At first, the Mel brothers were both feigning weakness. It must have all been planned from the start: the older brother, Mel, would step up to bear the pressure, while the younger, Hiri, would hang back, biding his time.
But they never expected Su Chen to play his trump card right away, securing their families. It caught them completely off guard.
It made sense, though. As renowned gold hunters, if they were the type to shy away from trouble, their rivals would have picked them clean in the wilderness long ago.
"Heh… Our 'lifeline'? Our lives are about to be forfeit, and you're still worried about some 'line'? If we don't show some good faith, do you really think we'll walk out of this camp alive?"
"Even if we managed to crawl out of here, could you guarantee his men wouldn't find us? If you won't think for yourself, at least think of your teenage daughter!" Mel's voice was level, but to Hiri, his words were as loud as a bomb blast.
