Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 242 - 98: Monopoly by Three, Generating Gratitude_2

Chapter 242: Chapter 98: Monopoly by Three, Generating Gratitude_2

Now, as he took the initiative to come here and extend an "invitation" for dialogue, there’s no doubt he has only a handful of possible purposes.

Either he intends to defect.

Or he aims to purge the court.

Or he wants to collaborate in secret.

But regardless of which aim, at the core, he wants to leverage support.

And leveraging support, of course, comes at a price.

Chen Jian wanted to know what exactly he could pay in return.

However, Zhang Tao, despite his seemingly rash demeanor, had quite an astute mind.

He didn’t give Chen Jian the answer he sought, but instead said respectfully:

"Without a doubt, you and your team are the strongest on this land. Your team descended like heroes from legend, saving the entire Jinling City and tens of thousands of civilians lives."

"Just that is enough to command respect."

"Hence, it’s quite normal to want you to know my name."

"After all, it’s a kind of glory, isn’t it?"

"....Are you in the Guard Brigade specifically tasked with flattery?"

Chen Jian asked with a slight sneer.

"Depends on the target."

Zhang Tao replied earnestly:

"I certainly wouldn’t flatter everyone; you have to see if they’re worthy first."

"Very well."

Chen Jian waved his hand and then said:

"I remember your name now, you can leave."

"As you command."

Zhang Tao bowed deeply, then tugged Jin Zhong, who stood nearby, and retreated towards the door.

Watching their departing figures, Chen Jian couldn’t help but shake his head, muttering:

"What on earth was that...."

....

And just as the two exited the manor and reached a deserted spot, Jin Zhong almost immediately blocked Zhang Tao in a corner, then fiercely questioned:

"Do you know what you are doing?"

"Do you realize if everything you said today reaches the Saint, what awaits you?"

"Zhang Tao, what on earth has happened to you??"

"How could you become so reckless, so disloyal, so... blasphemous!"

"You’ve exposed the Saint’s intentions to outsiders!"

"Even if such intentions aren’t hard to detect, it is absolutely not a reason for your exchange!"

"You shouldn’t..."

"Shut up."

Zhang Tao sighed heavily, not answering Jin Zhong’s accusations, but instead asked:

"Brother, do you know why you’re still alive now?"

This question caused all of Jin Zhong’s actions to freeze on the spot.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally responded:

"I know, it’s because of those Huaxia Army."

"But..."

"There is no but."

Zhang Tao interrupted Jin Zhong once more, then said:

"The Saint wants you dead, but the Huaxia Army let you live."

"Don’t you understand? Compared to the Saint, compared to the church, perhaps they are more worthy allies."

"Do you really want to defect??"

Jin Zhong’s tone was severe, but Zhang Tao remained unfazed.

"I’ve never said I want to defect, nor do I intend to defect."

"I can only tell you one thing."

"After staying in Jinghai for so long, I must find a new way for myself, for the warriors under my command."

"And the Huaxia Army is where this path lies."

"Don’t be evasive with me!"

Jin Zhong stared into Zhang Tao’s eyes, painstakingly asking:

"Are you or are you not going to betray the sect? Answer me, yes or no!"

"No."

Zhang Tao answered without a hint of guilt, enunciating clearly:

"I absolutely will not betray the sect."

"I just need to take some actions to correct the mistakes that have already occurred here."

"What mistakes?"

Jin Zhong questioned further.

"....Don’t tell me you haven’t realized where the mistakes lie."

"Haven’t you noticed, over these decades, the Pope’s authority has grown excessively?"

"Haven’t you noticed that over the decades, the worship of the God of All Mechanisms, the Holy Trinity, has gradually been overshadowed by the adoration of the Saint?"

"Haven’t you noticed that even those impoverished people now express gratitude to the Saint?"

"Don’t you understand what this means?"

"...I don’t know."

Jin Zhong replied, not in agreement with his own heart, while Zhang Tao unabashedly stated:

"The Mechanical God Sect has a significant problem."

"The monopoly of power makes people cowardly, the monopoly of resources makes people poor, the monopoly of information makes people ignorant."

"And the monopoly of all three makes people grateful."

"The teachings of the Holy Trinity are not like this."

"It’s wrong, and someone has to correct it."

"But, not now."

"....Why are you telling me this?"

Jin Zhong took a deep breath and then said:

"With just a word from me, you could fall into the abyss."

"You won’t."

Zhang Tao smiled confidently, then said:

"After all, you are the one who has truly seen the strongest side of the Huaxia Army, and the only one who has been to their base."

"How could you not be tempted?"

"Right, brother?"

....

Meanwhile, inside the Holy Hall of the Mechanical God Sect.

The Saint still sat imposingly on his "throne," and the black-clothed archbishop, who personally commanded the great expedition and later returned in disgrace, continued to serve closely.

The sunlight from the dome fell upon the Saint, and the dazzling glare made him involuntarily close his eyes.

After a long pause, he spoke:

"It’s less than 3 hours until the deadline given by the Huaxia Army, and the main force of the Guard Brigade hasn’t arrived at Jinling."

"We no longer have any chances, perhaps we must make some compromises to exchange for more time."

"Execute their third demand."

"Send them some of our information first to stall for time."

"Then, prepare the ’bargaining chips’ needed for the negotiations."

"Especially concerning the mineral resources they’ve requested from the Jiangnan Chamber of Commerce: salpeter, coal, iron ore, mercury, and other rare metals..."

"These can all be given to them."

"Considering our current technology, most resources can’t even be utilized."

"Instead of letting those resources oxidize, decay, and rust in warehouses, it’s better to give them to them, let them build what we want."

"After all, no matter who builds it, it ultimately belongs to us...."

"...Isn’t this somewhat... too risky?"

The Archbishop hesitated slightly and asked:

"Even for us, rare metals are scarce resources. If we want to further manufacture more advanced artillery, or replicate large cannons, these rare metals are indispensable special steel materials."

"If we give it to them... we’ll lag even further behind."

"It doesn’t matter, we are already behind."

The Saint shook his head gently, then said:

"We have no chance of defeating them; only monsters can defeat them."

"They’ve created such a commotion, it’s impossible for the beasts not to notice."

"The beast tide is probably about to happen, and with their current strength, how can they possibly withstand the beast tide?"

"We only need to add fuel to the fire that’s already ignited with the beast tide."

"Once those undefeatable beasts flatten them, everything they leave behind will be ours."

"Understood."

The Archbishop nodded heavily, then asked:

"So, the negotiations will continue as usual?"

"Yes, as usual."

A slight smile appeared on the Saint’s lips, and then he continued:

"Not only should they continue, but we must also satisfy them."

"Except for their first demand, which we absolutely cannot fulfill.... in other aspects, ensure they are satisfied as much as possible."

"Resources, materials, information, none of it is important."

"As long as our foundation is not shaken, then there is still room for recovery."

"Go, prepare the venue for negotiation."

"Then, we depart immediately."

"This time, we need to show our sincerity as much as possible."

"After all, their days are numbered."

With these words, the Saint paused briefly, then continued after a moment of thought:

"Notify the other Guard Brigade; they don’t need to enter Jinling City anymore."

"They have a new mission."

"A mission of utmost importance!"