Quick on the uptake, no need for nonsense—dealing with smart people is a pleasure.
Gao Yang smiled at Baskov, then he nodded and said, "That's exactly what I mean. I hope to cooperate with you. Sorry, I don't like using such blunt words, but you said that to you the Black Demon is like a soldier's old unit, so I think there are some things it's better to make clear in advance, to avoid any misunderstanding between us."
Baskov said with a grim face, "Calling it an old unit is just a metaphor. You should understand that the Black Demon is not something an ordinary unit can be compared with."
Gao Yang spread his hands and said, "But you're right. I don't want any unpleasantness because I overestimated your feelings for the Black Demon and ended up making some request you can't agree to. So, we talk about cooperation first, then feelings—no, I said that wrong. It should be we talk about interests first, then feelings."
