Chapter 715: Deterrence
Mouse liked money. It was something like a mutual consensus among all people who knew him. But each and every one who wanted to make a deal with him also had to be ready to be butchered.
"Of course! I love money very much." Mouse straightened up his chest said with a straight face.
"Well, it seems like I just found a really good helper for our Boss this time," said Jin Shi with a smile. "You're well-known as the Eyes of the Underground, excel at collecting information, and is also adept at controlling intelligence network even though your network only covers a small area like Shanghai. Also, someone who likes money can be a good financial staff. If you are able to gain our Boss' trust, he may entrust you a heavy responsibility and hand you the key to the treasury vault."
"Treasury vault?"
Mouse's eyes immediately turned ablaze. A Boss who could own a treasury vault was definitely not an ordinary top dog! He really wanted jump in now, but he could not. He was used to the feeling of controlling everything. Though it was tiresome having money transferred into his account regularly at intervals, sleeping with his banknotes was what he liked the most.
He glanced to both sides while the hand that gripped the knife turned tighter as he prepared to refuse the offer the second time. He decided to use the opportunity to launch a sneak attack and then leave.
"Two Brothers, you know that getting rid of an enmity is better than keeping it, and the present society is governed under the law. This is a public place, so you would not dare to attack me here, no? Besides, this old Mouse is always prepared for both eventualities, for there will be men following me wherever I appear. Just look at that square, maybe some people will come rushing for me at any time." Mouse smirked.
"Don't think about scaring me, buddy." Jin Shi grinned. "Perhaps you were still a baby when I—Jin Shi was crawling and rolling in piles of dead. Don't rush to refuse. Maybe you think you can run away today, but have you ever thought that since we can investigate about you means that our resources are better than yours, and the force behind us is not something you can imagine? Why not… just give yourself a precious escort and protection this time?"
Mouse furrowed his brows, and a solemn expression painted his monkey-like face. It was an expression he rarely showed unless he was faced with a very important choice or a critical moment.
"Who is your Boss?"
"Our Boss is a man called Tang Xiu," said Jin Shi.
Mouse gave it a thought and immediately exclaimed, "Is it Tang Xiu, the freshman of Shanghai University, the young miracle-working doctor at Star City Chinese Medical Hospital, the secret Big Boss of the Magnificent Tang Corporation, and the offspring of the Tang Family from Beijing who was missing for many years? Are you talking about this Tang Xiu?"
"Never thought you would know so much about our Boss, buddy." Jin Shi grinned. "Anyways, since you already know my Boss' identity, then your second opportunity just turned critical. Pick one. Live or die, submit or refuse. Give me an answer now."
"Answer me first." Mouse waved his hand. "There are two things I wanna ask you. I'll pick my choice if you answer me naturally."
"You're a talented guy, so I'll give you the opportunity to ask," said Jin Shi.
A burst of light flashed in Mouse's eyes as he asked, "Your Boss should have another identity other than the ones I just mentioned, shouldn't he? Is his other identity more lighter or heavier than those I mentioned?"
"He does have another identity. It's nothing you can pick on, but it's much heavier than you think," said Jin Shi without hesitation.
Mouse's eyes lit up and he asked again, "Why does your Boss need intelligence on the murder that happened in Shanghai recently? You should also know that the people who can solve these problems should be from the government."
"I don't know much on this one. My Boss is probably bored and has nothing to do, and wants to find something to kill the time. Or maybe because he feels compassionate toward the people and doesn't want to see more victims. Anyhow, you already got your two questions. Now it's time to give me your answer."
"I just had a change in mind all of a sudden and want to ask you another question. What kind of treatment can I get if I join you?" Asked Mouse hastily.
"I dunno. It's Boss who can answer that." Jin Shi shook his head.
Mouse rolled his eyes and released the knife in his pocket. He then stood up, stretched his body comfortably, and then said with a smile, "Well, I gotta say that I don't wanna die, so I choose to join you. As a token of my joining, I'll hand over the information on these murder cases to you… Umm, no, to your Boss. Let's go, then! Take me to him now!"
Jin Shi nodded. He was not afraid that Mouse would take back his words, and was neither he afraid that this guy would run in the way. The prey he aimed at was never able to escape from his grasp even if they had wings on them.
A few minutes later, as Jin Shi's group left with Mouse, a young man with yellow bleached hair and wearing a very ordinary attire followed them. The guy was called Chen Yangfan, a member of the Phantom Special Combat Squad and also an excellent scout. His task was to track Mouse and figure out where his nest was.
"Strange. Where the hell did these two fellas come out? What purpose they have for taking Mouse away with them?" Chen Yangfan thought in silent as he touched his chin while looking at the car in front.
Half an hour later.
