The next five minutes were the most painful, torturous, and devastating five minutes of Machi’s life.He didn’t dare to end the call because he knew that this might be the last chance he could hear his son’s voice ever again.It was also clear to him that the killers wanted to torture his son to death and make him suffer great pain before his life came to an end.Even as his father, he could only listen to his son’s agonizing screams but could not do anything about it.Immediately afterward, the attackers poured gasoline into the Rolls Royce in which Eikichi was riding and let him scream hysterically in the car.After the gasoline was poured in, the leader took out a pack of cigarettes and a box of matches, coolly lit a cigarette, took a puff, and threw the burning matchstick through the broken window!The luxurious Rolls Royce was instantly turned into an incinerator, with the blast even spewing wildly outward.The screams of Eikichi, his assistant, and the driver resonated dev
Charlie could sense that it was an invasion of sorts, and they certainly bore a bad intention. He immediately concealed his breath and observed them in secret. Sure enough, these people climbed over the wall at a breakneck speed and approached Nanako from many directions!Although Nanako was seriously injured, she was still a martial artist with high sensitivity and alertness, so she was already aware of the six people before they approached.She wanted to shout for help, but before she could do so, she abruptly shut her mouth and gave up the idea.From these people’s advancement toward her and their sheer speed, she could sense that they were none other than ninjas! The Ito family had their own team of ninjas too, but they were all in Tokyo, not Kyoto.These ninjas were exceptionally strong and had greater combat abilities than ordinary martial artists. Even if she was not injured, she was no match for even one ninja, let alone six! Besides, it looked as if they were at least mid-
In fact, just as the man raised his sword, the other five took two steps backward because they didn’t want the blood splattering on their bodies when it spurted out of Nanako’s body.Their gazes were locked on Nanako, waiting for the bloody scene to unfold, and Nanako herself was ready to meet her death.However, the mental image they had prepared for came to a screeching halt at this very moment!The ninja sword, raised high in the air, had been hovering there for a moment, and the others wondered why he was taking so long to behead her.When they marched forward to look, they realized that the executioner who had wielded the sword was now dead!A few centimeters of a short blade was stuck on his forehead, and because the cut wound was so clean, only a very small amount of blood seeped out of the wound and dripped onto the thick white snow, painting it red!While these people were dumbfounded and could not figure out what was going on, they realized that the shuriken that pierce
The smiling man who was standing right in front of Nanako was indeed Charlie, the man whom she had been missing and fallen in love with for a long time!At this moment, a lot of questions sprang up inside her mind at once.‘It’s him?!’‘How could it be?’‘Why is he here?’‘Am I dreaming?’‘Am I dead and this is just an illusion after all?’‘Just a moment ago, I thought that I would have no regrets if I could see Charlie even once more before I died, but never in my wildest dream did I expect that he would suddenly come to save me like an angel from heaven!’Numerous thoughts converged in her mind with mixed emotions of surprise, hesitation, anxiety, and excitement. She shuddered to the point of speechlessness.At this moment, it was Charlie who broke the silence. He looked at Nanako with a smile and asked, “Ito-san, it’s been a while. How have you been?”Hearing Charlie’s voice, Nanako was finally certain that it was not an illusion!Charlie, whom she had been infatuated wit
The four ninjas of the Fujibayashi family were certain that they could kill Charlie with one attack.As for Nanako, her heart was in her mouth as she watched the scene, fearing that something might happen to Charlie. She would rather be the one to die than see Charlie suffer a single injury.Right at this moment, Charlie suddenly retreated a few meters at extreme speed, so fast that the four ninjas were dumbfounded!They were the first to strike, and they were faster than Charlie in initiating their attacks. Moreover, they all had ninja swords that were nearly a meter long, which undoubtedly further strengthened their attack distance, allowing them to gain the upper hand and be one step ahead of the attack.Based on their calculation, it was almost impossible for anyone to escape their attacks in an instant. After all, a normal person couldn’t dodge a bullet that was about to hit him!However, Charlie did it!As he was retreating, he pocketed the Thunder Order. Then, he pulled ou
“Charlie-san…”Sobbing, Nanako whirled the wheels of her wheelchair toward Charlie.Charlie took a few quick steps toward her and asked, “Ito-san, are you okay?”“Yes, I’m okay…” Nanako nodded vigorously, then, she covered her face and cried bitterly as the emotions came rushing toward her.At this moment, she was not sad because of the near-death experience, but she was overwhelmed by Charlie’s sudden appearance, so much so that she couldn’t control her emotions.Seeing her crying uncontrollably, Charlie stretched out his hand, gently stroking the back of her cold hand, and said softly, “It’s okay, Ito-san. Everything’s fine now. Don’t cry.”Nanako wiped away her tears, shook her head, and said, “I’m not crying over what just happened…”With that, she lifted her gaze, which was filled with intense love and passion, and said as she continued sobbing, “Charlie-san, why did you come to Kyoto?”Charlie smiled. “I came to Japan for some business matters, and I just happened to be i
