Chapter 137: The Tripartite Negotiation

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Leges looked at the report detailing Xiao Tianci’s latest activities, noting how he had openly committed murder in broad daylight. Yet these mafia syndicates were indeed thoroughly detestable, actually resorting to gunmen in broad daylight over such matters. The report from above was extremely detailed, clearly outlining the reasons and the entire sequence of events.
Checking the time and seeing that it was almost time, Leges put down the documents in his hand and entered the conference room.
Right on schedule, Xiao Tianci arrived punctually at the communications room. The meeting began precisely on time. Seeing the gazes fixed on him by Leges and Ivanov, Xiao Tianci knew they were both waiting for him to speak.
Silence. Utter silence. None of the three men spoke for nearly a full minute until Xiao Tianci finally broke the deadlock. "Ha... haha... Look at me, meeting two presidents at the same time makes me so nervous I can't even speak properly."
Who would believe such nonsense? Ivanov stared at Xiao Tianci; the incident from last time still rankled him deeply. How dare anyone treat a national ambassador like that, right to his face? That was the Russian ambassador, who had almost committed suicide afterward. At the time, furious as he was, Ivanov had weighed the situation for a long time and ultimately managed to suppress the matter.
However, Ivanov's attitude was now abundantly clear. Looking coldly at Xiao Tianci, he said, "Xiao, I hope we can actually reach a tangible conclusion today."
Xiao Tianci replied, "Rest assured, gentlemen. I know both of you are big figures whose time is money—hundreds of thousands lost or gained every second, big shots who determine the happiness of millions. I would certainly never waste your time."
Neither man showed any expression; inwardly, they merely offered cold, bitter smiles. Both had to admit that if Xiao Tianci truly wanted to act as a rogue, he would excel at it. Yet if he were merely a common thug, he would never have qualified to sit across the negotiating table from them.
Seeing neither of them speaking and both staring at him, Xiao Tianci spread his hands. "Ha... ha... Judging by your expressions, you are truly anxious and concerned. Very well, I will be straightforward today. First, my conditions remain unchanged: I will use the assets in my possession to exchange for your aircraft carrier fleets."
The moment he finished speaking, Ivanov stated flatly without room for negotiation, "Mr. Xiao, do not bring this matter up again. It is an absolute impossibility."
Leges also said coldly, "We are different from you, Mr. Xiao. Although we are presidents, such matters are certainly not decided solely by our own words. We are accountable to the citizens of our entire nation. If Mr. Xiao insists on this stance, then I believe we have nothing further to discuss."
The matter had to be settled today, so Xiao Tianci maintained immense patience, though his words remained piercing. "You are both major figures; how can you lack the breeding to even let me finish my sentence? Is this the pathetic decorum you possess as presidents?"
Slamming the desk, storming off, hurling insults—what could they do? These were precisely the things they could not do. The two presidents finally tasted a rather unique flavor of life; apart from childhood name-calling, this was likely the first time anyone had cursed them directly to their faces while they had no choice but to listen—and all of it courtesy of the man sitting right before them. Leges glanced at Ivanov, and both understood well: if not for that specific matter... hmph, ten Xiao Tiancis would not have been enough to let him act with such arrogance.
Ignorance. They could only comfort themselves with such thoughts. Why bother arguing with an ignorant person? Did he truly believe the things in his hands gave him the right to act so haughtily? If anyone else possessed such assets, had they not been jointly suppressed by several major powers, someone would likely have assassinated them in the shadows long ago.
Of course, those assets were indeed valuable. Securing them would be exceptionally advantageous. Moreover, maintaining contact with Xiao Tianci...
Meanwhile, Xiao Tianci’s admiration for them had reached unprecedented heights. Damn it, those who manage to climb to the very pinnacle of political power truly seem to transcend human limits, capable of enduring this much. Still, Xiao Tianci couldn't help wondering if he had gone a bit too far. After all, they were presidents of major superpowers, and there were two of them present. Sometimes a person might tolerate certain things alone, but the presence of others changed the dynamic entirely.
