Strongest Soldier King

Every country has its dignity. In the face of threats and defeat, the ruling party must consider the aftermath. Once conflicts become public, the ruling party, for its dignity, cannot compromise; it is a matter of principle. Instead, it will send more troops, using various severe methods to retaliate and avenge. Luo Zheng knows the strength of the Hook Tribe, which cannot withstand the crazed retaliation of various countries, so the best approach is to handle things discreetly.

If the situation is not made public and is only circulated within a certain scope, ruling parties of various countries will grit their teeth and accept defeat to quickly handle the aftermath and allow prisoners to return. After their return, they can send troops to attack and reclaim dignity. This way, both face and substance are maintained. Ignoring the life and death of prisoners would chill the hearts of the warriors, a loss the ruling party cannot afford.

These are the measures determined by Luo Zheng and Lan Xue during their negotiations along the way: do not provoke, do not compromise, obtain tangible benefits, arm the Hook Tribe. As for small-scale infiltration wars after the events, as long as defense is adequate and the fighting power of the Hook Tribe is enhanced, there's nothing much to worry about.

In the following days, the Hook Tribe began intense training: practicing gun skills, combat techniques, tactical coordination, and trap placement. Given ample time and suitable tools, everyone's trap arrangements became denser and more concealed. Mixed with dung, poisonous grass, and brewed into a virus, the Hook Tribe, accustomed to hunting with traps in the primitive forest, excels in trap setting. Three days later, the valley was surrounded by hidden traps.

Three days after, various countries began to react. In the afternoon, a munitions dealer arrived by helicopter, rappelling into the Hook Tribe canyon. Luo Zheng had already received notice from Lan Xing, informing Hook. The tribe did not panic and carried on as usual, as if nothing had happened. Hook led several armed guards to greet the dealer, with Luo Zheng, as a third party, not suitable for public appearance.

This arms dealer, in his forties, had a hook nose, triangular eyes, and was bald yet dressed in a sleek suit, exuding a stable aura. Facing Hook and others approaching, his demeanor was calm, clearly not an ordinary person. Hook stopped five or six meters away from him, looked calmly at him and said, "Can you represent all the prisoners?"

"No, I'm just here for business." The dealer replied calmly.

Hook didn't reveal his thoughts and pursued, "What business?"

"I'm just a businessman, not involved in politics. None of my actions represent politics. I'm here because I heard you have a bunch of prisoners, and they're quite skilled. We businessmen prioritize safety and need protection. I can exchange a batch of weapons for your prisoners; how about it?" The dealer said calmly.

Hook was well aware that the dealer represented various countries seeking their prisoners. To avoid leaving evidence, the countries handled it as a civilian commercial affair. Even if word leaked out, it wouldn't politically affect the countries. Hook, having heard Luo Zheng's analysis on these intricacies, was not interested in pointing out the truth and replied, "As long as the conditions are reasonable."

Luo Zheng had previously sent the conditions to the countries of the prisoners. So, naturally, they sent an arms dealer to bargain, which was normal. Hook knew this well, coldly watching the dealer, not mentioning the fact that conditions had already been communicated to the countries. Some things are better left unspoken for everyone's benefit, feigning ignorance while understanding.

"Each prisoner gets 150 M4s, a batch of ammunition, 200 grenades; that's our bottom line. I'm a businessman, here for a quick deal. Whether it's yes or no, let me know. If yes, we can air-drop all supplies within a day; if not, forget it." The middle-aged man said coldly, expression unchanged, with an assured demeanor.

The offered conditions greatly reduced what was initially reported, but still exceeded the original baseline. Hook was satisfied with the price yet disliked the dealer's tough stance. Anger surged as he said coldly, "So little? Leave that for beggars? Each prisoner gets 200 M4s, 20 batches of ammo, 300 grenades, 1,000 military first aid kits. Take it or leave it. That's it; no deal, then buzz off."

"It's wise to leave some room for negotiation." The dealer protested somewhat displeased.

"Oh? Making deals with me, are you? Then you won't be leaving," Hook said coldly. "Someone, detain this bastard for me. This helicopter is pretty nice; perfect for keeping around a few days for fun."

Hook spoke in an internationally common language, hard for surrounding guards to understand, but the middle-aged dealer comprehended the situation, his face subtly changing as he said, "Hold on."

"What? Not convinced?" Hook gestured for a temporary pause in action, as if those behind him understood his words, coldly continued, "They've invaded my tribe. That's robbery. As per tribal rules, we hang them as lanterns. You have one minute to decide. Don't think you can stall here; I'm unaware of small teams sneaking in. To tell you the truth, my men are intercepting them now. Maybe by this time tomorrow, the stakes on the square will be more crowded."

The middle-aged man glanced at the stakes on the square not far away, where prisoners were tied up, their spirits low and state poor. He couldn't help saying, "Your terms exceed my limit; I can't answer you immediately."

"Can't make decisions? Then stay here together." Hook shouted in anger, raising his gun. The guards behind him saw this and raised their guns, aiming at the dealer, ready to fire.

The middle-aged man, seeing Hook was unreasonable, panicked and quickly said, "I need to make some calls."

"Hurry up, no time to waste with you." Hook replied impatiently, secretly pleased, recalling Luo Zheng's saying about reasoning with iron fists, strongly agreeing, showing contempt for the dealer, urging vigilance and patiently waiting.

The dealer made several calls, finally saying cold-bloodedly to Hook, "I can agree to your terms, but in exchange, you must first release some prisoners to me. Supplies will be air-dropped here tomorrow."

"Sure, actually there's one wounded person with a virus flare-up, not expected to last through tomorrow. Take him. And remind you, over thirty others are similarly poisoned, a maximum of three more days survival. If not treated within three days, you'll have corpses to collect." Hook said indifferently, having anticipated this move from the opponent, discussed responses with Luo Zheng.

Upon hearing this, the dealer's complexion changed drastically, cautiously observing the stakes on the square. Hook waved his hand, two guards went over, untied an ordinary wounded prisoner and dragged him before the dealer, tossed him to the ground, then turned away. The dealer knelt to check the injuries, realizing Hook's words were true, his firm eyes flashed a chilling murderous intent, but quickly calmed down, considering the subsequent revenge plan.

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