The two arrived at the conference room at the end of the corridor.
It was a large conference room, capable of holding over thirty people.
Yet, while the corridor was heavily guarded, this place was remarkably empty.
There was only one negotiation representative and an assistant, with a video feed of the leader of the Mountain Ridge Country displayed on the large central screen.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope your joining the Mountain Ridge Country will bring new glory to our nation!"
The negotiation representative was a very handsome man.
Perhaps because the Mountain Ridge Country had learned that Shirley and Qian Xinxin were both women, they had specifically chosen a man, likely intending to employ a honey trap.
Behind the representative stood another man, though this one's appearance was rather ordinary, the type you wouldn't be able to spot in a crowd.
"Don't speak nonsense. We haven't agreed to join your country, we're here for money!"
"Your commander previously stated that returning him would fetch 10 billion, and 50,000 for every Qingyun Country soldier killed."
"We've now killed 100,000 Qingyun Country soldiers, which sums up to a total of 15 billion."
"I haven't researched your country much, so let's just settle the payment in international currency,"
Qian Xinxin said with a "pleasant" smile.
"Ha, are you perhaps joking? Our commander clearly offered 1 billion, and 20,000 per Qingyun Country soldier."
"Why is the price different when it comes to you?"
"Most outrageously... you claim to have killed 100,000 Qingyun Country soldiers. How is that possible? Do you have any proof?"
The representative reprimanded with slight anger.
It was his first time encountering someone so arrogant, rude, and demanding exorbitant prices.
"If you are unwilling to pay 10 billion... it's simple..."
"I have a weakness: if I can't have it, no one else will either."
"In that case, we will destroy assets worth 10 billion as compensation."
"Similarly, if you're unwilling to pay the 5 billion reward for soldier kills, then we'll just kill your soldiers."
"After all, Qingyun Country keeps its word; 10,000 for every Mountain Ridge Country soldier. By that calculation... I only need to kill 500,000 troops!"
"Your country is quite large; you should have five hundred thousand troops, right? I wouldn't want to use civilians to make up the numbers, as that's too easy to expose."
Qian Xinxin said with a charming laugh, human lives being virtually worthless in her eyes.
"Heh, Madam, are you perhaps being a bit too arrogant?"
"You don't think you're the only one in the world with superpowers, do you!"
"You captured our commander and think you can conquer the world?"
"One must always understand the principle of there being others beyond the sky, and those beyond them..."
Before the representative could speak, the unremarkable assistant behind him suddenly chimed in, still in a lecturing tone.
"I forgot to introduce him. This is Lu Ya, 'Fire Fist', the seventh-ranked expert in the World Esper Rankings..."
The representative said with evident pride.
"Oh~ No wonder the outside is so heavily guarded, and there are no soldiers here. It turns out there's an esper present!"
"How about this, since there's an esper here, and one with world-class seventh rank strength, how about..."
"You pay another 10 billion, making it a total of 25 billion... that number isn't quite right, so add another 1 billion, 26 billion!"
"Our transaction will be considered complete, we can leave here peacefully, and we can even be friends!"
Qian Xinxin said with a calm smile.
"You... you're raising the price?"
The representative had expected Qian Xinxin to show at least some apprehension upon hearing about the seventh-ranked esper in the world.
He never imagined she would be so brazen!
"You truly don't take me seriously at all. No matter what kind of powerhouse one is, they should abide by order!"
"Those who violate order are evil and will become public enemies of the world..."
Lu Ya said, taking a step forward.
His fists were immediately enveloped by two masses of blue flame, emitting crackling sounds.
The representative took a few steps back, retreating to the corner of the wall.
His expression seemed to say to Qian Xinxin, 'You brought this upon yourself.'
"Before we fight, I'd like to ask, how does one achieve the number one ranking among world espers? Is it by killing the current number one, or through some kind of certification?"
Qian Xinxin suddenly changed from her haughty demeanor, asking with apparent humility.
"Heh, there's a World Esper Competition every year. Only through layers of selection, competitions, and battles can the strength rankings be determined."
"It can be said that those ranked highly must possess top-tier physique, physical strength, power, speed, esper abilities, combat awareness, and more!"
Lu Ya proudly explained.
"Mhm, thank you!"
Qian Xinxin nodded with a smile, then turned to Shirley and said:
"He's no longer useful. Get rid of him!"
Lu Ya: ???
One moment they were chatting with smiles, and the next, she was about to unleash a killing blow? And she said it out loud?!
How little did she think of him!
"Let me show you my fi..."
*Bang!*
Before he could even finish saying "fist," the entire person was sent flying.
His back smashed through the tables and chairs in the conference room, reducing them to scattered debris.
However, to Shirley's surprise, this fellow was still alive!
It was evident that espers' physical qualities were indeed much stronger than ordinary people.
"Shirley... you can't hold back... otherwise, it won't be beneficial for our earning money!"
Qian Xinxin said, hands on her hips, looking at Shirley with a helpless expression.
A one-punch KO versus a two-punch KO had a completely different psychological impact on the high-ranking officials of the Mountain Ridge Country.
Only by delivering a stronger shock to the other party would they be more inclined to compromise.
"I'm sorry, I'll give it my all this time!"
Shirley said with a blush, shame evident in her voice.
She had thought this world was so fragile that anyone could be dealt with with a casual effort.
Unexpectedly, she had been too careless and needed to take it seriously, absolutely not disappointing her master.
This money must be obtained!
"Die!"
Shirley roared, and her figure instantly vanished from her spot.
*Boom!*
Shirley's silhouette was completely invisible.
However, a violent explosion echoed, and more than half of the palace was shattered into pieces by the immense shockwave, with billowing dust and smoke rising into the sky.
The ground vibrated violently, and the shockwave blew the circling helicopters several hundred meters away; some helicopters lost control and crashed to the ground.
Even the leader of the Mountain Ridge Country, hiding in a shelter, felt intense tremors.
As the rolling smoke gradually dissipated...
A large pit appeared on the ground, resembling a meteor crater, with Shirley standing at its center.
And Lu Ya in front of her had been smashed beyond recognition by the immense impact force; he was certainly beyond saving.
The high-ranking officials of the Mountain Ridge Country fell into a deadly silence.
Shirley, with purely physical attacks, had caused such destructive power... what was there left to negotiate? These people were here to rob them!