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Yet looking at them now, though their expressions were somewhat dark, neither made a move.
Seeing that they remained silent, Xiao Tianci laughed heartily. "Business is all about give and take. Now, since both of you feel the price is unreasonable, I will raise it. I'll take a bit of a loss—who asked me to be the kind of person who sees things through once I've set my mind on them?"
Xiao Tianci raised a single finger. "First, for Russia, I will provide a one-hundred-billion-dollar interest-free loan disbursed over ten years to help Russia construct a new economic order and infrastructure."
Russia was currently starved for cash to the point of desperation. Through this vicious cycle, domestic stability was beginning to crumble, and the living standards of the people were plummeting rapidly. Investment was down, unemployment figures were unimaginable, and apart from exporting natural resources, every other sector was experiencing negative growth. Yet everyone knew that selling raw resources and primary materials was the worst and most ruinous approach: you sell it for a dollar, and others spend a dollar processing it, turning around to sell it back for twenty, a hundred, or even more.
Yet there was no alternative. Even knowing it was like burning forests to hunt or draining ponds to fish, they had to drink poison to quench their thirst and cope with the immediate crisis.
He raised a second finger. "Second, for the United States, I will neutralize the impact of the financial crisis within a year while simultaneously driving the domestic unemployment rate back down to pre-crisis levels."
To the citizens of a country, people rarely care how much the ruling class has embezzled, what luxuries they enjoy, or what scandals they indulge in. If the populace actually starts caring about such things, it means you have left them with nothing to do. What they genuinely care about are practical matters: Do I have a job? Can I make money? If you can reduce the unemployment rate to zero, no one would care even if you maintained harems numbering in the thousands.
This was the exact headache plaguing both men right now. Hearing this, their eyes lit up instantly, though they quickly remembered the condition Xiao Tianci demanded, which remained impossible. As tempting as his proposed conditions were, his prerequisite was simply too difficult to realize. There was no way to explain it to their countrymen or to the international community! Furthermore, regarding such matters, the two of them truly could not make unilateral decisions.
After a bout of intense mental struggle, both concluded it remained unfeasible. Naturally, they also wanted to persuade Xiao Tianci to propose something else, perhaps even through alternative channels, as long as it wasn't a direct, public exchange of entire fleets.
However, while they stood firm, Xiao Tianci stood even firmer. "Gentlemen, you have your principles, and I have mine. Acquiring both of these fleets simultaneously is a necessity."
Their expressions made it clear: still impossible. Xiao Tianci spoke up, "Both of you are figures I deeply admire, though some say that not a single person in politics is any good."
Both gazes locked onto Xiao Tianci like sharp swords. Xiao Tianci quickly raised a hand with a smile. "Ha-ha. I'm merely repeating what others say. My point is, while people say such things, in my view, it is sheer nonsense. Very well, let's put that aside and talk business. I know you both want to know what my purpose is; previously I wouldn't say, but now I will tell you. Once I tell you, you can decide whether this matter remains negotiable. If it is still unnegotiable, then I will accept it."
Xiao Tianci slowly continued, "As two of the most powerful superpowers in the world today, the rivalry between Russia and the United States has spanned over a century, coming within a hair's breadth of total war countless times. Overall, however, things have turned out reasonably well because everyone knows the world needs peace and development, and successive presidents of both nations have been relatively astute individuals. Yet nowadays, with material standards rising, some people complain about how exciting it would be if a real war broke out. Gentlemen, think about it: a major war film in the United States can gross billions globally, not even counting the revenue generated by merchandise."
"Gentlemen, imagine if, without threatening the international order or disrupting daily life, a genuine battle actually took place—wouldn't that be an exceptionally fascinating prospect?"
Their pupils began to dilate. They were beginning to grasp a fraction of Xiao Tianci's intent. Leges thought for a moment and shook his head, saying, "A real war with casualties would probably be less entertaining than watching a film. If people die..."
Xiao Tianci interrupted, "Quite simple. We simply use human-controlled avatars, ha-ha, very simple."
