Zayne snorted and asked rhetorically in an unpleasant tone, “So, it seems as though you are really very awesome, huh?”Charlie nodded, and he pried his fingers open as he said, “Look, the tactical planning of using permanent fortifications and reverse slope fortifications with defensive tunnels inside, guiding them to abandon their base in the valley and asking them to hide in the tunnels inside the fortifications on the mountain, coupled with the strategic tactic of strengthening the fortifications, storing up on strategic reserves and laten enthronization. All of these were my ideas. With the guidance and essence of these tactics, even if it was just a bunch of hillbillies, they would be able to display combat potential that is beyond ordinary people’s imagination. This is what I have tailor-made for Hamed. Judging by the first two major victories, I think that I am indeed quite awesome.”As he spoke, Charlie paused slightly before he smiled and said again, “At the very least, I a
Charlie started laughing instead when he saw that Zayne was already angry at this point. After that, he said emotionally, “Sigh. I suddenly recall someone asking me a similar question more than a year ago. At that time, she asked me whether I came to celebrate her birthday or whether I came to borrow money. In truth, when you said those words just now, the expression on your face was just like the expression on her face back then.”Zayne reprimanded him coldly, “You must be really pretty f*cked up to actually want to borrow money at someone’s birthday banquet!”Charlie sighed emotionally and said, “That’s right. It’s really pretty f*cked up, but it was my last resort, and there was nothing else that I could do. Who would be willing to borrow money on that kind of occasion? However, at that time, a life-saving benefactor of mine was seriously ill and needed the money urgently. So, I could only go all-out and shamelessly give it a try.”The expression on Zayne’s face eased a little, a
The government supreme commander, who was aside, was already stunned. He was personally an advocate of the peace negotiation, and when he heard Charlie’s words, he was even more convinced of his own views. So, he subconsciously blurted out, “Master Wade… If we withdraw our troops, can your army leave the opposition force and join the government instead? If you can do that, we can just write off everything in the past. We will also give Hamed full autonomy, and we will even allow him to remain neutral in our battle against the other opposition forces. I wonder if Commander Hamed would be interested?”The government personally felt very pessimistic about attacking Hamed.Therefore, they would prefer to be able to take Hamed in.This was because they acknowledged and recognized Hamed’s warfare capability very much. It would definitely be the best of both worlds if Hamed would be willing to join the government. When Zayne heard these words, he immediately said angrily, “What do you
Charlie’s words made the government supreme commander feel shocked to the point of horror!Before this, he had never once thought about what Charlie was saying, but now, he suddenly felt that Charlie’s words seemed to make sense.Meanwhile, Charlie stared at him intently as he said seriously, “To you, Ten Thousand Armies is just like the gauze that is used to dress your wounds!”“When your wounds keep bleeding, it will be the time when you would especially need the gauze to help you stop the bleeding and heal your wounds.”“But once your wounds are healed, you would not leave the bloody gauze on, and you would also be thinking of removing the gauze!”“As for the gauze itself, if it wants to remain on your body, the gauze will have to make sure that your wounds would never heal and just continue to bleed forever!”“If the gauze wants to occupy a larger area on your body, it will have to find a way to cut and cause more wounds on your body! They will not stop until your bodies are
If he were to let this guy go outside and make a phone call to his superiors, all of Ten Thousand Armies’ plans would be exposed and revealed in advance.As soon as their plans were exposed, Ten Thousand Armies would have no choice but to get the hell out of Syria then. In that case, the more than two thousand and five hundred lives that were lost and all of Ten Thousand Armies’ military expenses for so many days would go to waste completely. But if Ten Thousand Armies refused to retreat, they would only end up having a fallout with Syria, and if Ten Thousand Armies and Syria were to oppose each other and give tit for tat, that would be equivalent to Ten Thousand Armies invading a sovereign country.The entire world would never allow such a thing to happen, and Ten Thousand Armies would become everyone’s target!As he thought of this, Zayne thought of a solution in the depths of his heart! He thought, ‘Everything that this Wade guy has said is only known to the three people in
Zayne could see the disdain and ridicule in Charlie’s expression, and he said coldly, “It seems as though you do not know anything about martial arts! You might not be able to find even ten people who are six-star martial artists in the entire mercenary field! It would be extremely easy for me to kill you!”“Oh?” Charlie laughed and said, “Many people have already tried to kill me, but none of them have succeeded so far. What gives you so much confidence that you will be able to kill me?”Zayne said sternly, “Don’t mention killing just trash like you, but even if there are a hundred such people like you, I would still be able to easily kill them all! A piece of trash like you will never be able to understand my strength!”Charlie nodded before saying a little perfunctorily, “I know, I know. Isn’t your so-called six-star martial artist title just because six out of your eight extraordinary meridians have already been opened up? I can also see that there are signs that your seventh me
