Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 309 The bright card
He still felt that Xiao Lu was an unstable factor who could cause trouble at any time.

He was torn; he wanted Xiaolu to survive, but he also didn't want Xiaolu to hold him back.

For him, his relationship with Koji was indeed very good and rare, but it wasn't good enough to the point where he would trade his life for Koji's.

He wanted to leave Xiaolu a chance to survive, but this idea was based on the previous conditions.

He had previously thought that if the three opponents didn't make a clear decision about what to do with the four teammates he hadn't taken with him, in the best-case scenario, if they were just left to fend for themselves in the forest, Xiao Lu and the others might have a chance of survival when they woke up, if they were lucky.

So even if he didn't win against those three in the end, if Xiao Lu could survive, it would be a small comfort to him.

But if he could only choose one of them to live, he would definitely choose himself without hesitation.

If he himself was certain that he had no chance of survival, then being able to save Xiaolu was a fortunate thing.

But now the situation has completely changed. Now that the Jiang family guard on horseback has made the situation clear, he can no longer pretend to be stupid.

The question posed by the Jiang family guard on horseback was clearly heard by the two teammates who were still conscious on the field.

His two conscious teammates—the one pinned to the ground by a dagger beside him, and the one who had lost an arm and was sitting in the distance waiting for his leader—would both likely know his plans.

Therefore, if he ignores the four teammates who are lying on the ground after being drugged, he will not be able to give a good explanation to the two conscious teammates, even if the two rescued who are able to follow their leader are the two conscious teammates.

This action will inevitably plant a seed of doubt in the hearts of those two people.

At a certain point, the two of them had to consider that since their leader could abandon his four teammates, including Xiao Lu's four teammates, for their sake, he might also abandon them in a critical moment.

Whether it was forced or a voluntary choice, this is how things ended.

The current situation is the same. Whether the core leader chose to ignore Xiao Lu and the other three on his own initiative or was forced to make this choice, it was a choice made by the core leader himself, and it was not even a choice made under threat of having a knife to his throat.

If the leader fails to handle this matter properly, the two will soon realize that they too have been used by the leader, and their fate may very well be the same as the other four, being ruthlessly abandoned by the leader at some point.

So, since he was going to do it anyway, he might as well do it better. Therefore, even if he didn't want to, he had to grit his teeth and reveal the trump card he held in his hand, exposing one of their strongholds to the three of them.

He understood perfectly well that at this point, it would be unwise to continue haggling with the three people opposite him.

He didn't have a better option right now, so he might as well be straightforward and tell the three of them his cards. This might make the three of them unconsciously increase their trust in him.

Even if it were just a matter of being forced into it, he would be happy to do it even if it only increased the possibility of the other party trusting him by a little bit. Not to mention that this move could also greatly increase the trust of his two conscious teammates in him.

Having made up his mind, the backbone took a step forward, as if he had digested all the emotions in his heart. At least, he did not show any displeasure on his face.

He said to the Jiang family guard on horseback, "Don't worry, sir, it won't take up much of your time. But I'll trouble you to come with me. I'll be able to get the horse."

Upon hearing this, the Jiang family guard on horseback was naturally puzzled. They were already some distance from the city gate, in such a desolate place, so where did the horses come from?

Meanwhile, the two teammates who were still conscious and sitting on the ground in a similar position immediately guessed the leader's intention.

The two of them naturally knew where the horse their leader had mentioned came from, and they were both taken aback. They clearly hadn't expected their leader to be willing to expose their well-hidden hideout.

He was willing to reveal a trump card for the sake of his teammates, even though one of the four was Xiaolu, with whom he had a good relationship, but there were three other teammates who didn't get along with him and didn't have much affection for him.

Not to mention that the three teammates didn't give their leader a kind look after the rumors started.

To the pillar and his teammate in the distance, who had lost an arm and was the backbone of the team, it was actually quite unbelievable.

Their previous impression of their leader was that he was shrewd and calculating. If he wanted to take Xiao Lu with him, he could simply replace either of them with Xiao Lu. There was no need to go through the trouble of bargaining with the three of them, let alone pay such a high price.

Therefore, this action actually made them both think more deeply about their backbone.

And this is exactly the effect that the core leadership wants to achieve.

If the two teammates he chooses find him to be a reliable, generous, and easygoing person, then they will be more adept at using him in future operations. They will also be more obedient to his orders and cooperate well with him.

Therefore, even if the core leader reveals a trump card, he still gains something if he considers the overall situation.

Since the guard on horseback had presented him with such a difficult problem, he decided to go with the flow. In order to show that he was willing to share secrets with the three of them, and to make them think that he still had a trump card to save his life, he would greatly increase the value of the backbone in the eyes of Jiang Xian and the other two.

However, the higher the value of the backbone in the eyes of Jiang Xian and the other two, the more secure the backbone's life will be, and naturally, the longer they will live.

The subsequent development of the matter will naturally have to be observed step by step, because the leader knows in his heart that he is just a mortal who is good at scheming and can read people's hearts. He cannot manipulate the other party when the enemy is strong and he is weak.

He can't do this.

