"I've collaborated with you many times before, but it was always through other contacts. Now, I have urgent matters to attend to in Sang Country, so I've contacted you directly," Shangguan Zhongtang said.
Upon hearing Shangguan Zhongtang's words, Sakata Chong immediately knew who was on the other end of the line.
If it were before his dealings with Su Yang, Sakata Chong might have shown Shangguan Zhongtang great respect.
However, at this moment, having already made a deal with Su Yang and betrayed Shangguan Zhongtang, Sakata Chong felt somewhat uneasy facing him.
"Shangguan Zhongtang?" Sakata Chong voiced his uncertainty, a hint of doubt in his tone.
After all, he had been contacted by far too many intermediaries; Shangguan Zhongtang was hardly the only one.
Hearing Sakata Chong's question, a cold laugh came from the other end of the line. "You should address me as Commander."
Sakata Chong's immediate thought was, Commander? Is your rank still intact?
But he couldn't voice this thought, as it would expose him.
Moreover, Sakata Chong, as the head of the Assassination Hall, had a certain shrewdness about him.
Shangguan Zhongtang calling him now meant he would undoubtedly seek further contact and likely come to Sang Country.
What if he could extract information about Shangguan Zhongtang and relay it to Su Yang?
Sakata Chong pondered if Su Yang might then readily hand over the ten billion to him.
Having cooperated with Shangguan Zhongtang for so many years and completed numerous missions, the money Shangguan Zhongtang had paid him was less than the deposit Su Yang had given him on their first transaction.
Tempted by profit, Sakata Chong had no hesitation in betraying Shangguan Zhongtang.
"Commander, why have you suddenly called me personally in the middle of the night?"
Hearing Sakata Chong's question, Shangguan Zhongtang let out another cold snort.
"You haven't completed a single task I assigned you. You took the money, but the targets are still alive. Do you know why I'm calling you in the middle of the night?" Shangguan Zhongtang didn't directly mention his impending trip to Sang Country and his need for Sakata Chong's assistance. Instead, he first reprimanded Sakata Chong.
Sakata Chong replied, "Commander, you know my usual efficiency. As soon as the mission was issued, I dispatched my men. Now, both of my capable teams have vanished. I have no one to turn to."
"Don't tell me that. I paid you. You just need to complete the mission. Why are you complaining to me?"
"I'm not complaining, Commander... I'm just wondering, who exactly is this Su Yang?"
"What kind of person is he that two of my top assassins have gone missing while attempting to assassinate him?"
Sakata Chong spoke from the heart; he genuinely had no idea who Su Yang was.
Despite his current alliance with Su Yang, Sakata Chong could only marvel at Su Yang's financial resources and intelligence. He knew nothing about Su Yang's true nature.
"How should I know?!" Shangguan Zhongtang exclaimed in frustration. "If I knew what kind of person Su Yang was, why would I be in this predicament now?"
"What predicament, Commander?" Sakata Chong inquired.
"That's not something you need to know. However, there's an eighty percent chance of a major confrontation between Su Yang and me in Sang Country, and I need your help."
Hearing this, Sakata Chong realized it was largely as he had anticipated when Shangguan Zhongtang first called.
Shangguan Zhongtang intended to seek Sakata Chong's assistance.
Unfortunately, due to Shangguan Zhongtang's difficulty in contacting Sakata Chong and his inability to do so openly in front of Tang Shanhe and others, Sakata Chong had already been contacted by Su Yang.
Furthermore, Su Yang's offer was one that Sakata Chong could absolutely not refuse, making it impossible for him to work for anyone else.
However, faced with Shangguan Zhongtang's request for help, Sakata Chong could feign cooperation and then gather information for Su Yang.
Perhaps, if Su Yang was in a good mood, he might even offer Sakata Chong more money.
At this thought, Sakata Chong felt an urge to laugh.
"Commander, we've been cooperating for so many years, yet we've never met. This time, we finally have an opportunity to meet, don't we?"
Hearing Sakata Chong's words, Shangguan Zhongtang grunted. "Indeed. But if it weren't for this troublesome Su Yang, I suppose we would never have met."
"Now, I need you to mobilize all the forces of your Assassination Hall to the coastline to welcome me and assist me."
After Shangguan Zhongtang finished speaking, Sakata Chong remained silent for a moment. It wasn't silence out of hesitation, but rather a wait for Shangguan Zhongtang to elaborate, perhaps on the benefits he would offer.
However, Shangguan Zhongtang didn't mention any benefits and instead asked, "Why aren't you speaking?"
"Uh..." Since Shangguan Zhongtang hadn't mentioned it, Sakata Chong felt compelled to bring it up. Even though he was now working for Su Yang, he had to play the part convincingly to make Shangguan Zhongtang believe him.
"Commander, it's not that I'm not speaking. If you want me to gather all the forces of the Assassination Hall to assist you, what is the price?"
