"Hey, little lady, we're in the middle of adult business here. We're gonna have to take you back to your village." The guard who had asked about breaking down the door, seeing that this girl was likely from the village they'd passed, reached a hand toward her.
"I won't let y—"
Before he could grab Mia, a voice interrupted him.
"Stand down, Josh. Did you forget we're here in peace? Are we gangsters, now?" an old man with a beard asked, clearly annoyed.
"My apologies, sir!" The guard immediately bowed, apologizing, and retreated respectfully behind the old men, rejoining the other guards who remained on alert.
"Your guards need a few more months of hellish training, Arthur, hahaha!" a bald old man laughed at the scene. The guards trembled upon hearing this.
"Shut up for a moment, Old Jin!" The bearded man, Arthur, snapped back.
Click.
"Making so much noise at someone's house this early in the morning? Where are your manners?" Zion Chen interrupted the two, opening the door. His face was a mask of irritation, but his eyes showed genuine shock as he recognized the two men from the bar.
"Uncle Zion! Don't worry, I'll protect you from these invaders!" Mia, seeing the limping man appear, planted herself in front of him and yelled bravely.
"I don't need your protection. Go on, go play!" Ignoring the girl's attempt at heroics, he easily grabbed her by the collar of her dress and deposited her inside the house.
Pouting, she peeked her head out from behind the wall, eyeing the visitors with suspicion.
"Hello, young man. We finally meet again." A polite smile immediately spread across Arthur's face.
"What are you guys doing here?!" Zion feigned immense surprise. The moment he saw them, he'd suspected the reason for their visit, so he asked to be certain. But even while faking it, he was genuinely surprised they had located him so easily.
'Dammit, is 'she' even doing her job? Wasn't she supposed to be erasing my tracks, at least from the cameras? At this rate, anyone can find me!' He mentally cursed a figure that flashed in his mind.
"Hahaha! We went looking into what you said, young man. It seems we need to have a serious talk." Jin, who had been laughing with a friendly demeanor, suddenly turned serious. His sharp, narrowed eyes stared at the "surprised" young man, and a faint, dominant presence began to exude from the bald elder, putting pressure on everyone present.
Zion was taken aback by this presence. An aura this intense was rare. This guy was a strong one; a fight with him would be interesting. Ignoring the thought, he spoke in a dramatic tone: "A-Are you... stalkers??? Why would you follow a disabled man like me?" He stuttered, feigning nervousness.
"And poor!" Mia chimed in from behind the wall.
"Not poor!" he exclaimed, irritated.
Mia Chen stuck her tongue out and vanished.
"You bastard, how dare you disrespect the Chief! I'll make you kneel!" one of the guards behind Arthur shouted in anger. The old man simply raised a hand, silencing him.
"Make me kneel... Are you trying to... to... have your way with my body?!!! Perverts!!!" The dirt-smeared farmer struck what he must have thought was a cute pose, cowering and trembling in "fear."
Old Jin felt his blood pressure rise. Frowning, he realized his coercion was completely useless. The man in front of him was simply ignoring it. Giving up, he sighed, thinking, 'Truly a mysterious individual,' and said:
"Please, young man, let's take this seriously. We've come a long way for this." He spoke awkwardly, retracting his impotent aura. The weight his own group felt vanished, as if it had all been an illusion.
"Tch... You old-timers don't know how to play along. Just the two of you, please." Zion Chen shook his head, dropped the act, and gestured for them to enter with a happy smile.
They both nodded, signaling for their guards to watch the perimeter.
...
"So... what's the occasion for this visit, gentlemen?" Zion asked, sitting on one sofa and looking at the two old men sharing the one across from him.
"First, please accept our apologies for the intrusion and our inelegance. My name is Arthur Morgan, former president of the Morgan Corporation. I don't know if you've heard of us?" Arthur introduced himself more formally, name-dropping his credentials and waiting for a reaction.
"Zion Chen. Of course I have. Who would have thought the man behind one of the country's biggest economic giants would be sitting right in front of me." Zion put on a look of genuine surprise.
'Ugh... if a titan like this is here for trouble, it's going to be a gigantic headache.' The moment he heard who the old man was, he began to regret his big mouth. Who knew that acting mysterious would lead to this?