Charlie’s fist was the hammer, and Zayne’s fist was like the walnut that had been smashed by the hammer!Charlie had eaten a lot of Rejuvenating Pills when he treated it as Maltesers back then. Although the Rejuvenating Pill could not help him replenish his Reiki, it had greatly improved his body. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his body was like an iron wall. In addition, he had the Reiki’s assistance in his right fist, and he was even more indestructible. So, how could Zayne’s fist possibly be his opponent?Zayne was already scared out of his wits at this time. He knew that someone who possessed this kind of strength was already no longer as simple as a martial artist! Even Porter, who had already opened up all of his eight extraordinary meridians, did not possess such great and powerful strength!He was dumbfounded as he looked at Charlie, and he asked in pain and horror, “You… Who exactly are you…”Charlie smiled faintly and spoke up, “I’ve already told you to call
Zayne was stunned for a moment when he heard Charlie’s words, and he sneered before he said, “You have a very positive imagination, but it is impossible for him to come back to life!”After he was done speaking, Zayne then added, “Even if… Even if you were to tell this matter… to the highest level of the government now… They… They will never believe… the enemy’s side of the story!”“The only person who can get… the highest level of the government… to believe in this matter is him!”“But… he’s already dead! A dead man… will never be able to say anything!”Charlie curled his lips and said indifferently, “Fortunately, it has only been a few minutes since then. His body is not cold yet, and he can still be saved.”“Impossible!” Zayne could not hide the horrified look on his face as he said, “Although I did not use my full strength just now, his heart has already been badly injured, and even God will not be able to save his life!”Charlie smiled and asked him, “The reason why you did
Zachary couldn't help pointing at the screen and snapping, "Fucking loser! The more you feel pressed, the less you should be nervous! What are you thinking?! You're falling right under that bastard's trap!"Jacob was frustrated too, growling through his teeth, "Shit! I didn't think that bastard was a sly old fox. Fucking hell!"He then sighed, shaking his head. "Forget it, Zachary—I'm going home to pack my shit, and I'll depart for Dubai first thing tomorrow. Just handle that bronze sculpture for me and wire the money over."As he was about to get off, Zachary sighed in exasperation and apologetically said, "Sorry, Mr. Wilson… but it's fine! Even if this plan screwed up, just let me cook up another plan to destroy Raymond Cole!"Jacob ignored him as he strode out of the car, but that was when Raymond spoke audibly from Zachary's phone, "You can calm down. I'm not accusing you of lying to me. I just think that it's not Renaissance… Rather, it's medieval.""E-Early medieval…?" Billy
In Treasure Measure, Raymond unwrapped the red cloth around the bronze sculpture in front of Billy and the camera.There was a brief flash of surprise on his face, and it was soon gone.Still, he picked up the bronze sculpture, fiddling with it as he asked, "Do you know where it's from?""Yeah," Billy nodded. "A Renaissance-era sculpture. I think the base makes it obvious."Raymond looked up at him and asked in curiosity, "Are you sure about that?"Billy, presuming that Raymond had already noticed a catch, quickly said, "Well, the old man had an expert check it, and the expert said it was immediately obvious! To be honest, I want to sell it because the old man just passed away—gotta sell this baby before my brother goes for a garage sale."He had certainly added more details to the script, and Raymond nodded as he said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't look Renaissance to me. Sculptures from that era—be it the craftsmanship or the unique attributes? It's quite different from this one
In the antique trade, items that raised eyebrows would only be shown in the evenings—when various shops were about to close.That was certainly the case in Antique Street, as most items arriving in the evening were either freshly excavated, stolen, or forgery used to dupe unsuspecting victims.Even if Raymond had started his career abroad, he had learned every last unspoken rule during his earlier stint in Aurous Hill.Seeing the wariness on Billy's face and the way he was holding something in his arms, Raymond knew right away that what he carried wasn't legal.Still, the antique trade was no different here than it was abroad.Tomb raiding, forgery, or adding some touch-ups that increased the value of an item—everyone across the globe pretty much played the same tricks, and Raymond had his fair share of experience.Still, he did not let his wariness show, instead grinning, "Yes, of course. Come on in—let's talk inside!"And with that, he quickly led Billy inside.Meanwhile, bot
