The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

After a night of rest, Irving, accompanied by Sophia, headed to the hotel they had booked early the next morning.

Although they arrived at the hotel quite early, several patriarchs from families in Starling City had already gathered there. Upon seeing Irving and Sophia, these patriarchs, whose families were not particularly powerful, hurried over to greet them.

"It's an honor to meet you. We truly didn't expect that you would be willing to cooperate with us! We will certainly follow your instructions!"

Each patriarch expressed similar sentiments. For these lesser families, the chance to collaborate with Irving was a dream come true. They had learned from others that Irving was exceptionally generous to anyone willing to partner with him. If they could secure just a couple of rare weapons from him, their family's strength would see a significant boost.

Irving smiled and nodded. "I'm also very pleased that you are willing to cooperate with me. I came here specifically to discuss the details of our collaboration."

As soon as Irving finished speaking, one of the patriarchs cut straight to the point. "I don't think there's any need to discuss the details of the cooperation. The terms can be entirely decided by Mr. Irving. We don't need to worry about such things.

I believe Mr. Irving is very fair! He would never let us come to harm! Moreover, Mr. Irving's strength is beyond question, so we just need to follow his lead."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Irving's face. "You are indeed very sincere. You are quite different from the few people I met yesterday," Irving remarked candidly.

After hearing his words, the expressions on the faces of the various patriarchs became slightly hesitant. They were all aware that Irving had met with the leaders of the Rivera family and the Schmidt family the day before. Irving's comment implied that the previous negotiations had not gone smoothly.

One patriarch, speaking with a hint of concern, asked Irving, "Mr. Irving, will today's negotiations go off without any unexpected incidents? Our strength is not particularly formidable. If something does go wrong, we might not even be able to ensure our own safety."

Irving quickly reassured them, "You don't need to worry, because even if unexpected situations arise, I am capable of handling them."

Having said that, Irving led the group of patriarchs into the hotel.

To ensure that the negotiations went smoothly, Sophia and the chief of the Starling City Police Department had arranged for a large hotel to host the meeting. The most spacious banquet hall in the hotel was already filled with a variety of delicious dishes.

Upon seeing the food, Irving whispered to Sophia, "I haven't had breakfast yet. Let me grab something to eat before the negotiations start. I don't want to be hungry once we begin, because when I'm hungry, I tend to get quite irritable."

Sophia nodded in response. "Go eat something quickly. I think the other important patriarchs will be arriving soon."

Meanwhile, as Irving went to eat, Paz and the leader of the Schmidt family were in a car heading to the hotel. In the car, Paz expressed her anger toward the Schmidt family patriarch.

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"Isn't Irving just someone with strong power? What right does he have to speak to us so disrespectfully? Does he really think his strength surpasses that of official organizations? Even the Angel Guild wouldn't dare to talk to us like that."

The Schmidt family patriarch looked very troubled. On one hand, he didn't want to stand against Paz, as he still hoped to collaborate with her to gain more leverage for the Schmidt family in the negotiations. On the other hand, he couldn't support Paz's complaints because he knew they were no match for Irving. Moreover, if they dared to confront Irving, they would lose the support of the Angel Guild.

"I think you should stop complaining. Although what Irving said yesterday was indeed a bit excessive, some of his points were also quite valid."

Paz grew even angrier upon hearing this. "Are you defending him? Do you really believe that after cooperating with him, the Schmidt family will gain more benefits? I can't shake the feeling that Irving and Sophia are teaming up to eliminate the power of all the families in Starling City. After that, the Green family will completely dominate Starling City."

Paz's words were indeed somewhat extreme. She was viewing Irving and Sophia in a very negative light. However, the Schmidt family patriarch didn't intend to say much more. He simply hoped their car would arrive at the hotel quickly. If Paz wanted to continue arguing upon their arrival, she could take it up with Irving and Sophia.

