Counterfeit Hero

Fang Xiang glared fiercely at Fatty.

”No way!” Fatty put on a dumb, stubborn look, rolling his eyes at Fang Xiang on the comms screen: ”So what if your eyes are big? Glaring at me won’t work, if I say I’m not doing it, I’m not doing it!”

In the control room of the Napoleon Battleship, the officers exchanged bewildered glances. Chekov and Carl from the bandit army’s third-party comms line struggled to hold back their laughter. No one had expected the negotiations between Fatty and Fang Xiang to turn out like this.

This was no negotiation. From the start of their conversation, everyone saw it as a war intense enough to be described as a battle of knives, swords, and bullets. And now, the war had entered a white-hot phase, evolving from long-distance firing to hand-to-hand bargaining.

It had to be admitted, Fang Xiang, as a woman, had a considerable advantage in this area.

After some polite greetings, her proposal for cooperation, which was soft on the surface but barbed underneath, made even the officers of the Saleria Longbow Fleet feel a bit embarrassed—independent action rights, ample supplies, a space base solely for Saleria soldiers, plus modifications to the battleships... aside from bearing the ”bandit army” name, it was clearly taking advantage!

Anyone else would feel deeply ashamed to haggle like this with the person who just saved their life and held their lifeline, but Fang Xiang was not only an excellent commander who knew what benefits to fight for, but also a beauty who knew how to fight for them.

Her beaming face and soft, charming words... basically, no man could effectively resist. Coupled with the intentional or unintentional display of pitifulness in her speech, hinting at the desperate need from the Fei alliance and allies, it made people want to immediately act gallantly and give in to her every request.

But who would have thought, the seemingly honest and simple-minded commander of the bandit army was... actually an insensible blockhead! He pulled a confused face, completely ignoring any subtleties, rolled up his sleeves, and said defiantly, ”Why? Why should we?”

This blunt refusal was a shock that left everyone stunned.

All of Fang Xiang’s painstaking reasoning became a futile effort, and her heart-wrenching pleas were like winking in the dark.

It was simply a tragedy.

Looking at the bewildered expressions of the Saleria officers, at the embarrassed and agitated look on the beauty commander’s lips and pale face, the officers and soldiers of the bandit army’s First Fleet on the third-party comms were laughing so hard they were rolling on the floor. Others may not know what Fatty was like, but these warriors who spent every day together knew very well.

The Saleria beauty commander thought she could take advantage with a few sweet words and a pitiful look? That was a forlorn hope. No matter how charming, cunning, or deceitful she was, in front of this Fatty who acted dumb and played tough, she had no chance.

The expressions of the Saleria officers were so exaggerated that the bandit army officers felt their stomachs twisting with laughter.

That damn Fatty was simply too wicked.

”Let me tell you! Since you’ve come to the Free World, it’s my responsibility!” Fatty, oblivious to any charm, took a righteous stance and said sternly, ”If there’s no unified command and something goes wrong disrupting the plan, how will I explain to the millions of warriors who have rallied under our bandit army’s banner to resist the Western Alliance’s atrocities and fight for human peace? Should everyone be as disorganized and undisciplined as you all?”

This logic left the Saleria people speechless. Fatty continued, ”You must understand, this is an arduous and heroic war. For the great cause of human peace, we must be prepared to endure long-term hardships and make sacrifices. Now is the time to abandon narrow-minded selfishness, unite and fight together! Not to just grab power and profit!”

”Fight with us!” Fatty looked sincerely at Fang Xiang, ”My dearest comrade, let us give up all selfish interests and struggles for humanity’s democracy, civilization, progress, freedom, dignity, order, ideals, peace, love, friendship.....”

Half an hour later......

”Stop!” Fang Xiang could no longer tolerate the dead-fatty’s sanctimonious face: ”Let’s talk terms, what do you want?”

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”No way!” Fang Xiang gritted her teeth.

”&......%￥###*&@（*...

”No way!” Fang Xiang roared, this dumb Fatty actually dared to raise the stakes.

And so, the two began to haggle without any pretense. All talk of allies, gratitude, righteousness, and subterfuge was cast aside. Two shrewd negotiators went at it fiercely, discussing in detail the terms and systems of cooperation.

After nearly three hours of haggling, an agreement was finally reached. In terms of personnel arrangements, troop organization, logistics supply, and command authority, the stubborn Fatty emerged as the clear victor.

Both sides agreed that the Saleria Longbow Fleet would be fully integrated into the bandit army’s combat sequence, with no rights for independent action or independent bases. One battleship and three cruisers from the fleet would be assigned to the First and Second Fleets according to the bandit army’s current needs. The aircraft carrier, another battleship, and two cruisers would form the backbone of the newly established Third Fleet of the bandit army, with Fang Xiang serving as the deputy commander of the bandit army and the commander of the Third Fleet.