Chapter 112: Proposing Cooperation

Watching Irving's departing figure, Alan collapsed to the ground, completely drained.

Looking around, the corpses scattered all over emitted a strong stench of blood. Right in front of him, Addison still had his eyes wide open, filled with terror and resentment. He probably didn't understand, even at the moment of his death, why Irving would go back on his word...

No one knew how much time had passed when the thugs from downstairs finally rushed up and helped Alan up from the ground.

"Alan!" the thug with yellow-dyed hair shouted angrily. "That guy doesn't seem to be from Starling City. Should I take the brothers and go kill him now?"

The eyes of the surrounding thugs also turned to Alan.

This bar was their turf, and no one had ever dared to cause trouble here. If word got out, the other underground gangs would laugh their heads off.

"Kill him?" Alan glanced at him coldly.

He still couldn't forget the scene that had just unfolded, especially the high-heeled woman by the young man's side. A dozen of his brothers had fallen at her hands, and her methods were extremely ruthless.

To have such a fierce woman following him, that young man couldn't be simple.

Moreover, Addison seemed to fear that young man, indicating he knew something…

"Do you think you're tough?" Alan's sense of dread deepened as he thought about it. He raised his hand and smacked the yellow-haired thug hard on the back of the head. "That young man isn't someone we can afford to mess with. If you want to die, I won't stop you."

The yellow-haired thug, slapped in the back of the head, didn't dare say another word.

The strong smell of blood lingered on the second floor of the bar. Looking at the corpses strewn about, a bitter expression appeared on Alan's face. The deaths of his own thugs could be handled easily enough, just dig a pit and bury them.

But Addison was the head of the Fox family, after all.

"Get a few quick-handed brothers over here and clean this place up. Bury them far away, and don't make any mistakes." Alan's face was grim as he continued, "Each person will get five thousand as hush money. If anyone dares to spread this, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"Understood, Alan!"

Soon, the thugs got to work.

...

Meanwhile.

Irving and his group had returned to the Green family mansion.

The Green family had suffered significant losses from these two attacks, and the mansion was much quieter than usual. The old butler, seeing the master and young lady return safely, grabbed Irving's hand excitedly, thanking him repeatedly.

Irving felt somewhat uncomfortable with the gratitude.

For him, this trip to Starling City had another important purpose besides saving Jony. With the apocalypse imminent, he needed to prepare in advance.

Starling City, with its rich mining resources and agricultural produce, held much greater significance in his mind than the capital.

"I never thought I'd come back alive..." In the hall, Jony's old eyes flashed with complexity, and he couldn't help but sigh, then turned to look at Irving.

"Irving, I heard from Sophia that you live in the capital? May I ask what your family does?" Jony probed cautiously.

In his eyes, someone as exceptionally talented as Irving, barely in his twenties yet possessing a maturity and steadiness beyond his years, and most importantly, that commanding presence, must surely have a significant background.

He might even be a scion of one of the top families in the capital.

Irving smiled slightly. He had no reason to hide this aspect of his life. He answered truthfully, "My parents passed away many years ago. Now it's just me left at home, just an ordinary family."

Jony was stunned. This was entirely different from what he had imagined.

"Dad, why are you asking these questions?" Sophia felt the atmosphere become a bit awkward and said with a hint of reproach, "If it weren't for Irving helping us these past few times, our family might have..."

She didn't finish her sentence.

Even she couldn't believe how the Green family, once a top family in Starling City, had fallen to such a state that even the head of the family had been kidnapped.

If it weren't for Irving, by tonight, the Green family might have been completely swallowed up.

"I'm sorry, I was just a bit curious." Jony realized he had been a bit out of line and apologized with some regret.

At this moment, even someone like Jony, who had weathered countless storms, couldn't help but feel his heart surge upon hearing Irving's story. His old eyes were filled not only with shock but also with admiration.

Orphaned with no background support, yet this young man had managed to come so far. It was truly impressive!