If he could do that, he wouldn't have been stuck in the team by his boss for so long.

Given the current situation, direct exposure is actually a better option.

The Jiang family guard on horseback, who had overheard the leader's words, was still somewhat puzzled by them. He was curious about where the leader would go to retrieve the horses.

He also wanted to see what tricks the leader was up to. Was he trying to use this as an excuse to leave, lure them to a pre-arranged ambush location, and then escape, shake them off, or even outmaneuver them? Or was it really true, as the leader claimed, that they could find horses? He couldn't tell yet.

However, if the leader in front of them is not playing any tricks and can successfully bring the horses, then the leader and the team behind him are definitely not ordinary bandits.

The fact that they could find a place that could provide horses in a deserted place suggests either that these thugs were there to meet them, or that they might be up to something else.

Because in such a desolate place, there is actually not much business to be done.

Therefore, renting and selling horses near this desolate forest doesn't seem like a profitable business at all.

He had been working for the Jiang family for a long time. The Jiang family was a major business family in Yingzhou, so even if the family head Jiang Yuan did not personally teach him, he was able to understand many things about sound faster than others through long-term exposure.

If it's something relatively simple, there's no need for others to tell him. With more experience, he'll naturally learn some business methods and be able to see some things to pay attention to and be mindful of when doing business.

Therefore, if there really is a place near this desolate forest where he can get horses, he will have to suspect the background of the group of people opposite him, whether they are standing or lying on the ground.

He naturally couldn't make a decision lightly on such a crucial matter; he still needed to consult Jiang Xian before acting.

In fact, he had guessed pretty much right. The core leader didn't intend to hide anything; the trump card in his hand was the support from nearby.

Although the Jiang family guard on horseback had decided to ask Jiang Xian's opinion before making any rash moves, the most important thing now was to find out the whole story.

His tone remained emotionless as he addressed the leader, asking, "Where?"

Faced with the question from the Jiang family guard, the leader did not hesitate for long and answered him directly, saying, "It's not far away. Although I can go alone, if you could trouble one of you to go with me, I think it would put your minds at ease."

As soon as he finished speaking, the leader carefully but subtly observed the expressions and actions of the three people opposite him.

After a long silence, seeing that the Jiang family guards remained silent after hearing his answer, he turned to the young master among the three and said, "Please rest assured, everyone. I only wish to take my brothers back and dare not harbor any other improper thoughts. As for that place, very few people know about it, so it is quite safe. There are indeed some ambushes on the road, but you don't need to be nervous. I will lead you to avoid them."

To anyone who heard this, the core leader's words sounded very sincere.

He even thoughtfully reminded the other party about setting up an ambush, directly stating the ambush plan.

Although the leader's words were in response to the question from the Jiang family guard on horseback, they were actually addressed to Jiang Xian.

The leader clearly understood who the real person in charge was among the three people opposite him, so he needed to use "sincerity" to dispel Jiang Xian's suspicions in order to better facilitate the matter.

For the core leader, whether or not he could take the four people with him was not a big deal; he just needed to do his best.

He didn't have any better ideas yet regarding whether to take Xiaolu with him.

Actually, he didn't know what was going on, but he felt more and more that if he didn't take the four people lying on the ground with him, Xiao Lu would have a chance to survive.

He had a strange thought in his mind: the young master opposite him wouldn't easily resort to violence.

But obviously all of this was in vain, so he stopped thinking about these things.

All he had to do now was to follow this line of reasoning. Because of the mystery and value he possessed, the people on the other side wouldn't kill him now, but he also couldn't provoke them. He understood this very well.

If the ideas proposed by the three people opposite him are difficult to refuse, then he can only follow their ideas. Otherwise, if he angers them, they might not even consider the dispensable benefits that his mystery and value bring them.

Therefore, this is why the core leader has been trying to guess the identity of the person on the other side.

If the person opposite him is not a wealthy individual who needs his possessions, then he can be absolutely fearless, as he has a trump card to save his life.

However, if the person opposite him is a wealthy person in disguise, then he will have a harder time dealing with them.

The larger the family, the more things they control, and the wider their influence extends.

Large households can do whatever they want, but small households cannot.

Therefore, if the person opposite is indeed from a wealthy family, their thoughts will be even more unpredictable, and it will be difficult to figure out their behavior.

He was wary of this, so even though he was somewhat fearless, he still didn't dare to be too arrogant and put on a high profile.

Although he felt the wait was rather long this time, he didn't find it agonizing, unlike the previous wait which had made him tremble with fear.

He still didn't have a good idea about Xiaolu's future, and all he could do now was leave it to fate.

Anything that struggles is futile in the face of absolute power.

Since he had not yet received a reply, the leader was already thinking about where he was going next.

However, he did consider taking a gamble by using the ambushes he had already set up at the next destination, but he couldn't think of a way to take down the other side in one fell swoop, so he eventually gave up on the idea.

He always prioritizes stability in his actions. According to his calculations, if he feels there is no chance of survival, he can take a gamble. However, if there is still a possibility of escape, he will always prioritize stability.

(End of this chapter)