exchange
Steven, who had been nonchalant, suddenly stiffened upon hearing this, his facial expression involuntarily twitching: "What do you mean? You mean Theo might still be alive?"
At the same time, Blaise clenched his fists so tightly that a vein throbbed on his forehead.
Nona silently scanned the expressions of everyone present, noticing the fleeting moment of discomposure on Miles' face. She slightly raised her lips, but when she saw the calm-eyed Milo, she was puzzled.
Milo's expression looked strange, not like that of a living person. Even the rise and fall of his breathing was barely noticeable; he was far too calm.
“Weren’t all the people who were supposed to be watching them as they boarded the plane shot dead on the spot? There are no witnesses, so whether the entire Green family is dead or not remains an unsolved mystery.” Xigong smiled. “That’s why it’s better for everyone to listen to this recording of their last words together.”
Xigong pressed the switch, and the player emitted a series of sounds, including a very indistinct scream, followed by a man's voice.
"After I die... all my assets... if there are any left that I can freely dispose of, please distribute them to the employees of Wusen... I'm sorry... it was my fault... I let everyone down..."
Immediately following were urgent alarms and the sound of the machine breaking apart, then a woman's voice rang out.
"Baby, don't be afraid. Mom and Dad will always be with you. Mom and Dad will always love you... Be brave, okay..."
The voices stopped abruptly, followed by the crackling sound of burning.
Steven slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What the hell do you mean?! Are you trying to prove that the entire Green family is dead and without a burial place?"
Sigon, however, was not angered by Steven's disrespect: "If I were you, I should be thanking myself for hearing those last words. Isn't this the kind of death you all came up with? Not even enough to piece together a handful of ashes. Would you dare close your eyes and sleep if the entire Green family wasn't dead?"
Steven stared blankly at Sigon, unable to refute, as if all his strength had been drained away.
Only then did Sigon pull out the second box and push it in front of Steven, saying calmly, "Don't lose the jewelry we paid a high price for."
It is that "Son of God".
Steven's eyelids twitched, and his expression turned grim, as if he had been stung by a dazzling jewel.
Sigon said slowly, “Bobby Thornton left you some money with me a long time ago, just to make sure you could get away this time. I’m not a person who breaks his word. If you want to leave through me, I will make the arrangements for you. But don’t blame me for being long-winded, at a time like this, spending so much money on a piece of jewelry is not a wise decision for someone like you who is on the run.”
“I heard that you and the Green family’s child have been good friends for more than ten years. It’s good that you want to buy him a memento as a keepsake, but since you killed his whole family, isn’t it too naive to rely on a piece of jewelry to commemorate him?”
Steven was pale, but his eyes were burning red.
Xigong looked at the box and said slowly, "I know what happened on the cruise ship. If I were you, I should be thinking about who leaked the news of your escape to those people at the Thornton Group's subsidiary. Kid, you're in big trouble in Wudong Port. From now on, you should be 100% vigilant. Once you leave, don't come back. Consider it leaving your father a bloodline."
Steven suddenly looked up and froze on the spot.
Sigon turned to Miles: "Alright, let's talk about the Daller family. But I don't want to talk to you about it." Sigon's gaze fell on Milo beside Miles. "I like this kid."
Milo, who was called out, instantly became the focus of everyone's attention at the table.
Sigon laughed at Milo, "If I hadn't stopped you back then, you probably would have really chopped off your own foot." Sigon glanced at Blaise with a smile, "Your ruthlessness towards yourself is something even a kid like you can't match."
Miles looked at Milo, momentarily confused as to how he had come into contact with Sigon.
"Didn't you say Mr. Dale brought a personal assistant this time? You're the one, right?" Sigon pointed to the documents in his hand, and someone immediately handed them to Milo. "Hey kid, tell me, based on what your boss drafted, what kind of compensation could I ask him for to make it worthwhile?"
Miles stopped him, saying, "How old is he? What would he know about these things?"
Xigong disagreed, saying, "This child has the face of a Green family member, but how do you know his brain isn't like a Green family member's? Green family boys are not only handsome, but also very bright, though they are a bit naive. Naïveness is a fatal stupidity. But I don't think this child is like that; he's a smart man."
Upon hearing this, Miles released his grip.
Milo opened the document, glanced at the additional clauses Miles had added, and after a moment, calmly looked up and said, "Nothing needs to be made up, because you wouldn't agree to it anyway."
A deathly silence fell over the arena, but Sigon, twirling his Bodhi beads, asked with a smile, "What do you mean by that?"
