Chapter 486 - 495: Discussion, Secretly Collecting
Chapter 486: Chapter 495: Discussion, Secretly Collecting
"Haha! So it *is* the Three Tigers Corps. I thought there was no one left from their little group. Looks like I was wrong. Some are left, they just didn’t dare to show themselves. Hiding in the dark like rats!"
After getting a clear look at them, the first group to arrive pointed at Hunter Night and roared with laughter, their voices dripping with contempt.
The other two factions looked at Hunter Night and his group, their faces breaking into knowing smiles.
They had all been able to find this place for one reason: they were targeting the Three Tigers Corps.
After all, Veridia was teeming with countless factions, large and small, but their own territories were the closest to one another.
Normally, if there was even the slightest whisper of movement, the others would be watching closely. They were afraid one group might get their hands on something without the others knowing, which would put them at a disadvantage.
Sometimes, falling behind one step meant falling behind forever. So, they all kept a close eye on each other.
The Three Tigers Corps had certainly been secretive about this operation, but the other factions naturally had their ways of finding out.
They had people watching them from the very beginning. No matter what the Three Tigers Corps did, they were being watched.
They had been covert this time, keeping their distance, precisely to let the Three Tigers Corps think their plan was seamless and that no one had discovered them.
That way, they could let the Three Tigers Corps make the first move, while they themselves swooped in at the end to reap the rewards.
As a result, they only knew the Three Tigers Corps was heading to this area. But when the time came, no one tailed them directly, so the corps members remained completely unaware.
Because of that, their own people had nearly lost the trail.
If they hadn’t spotted another faction tailing them, they never would have found this place.
For a moment, all three factions actually stopped fighting and turned to look at Hunter Night.
In that instant, it was as if they had reached a silent agreement: first, they would deal with the handful of people from the Three Tigers Corps.
Of all people, they despised Hunter Night the most. They were all in the same game, so what right did he have to have the best reputation out there?
It made them feel like failures in comparison.
Hunter Night watched them calmly, his eyes flickering for a moment. "Everyone," he said, "let’s talk this out. My Three Tigers Corps may have discovered this place first, but we have no intention of keeping it all for ourselves. Since we’re all here now, what do you say we do this? We split all the supplies here equally among our groups!"
"That way, we can avoid fighting to the death, which would only benefit someone else in the end."
Hearing this, the men across from him hesitated, apparently considering his proposal.
There were so many supplies here; everyone wanted them all for themselves. The problem was, their factions were all evenly matched. No single group had the strength to take everything.
If a real fight broke out, with this many people involved, the casualties would be immense. It just wasn’t worth it.
But just then, the slightly heavyset leader of the first group to arrive sneered at Hunter Night. "Split it equally? Don’t be ridiculous. There are only four of you. We’ll just get rid of you first. Then, when we split it, it’ll be between the three of *us*."
"That’s right, that’s right!"
As soon as he said that, another faction leader immediately chimed in. "Hunter Night, it looks like you still don’t grasp the situation. You’re at a serious numerical disadvantage here. If you want an equal share, you need the strength to back it up!"
Suddenly, the arrival of the small group from the Three Tigers Corps seemed to have united the rival factions.
These three factions had initially been ready to fight each other to the death, each hoping to claim all the supplies for themselves. But now, it was as if they were of one mind. They would eliminate the Three Tigers Corps first, and then the three of them would figure out how to divide the loot.
Hunter Night didn’t panic. He looked at them and said, "Are you sure you’ll be able to split everything equally after you’ve dealt with us? Don’t forget, just a moment ago, not a single one of you wanted to share!"
"When the time comes to fight us, whoever puts in the most effort is going to be weakened by the end, right? Wouldn’t that just make things easier for everyone else?"
Stella Sterling stood to the side, simply watching them, not yet saying a word.
Secretly, however, she was already gathering the supplies. While everyone’s attention was elsewhere, she began transferring the items into her space, bit by bit.
’I hadn’t planned on doing this,’ she thought. ’After all, Hunter Night seems like a decent guy. He promised to split things by headcount, and I had no problem with that at first.’
’That’s why I didn’t secretly stash anything in my space earlier.’
’But now... well, the situation has changed!’
’Hunter Night’s plan was to split the supplies with these newcomers.’
’From Hunter Night’s perspective, he wasn’t wrong. They only had a few people. Taking on even one of these factions would be a struggle, let alone several groups at once.’
’Rather than fighting them head-on, it was better to take a step back and split the supplies. That way, he could avoid casualties for his own people and still get a share of the food. Combined with the portion they had already sent back, Hunter Night wouldn’t come out at a loss!’
’But Stella Sterling saw things differently. Originally, she just had to split the goods with Hunter Night’s group. If they had to split it with these three other factions, and *then* she had to get her share from Hunter Night’s smaller portion... well, the amount she’d receive would be a whole lot less.’
’It wasn’t that she was desperate for the food, but these newcomers had done nothing. She, on the other hand, had just spent all that time digging and put in so much effort. The thought of letting these people benefit for free was really pissing her off.’
’When it was just a matter of splitting with the Three Tigers Corps, she would have felt too awkward to do this. But these factions that showed up later? They had nothing to do with her. They were just a bunch of vultures looking to freeload off her hard work. With them, she felt no such qualms.’
’If it weren’t for all the eyes on them, especially with members of the Three Tigers Corps still present, making it impossible to openly move everything into her space, she’d be tempted to just take it all.’
For now, the four groups seemed to be locked in a stalemate of arguments, with no one making a rash move.
They were all weighing their options: fight to the bitter end and let the sole survivor claim the massive hoard of food...
...or play it safe, avoid bloodshed, and split the goods with everyone.
After some time, one of the men finally spoke up. "Ah, forget it. I’m out here looking for supplies to stay alive, not to die. There’s so much stuff here, even if we split it, everyone will still get plenty!"