When Paz and the leader of the Schmidt family arrived, it was almost time for the scheduled meeting. The two hurried into the hotel.

Once everyone was gathered, Sophia stood up and spoke loudly. "The purpose of bringing you all together is to discuss potential cooperation. Irving is willing to provide assistance in our upcoming endeavors, and he hopes that you all will offer him your support in return. Recently, we have been facing threats from the Night Blades, and in order to confront them effectively, we must unite."

Irving remained silent, as he was not very familiar with the patriarchs from Starling City. He decided to let Sophia take the lead in addressing the group first. After she finished speaking, Sophia glanced at Irving, who then stood up to carefully outline his plan for cooperation.

"My plan is quite simple. I hope that when facing the Night Blades, each of you will put forth your full strength. In return, I will provide you with very rare weapons. You should be aware of my accomplishments in the shelter game. The weapons I can obtain are beyond what you could ever gather together.

Thus, the weapons I offer will be worth far more than what you will provide in return. You will not be at a loss, and I can guarantee this with my own honor."

As soon as Irving finished speaking, laughter erupted from Paz's direction. Everyone turned to look at her, and Paz stood up defiantly. Her eyes were fixed on Irving as she challenged him directly.

"How do we know the weapons you offer aren't of inferior quality? You keep claiming that you will provide rare weapons, but we all know that rare weapons are hard to come by. The rare weapons you currently possess are not numerous. If you provide us with subpar weapons, we will have no way to backtrack. Your strength is indeed formidable. Even if we band together, we cannot defeat you.

So right now, you're not negotiating with us; you're simply threatening us."

Paz's words shocked everyone in the room. While some shared her sentiments, they did not dare to voice them openly. Irving and Sophia shot cold glares at Paz.

"What do you want then? How do you propose to prove that the rare weapons I offer are of sufficient value?" Irving asked, not directly angry but addressing her with a chilling tone.

Paz's eyes flashed with disdain. "You can't prove anything, so I believe it would be foolish to cooperate with you. I speak on behalf of the Rivera family, and we absolutely will not work with you!"

As soon as Paz finished speaking, a smile finally appeared on Irving's face. "You've finally said it! I've been waiting for you to say that! With your words, my next actions have become very simple!"

No sooner had Irving spoken than a brilliant fireball shot directly toward Paz. This time, Sophia did not intervene. In her view, Paz's tragic fate was self-inflicted.

Irving publicly executed the leader of the Rivera family in front of everyone. The faces of all those present turned pale with fear. Irving then spoke slowly, "I am willing to cooperate with you, but that does not mean you can make absurd and excessive demands. If I have the power to cooperate with you, it also means I have the power to annihilate you.

If you wish to work with me, then let's skip the nonsense. If you choose not to cooperate, you can turn around and leave. I will not stop you. However, I must warn you: if anyone who leaves now chooses to ally with the Night Blades, I will consider you as absolute enemies to be eliminated."

Irving's approach was a mix of carrot and stick. He didn't believe that merely offering extravagant benefits would compel others to follow him. To Irving, making others recognize his immense strength was essential for gaining their allegiance.

After Irving's declaration, the patriarchs of the various families in Starling City immediately expressed their intention to cooperate with him.

"Of course, we want to cooperate with you. We absolutely will not work with the Night Blades. The Night Blades have caused significant damage to Starling City in the past," the leader of the Schmidt family stood up, speaking in a trembling voice.

Upon hearing this, a smile spread across Irving's face. "You don't need to be so nervous; after all, you are my ally, and I will not turn against my allies."

Irving's words finally lightened the atmosphere in the banquet hall. In the end, Irving reached a cooperation agreement with many families in Starling City. In the upcoming operations, these families would certainly provide Irving with significant assistance. Of course, Irving would also need to supply them with some rare weapons.

However, this was not a significant burden for Irving, as his warehouse was already stocked with numerous weapons—ones he considered unworthy.

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