There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want to eat a free lunch without paying, you can only seek sympathy from the restaurant owner or exchange it for something more valuable than lunch.

If money isn't involved, there are more options. Verbal checks, information, knowledge, promises, and wonderful blueprints... all of these can become your bargaining chips.

Obviously, Xu Fang is not the first type of owner. If Heize Lianyue wants to survive, she should negotiate with Xu Fang and reach an agreement to cooperate against the association.

"Unless I reach a consensus with the association."

This statement from Xu Fang gave Lianyue an unprecedented sense of crisis. What does it mean to reach a consensus with the association? If she doesn't cooperate, will Xu Fang hand her over to the association? But how can Xu Fang guarantee that the association won't go back on its word after handing her over?

Did Xu Fang already discuss this with the president before she woke up?

Lianyue gritted her teeth lightly. Smart people don't take risks without benefits. She must take the initiative in the conversation, increase her value, so as not to become a pawn.

With this in mind, Lianyue calmed down and regained her graceful and serene demeanor. She had many bargaining chips that had not been revealed yet, and panicking would only make her lose her judgment.

"It seems like you've already figured out what you want to say." Xu Fang smiled at her.

Gussy had a flat face, but she could simulate human facial expressions using the 42 muscles of the energy shield. Xu Fang had mastered this skill for a long time, but rarely used it.

Since they were negotiating, it wasn't good to have a serious face.

"Well, let me briefly talk about what has happened recently, and I promise everything I say is true."

Next, Lianyue told Xu Fang the whole story of what had happened in recent days. From becoming the author of Horror Novel Web, to being found by the association, to following other members to go to Niu Yue, and discovering the true face of the association, and finally fleeing here.

Lianyue recounted her experiences and thoughts like telling a story. She had a strong ability to express herself, and every sentence could grasp the main contradictions of things, highlight the key points, and make people involuntarily immersed in it.

Xu Fang listened while observing her, recording everything she saw directly into her "database," using knowledge of micro-expressions and psychological analysis to detect any inconsistencies in her speech and the integrity of her reasoning.

The alter ego that had once been conceived out of thin air liked to dissect every person he saw in this way. In the eyes of the alter ego, everyone was transparent, and every lie was exposed.

The alter ego could put himself in an absolute rational state, something Xu Fang couldn't do and didn't want to do. He didn't want to commit suicide...

Lianyue finished her story. "That's my whole story, Xu Fang. Do you have any questions?"

"You said your story is true? Then why do I find some loopholes in what you say?" Xu Fang clasped his knees with his hands, resting his chin on his knees. "Your 'silencing curse' is unable to reveal information about the association to outsiders, right? So why can you tell me?"

"Maybe it's because I broke the curse after experiencing a bizarre event?" Lianyue's smile remained unchanged. "I don't think bizarre events are very scary. Instead, they saved my life, and meeting you in the end is my luck."

Xu Fang smiled and said, "So you mean our meeting was just a coincidence? Although you disguised yourself well, you still showed some inconsistencies.

First, why don't you care whether I have teammates or not? What gives you the confidence that I can deal with the association? Second, when you saw my fingers, which are different from those of a human, your gaze only lingered for 0.3 seconds. You didn't seem surprised, but rather thought it was normal."

Lianyue was stunned for a moment. "I don't quite understand what you mean..."

"Your heartbeat went from 82 beats per minute to 95 beats per minute. Is it just my illusion?" Xu Fang raised his finger to his lips, his eyes gleaming with danger. "Miss Heize, think carefully before you speak. I don't like being deceived. If I discover another lie, our negotiations will immediately collapse."

The girl remained silent for a few seconds and finally smiled lightly. "Ah... I can't hide anything from you, can I? You're still as sharp as ever. Yes, you're right, I have seen you before... or rather, I've seen your alter ego."

"In a bizarre incident, it seems that my clone has revealed a lot of information. So, did you cause the death of my clone?" Luo Yue smiled bitterly, "At a critical moment of life and death, anyone would choose to survive, even if it would harm others' interests. After all, I am not a selfless person."

Luo Yue had experienced two bizarre incidents, and in one of them, she had encountered Xu Fang's clone, who died in that incident. Now she knew that Xu Fang had the ability to create clones. If Xu Fang hadn't been wary of her, he might still be unaware and think that this was their first meeting.

"You also installed the eavesdropping device, right?" Xu Fang took out the damaged bug from his pocket. "This was your double insurance to make me feel monitored, so I wouldn't dare to leave your side. However, you were careless and left fingerprints of your right index and middle fingers. Normal humans can't see them, but I can."

"A clown is better than a dead soldier." After being exposed, Luo Yue coughed lightly, covering her mouth, "This just shows that I have limited knowledge about you! In fact, all I know is that you're not human, you can create clones, and you have special attacks... That's all I know. I don't even know if the person in front of me is the real you..."

Xu Fang remained silent for a moment, then said, "I can help you, but you need to pay something."

"What do you want? Money? Points? Or..."

Xu Fang extended three fingers, "The right to use the settings panel three times. Remember, each time needs to be approved."

"Three times? Can you eliminate the cost for me?" Luo Yue hesitated.

"You need to handle the cost yourself."

"If I withdraw my submission three times, I will be forced into a bizarre incident."

