"The High Priest wants to cut off my roots now, and I can't go back to the outside world. What else can I do?"
Mr. A spread his hands, and his helpless expression was very much like the helpless little bear in a meme.
"I can't beat him, and I can't escape. I can only stay with you and barely survive."
Oh? So Mr. A has no backup plans left?
I looked at him with some suspicion. Mr. A, however, smiled at me innocently.
To be honest, I've always been skeptical of what Mr. A says.
This guy is a seasoned schemer, the same breed as the High Priest.
Furthermore, based on my speculation, he should be from the Company.
Although I don't know much about the organization called the Company, everyone I've encountered from the Company has been no good! Whether it was Sevier's team or Qu Xiangyun, with whom I have an ambiguous relationship, every single one of them was exceptionally capable and skilled.
I had long ago formed a conviction: the Company doesn't recruit the useless!
"Mr. A, are you saying you want to join me?"
I looked at Mr. A meaningfully, my eyes fixed on his face, not missing any subtle changes.
I simply don't believe that someone who lost his entire team upon arriving on the island, lost contact with the outside world, and yet managed to interact with the High Priest and even cooperate with him, would have absolutely no contingency plans.
His current demeanor seemed deliberately acted, aimed at eliciting my sympathy and convincing me to let him stay.
From the bottom of my heart, I don't trust people like Mr. A, especially since I'm essentially an adversary of the Company. Even though both Mr. A and I are currently under threat from the High Priest and have temporarily formed an alliance, in the long run, we are enemies, not friends.
"Hahahahaha, aren't we the closest of allies right now! If you kick me out now, I'll truly be done for."
Mr. A used laughter to cover his embarrassment. His current state was a stark contrast to his extremely arrogant demeanor at the beginning; they seemed like two different people.
"Don't talk about that nonsense. If I handed you over to the High Priest now, I might even be able to mend relations with him. You have nothing now, so why should you be my ally?"
"What can you give me?"
I didn't want to beat around the bush with Mr. A. After all, we had no real friendship; only a naked transactional relationship existed between us.
Earlier, a thought of killing Mr. A directly had crossed my mind. He was not a good person and my stance was completely opposed to his. He was physically no match for me, and eliminating him now to prevent future trouble would be ideal.
However, upon reflection, I simply couldn't believe this guy had no contingency plans. Perhaps I could extract more value from him.
It wouldn't be too late to turn on him after we dealt with the High Priest.
As for saying I would hand him over to the High Priest, that was purely a tactic to blackmail him into making concessions.
"Brother Bado, what are you saying? How could you possibly mend relations with the High Priest!"
Mr. A's eyes widened, looking incredulous.
"You should trust me the most right now, your brother who has been pushed to a dead end! Only I am completely on your side. Regardless of anything else, your warriors, while strong, can't even muster ten competent minds among them!"
"If we cooperate, it's not impossible for you to become the leader of the Du'an tribe in the end!"
Who is your Brother Bado? And look at yourself!
Are you worthy?
Damn it, I'm an undercover agent, about to replace Hu Tu and become the leader of the Du'an tribe? Is he trying to pull an undercover operation on me?!
This old man won't tell the truth if I don't push him!
"I don't need that. You're not offering any genuine, tangible benefits, which makes it really difficult for me!"
I took two steps closer to Mr. A, looking down at him. Though my words were casual, my eyes were full of threat.
This guy definitely has something hidden up his sleeve that he hasn't revealed yet. He didn't panic under my probing, which means he must have a backup plan!
"Alas, Brother Bado. You say that as if we're strangers. Forget it, forget it. I do have one more treasure. I originally wanted to take it back and cherish it, but since you've put it that way, I'll give it to you."
Mr. A put on a look of helplessness, then reached into his pocket and rummaged around. With a pained expression, he took out a small black box.
The old man is finally dropping some gold!
I reached out to take the small black box. Mr. A was still reluctant, but with a slight pull, I snatched it from his hand.
"You must treat it well!"
Two grown men, in the middle of the night, no need for such sentimental words!
If someone were to misunderstand, they'd think I stole your wife!
I examined the small black box in my hand carefully. It looked ordinary, nothing special.
"What's inside?"