"In Wudong Port, Blaze intervened to stop Steven from shipping the goods onto the cruise ship for sale, probably to solve the problem for Gan Gu. If that shipment had been successfully transported in, it would have essentially led the Wudong Port police here, since a previous shipment of empty corpses had already caused a joint investigation by the police in Wudong Port and Wanyang."
"And then there's the unique wild game performance on the ship. At first, I thought it might just be a publicity stunt. But with this one-of-a-kind gimmick, wouldn't it be perfect to attract tourists from all over the country to Gangu for trading? And yet you don't harm them. What does that mean? I think you must have bigger ambitions. Perhaps you want to develop a longer-term business in this place full of armed plunder. Black market trading, drugs? Guns? Human trafficking? In essence, it's all plunder. How can these compare to legal and compliant experimental drugs? From Wudong Port to the inland, it's still a blue ocean."
"As for the bankruptcy of Lianhua Machinery, it must be like losing an arm for Gangu. It's not fatal, but it hurts enough. Under these circumstances, working with the Dale family to develop the Bio-Element is a crucial industrial upgrade. The industrial system you've built up over so many years should be the absolute economic pillar. Without it, you might not even be able to collect bullets for war."
"Therefore, for your own development and territorial expansion, you will absolutely not give up the deal with the Dale family. In fact, you will try to swallow the Dale family up completely."
After Milo calmly finished speaking, an awkward silence fell over the entire room.
These things are not top secrets that cannot be discovered, but for an unknown nobody to say them so openly is simply audacious and alarming.
A hint of a smile flashed in Sigon's eyes. He suddenly laughed loudly and patted Blaise's hand beside him: "No wonder you like him."
“He’s right. This business is very important, so important that losing it might mean losing over twenty years of our hard work. We really can’t just give up like this.” Xigong looked at Miles and smiled gently. “But the Dale family can be yours, I mean completely yours. The kid will stay in Gan Valley and won’t get involved in Wudong Port matters with you.”
Xigong paused for a moment, then continued, "As for the Shengyuansu business, it's impossible to withdraw from Wudong Port, but the contract with you can be terminated later. We are currently negotiating with another company. Although we don't know each other as well as you and I do, since you're determined to sever ties, I'm not going to go so far as to tear each other apart and fight."
“Alright then, I’ll take care of all the trouble at Wudong Port for you. As for the compensation you’ve proposed, I don’t want any of it. I just want him.” Xigong pointed at Milo. “Leave the child in Gangu. Don’t worry, I won’t mistreat him. There’s no better deal. Mr. Dale, what do you think?”
That's not a problem. Because everyone in the room heard the crisp sound of guns being cocked outside the teakhouse.
Xigong has a kind appearance, which subconsciously makes people forget that he is essentially the head of the Gangu Autonomous State and is engaged in dangerous and risky business.
Everyone in the room, including Milo, was waiting for Miles' answer.
"No."
Sigon's smile deepened: "What did you say?"
Miles looked directly into Sigon's eyes and said in an extremely calm tone, "He won't change."
Xigong shook his head and stopped trying to persuade him, simply waving his hand.
Nonai, who was sitting at the table, responded to the call and stood up, but Blaise pressed her down on the shoulder and made her sit down again.
Milo watched the scene unfold quietly, seemingly an outsider.
Sigon wanted him to stay simply to be Blaise's plaything, but he also knew that Miles would never agree easily, because he was not the kind of person who would compromise when threatened to his face.
Seeing the situation becoming tense, Sigon frowned and looked at Blaise: "What's going on? Making it seem like we're fighting to the death. Business deals aren't something that can be settled in one go." Then, Sigon changed the subject, "It's getting dark, let's all get some rest for the night, we can talk about it tomorrow."
People at the table got up in twos and threes.
“Mr. Dale,” Sigon suddenly narrowed his eyes and called out to Miles, “I have some newly acquired wine here. I heard it’s some kind of rare vintage. We people don’t know anything about it, so we’ll have to ask you, someone who can appreciate wine, to give it a review.”
Miles sat down as instructed.
Milo couldn't help but glance at Miles a few more times, only to be teased by Sigon with a smile: "This kid looks like he's afraid I'll eat you. It seems you two are quite worried about each other."
Milo's eyelids twitched as he noticed Blaze's gaze fixed on him. He didn't linger any longer and turned to leave.
When the servants brought out the wine, Miles took the initiative to sober up, adopting a very humble posture. Seen by this, Sigon said, "You're not like your father."
"Many people have said this."
“It doesn’t seem like it, which is a good thing.” Sigon took the glass of wine from Miles with satisfaction, brought it to his lips, but didn’t drink it. “I want Milo. Name your price.”