Nanako was stunned upon listening to Charlie’s unwavering remarks. She couldn’t believe that she could recover fully, but when she heard it from Charlie himself, she suddenly felt very confident and assured.She smiled pleasantly and asked, “Can you truly heal me?”Charlie nodded and said, “Yes, but before treating you, let’s dispose of these corpses first.”Nanako quickly said, “I’ll call the housekeeper!”“No need.” Charlie stopped her and said, “I had a little conflict with your father in Tokyo. If you inform the housekeeper about such a big matter, he will surely inform your father immediately, and things may get awkward between us.”Surprised, Nanako asked, “Did you meet my father in Tokyo? What’s the conflict you have with him?”Charlie shrugged and said, “It’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it when I treat your injuries.”Nanako stuck out her tongue cheekily and said with a smile, “I guess my father must have suffered a lot when he was confronting you…”Charlie re
Nanako asked, “Charlie-san, will I be able to see you again in the future?”Charlie nodded. “Yes. I’m shifting part of my business to Japan now, so I might come here often in the future.”“That’s great!” Nanako shrieked in delight. “Charlie-san, can you promise me one thing?”Charlie nodded. “What is it?”Nanako quickly said, “I hope you’ll let me know every time you come to Japan, and I hope you’ll allow me to meet you if it’s convenient for you!”“Also, if I go to Oskia and you happen to be available, please allow me to meet you as well, okay?”Charlie smiled. “No problem. I promise.”Nanako cheered like a little girl getting her favorite candy. “Then, I’ll be able to see you more often!”Amused by her sweet smile, Charlie’s voice turned gentler as he said with a smile, “Alright, then. Let me send you back to your room first. I’ll help you heal your injuries later.”Under the guidance of Nanako, Charlie pushed her wheelchair and sent her back to her room.Nanako’s room was
Neither Charlie nor the Ackers expected Yolden's insight to cover all corners.In fact, it felt like the man had a blueprint ready and was only waiting for the time to put it to use.That was why everyone was immensely approving of Yolden and wanted no other man for the job of CEO.Kaeden smiled, "Well, since everyone has agreed, let's put this to rest as soon as possible—this will be a joint investment between our family and the Wades, and Professor Hart will take the post of CEO. Let's all do our best to make this a good one!"Yolden also made up his mind, deciding that he didn't want to let slip a chance to realize his ambitions. "I'll resign from the university after my honeymoon trip. It probably shouldn't be long, and I can get involved in early preparations via teleconference."Charlie nodded. "Then, we can have Uncle Kaeden stay on schedule while I'll ask the Wades to send a representative over to sign a memorandum for the investment."Keith smiled and nodded. "You should
Charlie hadn't been born and raised in Aurous Hill, but he still started living here at the age of eight and was more attached to this place than Eastcliff.If he was going to take part in this automotive investment with the Ackers, he naturally found Aurous Hill the ideal location.Not only would it create a huge number of jobs for Aurous Hill, but it would also rake in much economic flow for the region.Yolden also nodded at his suggestion. "If the first plant is meant to cover the demand of the entire local market, there's no reason for a coastal plant. Aurous Hill stands at an intersection between the north and the south, so transportation is convenient. It's also killing two birds with one stone, as Mr. Wade is fond of the city."Charlie couldn't help but agree. "I won't lie—Aurous Hill has been good to me, and I hope to give back. Nothing's better than succeeding in that respect."Yolden spread his hands, "Heavy industries are certainly ideal to contribute to Aurous Hill's e
Yolden had actually been researching new energy for a while—in fact, it was when Tesla's first car models were produced.He was passionate about the subject and had his own opinions as well as ambitions, but he was busy teaching, so he couldn't realize any of it.But was this not a golden opportunity tailor-made for him?Seeing that Yolden was clearly interested, Charlie turned toward Kaeden, "Actually, the professor is getting married soon. There's no way we'd split up newlyweds so soon after the wedding, right? So, is it possible to set up base in Aurous Hill instead?""Not a problem!" Kaeden replied without hesitation. "Our family is planning to return to Oskia anyway, and everyone knows about Ashley and Curtis. So, why don't we invest in this enterprise alongside the Wades and have the base set up in Aurous Hill? And then bring Godot under as a subsidiary?"Turning to Yolden, he continued, "By the way, Godot's plant is already in the province—barely 100 miles from Aurous Hill,
