Ralph Riley let out a heavy sigh, his aura fluctuating between high and low, clearly struggling with a difficult decision. He then turned to the man behind him and said, "Mr Pearce, are you trying to push my Clan into a hopeless situation?"
"Mr Riley, it's not as bad as you're making it." Melvin Pearce responded, but before he could continue, the leader of the Ink Pavilion group spoke.
"Perhaps you're worried about Commander Gardner's strength. I must inform you that while Commander Gardner is indeed formidable, he is not invincible." The leader said, "I know your family's patriarch is already at the level of a Half-State War Emperor. If he's willing to join forces with me, defeating Commander Gardner shouldn't be too difficult."
"As for the other members of SHADOW, except for Frostblade, they can be disregarded completely."
"I..." Ralph Riley took another deep breath.
"Mr Riley, you don't need to rush your decision. I'll give you three minutes to consider." The leader continued.
At this point, Andy Wade, who had been trying to leave, looked pale and addressed Billy, "Commander Gardner, I apologize for any offense today. I will come to apologize in person another day. For now, I take my leave."
With that said, he turned and walked toward the exit with his group. He deeply regretted his decision and wished he had never set foot in this mess.
"Governor Wade, are you leaving so soon?" Billy said calmly. "Don't you have anything else to say? Didn't you claim that only Piers Riley was colluding with Ink Pavilion?"
"..." Andy Wade's mouth twitched for a moment. "Commander Gardner, I..."
"Stay right where you are!" Billy interrupted him coldly. "Don't think about leaving halfway. Otherwise, you won't survive to see tomorrow."
Shivering, Andy remained rooted to the spot. He had no doubts about Billy's words. If he angered Commander Gardner, not even his superior would be able to save him.
"Commander Gardner, I've heard a lot about you!" The leader of Ink Pavilion spoke up, looking at Billy with casual indifference.
"Ink Pavilion members, you're boldly appearing here. You seem quite confident." Billy remarked with a faint smile.
"You're joking, Commander Gardner. Few people dare to claim they have confidence in front of you." the Ink Pavilion leader replied. "However, even if I lack confidence, I still want to give it a try."
"Is that so?" Billy smiled again.
"Commander Gardner, I respect you as a man. If you hand over the formula and then voluntarily reduce your cultivation level, I can offer you a way out." The leader said with a stern tone.
"What a fool!" Frostblade muttered.
"Commander Gardner, I know you're very strong and likely have already reached the War Emperor level," the leader continued, ignoring Frostblade. "But if I join forces with Mr Riley, even if we can't defeat you, we should be able to hold our own for a few hundred rounds. By then, these thirty people around you will likely have lost their lives. Unless you're willing to watch them die before your eyes, you have no chance today."
"Commander, you don't need to worry about us. A real man is not afraid of death!" Wally Hammond shouted loudly.
"A real man is not afraid of death!" the other thirty SHADOW members chanted in unison.
"Stop shouting. I know that SHADOW members are not afraid of death," the leader of Ink pavilion said with a cold smile. "But your commander won't just stand by and watch you die."
"You bastard, I'll kill you!" One of the SHADOW deputy leaders, a young man in his twenties, roared and was about to charge forward.
"Stop, Peters!" Frostblade sternly rebuked him.
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