The unparalleled talent of the country started from Harbin Institute of Technology

In the villa on the lakeside island of Harbin Institute of Technology's Weizigou campus in Harbin, Professor Peng Shilu sat on the sofa, rubbing his hands together to warm them, occasionally placing them in front of the heater, muttering to himself:

"Professor Wang, this weather in Harbin is really too cold. I don't know how you guys can stand it."

It's mid-December now, which is basically one of the coldest times of the year in Harbin. Peng Shilu's arrival is ill-timed.

"Professor Peng, you guys are just used to enduring hardship."

Wang Duoyu said:
"There's an old saying that goes, 'No pain, no gain.' But actually, as long as you're willing to endure hardship, you'll always have endless hardships to endure."

"I admire Professor Peng and your spirit of not being afraid of difficulties and being willing to endure hardship, but we can't refuse to enjoy the good things and force ourselves to suffer when there are no hardships, can we?"

"If that's really the case, then what's the point of all the hard work and struggle we young people put in? What do you think, Professor Peng?"

Why did he say that about Peng Shilu?

The reason is simple: this time, the other party came to Harbin from the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant in the Jiangzhe area of ​​southern China, and Wang Duoyu arranged for someone to pick him up at the airport well in advance.

As a result, Peng Shilu arrived ahead of time and then just hailed a taxi.

So there's a reason why he's so cold right now.

Of course, if it were just that, Wang Duoyu wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

On the contrary, Peng Shilu often donated his own money to Hope Primary Schools and to help children in poor counties in the southwest to study.

In the first half of this year, Peng Shilu visited Harbin. At that time, Wang Duoyu invested 1 billion RMB in the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant Phase II project so that the other party could complete the technical research and development of the Yttrium 90 microsphere project more quickly.

One billion RMB is no small sum. Wang Duoyu even had someone transfer the money to Peng Shilu's family, which was to pay Peng Shilu a separate salary so that they would not donate the money to Hope Primary School again.

It was precisely because of these circumstances that Wang Duoyu spoke such harsh words to Peng Shilu.

After all, Peng Shilu did go a bit too far in this matter.

"Sigh, Professor Wang, you also came from that era. Although you were very young at the time, I believe you still remember the days when we didn't have enough to eat, right?"

Peng Shilu said with a wry smile.

Wang Duoyu shook his head directly, indicating that he had never experienced not having enough to eat when he was a child.

These words stunned Peng Shilu, who then thought of a folk song from Northeast China: "Beat the roe deer with a stick, scoop up fish with a ladle, and pheasants fly into the cooking pot; pinch a handful of black soil and oil will ooze out, and even a pair of chopsticks stuck in it will sprout."

Although life in the Great Northern Wilderness in the 1950s was tough, as long as you were hardworking, you wouldn't go hungry.

The Wang family has many relatives, and even more male members, so they certainly won't go hungry.

So talking to Wang Duoyu about those tough times is like talking to a brick wall—it's pointless.

The two reserved their own opinions on this topic.

Peng Shilu abruptly changed the subject, talking about the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant's grid connection and power generation. This is the first 300,000-kilowatt nuclear power plant in China designed and built independently.

"Great, once you take the first step, things will be much easier from here on out."

Wang Duoyu was also very happy and said:

"By the way, have you seen the nuclear power plant equipment that Want Want Group gave you before? What's it like?"

The nuclear power plant equipment was a gray commodity that Hornzoi had previously traded from Somali warlords. It was illegal, but absolutely useful.

Although these devices all came from the neighboring house, the Japanese certainly didn't know that.

"Excellent! This has great reference value for our nuclear power plant," Peng Shilu said excitedly.
"Japan's nuclear power plant technology is very advanced. They have nearly 30 years of experience in operating nuclear power plants, which is far superior to ours."

"However, we still discovered some technical problems during the research and development process, and we dare not use it if we don't improve them."

Japanese nuclear power plants are privately owned enterprises whose primary purpose is to generate profit.

The nuclear power plant equipment built in the early 1960s has not been updated to this day. In addition, Japan is a region prone to volcanoes and earthquakes, so accidents are likely to occur when an earthquake strikes.

Profit-driven companies naturally prioritize cheap and durable materials over safety when constructing nuclear power plants.

