The moment Kai heard the man's boast, he instantly knew who he was in dialogue with. It was Fashur! The head of the Fury Group and the 83rd place of the Glory Ranking!
Kai's mood instantly changed. His annoyance began to be replaced by joy and anticipation. It had been a long time since he had fought strong men, and his hands were already itching. This man was definitely not weak....
At this moment, Kai wasn't sure about his chances against Tandu. But Fashur was a different matter. Self-confidence didn't cloud Kai's mind, he didn't think he could easily overwhelm Fashur.
But that was exactly the kind of opponent Kai wanted right now!
"Damn, I have to think of something... If I can put up a hard fight, before closed cultivation, it will be very beneficial to me! I'll be able to understand the limits of my strength and realise my blind spots. It'll be a good inspiration..." - Kai thought quickly.
He now realised that he needed to provoke Fashur into a fight. Even though the man was bothering him, Kai wasn't sure of the man's true motives. In the Border City of the Beast, a fight could only take place by mutual consent. That being said, a contract had to be signed.
"Alright, I'll just try to provoke him. If that doesn't work, I'll go to the Tower of Truth and deal with him later..." - Kai thought and answered:
- Fashur? The Fury Group? Who the fuck are you? This is the first I've heard of you. - Raising an eyebrow, Kai said arrogantly and continued, -What makes you think you can waste my time? Get the fuck out of my way! - Said Kai and with his head held high continued to go about his business.
At that moment, the man's face instantly changed. It was obvious that he was now furious. Although he had tried to provoke Kai before, it seemed that he himself couldn't withstand such a thing.
- What did you say?! You're so brave just because you're within the city. But get out of it, and we'll see who's who! - Fashur shouted angrily.
Hearing this, Kai stopped, turned his head and said:
- Are you deaf? I already asked you before. Who the fuck are you? You think I'd waste my time going outside the city walls for you? You got the intelligence of a child, don't you? Hahaha. - Saying that, Kai laughed loudly and continued on his way.
Fashur was totally not expecting such a reaction... He had come here to provoke some milksop. But in the end, it was himself who ended up enraged. Kai's every word seemed to be poisonous. The more he spoke, the more Fashur became furious.
In fact, people like Fashur and Thandu had incredibly inflated egos. They thought they were the centre of the world, the rulers who were allowed everything. The moments when they were humiliated and could not respond were akin to torture for them.
- Ha-ha. You've got a lot of guts, I see. If you want your mates to survive, you'll stop now. - Holding back his rage, Fashur said with a smile.
''Hehe, so that's it... I won't even have to provoke him. He doesn't mind a fight himself!" - Hiding a smile, Kai thought.
It seemed that Fashur was preparing some kind of plan to trample Kai into the mud. He already had a trump card stashed away. Most likely, he had come here to start manipulating that trump card and force Kai into conflict.
Realising this, Kai decided to play along with the big guy. He turned around with a serious face and looked into Fashur's face.
- What did you say? - Asked Kai with a feigned anger on his face.
"Still, he's still a puppy." - Fashur thought and said:
- One of your recruit squads is visiting us, so to speak. Hehe. - Fashur winked with a laugh.
It was obvious that he was even a little cheerful when his provocation finally succeeded. He was glad that this puppy had stopped being so arrogant.
- What does that mean? - Kai asked briefly.
- It means that your mates are in my hands. Right now they are with my guys, somewhere in the Endless Wasteland. I don't even know what to do with them... - Fashur said with a hint.
- Let them go. Our Trade and Research Union can pay well. - Said Kai, playing off the slight anxiety.
In fact, Kai didn't care about the new recruits at all. Or indeed any people who weren't close to him. He knew how cruel the world he lived in was. If he was put to the choice of saving or destroying this world, Kai simply wouldn't choose. Such things were indifferent to him.
But right now, it was a very good excuse for a fight. It was just a matter of playing the part to the end. Once the contracts were signed, the fun would begin.
- That's what I wanted to do earlier. Still, strangling uneaten chicks isn't much fun. But after what you said, I wanted to teach you a lesson. Hahaha. - Fashur said with a laugh.
It was obvious that everything said about the plan to exchange recruits for money was a farce. Then why did they have to look for Kai and make trouble for him. From the beginning, he was the target. And the recruits were the bait, like a bet in an argument.
- What exactly do you want? - With slight panic, Kai asked.
- It's simple. According to the rules of the city, I can't teach you a lesson. So, we'll have to have a friendly sparring session... If you refuse, I can't imagine what might happen to the poor recruits... Hehehe. - said Fashur, with a playfully sad face and added, -But don't worry, generous me, won't kill you! I'll just teach you a little respect for your elders! What do you say?! - Fashur shouted angrily.
The more he spoke, the more arrogant and furious he became. He was finding it increasingly difficult to contain his anger, from Kai's previous words. Imagining him maiming and trampling Kai into the ground, his instincts began to break through his feigned restraint.
- How many of them are there? - Kai asked warily.
- Wow, that's a lot of talk! Deciding to abandon them if there aren't enough people there? Hahahahahaha. - Laughing loudly, Fashur said, -I even know the exact number, there are 23 of them! - Smiling evilly he said.
- What guarantee do you have that you'll let them go? The Border City of the Beast does not regulate affairs outside the walls. - Kai asked sceptically.
- Don't worry, my Fury Group will organise a mandatory mission to escort 23 Trade and Research Union men straight to the city. If you agree to spar, then we'll make it mandatory in the contract. - Fashur replied angrily.
It was obvious that he couldn't stand all this chatter any longer. He was itching to destroy Kai both physically and mentally. Though it wouldn't kill him, it might organise irreparable injuries for the rest of his life. Well at least that's what he thought.
"Hehehe. What an easy solution he has. It seems like the whole plan was already thought out long ago. Even the mission option in the contract was born in a second. That kind of thing can't be thought of in a hurry. Okay, we can get started..." - Kai thought, hiding his murderous aura.
Right now, Kai didn't mind stomping the arsehole into the ground either. He was just much better at hiding and controlling his emotions. As the wise men said, a snake hunts a mouse unaware of the eagle hunting it. That's what this whole situation looked like.
In Fashur's perception, it looked like he was provoking the arrogant and green guy. Moreover, the one was only at the peak of Cultivator. He was absolutely no match for him. Agreeing to spar was idiotic. That was why he had come up with the plan with the new recruits, so as not to leave Kai no escape route.
But the reality was different. Kai was perfectly fine with fighting this Fashur. Although this fight was indeed idiotic, from a normal master's point of view. But for Kai, a fierce fight might even be beneficial.
The whole trap that Fashur and most likely Tandu had devised was useless. They had dug a hole for themselves, thinking it was meant for Kai. Even if Kai was seriously injured, he realised that with his body, he would recover quickly.
- Alright... Let's find a Law and Order representative to witness the argument... - Kai said while making a heavy expression on his face.
From the outside it seemed that this decision was very hard for him. But that was understandable. No one in their right mind would agree to such a thing. But they had left him no other option. But the truth was that it only seemed that way, and the reality was completely different.