BANG…
At an intersection about ten kilometers away from the Paradise Manor, the rear tire of the SUV with a Beijing plate number driven by Cheng Yangfan exploded. Fortunately, he was a very skilled driver and constantly pushed the brake while both his hands controlled the steering wheel before the car gradually stopped at the roadside.
"Something's strange."
Cheng Yangfan frowned as got off the car and walked to the rear to look at the rear tires. He found that a flying knife stabbed into the tire, and the main cause for the tire to burst out was this flying knife.
Whoosh!
A hazy figure silently appeared behind him. Despite being a tracker and detection expert of the Phantom Special Combat Squad, he only noticed that someone already had a sharp dagger on his neck just as it happened. The sudden crisis caused all the fine hairs all over his body to stand erect and cold sweat to come out, his whole being as though falling into an ice hole.
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?
He roared inwardly. He was very confident in his reflexes and sensing ability. Even Yu Shuqing, the captain of his Phantom Special Combat Squad, could only get 7 meters close to him without getting noticed. Closer than that and he would never be able to escape his perception.
"Don't look back if you don't wanna die."
A low and deep voice sounded behind him. Feeling a bit of fear, Chen Yangfan nodded silently. His voice was a bit hoarse as he asked, "Who are you?"
A man's sneering voice replied, "You don't need to know who I am. Just answer my question. Who sent you to track Mouse, and who are you?"
Mouse?
Cheng Yangfan recalled the two middle-aged men he had seen before. His mind raced and said, "It seems that you are of the same group of people who took Mouse. I don't have the convenience to disclose my identity, but I guarantee that I have no ill intention toward that guy."
The man behind him seemed to ponder for a moment and then said slowly, "The more you know, the quicker you'll die. Though you have yet to answer my question, I can tell from your words and stance that you're a soldier, and you should be an elite affiliated with some special squad in the Chinese military. I warn you. Go back and tell your leader. Do not ever try to investigate Mouse again, or else…"
Two seconds later, Chen Yangfan realized that the dagger placed on his neck was gone already, and there was no sounds of the man behind him anymore. Just as he turned his head, he gasped as he found that no one was behind him. There was no trace of that mysterious man at all. His sharp eyes quickly glanced at the pedestrians passing by, and yet, he could not find any trace of that man with his professional skills.
"Just two or three seconds."
Chen Yangfan felt dread and panic. He did not believe that someone's speed could be quick to this degree. It was just two or three seconds, and he was already 60 meters away at least. He could not even see his form. It was like the man just vanished in thin air.
His gaze then landed on the throwing knife that pierced the tire. At this moment, he finally realized that it was not the tire that ran on the throwing knife, but it was definitely someone who shot the throwing knife toward the tire when he drove the car by. Upon realizing this, his heart jolted and he immediately went back to the driver's seat without hesitation, and then called his captain, Yu Shuqing.
"What's the situation?" Yu Shuqing's cold voice transmitted from the phone.
"I just encountered an expert, Captain," said Chen Yangfan in a bitter tone. "This guy is simply like a ghost. He used a throwing knife to blast off the rear tires of my car, and he did it when my speed was about 80 to 90 km/h. Furthermore, this fellow appeared behind me and placed a knife on my neck without me being able to realize that he was approaching me. The most terrifying thing is that, two seconds after he stopped talking to me, I suddenly turned around but he had vanished. According to my judgment of the surrounding environment, he had already left for at least 60 meters away in just two or three seconds."
"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Yu Shiqing shouted. "You're a soldier, Yangfan. DO NOT make such a joke with me. Even a martial arts grandmaster who is good at speed is impossible to sprint a distance of 60 meters in two seconds. Also, I know perfectly well about your skills. You won the state tracking competition twice in a row, while your combat sense has also reached a better level than mine in the last drill. It's just impossible for anyone to place a knife on your neck without you being able to react at all."
"But it is the truth, Captain," said Chen Yangfan in a bitter tone. "I can't believe it myself, but it did really happen, and I was forced to believe it."
Yu Shuqing fell silent for a few seconds and asked, "Then what about old Mouse?"
"I lost his track," said Chen Yangfan. "That man correctly guessed that I'm from a special force, but he did not know much further than that. Also, he issued a warning to be passed on to my superior, that is: we are to never investigate Mouse again, otherwise…"
Yu Shuqing squinted his eyes, and coldly asked, "What else did he say?"
"Nothing. But his murderous aura is very strong," said Chen Yangfan. "I dare say that the number of people he has killed should be not less than three digits, else he wouldn't have such a strong murderous aura."
After pondering for a long while, Yu Shuqing finally said, "Since you've lost his track, then come back now! As long as this old Mouse has yet to leave Shanghai, we'll find him sooner or later."