Pausing, Yolden continued, "Moreover, the greatest advantage of AI is that it is self-conscious and has the processing power to analyze astronomical proportions of data. As car sales grow, every car owner's driving data will add precious new data to our data vault, and it will be processed by AI for even greater space of imagination."For example, kst's say I experienced a bumpiness along a certain road, and when the sensors pick up on that anomaly, the data will be uploaded to the servers along with images of the road condition in real time. The processing AI module would determine in no time at all that there was damage and label said location on the map, and then forward the data to other vehicles close to that location, sending notifications when they are close enough and providing the appropriate advice for countermeasures."Naturally, the AI can even be refined further so that it immediately warns us to slow down while uploading the data to the servers and informing any cars cl
Yolden's mind short-circuited at those words. "The most advanced AI module?!"He had been working on Wall Street for years, having invested in substantial startup tech companies as well as assisting plenty of Nasdaq tech enterprises with their IPO. That was why he especially had a sharp six sense for cutting-edge technology.It had been a while since he had gotten up the saddle, and AI had just become the trend recently, but he still paid close attention. He was well aware what applications were possible for AI modules, but he was shocked that Charlie already possessed what all the online giants were coveting!Thrilled, he quickly asked Charlie, "Can the Rothschilds resolve all the hardware and software issues? High-processing power display cards are a dime a dozen these days, and local enterprises are all planning to sell them one by one. The demand is just that high!"Charlie chuckled. "Don't worry—the Rothschilds will handle both issues for me, even the data centers. We bought i
Keith, who had been silent throughout, waved him off as he said solemnly, "Please don't sell yourself short, Professor Hart. I'm sure you can do well in this position, but it's still a matter of will."If your heart is truly set on educating future generations, then I'm sure you'd reject our offer no matter what we say."However, if you felt the slightest interest, even anticipation, for such a major project, then you really should consider our offer."We've already invested in Godot Autos for 3 billion USD and over 10 billion if we're counting in Ricebolt. But we still have 30 billion more in capital available—and that means it's 40 billion USD at play."I doubt any other global car maker can afford that much, let alone a new car maker. So, I dare say that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"Keith's words spoke to Yolden's very soul—a startup capital of forty billion US dollars was certainly unprecedented for electric-powered vehicles. Even Ricebolt had barely garnered ove
Charlie smiled. "Who, me? You'd laugh at me, but it was only after Steven found me that I learned to drive. I never bought my own car either and only had the two supercars gifted to me, and I only drove those a handful of times at best. Even now, I'm driving the BMW 5-series I bought for my father-in-law."Then, he remembered Marianne Long and said, "I did drive a friend's Tesla back to Hong Kong, but it was only for a short time, and I didn't manage to look into their so-called assisted driving system."Yolden thought about it and smiled, "But y'know… how would I describe the car, specifically? Have you heard of Mario Balotelli, the soccer player?"Every man present aside from Keith nodded—Mario had been a philosopher on the soccer field, and even those who didn't watch soccer were familiar with his name.Nodding, Yolden continued, "The way I see it, Mario has been a player with top-class hardware but third-rate software. Give him Messi or Ronaldinho's intelligence, and he'd be a
Kaeden then asked, "Well, professor, how do you suppose we overtake the competition at turning points? Or indeed, what qualifies as succeeding in that respect?"Yolden thought about it, formulating his words before explaining, "My personal understanding of the matter isn't simply to aim for turning points. Instead, it's things like staying on the inner lane of the race track and reaching the finish line faster by going where no other race car had gone before—or indeed where people never thought to go before."That's the case for new energy cars. Our fossil fuel energies have constantly lost to other countries and would always come up short. But with new energy cars, we can change the rules altogether."We can't catch up to their engine tech? Then we won't—there's no way they are masters in electric-powered engines, are they? They've spent decades on internal combustion engines and haven't the first clue about electric-powered engines."So, while everyone hasn't turned all their foc
The Ackers were really interested in Yolden's perspective.For their family, investing in the new energy automotive industry wasn't meant to make money—they simply intended to add to Oskia's strength as a manufacturer.But with Yolden's input, they had new things to look forward to.If they really could propel their business to giants like Tesla, opportunities and profits would go without saying—there was also no question that it supported and improved Oskia's local car industry and manufacturing sector.Giants in the manufacturing sector were different from online giants, as the latter often enforced a stranglehold monopoly. Before they had the monopoly, they would be offering perks and subsidies to the market, and when they gained sufficient customers and consumer faith, they would start choking the market for profits.To put it in perspective, a five-mile Uber ride would cost five bucks before, and the driver would be paid ten for it. But after Uber got the monopoly, the rider