Chapter 351: Chapter 347: Scheming (Please Subscribe)_2
His intuition told him that this must be the case.
The reason these beasts were called Commander-level Fierce Beasts was because they could command thousands of Fierce Beasts.
These two Commander-level Fierce Beasts came alone, likely not expecting anyone to be here. Now that they’ve seen people, they are probably calling for backup.
"Things are getting a bit tricky now, huh?"
Tang Qiang licked his lips.
"Yeah,"
Pei Yong understood what he meant.
Ahead, two Commander-level Fierce Beasts were watching them like hawks, and it wouldn’t be long before hordes of Elite-level Fierce Beasts arrived.
Behind them was Shen Si, lurking in the shadows, looking for an opportunity to fish in troubled waters.
As for those small fry from the Martial Arts Association and the one holding a bow and arrow, they were not a concern.
Time ticked away, with only a few minutes left before the Celestial God Fruit reached full maturity.
The two Strong Demon Apes stood as if under a Body-Stabilizing Technique, motionless, staring fixatedly at the crowd.
The two sides were in a standoff; the scene was indescribably eerie.
"Old Tang, what if we strike first and see if we can drive away these two Strong Demon Apes?" Pei Yong whispered.
"Slim chance."
Tang Qiang shook his head without hesitation, "If this were on flat ground, each of us dealing with one Strong Demon Ape would be easier, but this is the forest, their main battlefield. The trees and rocks all around are their weapons; our chances of winning aren’t great.
Besides, with Shen Si watching from the side, if we drain our strength fighting the Strong Demon Apes, it would benefit him even more."
"True."
Pei Yong nodded, gritting his teeth a little, "These two Strong Demon Apes came at the worst possible time. If they had shown up just a bit later, Shen Si would have already been driven away by us."
"Yeah, but there’s no use in saying that now."
Tang Qiang sighed.
Knowing what was about to happen but being powerless to stop it was ridiculously frustrating.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his mind.
"Old Pei, I’ve thought of a way to keep Shen Si from taking advantage of us."
"Oh? What’s the idea? Let’s hear it."
"Cooperation."
Tang Qiang glanced at Shen Si, "Since we can’t spare the effort to deal with him and he’ll take advantage of us, we might as well bring him over and fight these two Commander-level Fierce Beasts together.
Think about it: the two of us taking on one each would be costly, but if there are three of us, it would be much easier. Meanwhile, our people could safely and boldly pick the Celestial God Fruit, don’t you think?"
Pei Yong’s eyes lit up after hearing this.
That’s right, rather than letting Shen Si reap the benefits for free, it’s better to have him contribute too.
Besides, since their people would pick the Celestial God Fruit, they would control how much to share afterward.
"Old Tang, I think your idea is good. Let’s do it."
"Hmm."
Tang Qiang smiled and then looked at Shen Si, "Chairman Shen, didn’t you say earlier that you were leaving? Why are you still here? Could it be that you’re too scared of these two Strong Demon Apes to move?"
"Exactly, Chairman Shen. We heard you clearly before, you promised to leave. You wouldn’t be going back on your word, would you?"
"Chairman Shen, weren’t you martial artists always known for keeping your promises, with a promise that can’t be broken by even four horses?"
Zhao Yan and the others, upon hearing this, showed a trace of anger in their eyes.
These Awakeners were too hateful, forcing them to leave against their will.
They were just too angry to speak up.
"Heh heh."
Shen Si laughed indifferently, "Brother Tang is right. I was indeed scared by the sudden appearance of these two Strong Demon Apes. I’ll leave now."
Saying this, he winked at his companions.
Pretend to leave for now and jump back into the fight when the real battle starts.
After all, the Awakened Association and the Martial Arts Association have been increasingly at odds. These Awakeners don’t respect them in the slightest.
Don’t expect me to be loyal when you are not.
"Wait a minute."
Tang Qiang’s voice rang out again.
"Brother Tang, is there something else?"
Shen Si turned around with a puzzled look.
"Since Chairman Shen didn’t leave earlier, there’s no need to leave now," Tang Qiang smiled, "With a formidable enemy in front of us, I think we’re better off working together to deal with the Strong Demon Apes. What do you think, Chairman Shen?"
As soon as he said this, both Shen Si and the C-level Awakened showed a look of astonishment on their faces.
"Brother Tang, you’ve got to be kidding, right?" Shen Si said in surprise.
"Kidding?"
Tang Qiang smiled brightly, "Does Chairman Shen think I, Tang Qiang, am someone who jokes around? Strong Demon Apes are difficult to handle among ordinary Commander-level Fierce Beasts. Just the two of us alone don’t have a sure win. If Chairman Shen is willing to help, our chances will increase. Then we can securely take the twelve Celestial God Fruits and not let the Fierce Beasts steal them, right?"
"Old Tang is right. If we let these two Fierce Beasts consume the Celestial God Fruit, their power will grow, which would be bad news for humans." Pei Yong said.
As his words fell,
Zhao Yan and the others exchanged looks of disdain.
These Awakeners were indeed fickle.
When there were no Fierce Beasts, they couldn’t wait to kill them.
When Fierce Beasts appeared, they conveniently forgot their previous hostility and spoke about the greater good of the Human Race.
The few C-level Awakened felt similarly unhappy.
Even if there were twelve Celestial God Fruits, each person would barely get one.
And now they had to share with the Martial Arts Association? Why?
"Brother Tang, Pei Yong is right,"
Shen Si’s eyes gleamed, "In the face of a formidable enemy, unity benefits us both while division harms us. But how do we collaborate?"
Pei Yong and Tang Qiang exchanged glances, "How does Chairman Shen propose we split it?"
"There are twelve Celestial God Fruits. We have four people here, one per person. How about that?" Shen Si smiled.
"No way," Pei Yong immediately refused, "Only you are collaborating with us, and it’s our people who will pick the Celestial God Fruits. Picking the Celestial God Fruits isn’t easy, and four is too many."
"Old Pei is right, unless your people can pick the Celestial God Fruits like ours. Can they?"
Shen Si remained silent at this.
Zhao Yan and the others had low Spiritual Power and no defensive items; picking the Celestial God Fruits would be suicide.
"Then how do you two propose we collaborate?"
"One fruit."
Pei Yong raised one finger, "We’ll handle the two Commander-level Fierce Beasts. Chairman Shen only needs to help slightly by distracting them."
"One fruit? Pei Yong, are you joking? Treating us like beggars?"
Shen Si sneered.
He could sneak in amidst the chaos and get more than one fruit.
"Two fruits then," Tang Qiang compromised, "Chairman Shen, we’ll put in most of the effort. Giving away more means less for us."
"Three fruits," Shen Si bargained, "We have many people here and also took risks. We can’t walk away empty-handed."
Pei Yong and Tang Qiang exchanged angry looks.
This Shen Si really knew how to push his luck.
But fine, let’s agree for now. In the end, the fruits will be in their hands, and they control the distribution.
"Okay, Chairman Shen, three fruits it is."
"Deal."
Shen Si was elated.
Getting a quarter of the total, not bad at all.
At that moment, a beast’s roar, like thunder, rolled in from afar.
Trees fell in succession as a Strong Demon Ape, nearly thirty meters tall—taller than the two they faced—rushed towards them.
Seeing this, Shen Si’s smile froze.
Three Strong Demon Apes!
The newly arrived one looked even more formidable than the first two!
"No wonder the two Strong Demon Apes hadn’t moved; they were waiting for a stronger partner to arrive."
Chen Fan looked up and witnessed the scene, his heart unmoved.