At this moment, the expressions on the faces of everyone at the scene were all shocked and appalled.No one would have expected that as an eight-star martial artist, Porter would admit defeat completely by cutting off all of his meridians without even fighting against Charlie!Even Charlie himself was slightly amazed.Charlie had initially thought that Porter would definitely want to fight to the death, but to his surprise, Porter had actually taken the initiative to cut off his own meridians. At this moment, Porter knocked his head hard on the ground once again as he said in a loud voice, “I’m at fault, and all of this is my mistake alone. Mr. Wade, I beg you to arrange for my parents to be reburied again, and I also beg you to spare the lives of these men who have stayed by my side and followed me to battle for so many years. As for myself, as long as you say the word, I would be willing to grovel to death in front of you!”For Porter, he had long realized that he could not pos
At this time, Helen, who was amongst the crowd, felt a lump in her throat. She really could not stand it anymore, so she immediately walked out from the crowd, looked at Charlie, and pleaded, “Charlie, please forgive Porter and spare him this time on the account that he has truly realized his mistake…”When Porter saw Helen, he recognized her immediately. He was dumbfounded as he asked, “Aunt… Aunt Dunn… Why are you here too?!”Helen looked at Porter sympathetically as she sighed and said, “Charlie rescued me and Sophie before. When the both of us heard that you were coming up to Mount Wintry, we rushed over here overnight because we were worried that Charlie would be in danger. We were originally planning to go out of our way to plead with you and ask you to be magnanimous. Unexpectedly… Sigh….”Porter could not stop his tears, and he said tragically, “I’m sorry, Aunt Dunn… Sorry for causing you such trouble… I will not ask for Mr. Wade to spare me, but I simply ask that he spare m
Although these soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies were all very afraid of Charlie’s strength, at this moment, all of them could not bear to see Porter looking so miserable and desperate.After all, almost all of them had received favors from Porter. Therefore, they could not sit back and do nothing at all with peace of mind. What’s more, if Charlie refused to let go, Porter would not be the only one who would not be able to escape death, but it would also be very difficult for Porter’s subordinates to survive as well. So, all of them knelt on the ground one after the other as they hoped that they would be able to do a little something for Porter and come together to beg for Charlie’s forgiveness.When Jeremiah saw so many experts from Ten Thousand Armies kneeling on the ground and groveling before Charlie, he suddenly felt incomparably excited in his heart. From this scene, Jeremiah saw hope for the Wade family rising. Moreover, this rise did not mean that the Wade family could
Charlie frowned slightly. After that, he looked at Holden and asked, “Lord Harker, did you bring a dagger with you when you came out today?”Holden said respectfully, “Yes, Mr. Wade. I brought one!”After saying that, Holden took out a short, sharp dagger from the pocket on his waist and handed it over to Charlie with both hands.Charlie took the short dagger and threw it in front of Porter as he said indifferently, “I will agree to your request on the account that you’re still a filial son! After your death, I will not destroy your parents’ or your remains, nor will I expose your body out in the wilderness. On the contrary, I will repay your grievances with virtue and bury you and your parents together so that you can leave this world in peace!”When Porter heard this, a relaxed smile finally appeared on his face. The expression on his face was also filled with gratitude as he looked at Charlie.After that, he bowed down deeply and groveled in front of Charlie once again. This
Although Porter’s meridians were already destroyed, he still had more than enough strength to wield a knife to kill himself.He exhausted all of his strength to thrust the dagger fiercely because he wanted to use this dagger to end his life simply and quickly.The reason why he wanted it to be simple and neat was because he did not want many people to watch him twitch and convulse in place for a long time before finally dying a tragic and miserable death.At this moment, he was already long prepared to die.As for the many soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies, they also understood that all of this was already a foregone conclusion and that no one would be able to change anything.However, at the moment when the short dagger in Porter’s hands would pierce through his mourning clothes and the skin on Porter’s chest, piercing into Porter’s heart, Charlie kicked the dagger lightly with his toe, and some Reiki instantly surged into the short dagger from the tip of his toe. Immediately a