"I won't let you withdraw three times unless you do it voluntarily."

Luo Yue frowned slightly and bit her lip in contemplation. Xu Fang's request wasn't unreasonable. At least he didn't turn her into a slave or strip away her author's rights. However, she wanted to negotiate for more rights, but this carried some risks.

It was like a beggar who gave away all his possessions in greed, ending up with nothing. Kindness couldn't endure constant consumption, even though it seemed that Xu Fang didn't have much kindness towards her.

Unintentionally, Luo Yue met Xu Fang's dark and mesmerizing pupils and couldn't help but nod.

Alas, she had no choice but to depend on others.

"So, we are allies now." Xu Fang smiled faintly, extending his slender right hand.

"Thank you." Luo Yue smiled as she shook hands with Xu Fang.

"No need to thank me. It's just a trade." Xu Fang handed the phone back to Luo Yue. "Do you have any drafts saved on your website? I need you to use the first setting panel now."

"Alright, tell me." Luo Yue logged into the Horror Novel Web.

"The association president, Verily, will not be an enemy of the author Xu Fang... Hmm, let's go with this setting."

Luo Yue quickly understood Xu Fang's goal and couldn't help but laugh. "Brilliant decision! Using the website to legally spoil the plot. If the submission fails, it implies that the association will be our enemy, and then we can prepare in advance!"

"Submission failure doesn't necessarily mean the association will be our enemy; there could be other reasons. But the possibility of them having ill intentions towards me will be higher. Also, they can think of using the settings panel for spoilers just like I did. However, they won't waste the panel on such a trivial matter. They will definitely figure out my threat, especially since they have the advantage in numbers and control."

After Luo Yue submitted the setting panel along with the new chapter, Xu Fang said, "If the submission is successful, resend it with contrasting content after six hours."

No need for explanation, Luo Yue understood Xu Fang's meaning. The association knew about all the works of new authors, and they were constantly monitoring Luo Yue's novel updates. Once they discovered the new chapter, they would guess that Luo Yue had used the setting panel and take action.

At this point, Luo Yue would resend with contrasting content. If it passed again, it meant that the association had changed their mind.

"Xu Fang, you must be careful of Chairman Weili. Based on my observations, he is the controller of the Association and has absolute authority. All members of the Association obey and respect him. The Association possesses many dangerous abilities and tools. When Chairman had a video call with Zhang Xinyuan, he used some unknown method to cut off Zhang's hands. I do not know how he did it."

"That is indeed a threat, but it has a flaw," Xu Fang said. "Before Chairman harmed Zhang Xinyuan, did he mention anything to you?"

"Yes, but because I was afraid of Chairman, I did not show myself."

"That's strange. Both of you destroyed your SIM cards when you escaped, yet Chairman was still able to find Zhang Xinyuan's contact information. If he had something to say to you, why didn't he directly contact you?"

"Are you saying... Chairman just wanted both Zhang Xinyuan and me to appear on the screen at the same time?"

"Yes, if you and Zhang Xinyuan appeared on the screen at the same time, Chairman could use his special abilities to directly kill both of you. Since he had the ability to cut off Zhang Xinyuan's hands, cutting off both of your necks would not be a problem, right?"

"If Chairman had the ability to directly kill us, he wouldn't need to delete the information I stole," Liang Yue thought for a moment. "This makes me curious. Why didn't Chairman just kill Zhang Xinyuan directly back then?"

"There are two possibilities. First, Chairman cannot use his abilities to kill, only to injure. Second, if he used that ability to kill Zhang Xinyuan, Chairman would not gain access to his memories. The second possibility is more likely. Chairman intentionally mutilated Zhang Xinyuan, forcing him to despair and give up on life. If you killed Zhang Xinyuan, you would be fulfilling his wish."

"Ah, that was my biggest mistake."

Xu Fang continued, "But Zhang Xinyuan's death was not in vain. At least he helped us discover the limitations of Chairman's abilities. When Chairman cannot see you, he cannot kill you. He also cannot kill you by watching a recorded video. If Chairman uses his ability to kill you, it is likely that he won't gain access to your memories."

Liang Yue looked at Xu Fang and smiled, "Although I have already planned my response strategy, I plan to hear your opinion. What should we do next?"

"First, confirm whether Ma Youcai is alive. If he is alive and not a sleeper agent for the Association, bring him to our side. Then, we divide and manipulate the other members of the Association, both new and old."

Liang Yue's lips curled up slightly, "You've taken action even before the results of the settings bar are out?"

"...," Xu Fang did not answer. In fact, he already had an answer in his mind. That person named Josiah was also in the Association. It was unlikely this matter would end well.

The Association might already know his information. For example, that Xu Fang was a demon, capable of stealth and creating clones. They would create strategies to counter Xu Fang's abilities.

In the early stages of the game, due to asymmetric information, Xu Fang was already at a disadvantage.

Xu Fang did not know what kind of tools the Association's authors had. Apart from killing people through videos, what other abilities did they possess? Did they have many resurrection tools? Did they have tools to foresee the future? Did they have many methods specifically designed to deal with peers?

All of these were unknowns to Xu Fang.

However, Xu Fang also had advantages. At the very least, he wouldn't end up like he did when facing Ye Huai, feeling trapped and hopeless.