Armor-Piercing Munition: Face Me, Carbon-Based Monster!
Chapter 89 - 2 Unequal Treaties

Chapter 89: Chapter 2 Unequal Treaties

Half an hour later, inside the Mechanical God Sect church.

Zeng Yi personally locked the chains on Zhou Qin and Zhang Hui. After confirming they couldn’t escape, he nodded towards Chen Jian.

Chen Jian gently gestured for him to stand behind, then looked at the two chained across the table, and calmly said:

"The chains on your hands are not the only constraint; they’re merely tools to slow you down."

"Hanging at your chest are two 82-2P1 grenades. The pins have been pulled, but don’t worry, I’ve tied the clips with strings."

"As long as you don’t move erratically, these grenades won’t explode."

"But if you try to leave the chairs you’re sitting on... you know, a grenade exploding at close range, even as Holy Blood, you wouldn’t survive."

"So, you understand what to do, right?"

Upon hearing Chen Jian’s words, Zhou Qin immediately nodded, speaking with a tone even somewhat sycophantic:

"I understand!"

"I fully understand and comprehend!"

"It’s quite a reliable safety device; if it were me, I’d do the same thing..."

"Very good, your attitude means we can continue the negotiation."

Chen Jian relaxedly sat on a chair away from the two, then continued:

"Since you’ve come in the name of peace, can I assume you’re ready with the conditions for peace exchange?"

Zhou Qin wanted to nod but feared inadvertently triggering the grenade, so he just looked at Chen Jian, trying to stabilize his body as much as possible, and said:

"Yes, we have a preliminary plan."

"But please forgive us, this plan may not be mature, as our time was extremely limited."

"Upon learning the results, we immediately set out for here."

"We should have reported to the Holy Blood Temple, but almost all communication devices have been destroyed, and we haven’t been able to contact others yet."

"So, all I bring is the utmost sincerity I can decide."

"We will compensate for any losses caused during the conflict, whether it’s people, weapons, or anything else."

"We will send people to repair Yellow Stone City, providing sufficient food and goods."

"Also, we will assist in clearing those... leftover corpses."

"Additionally, we can guarantee that at any future time, Han Shui City will not wage unjust wars against Yellow Stone City. The two cities will maintain brotherly friendship forever..."

Chen Jian listened quietly to Zhou Qin’s narrative and asked after a moment of silence:

"Is that all?"

Zhou Qin instantly realized his conditions would not satisfy the other party, so he quickly added:

"This is only what I can think of within my authority and perspective!"

"Divine ones, if you have other demands, you can tell me directly!"

"When communications restore, I will report immediately to the Holy Blood Temple and the Holy Father."

"I believe the Holy Father will forgive our foolish mistakes and be willing to make up for the errors of his children."

"Also, I will forward the conditions to the Mechanical God Sect. I think their attitude will be the same as ours..."

"Alright."

Chen Jian nodded slightly.

"Since you said so, I’ll be honest."

"These so-called conditions you proposed are not really conditions at all."

"They are merely things you must do."

"If you want peace, do as I say."

Chen Jian paused here, then continued, enunciating each word:

"First, we want land."

"The land formed by the rectangle connecting the Han Shui Relics, Huangzhou Ruins, Yellow Stone City, and Xianning City."

"Your people are not allowed to enter this land, nor can Xianning City or Han Shui City expand into this territory."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qin froze.

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but forcibly swallowed the words that came to his mouth.

He nearly forgot this wasn’t a negotiation.

This was merely a notification from the other side!

Being able to declare the rules in front of him was already favorable. If he didn’t agree, they actually had the capability to "enforce it"...

So, he cautiously nodded and replied:

"I understand."

"This condition might be... harsh, but I believe the Holy Father will understand."

"That’s good."

Chen Jian looked at Zhou Qin with satisfaction, then continued:

"The second condition, I want all the information of your organization."

"I mean everything, including what’s related to your organization and what you know about this world."

"By the way, the organization here refers to the Holy Blood Temple and the Mechanical God Sect."

The words shocked Zhou Qin into silence, not knowing whether to speak or not.

...all the information?

This request doesn’t sound too difficult, as information from either the Mechanical God Sect or the Holy Blood Temple isn’t always secret.

But to actually compile and hand these over to them...

Wouldn’t this mean that from now on, the organization he belonged to would be entirely transparent in their eyes?

This demand exceeded his decision-making authority; under no circumstances could he rashly agree...

After a long hesitation, Zhou Qin finally said:

"I understand."

"But please, understand, I cannot agree to this."

"I will try my best, but until there are results, please, please don’t start any more wars..."

"Agreed."

Chen Jian fully understood the other’s hesitation, so he answered decisively.

This demand wasn’t something achievable overnight, and the transfer of information would be a long process.

They would take it step by step; if it’s not executed well...

At worst, they could teach them another lesson.

After pondering briefly, Chen Jian spoke again:

"The third condition."

"No preaching of your doctrines in our territory."

"If anyone forsakes your doctrine and joins our camp, you cannot prevent them, punish them, nor hold them accountable."

"Of course, if anyone wishes to abandon us and join you... I won’t stop them."

"How about it, fair?"

"...Fair!"

Zhou Qin answered through gritted teeth.

He’d understood Chen Jian’s meaning.

The Holy Blood Temple and the Mechanical God Sect couldn’t preach to them, but they could preach or convey ideas to anyone...

This was no ordinary unequal treaty.

However, right now, he had no choice.

He could only nod with gritted teeth.

Survive first.

Doctrines were considerations one could only afford after survival.

Seeing his reaction, Chen Jian realized the negotiation had basically achieved its goal.

Thus, he gestured to Shen Yue, who promptly took off the backpack radio and placed it on the table in front of Chen Jian.

Chen Jian pushed the radio towards Zhou Qin, then said:

"Your radio is broken, right?"

"Here, use ours."

"The maximum communication distance is 150 kilometers, which should be enough for you to contact towns with undamaged communication equipment, right?"

"Through them, report to your superiors."

"I want to hear a result by the end of today."

Zhou Qin was dumbfounded.

Their radio still worked?

So, even attacking their electronics was part of the plan...

He instinctively looked at Chen Jian, who had already stood up and left the church.

...

Shortly after, he heard furious shouting from inside the church.

"...What do you mean by disagree?!"

"In the name of the Supervisor, I demand you report directly to the Holy Father!"

"Han Shui City, Xianning City, Jiujiang, Xishui, there are tens of thousands of people here who need to survive!"

"You have no right to say no!"

"If you disagree, then come and see for yourself!"

"Yes, you should come see!"

"You should also try to feel what it’s like to be melted by the sun!"