The Fourth Calamity: Starting with Dungeon Slimes

Chapter 157 New Cooperation

"You all probably already know the current situation, right?"

Right now, on Old Six's side.

They are holding a meeting, which is clearly mainly about what will happen next.

"We've already taken down two teams, but as everyone knows, this can't last. Let alone in the future, we don't even dare to take on a third team."

"So now we need to discuss and come up with a suitable solution to this problem."

For a moment, everyone started discussing it, each offering their own opinion.

The current situation seems to be a little complicated.

They really need to find a way to solve this problem, because, given their track record, another team will be arriving soon.

"I just reported the situation here, and of course I got a good scolding, but I'm used to it, so it's no big deal."

"However, the problem now is that although I got a good scolding, being scolded is a minor matter. The main issue is that we really don't know how to resolve the next steps right now."

"As for what I'm talking about, you should all know very well. It's about a new team arriving. What should we do? If nothing unexpected happens, a new team will arrive soon."

"The new team can't be killed off so inexplicably this time. Otherwise, no matter how innocent I am, problems will always arise. After all, two of the three teams that came here have died, and we are the only ones alive and well. That can be explained, but if it's a fourth team, then it really doesn't make sense. The higher-ups should already have some suspicions about me."

Upon hearing what the captain said, the dark elves and succubi below couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"But boss, the problem is, what do we do next?"

"Yeah, given the current situation, why don't we report more deaths? Otherwise, we can't really be sent to our deaths."

"It's no good if too few people die in a war, it's no good if the entire army is wiped out, and it's still no good if you win. This is a mess."

As they spoke, there was a hint of helplessness in their voices.

Indeed, no one would feel good in this situation.

Having survived the battlefield, they still have to figure out how to explain themselves, otherwise they might be mistaken for enemies, which would be the most awkward situation.

"So fighting is really not something humans can do. You see, if we die on the battlefield and we lose territory, isn't it our responsibility in the end? Obviously, it is our responsibility."

"But if we survive and make it to the end, then we also have a problem, because why did all the other teams die so quickly, but you survived? That's the biggest problem. Maybe one team is wiped out and you're fine, then you have fighting power. But if two or three teams are wiped out, then it's not that you have fighting power, it's that you have a problem."

"Death is not an option, living is not an option either. To be precise, we are living at the wrong time. Ultimately, whether we live or die is a real problem."

"That's right. And there's a saying that goes, when someone falsely accuses you, you'd better have actually done it. Like our situation now, in the end, they might suspect us, but if we really did it, it's not so bad to be suspected. I can't even imagine what those who didn't do it but were suspected would think."

"The captain was right. At least now that we're being suspected, we won't feel resentful."

Hearing these people's discussion, the topic kept going off-topic, and the captain was getting a headache.

"Alright everyone, let's stop with this nonsense. You should all be well aware of the current situation. We need to find a solution."

"At least we can't let this continue to develop like this. If it continues, it won't be a good thing for us."

"We really need to think this through carefully."

"How about this: after they've exhausted all the resources, we can pretend to attack another layer, that way we'll at least have a positive record. Then even if they say we had a problem, we won't have any grounds to hold us accountable. If there really was a problem, how could we possibly take back the territory?"

"Once we take back the territory, we'll immediately say we're going to hold onto the rear. Then, we'll have them send people back to the territory we took the day before yesterday, and let our partners wipe out the people on the front lines. That way, it'll be none of our business."

"We used the excuse that we had just fought a battle with them, suffered heavy losses, and were simply unable to continue defending the area."

"Then, once we withdraw, our partners will immediately attack and take back the territory. We can then add a reason to our withdrawal: we'll take a week or two off before going back. They should agree to that. But if we lose the territory during that week or two, it's not our problem."

Upon hearing his subordinate's suggestion, the captain of the sixth squad's eyes lit up.

"This is a good idea. The enemy wasn't wiped out right under our noses while fighting alongside us, so they won't suspect us. Besides, we've already conquered a territory, so we can be considered meritorious contributors."

"If they still try to pin the blame on us after this, then that's a little bit unfair."

So after discussion, they decided to adopt this method, as it was the most reliable one compared to other methods.

It seems they discussed the details again, then debated how much compensation should be paid, and finally settled on a suitable plan.

Before long, the players started making a move.

"Your plan is good; it will also minimize the chances of you being exposed."

Upon hearing the other party's idea, the players naturally agreed. After all, how should I put it? If the other party was willing to cooperate, then they could minimize their losses as much as possible, and most importantly, they could also gain a lot of benefits and intelligence.

From any perspective, this is entirely beneficial to the players, so they will naturally agree.

However, while everyone was finalizing the plan, Salty Fish couldn't help but ponder this matter.

This solution is feasible, but it is not a long-term solution.

