Chainsaw Man, starting contract to cut down the Demon Line

Yan Liang's hands were forced to tighten, his five fingers pressing deeply into Machima's slender neck.

The pulse beats amplified in the palm of the hand.

"It's quite an interesting thing to strangle someone, Yan Liangjun."

Even with her throat constricted, Machima's voice remained frighteningly calm:

"Because this action means that the other person's life or death is completely in your hands."

"But right now, even though you're choking me..."

Leaning forward, Machima's bewitching eyes drew closer to Yan Liang once more, the distance between them growing ever smaller. So close that Yan Liang could feel the warm breath emanating from her mouth.

She spoke again, her voice like a devil's whisper:

"But whose life and death are truly in whose hands?"

Cold sweat trickled down Yan Liang's back. Just then, an extremely audacious thought suddenly surged into his mind.

The only condition for Machima to activate her domination is extremely idealistic. She doesn't need to defeat anyone with force; it's enough for her to unilaterally believe that "I am stronger than you" and that others are "weaker" than her.

Therefore, Yan Liang had subconsciously maintained a tough stance throughout his negotiations with Machima. But only now did he belatedly realize something—

To achieve the condition of "I am better than you", who says that others have to bow down and admit defeat?

You can think about it the other way around.

Yan Liang's mind flashed through various scenes of their previous interactions.

In fact, he had already noticed the discord. It was because, in Yan Liang's view, in her previous battles with Machima, Machima's methods were not particularly clever, and could even be described as clumsy.

But now that I think about it carefully, is it possible that those seemingly clumsy methods were actually intended to make me arrogant?

On the surface, in all the games, he was the one who pressed forward step by step and occupied a dominant position.

But what is the reality?

Was all of this something she had planned from the very beginning?! Was Machima deliberately leading her to become arrogant, so that she would lower her guard against her?

If this tense situation, including my rebellion against her, is all the result of her deliberate indulgence...

That would be terrifying.

Because when all of a person's strength, and even the thought of resistance, is under the control of another person, in Machima's eyes, wouldn't he be completely seen through?

At that point, Machima will naturally become convinced that she is stronger than him.

Thinking of this, Yan Liang felt a chill run down his spine.

No, I can't keep going along with her rhythm.

Immediately slamming on the brakes in his mind, Yan Liang forcefully cut off these chaotic thoughts.

These are all unproven speculations, uncertainties, and very likely just wishful thinking. His immediate priority is only one thing.

That is to regain the initiative.

"call……"

Yan Liang let out a long breath. In just two or three seconds, he had adjusted his state. His tense body relaxed.

The hand that was originally gripping Machima's neck was gradually loosened and withdrawn by him.

This action inevitably surprised Machima somewhat.

According to her preconceived script, Yan Liang would either become enraged and increase his force in order to prove himself, or he would reveal more flaws under her pressure.

But Yan Liang did let go, and not only did he let go, his facial expression also underwent a complete 180-degree turn.

"Ah... you saw right through me."

Yan Liang shrugged and put on a nonchalant smile.

Surprisingly, he actually admitted to the fact that was unfavorable to him:

"So, Machima, you're right, I am indeed afraid of you."

However, although Yan Liang said he was scared, his behavior at the moment was completely different from what he said.

Machima frowned slightly as she looked at Yan Liang's relaxed face.

"Yan Liangjun, is this your way of admitting defeat?" Maqima didn't make any rash moves and tried to probe again.

What do you think?

Yan Liang pursed his lips, met her gaze directly, and regained his usual composure:

“Machima, you seem to have made a mistake.”

“I’m afraid of you not because I think you’re stronger than me.” Yan Liang held up a finger and emphasized, “I’m afraid of you purely because I’m afraid of trouble.”

Machima's eyes flickered slightly:

"trouble?"

"That's right, troublesome." Yan Liang sighed and continued:

“I hate trouble the most. That’s why I’ve tolerated your tests again and again.”

Upon hearing this, Machima's smile gradually faded. Yan Liang, however, didn't give her a chance to catch her breath. He pressed his advantage, saying:

"Actually, you almost succeeded just now. You deliberately feigned weakness so you could guide me according to your methods, right?"

“But, Machima, you made a mistake.”

Yan Liang imitated Machima's tone from earlier:

"If you're really sure you're better than me, why did you ask me—'Yan Liangjun, is this considered admitting defeat?'"

"As the ruler, do you still need to seek the approval of the ruled?"