Therefore, Wang Duoyu also strongly agreed with the issue raised by Peng Shilu.

In the original timeline, the Fukushima nuclear power plant had a problem with falsified test data due to corrosion of containers storing nuclear waste, reflecting a major safety hazard in the inspection process of the plant's wastewater storage facilities.

The Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant definitely cannot do that.

However, Wang Duoyu wasn't interested in nuclear power plants; he was more interested in the Yttrium 90 microsphere project.

"Are there any problems with the current research and development work on the Yttrium 90 microsphere project? Is there a lack of funding or a shortage of talent?"

"Professor Wang, you certainly know better than I do how difficult this Yttrium-90 microsphere project is."

Peng Shilu said:

"Currently, funding is not a problem, but the technical difficulties are indeed too great. We need more technical support; otherwise, we may not be able to complete the project's research and development on schedule."

Before the Yttrium 90 microsphere project was launched, Wang Duoyu had said that the research and development must be completed before 1995.

Because after it is developed, it still needs to undergo clinical trials before it can be marketed.

According to the original timeline, Cambridge University in Great Britain first synthesized yttrium-90 microspheres in 1998, so China must complete this task ahead of schedule.

It can be said that time is tight and the task is heavy, but there is an extreme shortage of top technical talents in fields such as biology, medicine, and machinery.

Peng Shilu then personally came over to Wang Duoyu to 'complain'.

"Okay, then let's recruit people, poach them from abroad!" Wang Duoyu nodded emphatically.
"I remember that Cambridge, Oxford, MIT, and other universities have many top-tier master's and doctoral graduates. We can offer high salaries to poach these top talents."

If we happen to be able to poach the Cambridge University technical team that originally synthesized yttrium-90 microspheres, then not only can we gain the upper hand in China, but we can also inflict heavy losses on Great Britain.

Of course, the other party was unaware of this.

"Thank you so much, Professor Wang." Peng Shilu was overjoyed.

Poaching people from abroad was something he never dared to dream of before; only Wang Duoyu, with his deep pockets, was willing to spend money.

Wang Duoyu said with a smile:
“Professor Peng, in the future, you can just give me a call if something like this happens. I will fully support your work.”

Peng Shilu shook his head seriously:

"That won't do. It involves project funds of tens or hundreds of millions. I can't act recklessly."

Wang Duoyu was helpless in this situation. He couldn't persuade the other party, so he simply let him be.

It was lunchtime, so he invited Peng Shilu to have lunch at his neighbor's house.

However, Peng Shilu declined, saying that he wanted to visit his old friend and would return to Hangzhou that afternoon.

"What's wrong with having a meal together? Invite your friends over for dinner."

But Peng Shilu politely declined.

An hour later, Wang Duoyu received a message that Peng Shilu had arrived at the airport and was ready to take off.

He only made a phone call to his so-called old friend and didn't even meet him.

His hasty return to the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant is enough to show that he is a workaholic.

Good grief, is it really not allowed to stay in Harbin and spend half an hour having a meal?
There's so much work to do, no matter how you do it, you can never finish it all. You need to learn to balance work and rest.

Wang Duoyu felt nothing but admiration.

The spirit of the older generation of scientists is something that younger generations like Wang Duoyu should learn from for a lifetime.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was the evening of December 16th.

Today is Monday, and the news today reports on Kazakhstan's declaration of independence.

Upon hearing this news, Wang Duoyu was indeed surprised. It seemed the time was drawing ever closer. Meanwhile, in Moscow…
The next day, in the study of the villa, Li Jianshu and two others came to ask for advice.

They have now thoroughly studied the first paper on the Hodge conjecture and are working on the second paper.

"I can dedicate an hour to explaining this to you today. You can prepare your questions, and we'll start around nine o'clock after I'm done with my work."

Wang Duoyu needs to attend Want Want Group's weekly conference call today.

Since Rong Guangxia and the others were also in the study, Wang Duoyu would go to the secret room in the basement to participate in the conference call.

Li Jianshu and the other two nodded, their faces beaming with excitement as they watched Wang Duoyu go to the basement.

"My teacher is amazing. I wonder if I'll ever have a chance to achieve even one-tenth of what he has accomplished?"