"What did you say?!" Shangguan Zhongtang was furious upon hearing Sakata Chong demand money.
Sakata Chong inwardly scoffed at Shangguan Zhongtang.
Before meeting Su Yang, Sakata Chong had considered Shangguan Zhongtang quite generous, often paying millions for missions, which was quite substantial.
But compared to Su Yang, what was Shangguan Zhongtang?
Millions were meager amounts. He wanted Sakata Chong to mobilize the entire Assassination Hall, yet he was unwilling to pay.
"Commander, we are an assassination organization, and we are also businessmen. If you want me to deploy all my forces to help you, it requires payment. We cannot assist you for free," Sakata Chong explained.
While explaining to Shangguan Zhongtang, he rolled his eyes on the other end of the phone.
Shangguan Zhongtang, standing on the deck, was so angered by Sakata Chong that he felt like throwing his phone into the sea.
He had absolutely not expected Sakata Chong to act this way.
But on second thought, it made sense.
However, Shangguan Zhongtang had incurred significant expenses in assembling this force and purchasing numerous weapons, leaving him financially strained.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm his anger, Shangguan Zhongtang asked, "How much do you want?"
Sakata Chong cautiously inquired, "How much can the Commander offer?"
"Five million."
Sakata Chong's eyes nearly rolled out of his head on the other end of the phone.
Five million. That wasn't even a tenth of the deposit Su Yang had given him.
This paltry sum was something Sakata Chong no longer even considered.
"Commander, five million has always been the price for a single mission before. That was the price for one to three of my teams to complete a task. If you want me to deploy the entire strength of the Assassination Hall to help you... five million might not be enough."
"Five million isn't enough?!" Shangguan Zhongtang's beard trembled with rage.
He wanted to roar, but simultaneously worried about waking Tang Shanhe and the others.
If Tang Shanhe and his group discovered that Shangguan Zhongtang was still in contact with people from Sang Country, it would undoubtedly give Tang Shanhe leverage over him.
This was absolutely unacceptable.
"How much do you want?" Shangguan Zhongtang gripped the railing tightly and said, "You know me. I've always been relatively generous. Over the years, I've never delayed payments for missions.
Furthermore, my cooperation with your Assassination Hall spans over twenty years.
If I recall correctly, the first mission you received after succeeding as Hall Master was from me. The benefits were substantial. Our twenty-year friendship, and our continued cooperation in the future. Now that I'm in trouble, can't you help me out?"
Hearing Shangguan Zhongtang speak of their long-standing relationship, Sakata Chong felt even more disdainful.
From the moment he took over, Sakata Chong knew that one should not discuss favors with employers.
His father had nearly led the Assassination Hall to ruin precisely because he had discussed favors with an employer.
Later, after Sakata Chong took charge of the Assassination Hall, he had to expend considerable effort to elevate it to the number one position among the seven major assassination organizations.
Did discussing favors with employers yield benefits?
This was Sakata Chong's thought process.
However, at this moment, Sakata Chong was working for Su Yang.
Therefore, any talk of favors with Shangguan Zhongtang was disingenuous.
Regardless of the circumstances, Sakata Chong's sole principle was to act for money.
"Commander is right... When the Assassination Hall was in peril, you gave us a glimmer of hope. Over the years, you have consistently looked out for the Assassination Hall. If we speak of friendship, I should indeed help you unconditionally.
However, I am first and foremost a businessman. Ten million, Commander, is the maximum discount I can offer you, considering our twenty years of friendship.
I can help you unconditionally, but please consider the strength of my twelve teams. They still need to eat."
By revealing this information, Sakata Chong intentionally or unintentionally wanted to inform Shangguan Zhongtang of the forces at his disposal, which could be seen as a temptation.
On the other hand, if Shangguan Zhongtang transferred the money, Sakata Chong would make another small profit.
No one would complain about having too much money.
After Sakata Chong finished speaking, Shangguan Zhongtang remained silent for a long time.
Sakata Chong could imagine how furious Shangguan Zhongtang must be at this moment.
But Sakata Chong was no longer afraid of Shangguan Zhongtang, as he now had a more significant employer.
He was a citizen of Sang Country, not Dragon Country, so he wasn't afraid of Shangguan Zhongtang's retaliation. Moreover, Shangguan Zhongtang's current situation... he likely couldn't establish himself in Dragon Country anymore.
Shangguan Zhongtang was silent for a full three minutes. After mentally "killing" Sakata Chong tens of thousands of times, he finally spoke.
"I agree. Ten million. But you must commit all your forces and use your full strength to help me."
Upon hearing Shangguan Zhongtang's words, Sakata Chong smiled. He tried his best to suppress his laughter and replied, "Commander, rest assured. The previous missions were not considered completed, so this time, I will definitely do my utmost to help you.
Also, Commander, are you arriving in Sang Country soon?"