"Yabo, calm down."
A Li, of the grain-gathering team, stared intently at the people surrounding them, armed with various weapons. The man with the hooked nose in the center whispered with a grave expression.
"Before things escalate, take your people and leave quickly."
"I never imagined I'd run into you."
Yabo, the hooked-nosed man, looked at the familiar face before him and smiled, shaking his head with a sigh.
Upon receiving news of the grain-gathering team's return to the city, he had led his men back. He never expected that the first time he attempted to rob grain, he would encounter an old acquaintance.
"Hand over the food, and I won't make things difficult for you."
Fixing his gaze on A Li, Yabo pointed to the ground with the steel saber in his hand.
"This food is for the refugees, to be distributed by the city lord. If you take it, how will those refugees survive?" A Li asked, his brows furrowed. "Yabo, if you truly lack food, I can, on my own authority, leave some for you. You can also join us on hunts when we go out next time. Our Hurricane City is vast and resource-rich; it's not difficult to find provisions."
"I appreciate your kindness."
A Li smiled and shook his head, then glanced at the wounded members of his grain-gathering team.
"Look at how pathetic you all look after gathering some grain. I don't want my brothers to end up like you. As I said, leave the food, and I won't make things difficult for you."
"Yabo!"
"A Li!"
Yabo, seemingly losing his patience, shouted out.
"This is the greatest concession I can offer you. Because of our past relationship, I won't act against you. Don't wear out my patience. You should know my intentions for doing this; don't hinder me anymore."
A Li, clenching his fists, remained silent for a long time.
The other members of the grain-gathering team also looked grave, observing the separatists outside who greatly outnumbered them, waiting for A Li to make a decision.
A Li understood Yabo's intentions.
Before Hurricane City was divided, A Li and Yabo had been friends for many years. On the eve of the city's chaos, Yabo had contacted A Li late at night, mentioning his thoughts.
A Li understood Yabo's starting point, though certain ideas clashed with his own.
The two parted ways unhappily.
Yabo, as he had said, gathered a faction within the city and became a member of the separatist faction. A Li, on the other hand, joined the City Lord's mansion.
This was their first meeting after the city had descended into chaos.
"This city isn't as bad as you think," A Li said, his gaze fixed on Yabo's eyes. "Our acting city lord, Clay, is someone who wants to get things done. You can feel it from how he treats the refugees. I also met our new city lord of Hurricane City while gathering grain. This city will get better."
"You, you've been fooled by the hypocritical masks of those in power."
Yabo grinned and laughed loudly, saying, "Do nobles ever truly see the common folk as people? Are there any nobles like that in the entire Tatu Kingdom? They are the most hypocritical. Now, amidst the city's unrest, they put on a show of caring for the city and its people, winning over some loyal fools to their side. Once everything settles, they'll reveal their true colors, transforming into parasites that suck everyone's blood. You say Clay is someone who gets things done, so I ask you... have the taxes changed?"
"At a time like this, are taxes important?"
A Li looked at Yabo with disbelief.
"Regardless of whether the taxes have changed, who in this city has paid taxes in the last six months? The city is in such disarray; tax regulations are just a formality."
"But even if it's a formality, he's unwilling to even pretend for us!" Yabo shouted.
A Li fell silent at the angry roar. When he heard Yabo speak those words, he knew clearly that there was no possibility of negotiation left between them.
Yabo had completely gotten stuck in a rut and couldn't get out.
No matter what anyone said to him, he wouldn't listen. His entire mind was focused on overthrowing the city's regime, on sitting in that high position to bring about change.
He was, perhaps, too extreme.
"By doing this, you will harm the people behind you," A Li said with a sigh in his eyes. "Yabo, you are no longer simply seeking change; your intentions are no longer pure. I don't deny your strength, and it's impossible for us to break through your blockade. However, our new city lord is no pushover. You cannot move him, nor can you break him. He is already on his way into the city. If you give up now, there's still a chance for redemption. If you wait until the new city lord arrives... the new city lord is not like Lord Clay. Once he enters the city, the internal strife will be instantly cleared!"
"I don't care."
Yabo looked coldly into A Li's eyes and snorted.
"Survival of the fittest. If I lose, it's my own incompetence. I won't surrender my fate into anyone else's hands; I only trust myself!"
"The food, leave it, and I'll let you go."
With their words at this point, A Li knew further negotiation was meaningless. He took a deep breath and tapped his bracelet, dropping the food they had hunted onto the ground.
"Let us go."
"Leave your rings and bracelets too," Yabo said, raising his saber and pointing it at the spatial artifacts of A Li's grain-gathering team.
"Yabo, don't go too far. We've given you the food."
"If you had said this to me six months ago, I would have believed you unconditionally. But now..." Yabo grinned, "I don't believe you. Listen to me and leave them all. I won't touch your personal belongings; I only want the food."
"Yabo, why waste words with them? Just cut them down."
Just then, hundreds of people armed with weapons approached them from the distance of the street, a dark mass that completely sealed off the entire area.
The one-eyed leader wore a ferocious smile on his face.
"If you ask me, their personal belongings shouldn't be returned either. You're too kind. Never mind, I'll be the bad guy. Hand over everything valuable you have, or don't blame us for turning hostile."
"Alvin!"
Yabo stared at the one-eyed man, his expression becoming increasingly heavy.
"How did you get here? You've crossed the line."
"You can't blame me for that. Look at my hundreds of men, but my area has no oil or water," Alvin said with a grin, playing with the saber in his hand. "I have to live."
"That's your problem, not an excuse for you to cross the line."
"Why be so uptight?" Alvin still had a smile on his face. "I've crossed the line. Let's discuss reorganizing the territory. How about this: I'll declare this area mine, and I'll give you the three refugee streets in the south city in exchange."
"Are you trying to start a war, Alvin!"
Yabo snarled through gritted teeth. Alvin grinned for a long time, revealing his golden teeth, then instantly retracted his gaze.
"You said it, not me."
"Perfect. I was also thinking the meat from this grain-gathering team was a bit small. I'll just take you all along, and that should be enough for my brothers to have a good time for a while."
"Brothers, cut them down!"