Li Jun's words left Li Jianshu and Rong Guangxia both speechless, because Li Jun was born in March 1961, making him even younger than Yang Nianzhen.

He's only thirty years old this year, so there's definitely a high chance he'll win a Fields Medal.

But it's only a possibility.

If he can achieve even one-tenth of his teacher Wang Duoyu's level of success before he turns forty, then winning a Fields Medal will be a certainty.

Anyway, it's unlikely that Li Jianshu and Rong Guangxia will win the Fields Medal, so they should focus on their work.

In a room on the basement floor, Wang Duoyu entered the chat room, where the conference call had already begun.

The person speaking is Yabo Fein, who is in Europe dealing with a customs clearance matter.

Large quantities of cheap goods are transported from Moscow to the port of Riga in Latvia in northern Europe via land transport, then loaded onto ships to enter the Atlantic Ocean, and finally destined for other parts of the world.

Both the FBI and the CIA are investigating this matter, and the unusual comings and goings of cargo ships naturally make them easy targets.

The Want Want Group's cargo ship was randomly inspected, and some anomalies were found. As a result, the matter was reported and the FBI took notice.

Yabo Fein had to personally travel to Europe to clean up the mess left by his subordinates.

Besides Yabo Fein, O'Brien, Allen Costa, and others in the United States also contacted members of Congress, asking them to speak on behalf of the FBI.

With US dollars paving the way, that's naturally not a problem.

American capitalists have always used this most primitive and simple method to solve these kinds of problems because it is indeed very effective.

After discussing this matter, Martinez reported on the Super Dollar Factory.

This factory has been established in Montana and will become the most profitable project for the Want Want Group, bar none.

After all, if you just need to print $50 billion a year and spend all that money, you can basically complete the task.

Five hundred billion US dollars. After deducting some channel fees and other costs, the net profit would be at least four hundred and fifty billion US dollars.

Within the Want Want Group, there is truly no other factory that can compare to the super dollar factory.

Upon hearing this, Wang Duoyu couldn't help but admire the audacity of these people; they were truly incredibly daring.

Of course, it was also because of his tacit approval that Martinez and his group dared to do this.

But just when everyone thought the matter was over, Wang Duoyu suddenly interjected:

"The cost of a super-large US dollar factory must be over ten billion. Take out six billion of that and give it to those members of Congress to pave the way for us. Don't be stingy with spending this money."

"Remember, the dollar bills used as gifts must be printed by the Federal Reserve, or you can use gold instead. Understand?"

Using a huge sum of money to bribe members of Congress is suicidal.

Martinez and his team were certainly not that stupid, but they were just as helpless against the sudden inspiration of a fool.

Therefore, Wang Duoyu will definitely not miss any reminders, otherwise, if something goes wrong, Wang Duoyu will definitely clean up his own house.

Although Wang Duoyu has not had the opportunity to clean house since the establishment of Want Want Group, now that a super dollar factory has emerged, it is anyone's guess whether other audacious executives will appear in the future.

"Clearly understand!"

All the executives unanimously stated that no one dared to lie about such a matter, because Wang Duoyu's mention of it seemed somewhat superfluous, even bordering on pointless, but who knew if someone might be doing it behind their backs?

"Okay, you guys continue," Wang Duoyu said with satisfaction, then turned off the microphone. At this moment, Wang Jianchao suddenly spoke up:

“Uncle Jiu, Uncle Shi has arrived in New Zealand. He said he wants to start a seafood business, and I talked to him about raising cattle on a ranch.”

Despite Wang Jianchao's persuasion, Wang Duoshi still chose to start a ranch.

Because it guarantees a stable income regardless of drought or flood.

Want Want Group has invested in companies such as Walmart and Target, and also has many businesses in the United States, employing a large number of people.

Under such circumstances, there is absolutely no need to worry about sales when grazing livestock in New Zealand or Australia.

We'll accept any amount, no matter how many.

Labor costs are high in the United States. Although large-scale mechanized management can reduce costs, it is still quickly crushed by places like New Zealand.

On the other hand, Oceania can recruit so-called overseas workers from China, which makes labor costs even lower.

So if Wang Duoshi were to graze livestock in Oceania, he could indeed make money effortlessly.

Compared to the life of licking wounds on the edge of knives and guns in Moscow, herding livestock in Oceania is undoubtedly quite leisurely.

Given a choice, no one would willingly live a precarious life, especially since Wang Duoshi wasn't alone; he already had a wife and children.

"Ah That's good!"

After listening, Wang Duoyu only said this one sentence.

He may not have been to Oceania, but he knows a great deal about it.

He has a good understanding of cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Brisbane in Australia, as well as Queenstown, Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch, and Wellington in New Zealand.

It's just because he went there a few times in his previous life, and several of his college classmates went there to work. The salary wasn't very high, but they lived a very carefree life.

In addition, New Zealand is known as one of the most livable countries in the world, and its air quality and other aspects are indeed quite good.

The only downside is that it's too boring; there aren't many people around.

Upon hearing his ninth uncle's words, Wang Jianchao was stunned for a moment, then helplessly continued to report on other matters.

Just as he had guessed, his ninth uncle did indeed dislike his tenth uncle.

Since that's the case, then let's leave his tenth uncle's matter here.

"By the way, Uncle Nine, a few days ago Levin Burns said that Paramount has acquired the film and television rights to 'The Lord of the Rings' and is about to start production. They're looking for suitable filming locations, and they plan to go to New Zealand."

Wang Jianchao said:

"However, I also asked them to send people to places like Jiuzhaigou in China to gather inspiration."

"Smart!" Wang Duoyu immediately became interested and continued:

"Laokeli Lake in Changbai Mountain, China, is famous for its rime ice scenery. Especially in winter, the lake is shrouded in mist, making it a perfect filming location."

"And then there's Arxan in our Xinjiang province. In September, the autumn forests there are dominated by larch and birch trees, and they're also pristine forests rarely visited by humans, very similar to the Elven forests in Lord of the Rings."

There are also places like Jiuzhaigou; there are many beautiful scenic spots in China.

The Lord of the Rings movie project is destined to create a global movie-going frenzy, which will boost tourism.

Therefore, it was just a matter of Wang Duoyu saying a few words to snatch New Zealand's tourism resources.

Paramount has already been acquired, and the film and television rights to "The Lord of the Rings" have also been secured. How it will be filmed is naturally up to the director and producer.

But deciding where to film is naturally up to Wang Duoyu.

In fact, Wang Duoyu usually wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters, but he happened to notice them, especially since it was he who proposed acquiring the copyright to Lord of the Rings.

O'Brien and the others did not object and all agreed with Wang Duoyu's decision.

So the matter was settled.

At this point in the meeting, Wang Duoyu stopped the proceedings.

After leaving the chat room, he tidied up briefly and then returned to the first floor to guide Li Jianshu and the others in better understanding the Hodge conjecture proof paper.

The next day, Wang Duoyu went out and chatted with Zhang Jiale, Hou Wendong, Zhou Qichuan, Mei Jianjun and others.

It wasn't just casual conversation; it was a discussion about the materials research and development technology for anti-gravity technology projects.

In late June of this year, he established the anti-gravity engine project at Harbin Institute of Technology and named it the King of Spades. Currently, the project still has the same number of people as when it was first established, at fifteen.

Five physics doctoral students, three materials science doctoral students and seven master's students, plus Rong Guangxia and his two companions, make a total of eighteen people.

Based on a three-year timeframe, the project will be fully launched after three years; currently, it is only in the technical learning phase.

Time passed slowly as Wang Duoyu swayed around, and before he knew it, it was December 21st.

On that day, news reports covered the Almaty Declaration.

This news shocked the world.

Wang Duoyu breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time became a little nervous.

After dinner, he called Zheng Baoyin and asked him to find out how far George Herbert and his team had progressed with the information superhighway project.

Now, Wang Duoyu only wants to give George Herbert more time and space so that he can pay more attention to domestic affairs in the United States.

To some extent, George Herbert was a friendlier person.

On the contrary, it was Clinton, that gentleman, who was more difficult to deal with.

"Okay, Uncle, I'll call and follow up right away. Is there anything else you need?"

"We need to keep a close eye on the situation in Moscow and make sure our interests there are not harmed. It's almost 1992, and I don't want to hear any bad news at the year-end review meeting next month."

"Uncle, don't worry, we'll definitely keep a close eye on things."

Zheng Baoyin is very confident about this because their Want Want Group has already deployed a lot of resources there.

Despite the presence of various forces in Moscow today, Want Want Group is not to be underestimated, so there is no need to worry too much.

Wang Duoyu hummed in agreement, chatted with the other person for a few more minutes, and then hung up the phone.

December is coming to an end, which also means that all the past grievances and grudges will soon be gone.

Given the current international context, there will still be many regional upheavals.

The next day, Wang Duoyu was busy with his anti-gravity engine technology project as usual, improving the relevant technology. At ten o'clock in the morning, he suddenly received a call from Zheng Baoyin.

Hornzoi was killed.

This person can be considered a potential senior executive cultivated by Want Want Group, even though Want Want Group already has enough senior executives.

Furthermore, a large number of potential executives are lining up to enter this core layer, such as Paramount Chairman and President Levin Burns, MGM Chairman Rowland Winster, and Comcast Chairman Cedric Watson.

And Baron Eric, head of Daimler-Benz, Mitch Louis, head of BMW, and Mehnschneider, head of Audi, among others.

There are many executives from these acquired companies alone, not to mention some executives from financial companies under Maple Leaf Holdings.

Therefore, Hornzoi's sacrifice was not a big deal. The real reason why Zheng Baoyin called his uncle directly was because Hornzoi's sacrifice led to the leak of the news.

Hornzoi was sniped in Sierra Leone, and his body was taken away by the perpetrators.

It is highly likely that Hornzoi's personal documents and satellite phone records confirm that he is an employee of Maple Leaf Holdings.

Based on the situation at the scene, the group that took down Hornzoi were a group of highly capable special forces soldiers.

After all, Hornzoi also has bodyguards, who are retired soldiers from special forces such as Delta Force and Navy SEALs, and their capabilities are quite formidable.

The fact that they were all killed by the enemy shows that the enemy's firepower was stronger.

"Don't panic, listen to me."

After listening, Wang Duoyu said in a deep voice.

After Zheng Baoyin had calmed down, he continued:

"After you hang up the phone, you need to do three things. First, immediately contact the other management personnel in Africa and rush to Sierra Leone. You must bring back Hornzoi's body and his belongings, and at the same time, eliminate the enemy."

"Second, contact members of Congress and get them to take action to ensure this doesn't backfire. This is also your chance to demonstrate your financial strength. If one hundred million dollars in gold isn't enough, then two hundred million. If that's still not enough, then just throw in five hundred million dollars."

"Remember this: never give them a huge sum of US dollars!"

"Third, all senior executives are reminded to strengthen precautions, especially at this juncture, where extra caution is required."

There are only three things in total, and Zheng Baoyin will definitely be able to do them well.

"Okay, Uncle, I know what to do," Zheng Baoyin said gratefully. Before hanging up the phone, he added earnestly:
"Thank you, Uncle!"

The African continent, Sierra Leone, Kenema.

Joe Thomson, who arrived here first, looked grave. He turned to Tan Wenrui and said:
"Tan, you went to the site today to check, did you really find nothing?"

Joe Thomson was already in neighboring Liberia, which is very close to Kenema, so he was able to get there quickly.

"We haven't found anything. We might have to rely on local forces, otherwise it will be difficult to make any discoveries."

Just as Tan Wenrui finished speaking, Joe Thomson's satellite phone rang.

Zheng Baoyin personally called and instructed Joe Thomson not to be afraid of spending money, but to make sure he found the enemy's location.

Upon hearing this, Joe Thomson was immediately excited, but then he hesitated and said:

"But Mr. Zheng, we came so quickly that we didn't bring much money with us."

"A cargo ship will arrive at Freetown Port in two days. Remember to send someone to pick it up."

After a pause, Zheng Baoyin continued:

"I just called Lancelot and the others. They will arrive in Sierra Leone in the next day or two. You all need to communicate more and resolve this matter as soon as possible!"

Lanstark was Hornzoi's subordinate, but he was in charge of selling arms in Zaire.

Now that Hornzoi is in trouble, he will definitely need to come and help out.

Otherwise, even bigger troubles will arise later.

Upon hearing this, Joe Thomson nodded solemnly, "That makes things much easier."

Not only will Lanstark arrive in Sierra Leone soon, but Milozawa in South Africa and Jeomeco in the Saudi Empire are already on their way.

It may be a bit far off, but Hornzoi's sacrifice had a huge impact, and the enemy had to be defeated.

Two days later, Joe Thomson and his men saw a cargo ship arrive at Freetown Port and obtained a lot of equipment, US dollars, and gold.

The US dollars involved were all super-sized US dollars, but they were all given to local forces in Sierra Leone along with gold to purchase intelligence data.

Soon, Joe Thomson and his team learned the general information about that group.

A week earlier, an armed group from the sea secretly entered Sierra Leone and inquired about Hornzoi's whereabouts with a local gang.

And two days later, Hornzoi was killed.

This armed group consisted entirely of strong and well-equipped men, and their leader had a fierce and menacing look on his face, making him clearly someone not to be trifled with.

When they inquired with local authorities, only fifteen people came.

However, afterward, local authorities sent people to inquire and found that the group numbered at least three hundred.

After eliminating Hornzoi, they crossed the border and headed to Guinea.

If that's the case, then the other party is likely trying to mislead people. The truth is that they've gone through a long detour and are preparing to leave Africa from Senegal.

As for taking a plane?
Haha, in this godforsaken place called Africa, the only airports capable of handling large passenger planes are either in Egypt or South Africa; there are none anywhere else.

For a force of over 300 people, fully armed, to leave Africa undetected, the only option is to travel by ship.

"Let's split into two groups. One group will head north along the coastline, and the other will go to Guinea."

Lanstark suggested, and Joe Thomson and the others nodded in agreement. After discussing it, they immediately began to take action.

They all have satellite phones, so they don't need to worry about losing contact in Africa.

As for the issue of charging satellite phone batteries, that's even simpler.

The Want Want Group is backed by Harbin Institute of Technology, and Diaopai Company started out in the battery industry, so the issue of charging mobile phone batteries is not a problem at all.

Moreover, in order to find the enemy group as quickly as possible, Zheng Baoyin arranged for four helicopters.

In just a few days, the other party should not have left Africa yet; at most, they may have just appeared at the beach.

While Lanstark, Joe Thomson, Milozawa, and Geomeco were busy leading their men in pursuit of the group, O'Brien had already met with members of Congress in New York.

"what is this?"

They are soaking in a hot spring at a small resort farm in the suburbs of New York.

It's winter in the Northern Hemisphere now, and the temperature is very low here in New York.

Congressman Redrasell was only willing to come out and accompany O'Brien to the hot springs because of the $100,000 appearance fee. Otherwise, wouldn't it be more comfortable to stay at home in such cold weather?
However, O'Brien was a straightforward man; as soon as he started soaking in the hot springs, he immediately arranged for someone to bring the gold over.

There were ten trays in total, and each tray contained three gold bars.

The gleaming gold bricks were so tempting that even the well-traveled Ledracel was dumbfounded.

"This is gold. Each gold bar weighs 600 ounces, for a total of 18,000 ounces. According to the international gold market settlement price last week, each ounce of gold is equal to $372, which is worth $6.7 million."

O'Brien introduced it casually:

"This is your deposit. I just hope you can have a good talk with CIA Director Alex Soren."

What are you talking about?
Naturally, I wanted to inquire about Hornzoi.

Ryder wasn't stupid; before O'Brien could finish speaking, he frowned and asked:
"What are you planning to ask? What happened to you guys in Africa?"

"It's nothing. A friend of mine asked me to inquire about it. One of his subordinates was shot and killed in Sierra Leone, and he wants to find out if the CIA was behind it."

"Hela, you're not telling the truth!"

“No, no, no, Ryder, you have to understand, we're friends, I wouldn't lie. And what you don't know is how much money my friend has, and how his subordinate really died a terrible death in Africa, because the losses were huge.”

Hela O'Brien quickly explained.

The United States is a world ruled by capital.

With money, you can basically solve 99% of problems.

Lederasseur held the right, but it was obsolete and no longer valid.

Therefore, when he holds power, he will inevitably devote himself to making money in order to ensure that he can continue to serve as a member of parliament in the future, or even go further.

In the history of the original timeline, there was something called 'Big and Beautiful'.

Wang Duoyu was very clear about this.

So in the US, to be honest, if you have money, you can basically do whatever you want.

“Alright, for the sake of our friendship, I can agree!” Ledracel said seriously.

O'Brien was speechless: It was clearly because of the gold.

What kind of friendship do those two have? If he hadn't given the other a $100,000 check first, that bastard Ryder wouldn't be here.

When you need someone's help, you need to show some respect, not just give them money.

“Understood, then I’ll leave it to you, my friend.” O’Brien raised his glass:
"After this is all over, my friend will probably give you ten more trays like these. Don't worry, he definitely won't let you come for nothing. Long live our friendship!"

"longlive friendship!"

Ding!
The wine glasses clinked lightly, and the deal was done. The atmosphere of the subsequent conversation became even more relaxed.

The following day, Lederassel went to Washington, D.C., and met with Alex Soren.

"Alex, long time no see. You seem to be doing quite well lately."

The CIA has been in relatively good spirits lately.

Even though they failed to handle the Federal Reserve's demand to complete the investigation of the super-dollar factory, and even with scandals like that involving Deputy Director Harrison, which made the intelligence agency a laughing stock nationwide.

But it must be said that Gorbachev and his colleagues signed the Almaty Declaration.

Then the CIA would have gotten the biggest credit.

Even George Herbert and his men were very excited, let alone Alex Soren.

"Thank you!"

Alex didn't want to waste time with small talk, as he had a lot to do, so he got straight to the point:
"Ryder, is there something you need?"

"Here's the thing, Alex, I have a friend here!"

Lederassel immediately sat up straight and began to explain the situation.

Americans are very direct when it comes to business; only a small minority of them beat around the bush.

After the other party finished speaking, Alex Soren's brows furrowed deeply, and his tone turned slightly cold:

"So, your friend is selling arms in Africa?"

One of his financial backers is a California consortium. Recently, the proliferation of weapons in Africa has infuriated Raytheon's shareholders.

They kept calling him, demanding that the CIA immediately wipe out all the arms dealers in Africa.

Under such pressure, even with repeated requests from the Federal Reserve, he still sent more resources to Africa.

Alex Soren received news yesterday that a major arms dealer had been eliminated in Africa. The team has now gone to Zaire to clean up the local arms dealers, namely Lanstark.

The African countries with the capacity to consume large amounts of military equipment are South Africa, Sierra Leone, Zaire, and Somalia, because these places are either traditionally chaotic regions or have recently experienced civil wars or internal conflicts.

The demand for firepower is quite intense.

Raytheon originally planned to begin large-scale arms sales throughout Africa after the Gulf War ended.

As a result, Hornzoy and his group reaped the benefits.

We've finally taken down an arms dealer, but we didn't expect him to come knocking on our door.

"Looks like you have someone backing you up, Alex."

Upon hearing this, Lederassel immediately laughed.

Instead of answering the question, he stated with absolute certainty:
"Looks like California is putting pressure on you, right? How about this, do me a favor, and I'll go back and ask my friend if he's willing to pay to buy this information, how about that?"

Alex Soren immediately flew into a rage:
"Ryder, what do you take me for?"

Why is he so angry?
Naturally, this was to increase his own leverage, so that Ryder's 'friends' wouldn't think he was cheap.

In America, nothing else matters except money.

Alex Soren is already 59 years old this year, and he's basically retired from this position; there's no way he can advance any further.

Since that's the case, then naturally he'll try to make as much money as he can.

Previously, the Federal Reserve, relying on their status as the big boss, didn't provide funds but insisted that the CIA and FBI work together to investigate the case of the super dollar factory.

Alex was very unhappy about this, and immediately put on a show of outwardly complying but inwardly resisting.

Raytheon was quick to pay, so they quickly achieved success in Africa.

"Alex, stop pretending, just tell me, how much?"

Lederael directly exposed his opponent, saying that they were both cunning and there was no need for such tactics.

Besides, there are only the two of them in the room now, so there's absolutely no need to make such a fuss.

"Ryder, you really are loyal!" Alex said sarcastically, then added:
“I’m different from you. I’m already this old, you know. I can’t afford to give anyone any leverage over me, and I don’t trust anyone.”

"So let's talk somewhere else another day. Please leave now." (End of Chapter)