'Note to self: never play the 'mysterious sage' again.' With an internal sigh, he turned his gaze to the bald elder.
"I am Jin Wei, head of a renowned martial arts family. I've always been this idiot's sworn brother. My family used to live in seclusion, but these strange and mysterious changes have forced the elders to take action, to recruit new blood." As he spoke, he gave Zion a suggestive look, as if the answer his family was searching for might be right in front of him.
"I called in my contacts and hired many renowned investigators to look into the information Mr. Chen gave us. All I received were warnings to stop digging, and my investigators... vanished." Arthur sighed, thinking of how much he'd spent in the last two nights. Normally, he wouldn't chase down a stranger who might be spouting nonsense. But the sheer amount of cash he'd offered to government agents, politicians, and military brass—only to be sternly refused—was staggering.
And everyone who refused him had sounded anxious, evasive. Maybe the world really was changing.
"Oh, it seems they're doing a good job of hiding it, even from powerful people like you. And please, you can be casual, like before. Calling me 'sir' is making me feel old." Zion passed a hand over his face, worried he might be getting wrinkles. He really needed to enjoy his youthful appearance more.
But he was truly surprised that the world's governments were managing to contain the news. In this day and age, a big story could circle the globe in seconds.
"That's why we're here. You're our most direct path to this information. I can pay whatever you want for it. We've come with the utmost sincerity," Arthur declared, his expression serious as he stroked his long beard.
"And to show that sincerity, we'll be truthful. We investigated your past, Zion Chen. A former army lieutenant, active in numerous armed conflicts. One of the army's youngest rising stars, slotted for a coveted position in the Integrated States Order. A man of considerable renown." Jin Wei nodded in agreement, making no effort to hide their digging. There was no point. This identity was, at a minimum, superior to their own.
"The Integrated States Order, eh?" The name brought back memories for Zion. It was created by the same ten powerful nations that had created the Directory, designed to control conflicts that could lead to a world war. But while the Order was real, it was the Directory that pulled its strings, leveraging the Order's power to feed its own influence.
"How much are you willing to pay?" Zion pushed his thoughts aside and got to the point. His eyes gleamed with a certain greed. Besides planting, one of his favorite hobbies was accumulating wealth. Maybe he really could turn these problems into an opportunity.
"10 million Credits for the information. Old Jin and I discussed it. On top of the money, if the information is as important as we believe, we can also offer you several favors." Arthur made the opening offer. Jin Wei put on a blank face; this sort of thing was outside his scope.
"Hmm... 20 million. And the favors." Zion Chen shook his head, doubling the offer with a smile.
"I can offer 12 million. 20 seems a bit much for something we know nothing about, don't you think?" Arthur countered, also smiling.
"18 million Credits. And the favors." Zion thought for a moment and lowered his price.
"15 million is my limit," Arthur said with conviction.
"18 million. And the favors."
"Young Zion, I think you're overestimating the value of your information." Arthur shook his head.
"18 million. And the favors."
"But the value doesn't match the—" Annoyance flickered across his face.
"18 million. And the favors."
"You—!" A vein bulged on the old man's forehead.
"18 million. And the favors."
"FINE, DAMMIT! 18 million and the favors! There!" Hearing the same line for the fifth time, Arthur exploded, yanking on his own beard. What kind of negotiation was this? You couldn't negotiate with a broken record! He wanted to get up and leave, but he took a deep breath and endured. This information was too secret, and he needed to understand.
"Hohoho! Looks like old Arthur's gotten rusty. In the old days, he would've just walked out to find another source!" Old Jin laughed, watching his friend seethe. This young man was really testing the patience of one of the most influential men in the country.
"Shut up!"
"Deal!" Zion Chen's grin widened. He practically drooled, imagining his pockets bulging with 18 million Credits.
'Who's going to spend all their time hoeing that metal plate I call soil? Daddy can buy a tractor now! I'm going to have so many radishes! Hehehehe...'
'Wait. Radishes?!' An idea sparked in his mind. Hiding his strange smile, he stood up from the sofa.
"Since we're going to be talking, I'll go get some of my harvest for us to enjoy. Just a moment!"
He ran off to the kitchen.