Miles' voice remained calm: "I think we've made this very clear."
"Are you really clear?" Xigong raised his eyebrows slightly and smiled. "You saw the factory during the day, and you also saw the road at the foot of the mountain. Once the kid takes down that troublemaking guerrilla group nearby, the transportation route can be opened, and Gan Valley will no longer rely on a single waterway in the future."
Miles pondered for a moment and said, "I understand, but no matter how much Gangu wants to expand its business with Shengyuansu, Dale Group has decided not to follow suit."
Xigong shook his head: "You still don't understand. The reason you want to stop the cooperation on the source element is simply because you can't get the analgesic effect after extraction right. But if you change the method and truly make the Heavenly Maiden Tear effective, then it will be truly worth a fortune."
Miles's expression turned slightly cold: "Sir, if I heard correctly, you're planning to manufacture drugs? The reason why Gan Valley is free from drugs and why the Tengbang government is willing to protect this land is largely because Gan Valley is free from drugs. Your place is a well-known drug-free zone. Once you get involved with drugs, you're not only competing with the drug dealers in the mountains, but you're also challenging the government's bottom line on drug prohibition."
Xigong laughed: "I may be old, but not so old that you need to explain this to me. Actually, how much can you make making bio-based drugs? The censorship is so strict, isn't that why the Green family was wiped out? The new drug we're working on now has both strong analgesia and low addictiveness, making it especially suitable for the alternative needs in areas where medical marijuana is legal. Once the road to Aprin is completed, Gan Valley will be able to directly connect to other cities in Tengbang. Tengbang currently has a serious drug problem, and once this batch of new drugs is produced, they will be the best test subjects. Once the new drug has captured the market in this area, expanding northward won't be difficult."
Miles frowned slightly: "It sounds like this drug is a good thing. But the Tengbang government has a firm grip on resources and transportation routes, and the Gan Valley is extremely closed off. How can you guarantee that it can find a market throughout Tengbang? Besides, since this thing can relieve pain and reduce drug addiction, aren't you offending the drug dealers? Not to mention the north, even going to Lanman is uncertain. Lanman has strict drug control, and this new drug may not be able to pass that hurdle."
“Controlling painkillers strengthens our soft power over civilians, which is good for General Angto. They only bear the transportation risk; why would they refuse? But once war breaks out and the regular medical system collapses, we can monopolize the supply of cheap painkillers. I don’t think I need to elaborate on the profits involved.” Sigon smiled slightly. “As for those in the mountains… you can think about it. When drug addicts learn that there is a cheap drug that can reduce addiction and relieve pain, will they be determined to quit or will they use drugs even more recklessly?”
Xigong said gently, "If the medicine is distributed in smaller quantities, the demand for poison will naturally increase; if there is more poison, the government forces will need to crack down, and this medicine can help alleviate some of their firepower when it comes out at crucial moments. I think the people on the mountain are still very willing to talk to us about this delicate balance."
"And then there's Lanman, which you mentioned... When it comes to expanding beyond Tengbang and opening up the southern market, what we've always lacked are people who can make medicine, not people who can invest." Xigong tapped the rim of his cold teacup. "Have you heard of Green Contract Company?"
Miles frowned slightly: "Frostraven in the north? Is that the biopharmaceutical company that Joshua runs?"
"That's right, it's him. He's always been very interested in the Heavenly Maiden's Tears from Gan Valley. Moreover, he intends to open a branch in Lanman, and the location has already been decided in Wanyang. You couldn't be unaware of this news, could you? This young man is very ambitious. Compared to him, you seem quite timid."
Hearing this, Miles fell silent.
Xigong smiled with satisfaction: "Compared to Shengyuansu, this new drug is almost risk-free. The only risk is putting your conscience on the scale, but how much is a conscience worth? This is a new blue ocean. Now, I'm giving you the opportunity to get on board."
Miles's eyes narrowed slightly. This wasn't an exaggeration. Painkillers require far fewer approval processes than serotonin, and if what Xigong said was true, the profits involved were beyond description.
The opportunities a person encounters in their lifetime are few and far between, and the ones they can seize are even fewer.
“Does Blaise know about all of this you’ve planned?” Miles asked.
Xigong seemed to think the question was extremely naive, and he countered, "What do you think a kid should know? Troublesome things are never worth doing, and troublesome things are never worth saying."
Miles paused for a moment, then asked, "Is all you want Milo?"
Xigong nodded slightly: "It's just him."
After a long while, Miles raised his hand, picked up his glass, and handed it to Sigon. The rims of the glasses clinked, and the two of them finished their glasses of wine in the twilight.
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