"Five hundred grand?"Mick chuckled. "Well, the sculpture looks Renaissance, and the craftsmanship as well as the material are all ideal. It would sell for up to two million in an auction, while established antique traders like us could offer up to a million. So, why the lowball?"Bill sighed. "I won't lie—it belonged to my old man, who just croaked this afternoon. But you see, he left a will stating that every antique in the house would be given to my brother… Since he's playing favorites, I thought I had to get something for myself.""That's why I quietly sneaked this baby out without anyone else knowing and am trying to sell it quickly to change my own circumstances. You don't have to tell me how many millions it's worth—I'm not that greedy. Give me five hundred grand, and it's yours."Mick shrugged as he shot back, "If it's as you say and your old man intended for your brother to have it, the fact that you sneaked it out here makes this theft. Do you think I'd buy stolen proper
It was half past six, and the skies were darkening when a figure hurried into Antique Street, heading straight toward the center—to Vintage Deluxe.Mick Crane, the manager, was holding the fort with some of his employees, and there were some guests window shopping there as well. As Mick asked the employees to assist the guests, he waited anxiously for Billy—Zachary's henchman.Nonetheless, a certain figure rushed inside within minutes, asking eagerly as he entered, "Is the manager in? Do you still buy antiques?""Yes, and yes!" Mick exclaimed as he approached Billy enthusiastically, asking, "May I ask what you're planning to sell?"Billy looked around before sneakily holding up a parcel wrapped in red cloth, carefully lifting a corner to reveal an edge so that Mick could see.Then, he promptly lowered the cloth again, whispering, "This is the good stuff. I'm just not sure if you have the money to buy it."Mick grinned. "What are you saying? If it's something Vintage Deluxe coul
Jacob chuckled. "Can't tell you right now. But I will once it's done.""Well, have you decided when we're going to Dubai?" Elaine quickly pressed.Jacob said, "I'd have to wait until tonight to see if this deal works, but we're leaving first thing tomorrow. I'll get the tickets first, and we will be staying at the Burj Al-Arab that I told you about. People are always saying how amazing it is on the internet every day, seeing how luxurious the seven-star hotel is, but I'll be the judge of that."Elaine was overjoyed to hear that. "That's amazing! And I was just thinking we can't go sooner! Go about your business, then. I'll pack our luggage right away."Jacob chuckled smugly. "Don't pack so much, though. Just stick to the necessities, since we can get the rest over there!""Alright!" Elaine exclaimed, beside herself in excitement. "Alright, you hurry up and get your thing done over there. I'll start packing now!"After hanging up, Elaine called Charlie, who was in Champs Elys Reso
As Zachary agreed to do a favor for Vintage Deluxe's Mick Crane in passing, he and Jacob agreed to meet up at 7pm at the car park by Antique Street.He first took Jacob back to the Calligraphy and Painting Association and called Billy, one of his boys whom he thought was smarter than the rest, giving him the gist of the plan and telling him to familiarize himself with the script.Then, he took the sculpture back to Heaven Springs and met up with Billy in office, telling Billy what to do in finer detail and making sure he committed everything to memory.Zachary's strength as a judge of character certainly proved itself—Billy had never done anything like this before, but he took to the plan like fish to water. He committed the script to memory soon enough, and he was flawless.Once he made sure that Billy was fine, Zachary called Mick.As soon as Mick answered, he immediately asked, "Hello, Mr. Evans. How is that thing we talked about going?"Zachary chuckled. All the arrangements
Zachary continued, "Why do you think casinos are always making a profit? It's exactly because no matter how unassuming a guest is the first time, they would be allowed to win a couple of hands, making a little profit.""And suddenly, they would think that they are the chosen one, destined to win against all odds and always come out triumphant! Once such radical, blind confidence hits them, every last bit of his money would be lost to the casino!""At that point, you can get anything from them—their house, their wife, their children… hell, they'd be willing to die if you'd just let them gamble again!"Turning toward Jacob with a grin, Zachary then asked, "So, with all the points I made and that sculpture you're holding… Do you still think Raymond wouldn't fall for it?"Jacob laughed out loud. "Oh, talk about a plan within a plan! No one would ever see it coming! Raymond Cole is so screwed!"Zachary smiled and nodded. "That's why there's no reason to rush—I'll arrange a man to get r
As soon as they drove out of the village, Jacob asked Zachary eagerly, "So, when do you think we should make our move? I can't wait!"Zachary didn't hesitate, "Let's do it today. It's better than waiting! I'll get someone reliable to bring this to Treasure Measure and get him interested. I'm sure that since he has just returned to Antique Street, he'll need a hot deal to generate hype and make himself known. That's why I'm sure he'll take this sculpture."Jacob nodded repeatedly as he chuckled. "I think so too. Today is definitely best since I'll be going to Dubai soon and probably leaving once I'm done with this. Once you get this settled by the end of today, I'll get tickets for the flight tomorrow!"Zachary grinned. "Don't worry, chief. We will definitely get it settled today…"He trailed off for a moment before continuing, "Still, you should be a little patient. We should do this in the evening—at the second just before Raymond Cole closes shop.""But why?" Jacob asked in curi