Another expert saw this and knew he had encountered a formidable opponent. He was well aware that he was no match for Chu Qi. However, he had a handgun. He aimed it vaguely in Chu Qi's direction and fired two shots randomly, forcing Chu Qi to take cover behind the car. The expert lunged into the white van and pressed the gun against Zheng Bingbing's head. "Don't come any closer, or I'll use her as a shield!"
This wouldn't do. Little Yama had said she needed to be preserved whole for revival. A bullet to the head would not only leave two large holes in the skull but would also tumble around inside, turning the "brain" into mush. Even a divine being couldn't save Bingbing then!
I signaled to Chu Qi at the rear of the car, telling her to hold back. Seeing that Chu Qi wasn't coming out, the expert immediately turned the gun towards me, who was now exposed in his line of sight. I immediately raised my hands. "Hey, big brother, let's talk this out calmly! No need to rush, we can negotiate!"
"The gun is in my hand, what right do you have to negotiate with me?" the expert sneered.
"But you can't hit all three of us at once, can you? And you probably guessed that your little gun won't cause any significant harm to my friend here," I gestured towards the rear of the car, "you can't hit her. The only reason she's not coming out to take you down is that we have a hostage in your hands. Our objective is the hostage's safety, and your objective is to survive. There's a possibility of an even exchange between us, life for life, am I right?"
The expert's expression shifted slightly. He had already witnessed Chu Qi's incredibly fast movement and knew that a handgun couldn't harm her. By laying out all the objective factors, I was indicating that we wouldn't be dictated by his actions and also demonstrating my sincerity in the negotiation.
Seeing that the expert was wavering, the arm around Bingbing's neck loosened slightly. I didn't rush the negotiation. Instead, I activated my Qi-sensing technique to assess the surroundings.
Diana had already begun her operation, eliminating one purple-energy expert and was moving along the ridge towards the second. As if on purpose, she destroyed the trees in the area of the first expert, causing quite a stir and startling a dozen pheasants from the woods.
Other experts from the Canghai Group noticed the disturbance on that side, their Qi being disrupted. Their attention shifted from us below to Diana. A few who were closer began to move towards Diana.
Concurrently, Yaoyao and her group had also taken advantage of the chaos to descend into the Nine Immortal Cave, preparing to attack the Han Yin Temple on the slope below.
The expert holding Zheng Bingbing hostage in the car also noticed the commotion on the distant mountainside, his eyes narrowing as he glanced over with alarm.
"You'd best make a decision soon," I said with a smile, gesturing around. "Sabia's elite team has already surrounded you. You have thirty, oh, I'm sorry, now only twenty-eight people... twenty-seven. Sabia sent a hundred experts to capture you all at once. Do you think your group can last five minutes?"
The expert's face turned a little pale. He instinctively tightened his arm, and Zheng Bingbing's face turned purple, struggling to breathe.
"Don't know what to do? I'll give you an out," I said, spreading my hands. "You take our hostage and drive away immediately. Sabia's encirclement is focused on intercepting you. My friend and I are responsible for you. The elite team won't intercept you. You leave, and we'll follow a few hundred meters behind. When you feel safe, you can abandon the hostage in the car. We get the hostage, and we won't pursue you."
The expert thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, my MPV can't outrun your car. Let's switch cars!"
I shrugged. "Fine."
The expert thought again and pointed the gun at me. "You drive! Your friend will follow behind!"
"That's called following... that's also fine," I said, having anticipated this condition.