Moreover, this small team has great potential for development, but they can't offer us much help right now. If we change our approach, it might have a surprising effect.

Salty Fish felt as if it had grasped a key point, and couldn't help but start to make plans.

So how exactly should the specific details be handled?

Soon, the salted fish came up with a brilliant idea.

"We can build a team of heroes."

"The general idea is to portray their team as heroes. It's like saying that when others fight us, we put in 12% effort, but when they fight us, we only put in 1% effort. This makes them invincible. In this way, firstly, their position is more secure."

"The second point is that they can obtain relatively stable income, which means they will also bring us a lot of income, which is also beneficial to us, at least the expenses after our death can be made up."

"Besides that, the higher their status, the more core information they have access to, which provides us with a channel for intelligence gathering. Most importantly, if we want to leave the underground city later, we need to pass through their territory. With them providing cover, it will definitely be much easier. Secondly, there's another point: once their status reaches a certain level, they can also help us from certain perspectives."

Upon hearing the salted fish's suggestion, everyone's eyes lit up.

"To be honest, Salty Fish, your approach is actually quite effective, and it seems to be quite helpful to us."

"The tactics themselves aren't a big problem, but there are some things we need to consider. What if they develop their business and then discard us after using us? Such things happen all the time. So that's something we need to think about."

"That's not the main point. The main point is that if they actually get everything sorted out and then stop paying us, and even attack us, we'll suffer huge losses. So we need to consider that. And the most crucial point is that if they develop their business and then just leave, we'll have worked for nothing."

"Yes, it would be awkward if we ended up benefiting someone else."

Hearing this, Salty Fish nodded. Naturally, these were all potential hidden dangers, but Salty Fish wasn't particularly concerned about them.

"Gentlemen, the things you are worried about certainly exist, and may even be unavoidable. But have you considered that as a cooperative partnership, or as two parties linked together by various interests, such things are quite normal?"

"Let me put it simply and bluntly. You should all be very clear about the current situation. No one can be 100% certain. No cooperation or investment is without risk. So, what we need to consider is how to minimize risk and be prepared to bear it."

"The problems you're talking about are basically unsolvable. You can't control their thoughts. Even if they have something on you, we are still adversaries. Once their reputation grows, they can easily dismiss the matter with a casual remark that the other side is sowing discord. So this is a risk we need to take. Because while we gain benefits, we will definitely bear the corresponding consequences. It's impossible to have only benefits and no drawbacks at all."

Upon hearing what the salted fish said, everyone looked at each other and fell silent.

Indeed, it's impossible for everything to be good without any bad. Before doing anything, one must consider the consequences; only if one can bear those consequences should one consider doing it.

"So the question now is whether we can bear the consequences. From my perspective, the consequences are barely acceptable."

One player stepped forward and spoke up.

His proposal naturally drew opposition from many players.

"The risks are still too great for us, and the deeper we cooperate with them, the more they know about us, especially our fighting methods and weapons, which is the most troublesome thing."

"I just find it strange. Why are you all so indecisive when we're just playing a game? Why can't we cooperate? It's true that the problems you mentioned might arise, but let's try a different approach. Let's resolve everything before these problems even occur."

"For example, they might turn against us, but by the time they do, we'll already be out of the dungeon. Is that possible? I think it's very likely."

"To put it bluntly, this kind of cooperation is based on a very simple principle: it's a race against time, and whoever runs faster wins. Take them for example. If they achieve great success and high status before us, and then just walk away, or rather, discard us after we've served our purpose, then they win. But what if we take over these two races before they accomplish all that?"

"That's how it is with everything. Both sides are on the same level of game. We try our best to balance the situation on both sides, and then each of us relies on our own abilities."

Clearly, this player's viewpoint is quite unique, but upon closer examination, everyone agrees that it makes sense.

Since there's no guarantee that the two sides can continue to cooperate forever, and you're well aware of the situation on both sides, you might as well move faster than them and accomplish what you want to do before they even realize it.

"If that's the case, then let's do it that way."

"Reaching an agreement with them, and cooperating at this stage is definitely beneficial to us. Putting aside the resources and intelligence, just the fact that they can suppress us here means they won't send any strong people over."

"If we fail here every time, they will definitely send strong people over. If some high-level monsters come, it will be annoying for us to fight them, and we might even lose. It's better to fight with low-level noobs like them and improve ourselves in the process."

After some discussion and a finalized plan, the players immediately sought out the representative of the Sixth Squad, who had previously come to discuss the matter with them, and explained their ideas.

The representative of the Sixth Squad's eyes lit up after hearing the players' words. It was clear that the players' actions were very suitable for their current situation and could solve many problems.

He certainly couldn't make the decision on this matter, so after both sides confirmed and finalized the details, the representative of Lao Liu's team immediately returned to the team and began to discuss the feasibility of this matter with the other members of Lao Liu's team.