The third condition was also the most unacceptable to the Prime Minister.
Did not every country value territorial integrity above all else? Now, he, the Prime Minister, was being asked to commit treason for personal gain. If this leaked, would he even be able to remain Prime Minister? Even if his political rivals didn't seize the opportunity to oust him, the scolding from the island nation's citizens would be enough to drown him ten times over.
Just then, a hint of red light flashed in the eyes of the silent assistant. As if struck by an idea, she secretly typed a short message on her phone, then approached the Prime Minister and said, "Your Excellency, your wife has sent an important message. Please take a look."
With that, she thrust her phone towards the Prime Minister's face.
The Prime Minister was already in a rage, and now there was a demon nearby who could end his life at any moment. Annoyed, he wished he could kick the assistant to death.
What kind of message was this? Didn't they have any common sense?
But as his gaze accidentally fell upon the screen, he instantly lit up with joy. He then gave the assistant a meaningful look and his attitude towards Bai Qi shifted by 180 degrees.
In the Prime Minister's view, in such a private setting, besides himself and the assistant, there was only one demon. Even if he agreed to the demon's terms now, he could simply deny it after the problem was resolved. After all, the island nation's government had done such things before.
Furthermore, as long as he remained steadfast, the island nation's people would surely believe their Prime Minister more than a demon who threatened their homeland.
If the demon decided to confront him directly, he could always seek help from their "American Daddy." For their own interests, the latter would certainly not abandon their "godson."
The Prime Minister of the island nation mulled over his calculations, growing happier with each thought, almost unable to suppress a laugh.
However, he eventually restrained himself, coughed softly, and said, "Lord Holy One, I can agree to your first two conditions, but don't you think the third condition is too much? Three-Inch Island is an important territory of our country. Are your actions asking me to betray my country for personal gain?"
Indeed, although he had already made up his mind, he couldn't agree too readily on the surface. Otherwise, the other party would surely become suspicious, which would be counterproductive.
Bai Qi calmly asked, "Then what is your intention, Prime Minister?"
"I can agree to your first two conditions, but the third condition concerns national territorial sovereignty, and I'm afraid I cannot agree."
Seeing his reaction, Bai Qi did not get angry. He said, "In that case, I will take another step back. I can forgo Three-Inch Island, but I want Kouzhi Island to its north. And Prime Minister, you don't have much time to consider."
After a few seconds of silence, Bai Qi felt the time was right and dropped another bombshell: "If you can agree to my three conditions, you will still be the next Prime Minister."
Hearing this, the Prime Minister's heart tightened.
"You will still be the next Prime Minister" – did this mean that as long as he agreed to the demon's demands, the demon would support his bid for the next premiership?
He knew that international affairs had been turbulent in recent years, and the domestic economy had stagnated due to the appearance of demons. Many people had already begun to point fingers at him, accusing him of being too weak and ineffective as Prime Minister.
Furthermore, many political rivals were already gathering evidence of his illegal activities, preparing to submit it to the court and send him to prison as soon as he stepped down.
If a demon were willing to support him from behind the scenes, then he would undoubtedly be the next Prime Minister.
With this thought, the Prime Minister became incredibly excited, instantly discarding all his previous plans. National interests, territorial integrity – all of it paled in comparison to his personal gain.
However, the Prime Minister still asked with a hint of disbelief, as if confirming, "You mean, as long as I agree to your three conditions, you will support me in being re-elected as Prime Minister?"
"Not support, I will *guarantee* you become the next Prime Minister of the island nation."
Upon hearing Bai Qi's affirmative answer, the Prime Minister could no longer contain himself. He nodded excitedly and said, "Alright, I agree. As long as I can be re-elected, even if it means..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
Perhaps he had gotten carried away, but now that he had calmed down, he realized his slip of the tongue and quickly terminated the conversation. Instead, he used evasive language, saying, "As long as you can help our country control the volcano and prevent its eruption, we will definitely not treat you poorly."
Bai Qi nodded and stood up. "I have had a very pleasant conversation with you today. I will keep my promise, and I hope you will too. Otherwise, the wrath of a demon is not something you or your country can bear."
With that, he turned and disappeared into the darkness of the room.
Only after confirming that Bai Qi had completely left did the Prime Minister collapse onto his chair without any pretense, his back drenched in sweat.
After Bai Qi revealed his identity, the Prime Minister felt, for the first time, how close he had been to death.
Despite appearing calm and composed during his conversation with Bai Qi, the Prime Minister of the island nation was internally terrified, fearing that a single misstep might displease the demon and lead to his demise.
But now, it was all over.
The Prime Minister let out a sigh of relief, a barely concealed smile spreading across his lips.
With the demon as his backer, he wouldn't have to fear political rivals, or even the United States. Re-election would be a foregone conclusion.
However, the Prime Minister was unaware that after he uttered those words, his political career was about to come to an end, everything falling precisely into Bai Qi's plan.
The plan of Doomsday was to destroy human cities and slaughter more humans, thereby regressing human civilization to its primitive state.
Bai Qi outwardly said nothing about this brute-force approach, even offering advice. Inwardly, however, he disdained such actions.
If this world were free of the myriad of extraordinary beings, without Supermen, the Justice League, SHIELD, and a host of other superpowers and alien races capable of world-ending destruction, Doomsday's method might have had some effect.
But given the current circumstances, let alone whether Doomsday could ultimately defeat a bug-like existence like Superman, even if Doomsday and the other demons joined forces, defeated the Justice League, and overturned the Avengers, forcing human civilization back to its primitive state.
When alien races invaded, without the aid of human strength, could the eight demons alone truly win?
After all, after so many years of sealing, the power of the eight demons had long since waned, and Earth itself had declined due to a prolonged imbalance between Yin and Yang.