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Human-controlled avatars were precisely the bargaining chip Xiao Tianci intended to trade with them. Humanity had spent many years manufacturing various robots; initial deep research had naturally stemmed from warfare, but the reality was that truly effective combat robots had never existed. No matter how advanced the programming was, software remained software and differed fundamentally from human beings, susceptible to various unpredictable factors—unless someone managed to develop true artificial intelligence like the sentient supercomputers seen in films decades prior. Yet those in actual research knew that was even more implausible.
Consequently, no genuine robots had ever been deployed in combat. Human-controlled avatars functioned primarily through sensory remote control. Well-trained soldiers could sit inside specialized mechanical cockpits, connecting with remote sensors and robotic frames much like playing a video game. However, unlike gaming, this involved projecting the human soul directly into a robotic body for combat, capable of executing every action just like a living person. Even in the event of death or destruction, the maximum casualty suffered would be the loss of a machine.
Needless to say, the United States adored this concept. Their long-standing advocacy for zero-casualty modernized warfare could be fully realized once they possessed this technology.
Ivanov asked, "You've manufactured them?"
Watching their expressions, Xiao Tianci hastily added, "Ha-ha, gentlemen, don't be tense. First of all, I certainly possess them, but only the most rudimentary versions; the advanced tiers are withheld because we are still negotiating business. Now you should both understand my meaning, right? I imagine this gives both of you adequate justification to deploy forces and stage a live-fire combat exercise between our nations. Naturally, all command authority during the engagement will remain in the hands of your respective military personnel. Gentlemen, don't you want to witness who the true powerhouse is after all these years? What an extraordinary opportunity—let's play an exhibition match."
This time, both men were genuinely moved. Several factors contributed to this: first, the terms of the exchange. Both the preliminary and subsequent conditions proposed by Xiao Tianci were overwhelmingly attractive. As for the subsequent contest, it went without saying; pitting their military forces against one another in such a setting would serve as tremendous training and enhancement for their troops.
Naturally, they also factored in Xiao Tianci's underlying motives. From the current perspective, he intended to capitalize on this opportunity. Was he merely looking to watch a spectacle, or was he chasing profit? If he managed the entire operation on a global scale, his profits would undoubtedly be astronomical. But could he genuinely recoup an investment of that magnitude?
Without experts running the calculations, such questions were impossible to resolve through mere contemplation. Seeing them hesitate, Xiao Tianci pressed on, "By now, gentlemen, you surely won't claim this matter is impossible. I hold the distribution rights for the entry-level control avatars, and I assume neither of you objects. After all, this contributes immensely to humanity; hazardous professions and the like will no longer require gambling with human lives. I am a businessman—it would be a lie to say I don't want to make money, and I intend to profit from this as well. After the turmoil at American Chinese, my heart aches too; I need to rebuild my family empire. It's difficult, truly difficult."
"Gentlemen, you can deliberate carefully on my terms. As you both mentioned earlier, these are matters you cannot decide entirely on your own. Ah, I believe that, but I also believe in your respective influence. Furthermore, the conditions I have laid out are more than sufficient. You may study the proposal, and if it is viable, let us work together to bring this project to fruition."
Calculations were now racing through the minds of both men. They realized Xiao Tianci made a valid point. Under these specific preconditions, the proposal was not entirely out of the question. Seeing them both deep in thought, Xiao Tianci knew the matter was nearly settled; the rest was merely a matter of bureaucratic process. Ivanov and Leges were both strong-willed presidents holding substantial independent authority.
With all conditions framed in a way that left others unable to raise objections, Xiao Tianci stood up, neatly smoothing his suit jacket. "Mr. Presidents, I have other matters to attend to. I am truly a man whose time is worth hundreds of thousands per second; I won't stay here any longer to waste your time, your money, and your lives. Think it over carefully, and notify me once you reach a decision."
With those words, he walked out of the communications room.
The two men were left with a singular, overwhelming urge to vomit blood.
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