"You're asking me for confirmation, which just shows that deep down you're not sure either."

Having seized upon the loophole in her words, Yan Liang then laid out his conclusion.

The meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the soft thud of blood dripping onto the carpet.

Machima didn't speak, and the emotions surging in her eyes gradually subsided, making her look even more dangerous.

But Yan Liang didn't show any fear, and even had the mind to provoke her:

"If you think I'm wrong, if you really feel you can now be above me..."

"Then let's give it a try."

Yan Liang tilted his head and boldly said directly:

"Come, give me orders."

"Let's see if I... will listen to you."

Yan Liang sat on the blood-stained desk, waiting for Ma Qima's response with an impeccable posture.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

Finally, after a long standoff, the coldness in Machima's eyes receded like the tide.

She rubbed her neck, which Yan Liang had just pinched, leaving red marks. Then, that enigmatic smile returned to her face.

This time, however, the smile was less insincere and more fervent.

"Oh dear..."

Machima sighed softly, her voice as gentle as a whisper in a lover's ear.

She looked at Yan Liang sitting at the table, her golden eyes curving into beautiful crescent shapes:

“Yan Liangjun, I really think…”

"You're becoming more and more interesting."

Chapter 144 Fair Trade

Seeing Machima's delighted expression, as if he had discovered a new continent, Yan Liang lowered his eyelids and sneered silently in his heart.

This woman is indeed becoming increasingly troublesome.

He knew better than anyone that in that exchange just now, he had only narrowly made the right move.

Using the excuse of not wanting to cause trouble, they adopted a strategy of retreating to advance, which temporarily halted Machima's offensive.

But this doesn't mean he's won, nor does it mean we can let our guard down now.

However, no matter how wary he was, Yan Liang didn't forget to get down to business.

He nimbly leaped from the blood-stained desk and landed steadily on the carpet. He spoke in a cool, indifferent tone:

"Since you find it interesting, does that mean you've had enough fun?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Machima did not answer immediately.

She scrutinized Yan Liang's face for a moment, then nodded, a smile playing on her lips.

"Sure."

Machima's voice is so gentle it's as if it could drip water:

"Since Yan Liangjun has said so, let's have a proper talk on equal footing this time."

Yan Liang frowned upon hearing the word "equality" come out of Machima's mouth.

Only then did his tense nerves relax slightly.

This also confirmed one thing for him.

Just now, he wasn't being paranoid. If he had really been caught up in his emotions and continued to get angry following Machima's lead, he might have unknowingly stepped into Machima's trap.

"However, we need to clean the room first before we can talk."

Machima's gaze swept over the four headless corpses lying haphazardly beside the conference table, and the pool of blood still spreading on the ground.

"After all, I don't like talking to people in such a dirty and messy environment."

She casually raised her hand.

next second.

"Squeak...squeak..."

A series of dense rustling sounds emanated from the shadows surrounding the conference room.

In the ventilation ducts, under the door cracks, in the wall crevices… pairs of tiny, scarlet eyes lit up one after another in the darkness. Then, countless rats, like a bursting black tide, flooded into the conference room!

The enormous swarm of rats, like a well-trained army, pounced on the four mutilated corpses.

"Crack, crack—splat..."

In just a few dozen seconds, accompanied by the sounds of flesh being gnawed at, the headless corpses, along with the blood on the ground, were completely devoured by the rats.

"Susu..."

The swarm of rats, having eaten and drunk their fill, retreated once more like the tide, as if they had never been there.

If it weren't for the faint lingering smell of blood in the air, no one would be able to tell that a body had been lying there just minutes before.

As far as Yan Liang knows, Machima, who controls demons, can use the abilities of other demons by controlling them, and the upper limit is unknown. Therefore, she has all sorts of strange abilities, one of which is controlling small animals.

After doing all this, Machima acted as if nothing had happened, pointed to the chair opposite the conference table, and said in a gentle voice:

"Yan Liangjun, please have a seat."

Yan Liang didn't move immediately. He squinted until he was sure that Machima's oppressive, quagmire-like aura had subsided before he pulled out a chair and sat down.

"That's more like it."

Glancing at Machima, Yan Liang said mockingly:

"If you had shown this attitude from the beginning, you wouldn't have been so nervous."

Yan Liang went straight to the point, not wanting to say a single unnecessary word:

"Tell me, how do you want to trade?"

Faced with his less-than-polite attitude, Machima didn't press him as much as before. She smiled and explained softly: