America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

While the outside world was in turmoil, Titan Manor remained peaceful.

The salt-drying ponds on the back mountain have been poured and are ready to be filled in before large-scale "water drying" operations can begin.

The first batch of experimental wasabi sold for exorbitant prices, and although the cash flow was not extremely abundant, it was enough to maintain operations.

After dinner.

Jessica was trying on her new ski suit in the living room.

Chen An promised to take her skiing on a real snow mountain over the weekend.

"How about this outfit? It's white, like a snow fairy, right?" Jessica twirled around.

"Like a snowball."

Chen An commented with a smile, holding a tablet computer in his hand and looking at information about the "Polaris Refinery" in Canada.

That was the last piece of the puzzle.

Once he acquires this plant, his lithium mine can be converted into battery-grade lithium carbonate on-site.

Profits will increase more than tenfold, and it will also completely break free from TerraPower's downstream control.

"An, what are you looking at?"

Sarah came over with a fruit bag, sat down next to him, and gently fed him a piece of cantaloupe.

"Looking ahead to our next battlefield."

Chen An put down his tablet, took Sarah's hand, and said, "I might... have to go on another long trip. To Canada."

"So soon?" Sarah asked, a little reluctant.

"This trip isn't just about business."

Chen An's eyes deepened. "It's also about clearing away the final obstacles."

He knew Old Joe was watching him.

This trip north is most likely a trap.

But so what?

Chen An stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked at the snowflakes falling outside.

"Since they want to play, let's play big."

"Jessica." He suddenly turned around.

"Huh?" Jessica, who was admiring herself in the mirror, was taken aback.

"Pack your bags. Don't bring your secretary this time."

Chen An's words made Jessica's face fall, but the next sentence made her heart race.

"This time, I'm bringing 'bodyguards'."

Chen An pointed to the M1911 hanging on the wall.

"Have you learned how to shoot yet?"

"Of course!" Jessica instantly perked up, making a drawing motion as if to pull out a gun. "Point and shoot!"

"very good."

Chen An smiled, the smile of a hunter about to set off.

"Then get ready. We're going north to hunt bears."

………………

Two days later.

The US-Canada border.

If you don't count the numerous checkpoints that require passport checks, this long northern border is actually just a dotted line on a map.

Geographically, however, crossing this means entering a much harsher, icy world.

10:00 AM.

A brand new, matte black Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG.

Like a black rhinoceros from hell, roaring as it broke through the blizzard, it steadily drove along the icy Highway 93.

Chen An specifically went to pick up this car yesterday.

It was fitted with bulletproof glass, run-flat tires, and a more robust chassis armor; the modification alone cost $50,000.

On this icy surface where even SUVs can easily slip, the G63 demonstrated its dominance as the king of off-road vehicles.

The V8 twin-turbocharged engine emits a deep roar, bringing a strong sense of security to the passengers.

"Is this what rich people call a luxury toy?"

Jessica sat in the passenger seat; she had changed her outfit today.

It was no longer the kind of revealing dress she wore to please Chen An.

Instead, he wore an extremely sharp black tactical bodysuit, covered by a white mink short jacket.

The striking black and white color scheme, along with the extremely conspicuous, custom-made quick-draw holster on the outside of her thigh, inside which was the M1911.

It made her look like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, both sexy and deadly.

"It's not just a toy, it's a fortress."

Chen An gripped the steering wheel with one hand, a cigar between his fingers, his eyes fixed intently on the snow fog ahead.

"Once you pass that bend, you'll be in Canada."

"Cell phone signal may drop at any time, so please keep your walkie-talkie on."

"Understood, boss."

Jessica adjusted her posture, and the curves accentuated by her tight-fitting clothes made the temperature inside the carriage rise a few degrees.

She touched the gun handle with some excitement. "Where would those bad guys appear? Along the border?"

"Old Joe is a man of principle. He wouldn't do anything under the noses of the border police."

Chen An sneered, "The real ambush should be in the town where the refinery is located, which is Ice Creek Town."

………………

Ice Creek is located deep in the mountains of British Columbia.

This is a typical resource-based town in decline.

The streets were lined with deserted shops, and most pedestrians seemed to be in a hurry. Only a few bars still had their neon lights on.

To the north of the town stand several enormous chimneys and cylindrical storage tanks.

That is the "Polaris Lithium Salt Refinery".

This place used to be the most prosperous place within a hundred miles.

However, due to fluctuations in lithium ore prices and poor management by the former owner, the site has been shut down for six months.

Now, only the rusty iron gate and the boiler room still emitting white steam prove that it is not completely dead.

"It seems this place is even more dilapidated than I imagined."

Chen An parked his car on the roadside 200 meters away from the factory gate and extinguished his cigar.

Through the car window, a group of people could be clearly seen gathered at the factory gate.

Not a worker.

Several pickup trucks painted with skull and crossbones logos were blocking the entrance haphazardly.

A dozen or so burly men wearing leather jackets and carrying iron bars and baseball bats were shouting around the gate.

They are members of the "Black Brotherhood".

The notorious biker gangs on the Canadian border were also the so-called "local guides" hired by Old Joe.

"Open the door! Don't hide inside like a coward!"

The leader, a burly man with a large beard, was carrying a Molotov cocktail and shouted into the gate.

"If you don't sign the transfer agreement, I'll burn this damn factory down to the ground today!"

Inside the iron gate, several elderly security guards trembled with fear.

But in front of the security guard stood a woman.

A young woman wearing a gray work coat and a Lei Feng hat, with an astonishingly tall figure, estimated to be over 1.75 meters.

She had neither an agreement nor a shield in her hand.

She was holding only a horizontal double-barreled shotgun with its barrel sawed off.

Her cascading blonde hair peeked out from under her hat.

Although his face was covered in coal dust, his eyes, as blue as a Siberian glacial lake, revealed a ruthless intent to devour this group of people alive.

"Who dares to cross this red line?"

The woman's voice was soft, with a heavy Russian accent, and icy cold.

"I'll smash his head in."

As she spoke, she pulled down the hammer.

"Click".

The crisp sound of cocking the gun was particularly clear in the cold wind.