The Meaning of the Kill
After leaving the building, Charlie was still thinking about what had just happened. He couldn't help but ask,
"We're just leaving like this? What if Mike Gray wakes up..."
"He won't wake up."
Charlie frowned, slightly confused.
Luke smiled and said, "Elijah Field was a former Special Forces member; the skills he learned were for killing. To make him even more effective, I added something to his body that induces madness."
Charlie swallowed, looked around, and whispered,
"Did he really die?"
"What do you think?"
"That's too crazy! Mike Gray was a high-ranking FBI executive, a member of the power elite. If we took him out, won't the other executives..."
Luke glanced at him and said indifferently,
"When my grandpa taught me Chinese, he mentioned an idiom: 'Knock on the mountain to startle the tiger.' Do you remember it?"
Charlie scratched his hair awkwardly. Chinese was too difficult. The same sentence could have four or five meanings, each expressing something different. It was baffling.
Luke didn't expect him to nod and continued, "Knock on the mountain to startle the tiger means appropriately displaying your strength to make your enemy wary and unwilling to act rashly."
"The Melissa matter is more complicated than we thought. They've already caught on. The murderer is most likely you, me, or Linda Danvers, but they have no evidence and haven't found the body. In desperation, they resorted to dirty tricks. Think about it—why did they dare use cheap methods against you?"
Charlie's face gradually turned serious.
Luke sneered, "As the top investigative agency in the US, the FBI has enormous power, and the people working there inevitably develop arrogance. The higher the rank, the greater the arrogance. Take Mike Gray, for example. In his eyes, you're just an insignificant small-timer, and even I am. When they can't find evidence, they pull a few strings to arrest the small-timers, use private torture, and force them to talk. Mike Gray did this before, and he would have done it again."
"So, he had to die!"
"Only with his death will the other executives be shaken. They'll realize that this guy in front of them isn't some stray cat or dog, but a man-eating tiger. People can casually mess with cats and dogs, but to use the same methods against a tiger is seeking death."
"Mike Gray's life is the warning I'm sending them. Want to come after me? No problem. Bring legitimate evidence. Dare to use cheap tricks again, and I'll send them to meet Jesus."
Charlie's body shuddered. He thought, The Young Master has definitely changed. His words were filled with power and dominance, which he rarely showed before. Yet, the thought still bothered him, and he said with lingering worry,
"Mike Gray had a lot of connections as a senior FBI official. What if..."
"Stupid!"
Luke's face was cold, and he reprimanded without hesitation, "Do you think the current government is still the hegemon it was decades ago? The era has changed, and the future will only be more brutal."
"Just look at what they do. That explains why crime rates are skyrocketing in major cities. Our President isn't any better—corruption, bribery, embezzlement, and those kinds of habits..."
At this point, a strong look of disgust flashed in his eyes. He could tolerate the corruption—what President doesn't make money? The key was that he was secretly involved with the Dark Web and using human organs for cult rituals.
Luke couldn't understand. Are the leading politicians of both parties blind? How could they let a guy like that into the White House?
Charlie couldn't suppress his curiosity and whispered,
"What kind of habits are those?"
Luke glared at him. "Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."
Charlie immediately shut his mouth, but his eyes darted around, clearly fascinated by the President's special habits.
Luke continued, "Thanks to the relentless efforts of those at the top, the FBI has also become a center for incompetence, with factions constantly fighting and looking for ways to expose each other's secrets. Mike Gray was one such player, but the weakest. Now that he's dead, who's going to take over the two hot potatoes, Metropolis and Gotham?"
Charlie looked thoughtful, seemingly understanding the implications.
"In short, what happened today stays buried. Don't mention it to anyone."
"Understood, Boss. I know what to do."
"Good that you understand."
New Ventures
The two arrived at a French restaurant where Linda was waiting. Seeing the alien martial artist again after so long, Charlie's legs involuntarily shook. He sat in a chair far from her, keeping his head down and eating his meal quietly.
Coward!
The girl gave him a look of contempt. Her gaze settled on Luke. She raised her right hand and wiggled her fingers, seemingly asking for something. Luke took a bank card and placed it in her hand. He then casually asked,
"What are your plans now?"
"Haven't decided yet."
Luke ordered a French steak from the waiter and asked, "Want to come work for the company?"
"No. I have no interest in ShowMe, and I certainly won't be your secretary."
"Not ShowMe. Another company."
Hearing this, Charlie, who was eating, looked up in surprise.
"A new company!"
"Just registered this morning. One is a new energy company called Blue Bird. The other is a military-industrial enterprise covering aerospace technology and new energy applications. I gave it a special name: Tesla."
Linda's heart skipped a beat. "You're going to build a spaceship?"
Luke laughed heartily. "I'd love to build a spaceship, but the technology isn't there yet. Earth's current tech is only good for drones and electric cars. We're still a hundred thousand miles away from building spaceships."
Charlie put down his fork, asking nervously,
"Boss, are you really starting a new company?"
"It's settled."
"Then what about ShowMe?"
Luke glanced at him and said calmly, "I heard you did a good job this past month."
"No, no!"
Charlie waved his hands, overly humble. "I only managed to increase total users to 21 million, raise the daily active user ratio to 90%, blackball two rival companies that were causing trouble, find the mole trying to leak intelligence, expand the user base from students to white-collar workers, and slap Redwood Group in the face, among other small, insignificant things. Nothing to brag about."
Luke: "..."
Linda: "..."
"Just keep showing off. You might land yourself back in jail, and let's see who saves you then."
Charlie became even more humble. "I only did what you asked. If anyone's showing off, it's you. If it weren't for the development plan you left, ShowMe wouldn't have grown to this size. However, about the financing..." He paused, put away his smile, and his expression grew serious.
"The company's traffic is climbing every day. The rented servers are completely insufficient. I discussed it with Zacks and the others, and we think it's time to build a data center. A small one won't meet the demand. Only a large one will suffice, and building a large data center requires a lot of money."
He didn't need to say more; the meaning was clear.
Luke put down his wine glass. "Who has contacted you?"
"The heads of major banks, investment consultants, internet giants like Redwood, FlySoft, and GreenTech, as well as large corporations like Wayne Group and Luthor Group. They've all expressed interest in ShowMe."
Luke sneered. "Looks like we have no choice but to accept financing."
Charlie didn't know how to respond and remained silent.
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!