Chapter 716: Get Rich or Die Trying
Men would die for riches as will birds for food as it was said in an old adage.
In Xie Zhiqiang's eyes, wealth was ranked second in his top priorities, and his puny little life was ranked first. He could kill his parents, murder his wife and children, and do all kinds of evils for the sake of money. His motto in life was: whoever dares to block the source of my money must die.
And this time, there were more than a dozen guns aimed at him. His life would be claimed in an instant as long as one of them pulled the trigger. In this moment of crisis, however, he was not afraid at all, as he sat on the cozy sofa and even gestured the four men behind him to put the guns down, while letting out a smiling face toward the foreign caucasian man in front of him.
"Don't blame me for overriding the initial price, Brother Cole. That genetic drug particle developed from our research cooperation is way too precious. Our previous agreement indeed stated that you'll pay me 200 million USD once the research on this gene particle is done, and it also stated that you will take away the gene particle along with the research data. But, you too know that the time spent on researching this genetic drug was much longer than expected. You gave up providing more additional funds needed in the past two years, so I got all the money on my own. So, it's 1 billion USD. A penny less and you will never take it away. Tell your men to shoot me on if you dare. My death is just a trivial thing, but you will never get that gene particle." Xie Zhiqiang touched his chin and said with a smile.
The tall and big Austin Cole was full of momentum and killing intention. When he wanted to kill someone, he would habitually pinch the button on the lower part of his clothes. At this moment, however, his fingers were fastened on it. He had met many greedy bastards, but none had dared to override the initial price agreement with him.
However, he knew perfectly well that Xie Zhiqiang and his SOE's Big Boss had a very deep friendship since this guy once saved him. If he were to kill this fella, though his Big Boss would not lash out his anger toward him directly, he could expect bad treatment from him in the future.
Nonetheless, 1 billion USD was not a price he could bear.
"Xie, the SOE has had internal problems in the past two years. I'm sure you should have heard something about it. We invested all our funds into a huge project, so we can't provide the funds you needed on time. That was indeed our mistake. But, 1 billion USD is way too much. Let alone me, even Boss himself won't agree to it. Our bottom line is 300 million USD. Or you can opt to become our enemy if you don't agree."
"Hmph, 300 million USD, eh?" Xie Zhiqiang coldly smiled. "Do you take me as a beggar? The total amount of capital I've invested in this project for the past two years amounts to nearly 200 million USD, as I had to import tons of research material from various countries around the world. You should know something called nanobot, right? Just to get this stuff, I sent my people to some secret research labs belonging to the United States in Africa. Do you know how much I lost? Of the 40 true bloody combat experts I sent there, 27 of them died, while 4 of the remaining 13 who escaped with the nanobots turned disabled.
"Furthermore, do you fucking know from where I obtained the information about those labs? I spent 25 million USD to buy it from the Darkwind Organization. And yet, you increased the price by a mere 100 million? HELLO??? You have the nerve to bullshit me?"
Austin Cole fell silent. He could not tell if what Xie Zhiqiang said was true or not, but breaching the contract was indeed their fault. It had been eight years since they began the joint research and, while his SOE company had invested a total of 480 million USD for the first six years, there had been no substantial progress with the research. Therefore, just as they had given up on the plan, they unexpectedly caught the news that the test was successful.
It was a gene particle! Something he must get at all costs. Once they obtain this gene particle, they could transform the body of ordinary people, creating a group mutated gene experts. Though the SOE company had its own armed forces, the gap between them and the top armed forces in the world was like a chasm.
"500 million dollars, this is my bottom line."
Finally, Austin Cole could only opt to compromise and directly added 200 million USD. It was also the highest price he was authorized to offer.
"As I said, I want 1 billion, not a penny less. Else I will not sell these gene particles to your SOE company." Xie Zhiqiang shook his head. "Besides, I'm pretty sure that once I sell the gene particles to other foreign large powers there will be countless forces willing to bid for a higher price."
"ARE YOU FORCING ME?" Roared Austine Cole furiously.
"You got that right. I'm indeed forcing you," said Xie Zhiqiang. "Take it and we have a deal. Leave it and we separate. This place is China. You may have brought a lot of men with you, but wanting to kill me will not be easy. Moreover, it's uncertain whether you can leave the Chinese border as well."
Those who have threatened me are all dead!
Austin Cole did not say it out loud but chanted it inside thrice. He could only endure and employ patience, for the purpose of the SOE company was to groom a large number of powerful genetic warriors that would finally double the armed forces under the company by ten times.
As he took out a Cuban cigar, a middle-aged man lit it up for him. After taking a few puffs, he waved his hand, motioning his men to put their guns down. He then stared at Xie Zhiqiang and said indifferently, "I'm only authorized to fork out 500 million dollars, so I need to call Boss about this matter and ask his decision."
