're not obligated to stay and help us."
Bai Xu managed a smile, but anyone could see it was a wry one.
"Take this."
Bai Xu took out a necklace made of animal teeth and polished stones and handed it to Bob. "Our tribe has always passed down a legend that the teeth of the night wolf can bring good luck. I hope this necklace will also bring you good luck."
Bob took the necklace and examined it closely. "Thank you, I like it very much. Then... goodbye."
After the final farewell, Bob turned and entered the boom tube, quickly disappearing.
Bai Xu watched Bob's retreating back, recomposed herself, and looked at Bai Qi beside her. "Chieftain, an elder and the elders have reached a decision. Please follow me."
Meanwhile.
"This, this is too amazing."
Stepping out of the boom tube, Bob found himself back in New York, with familiar streets and a steady stream of cars.
"Finally, finally returned to civilization."
Upon confirming his return, Bob sat on the ground, a smile plastered on his face.
Although he felt it was a pity not to have learned more about the history of the Gatekeepers, he had no regrets. After all, his life was saved, and...
Bob took out his camera and several books made of cowhide and sheepskin from his backpack, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.
With these photos and the books brought back from the Gatekeepers, he could prove the existence of the lost continent and the Gatekeepers.
Once he published the photos and papers, fame, fortune, and status would all be his.
"Hey kid, that camera you've got looks nice. Mind lending it to me for a few days?"
Just as Bob was lost in his pleasant fantasies, a voice reached him, jarring him back to reality.
Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a black man wearing a leather jacket.
The first impression of the black man was heavy metal: earrings, nose rings, eyebrow rings, even lip rings. This guy hadn't missed any place that could be pierced.
Behind the black man were several other black men, but their heavy metal style wasn't as extreme as their 'big brother's'.