Re-Birth Of A Genius. Creator/Destroyer

Chapter 2496: Ransom

Joker of course didn’t care for their words.

"I am not going to give you any explanation. Hub is mine and you are in here as intruders. You can destroy my stuff if you want. But be prepared for the consequences.

And maybe those range attackers outside the academy can destroy my information cubes if they act fast enough. But the thing is, just sharing your info isn’t the only thing that I could do with it.

I can do a lot more and a lot worse things. And I will everything that you can’t even begin to think of.

Decision is yours."

Joker’s projection just hovered there in the air. As if he was just waiting for them to finish breaking things, so that he can go ahead and do the things that he said he would do.

The Dean who proposed this idea and the elder who initiated the conversation with Joker, felt like their faces burning.

They thought they did something with this plan. They never stopped to think what they should do if the other party can just straight up give up and says fuck it.

And that’s what Joker did.

Now, they didn’t know what to do.

But at that moment, one of the Deans actually caught on to something Joker said...

"Joker, I know that we look like hypocrites to you now. But you can’t put the entire blame on us. The allure of hub’s technology was too big and you are the one who played us against each other.

Still, most of the fault lies with us. Even then, please try to understand our desperation. Right now, there are almost a couple of hundred people in Sam’s hands and if something happens to them, the foundation of the academy realm will be shaken.

So, please help us a bit. Just help us negotiate with Sam.

Its indeed not fair that an attempt was made on his life. But we can’t do anything about it now. Just relay our message to us. As long as he is willing, we will pay a price to get those people back.

Everything is negotiable."

A smirk appeared on Joker’s face.

"Sure, I can help you negotiate. What can you pay?" Immediately, all the faces lit up. That’s all they wanted to hear.

Since the start they didn’t expect Joker to actually succumb under their pressure. They just hoped, he would be nervous and they can use the threat of force to bring him to the negotiation table. But their original intended negotiation table was to actually take Sam away with them.

But that didn’t seem possible. So, they are willing to take the next best thing.

"Just tell Sam to name a price, what would it take for him to release them?"

"Inheritance."

Everyone just exchanged glances at that answer. Joker deliberately let that stew in for a minute and said.

"Sam wants the inheritances of all the people that he captured, along with all the riches they gathered and stored until now.

Not a penny less.

He has a complete list of everything and don’t you dare try to short change him. Even if he agrees, I wouldn’t be so tolerant. Not after I saw the snout faced hearts of yours.

This here is non-negotiable.

If you want to destroy the hub... sure go ahead and do it. If you want to come and kill me. Go ahead and do it. If you want to find Sam and force him to leave these guys, go ahead and do it.

I wish you all the luck in the world.

Because even that fortune wouldn’t be enough for your chicken brains to figure out a way to find him."

"This...."

One of the elders was about to speak up the dissatisfaction, but Joker cut him off.

"There is nothing else to speak. If you don’t want to do it, just destroy the hub. Or get the fuck out of my building."

They all exchanged glances. They didn’t expect things to turn out this way. But none of them were ready to destroy the hub directly.

More than a hundred people and most of them were instructors and elders... they really can’t handle such a loss. And no one wanted to have that blame on their heads.

One after the other, they gradually left.

Sam opened his eyes and clicked his tongue.

"Why the fuck are they not making a move... fucking cowards."

"You want them to make a move?" Ivar was the first one to react. He even grabbed Sam by his shoulders and shook his as he asked.

"What the fuck are you even talking about Sam? There was so much at stake and you wanted them to destroy it?"

"Yeah, of course. Its not like they would get off Scot-free. They would have been fucked if they made a move.

I am just said that I didn’t get to do it."

Ivar was about to run off his mouth again, but Icarus stopped him and said.

"Sam, about the inheritance... are you really letting them go?"

"Yeah, I don’t plan on killing them now. I know that you all have a grudge, but killing them right now is too easy. I already have a plan that will make their deaths really worthwhile.

And they can help you bring the whole of the academy realm down. The final showdown you mentioned is right around the corner.

So, don’t go around doubting me now, alright. I don’t want any interruptions in the fun.

As for the inheritance itself... why waste a chance to piss them off and gain so many resources at the same time? They serve a better purpose in my hands than theirs to begin with."

"But will they be so glad to just give it?"

"That’s the thing. They might have tried to strong arm me together, they can find a unified voice there because the common motivation was to capture me.

But now that they know that’s not possible, their motivation is now to save their own respective guy in captive.

And that might appear common, but the stakes are definitely different. So, one of them is going to fold really soon. That’s all we actually need."