Jony knew well that when the apocalypse arrived, all powers would be reshuffled. In such a harsh environment, so-called family backgrounds would mean nothing. Only strength would matter.

And now, despite narrowly escaping disaster, the Green family's crisis wasn't over.

They controlled a large number of mines and agricultural bases, making them a coveted target for other forces. Even if it wasn't the Brotherhood of Night Blades or the Fox family, other powers would still be eyeing them greedily.

The Green family is now like a fish on the chopping board, they can only await their fate.

"Sophia, have you thought about what we discussed last time?" Jony's gaze turned to Sophia, his resolve strengthening as he continued, "With all my years of experience, I can't be wrong. What Irving lacks now is just time."

"..."Sophia instantly understood her father's meaning, and her cheeks began to flush.

First, Irving had captured the Brotherhood of Night Blades' castle, rescuing the Green family from a dire situation. Then, he saved Jony this time as well.

The Green family owed Irving an enormous debt of gratitude.

Jony valued this above all. Moreover, many forces were still coveting the Green family's assets. The family urgently needed a strong ally.

In Jony's eyes, this young man before him was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Dad..." Sophia didn't know what to say.

"Sophia, I'm getting older. You're my only daughter, and I have just one hope—that you can live a happy life." Jony's voice was filled with paternal sincerity, and his aged face showed the hopes and dreams of a father.

Listening to the father-daughter conversation, Irving felt the most awkward. He never pressured anyone in matters like these.

"Jony, it's too early to talk about this now, especially since I've only just met Sophia recently." Irving said with a smile. Then, he suddenly shifted the conversation, speaking seriously, "Actually, there's another important matter that brought me to Starling City, and I'd like to discuss it with you, Jony."

"What is it?" Jony was somewhat surprised but immediately expressed his willingness to help. "Irving, if there's anything you need assistance with, as long as it's within the Green family's capability, feel free to ask."

This was not mere politeness.

Irving had saved the Green family more than once. Just for that debt of gratitude alone, even if Irving made some outrageous demands now, Jony would likely agree.

"The apocalypse is coming soon. The situation in Starling City will only become more chaotic and may even slip out of official control." Irving paused, ensuring he was not being alarmist.

The recent incidents involving the Green family were merely the beginning. Things would only get worse.

"During last night's secret realm expedition, the guild formed by the Green family suffered heavy casualties. However, I have a way to quickly rebuild your guild, making it far stronger than before." Irving said solemnly.

These words struck a chord with Jony, although he was puzzled, "What's your method?"

Irving smiled and continued, "From now on, every player recruited by the Green family, I can equip them with a full set of equipment, and each piece will be of at least high grade or above."

"What did you say?" Jony was stunned.

Since the advent of the Other World Game, Jony had tried many ways to recruit players. Being a top family in Starling City, funding was never an issue, but they could only attract ordinary players.

During last night's secret realm expedition, despite Jony leading a large group of guild players, they were annihilated almost effortlessly by the Brotherhood of Night Blades' small team.

Ordinary players' strength couldn't support a guild becoming powerful.

In the Other World Game, quality mattered far more than quantity. Even a large number of players would be wiped out before they could approach a powerful mage.

To attract stronger players, there was only one way: equipment!

For any player of any profession, equipment was a huge draw, especially high-grade equipment, and even more so a full set of high-grade equipment.

The Green family mansion fell silent. seaʀᴄh thё nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

At this moment, Jony was looking at Irving with a peculiar expression. He couldn't believe that this young man was serious. Even having witnessed Irving's formidable abilities, this still seemed like a fantasy.

A guild typically had at least a hundred players. For a large family like the Green family, the guild would be even bigger.

The basic equipment set included a weapon, armor, and shoes, meaning each player needed at least three pieces. For just a hundred players, that would be three hundred pieces... and all of them high-grade!

Even on the official forum's trading section, the number of high-grade equipment transactions over the past week hadn't reached that quantity.

"Irving, this is no joke!" Jony shook his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his aged eyes as he looked at Irving.