"I can only give you three days." Xie Zhiqiang shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "No answer in three days and the document in mailbox will automatically send the files. At that time, there will be at least 20 top forces in the world who will send their people to China to discuss a business deal with me."
Austin Cole subconsciously glanced at the bottommost button of his clothes and nodded with a cold expression, before he got up and left.
After half a minute, a girl with heavy makeup and a voluptuous, charming figure came out of the next room. There was a sharp butterfly knife in her hand as she fiddled and played it up and down, creating images of blossoming flowers.
"Tell me something, do you really want money so much that you're not even afraid to make Austin Cole thoroughly furious?" Asked the girl with a smile. "You also know his notorious reputation for being cruel and merciless, no?"
"I've provoked many cruel and merciless people before. He's not the only one of the many, neither is he among the few. I didn't see any hope at the beginning, and it drove me into a tight corner. Now that the gene particle has been developed, they came out like hungry wolves after it. The vexed feeling inside me will never dissipate if I don't make them bleed."
"What are you going to do after this SOE's Big Boss speaks his piece?" Asked the girl with a smile.
Dread flashed inside Xie Zhiqiang's eyes. After a long silence, he slowly said, "I know a bit about his character. He definitely won't make things get worse if this matter can be settled with money. Of course, I will have to sell it to him if he wants to thicken his face and buy it for 500 million USD, nonetheless. Anyways, the gene particle is highly unlikely to be sold to one group only, so help me observe and inspect some contacts; it is necessary to find another two rich clients."
The girl squinted her eyes and asked with a faint smile, "Are you not afraid that everyone will know that you have the gene particles in your hands? You'll have numerous forces staring at you by then."
"Why should I?" Xie Zhiqiang sneered. "I'll hand over the formula of the gene particles to the country after selling to some of them. Do you think the country will let me go at that time?"
"..." The girl gave him a thumbs up, and praise was all over her heavy makeup face.
****
Paradise Manor.
Tang Xiu sat in the living room of the building where Ouyang Lulu usually lived, looking at the Ji Mu's gifts. As he fiddled with the strings, a melodious sound of zither gave off a feeling like of a grand feast. Ouyang Lulu, who sat cross-legged in front of the small tea table beside, was now fully concentrated on making tea.
"Ji Mu's here, Boss." Mo Awu came in front of Tang Xiu in a few steps and reported.
Tang Xiu did not speak and kept playing the entire music, and then gently waved his hand. Soon, Ji Mu came in with a beautifully wrapped gift box, carefully placed it in front of Tang Xiu, and then stepped two steps back.
"What kind of treasure is it this time?" Tang Xiu pointed to the gift box without expression.
"I don't know either." Ji Mu shook his head. "When I said goodbye my to Grandmother two hours ago she told me to take this and gift it to you."
Tang Xiu pointed to the sofa at the opposite side. After Ji Mu had taken a seat, he then asked, "Tell me! What is your real purpose?"
Ji Mu had already made up his mind and cleared his thoughts previously, but he was still a bit panicked at this moment. However, he suppressed his mood and bolstered up his courage, saying, "I've always wanted to become an exceptional man, a superman, or a man with mystical powers. Just like what you did in Laoshan, mounting the clouds and riding the mist while controlling flying swords to kill your enemies."
Tang Xiu suddenly looked up. His eyes were cold and brimmed with murderous intent, as he then said in a cold voice, "Were you around back then?"
Ji Mu felt a chill down his spine as Tang Xiu stared at him. He suddenly felt like he was being eyed by a ferocious beast, as though this beast would swallow him at any time.
"Yeah, I was nearby." Bracing himself, Ji Mu nodded.
"Who else besides you witnessed it?" Asked Tang Xiu indifferently. "Also, did you tell anyone else about this?"
Ji Mu shook his head and said, "There was no one else except me. I realized that I couldn't easily disclose this matter, so I did not tell anyone about it."
Hmph. Tang Xiu snorted coldly and said, "With this reply, are you not afraid that I'll kill you, so as to avoid endless trouble popping up later?"
"That is something I've prepared myself for," said Ji Mu in a bitter tone. "If I were to come back alive today, it means that I made the correct gamble. But if I were to die here, it's also the price I have to pay for losing the gamble, even if there would indeed be lots of regrets left behind. Nonetheless, I'll still accept it."
Tang Xiu shot him a deep gaze and received the fragrant tea handed over by Lulu. After gulping it down, he put the cup on the table and untied the beautifully wrapped gift box. His expression slightly blanked after he observed the rectangular wooden box clearly.
"It's made of Growth Amelioration Wood?"