When Porter heard this, he bowed his head low, and his entire body trembled violently as his tears kept rolling down his cheeks, dripping to the ground.He really wanted to live.However, he was afraid that Charlie would not let him live, nor would he allow his brothers to live. In addition, Porter wanted to preserve his parents’ peace and dignity and thus, he could only choose to die.But at this moment, a thought suddenly popped up in his mind. ‘Charlie suddenly turned the short dagger in my hands into dust just now. Could it be… Could it be that Charlie intends to spare my life?!’But very soon, Porter sighed emotionally in his heart as he thought to himself, ‘I’m afraid that this is all my wishful thinking. I was so disrespectful toward Charlie’s parents, so how could he possibly spare my life? If I were in his shoes, I would have killed myself long ago…’ At this time, Charlie continued saying, “Porter Waldron, you should know that people will inherently die. However, you sho
When Porter heard that Charlie was willing to let him go, he felt so emotional to the point that he was already on the verge of an emotional collapse.Still, Porter resisted the urge to cry out in pain, and he shouted out without hesitation, “Mr. Wade, I am willing!”A group of soldiers from Ten Thousand Armies also came back to their senses and reacted as they shouted excitedly at the same time, “We are also willing!”In a flash, the response resounded like a mountainous roar!Everyone else on the scene was dumbfounded!No one would have expected that Charlie would spare Porter’s life and take the entire Ten Thousand Armies under his command at the same time!Many people could not understand why Charlie did not relent until the last moment when Porter had already cut off his own meridians and was ready to commit suicide. Moreover, Charlie had even criticized Porter’s decision to let everything go and die graciously before he had let Porter go.In truth, what Charlie was doing
The other members of the Wade family also understood this hidden meaning. For a moment, everyone felt extremely depressed in their hearts aside from Charlie’s youngest aunt, Charlotte. For Clayton, he would prefer it if Mount Wintry were to get flattened by Ten Thousand Armies.Clayton would also prefer it if Porter were to kill Lord Wade directly if he would rather die than surrender and give in. In that case, Clayton himself would instantly become the head of the Wade family as the first heir in line. He would then announce his acceptance of all of Porter’s conditions immediately.That way, he could become the head of the Wade family that was shrunk by half. But even if the Wade family had already shrunk by half, it would still be within the top three families in the country.Clayton felt that this deal was still worth it if he became the head of the Wade family after the Wade family had shrunk by half.This was because he shared the same thoughts as Charlie. The Wade family
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
Jacob was naturally gleeful that he could get the late medieval bronze sculpture along with its base. Right after he wired the agreed upon ninety-eight grand to Mr. Cardensky, he was already imagining how Raymond would buy it from him for several hundred grand.On the other hand, once Mr. Cardensky received the transfer, he saw the name on the account: Jacob Wilson.He was left perplexed—wasn't that man's last name Montague? Who was this Jacob Wilson?Still, he didn't worry about it too much since most antique hustlers preferred to work with anonymity and therefore, using a different name was perfectly normal.He then carefully wrapped up the bronze sculpture before passing it Jacob, asking politely, "Would you happen to have any other requests, Mr. Montague? I have plenty of other items here if you'd permit me to give an introduction."Jacob shook his head, "Just this sculpture will do. I'm not fully confident in your work either since this is our first deal, so I'm just trying i
Jacob asked, "Then, what would this sculpture be worth if it was genuine?"Mr. Cardensky thought about it. "Well, there are standards when it comes to Renaissance relics, but with something this exquisite, it'd definitely be auctionable for one or two million—and that's the conservative estimate.""How much would you sell it to me for?" Jacob then asked."Thirty percent of the market price," Mr. Cardensky quickly replied. "As I've said, the conservative estimate for this one is around one to two million, so we will set the price with the median estimate value at 1.5 million. And thirty percent means 450 grand."Jacob shook his head right away. "No, no, no… that's too expensive. What if I end up unable to sell it, on top of that?"In his mind, while he could barely accept that pricing, he still needed Raymond to be able to afford it if he wanted to swindle Raymond for twice the money.Mr. Cardensky quickly chuckled, "Oh, Mr. Montague—now you're being too serious. In this business,
"Okay!"Mr. Cardensky smiled and pointed at a nearby farmyard. "There's our workshop—the good stuff is all in there. Allow me to take you there!"The farmyard seemed uninteresting at first glance, but Mr. Cardensky soon led them to the stables and brushed off the straws covering the floor, revealing a plank laid flat on the ground.Mr. Cardensky then lifted it, revealing a passage below—they had dug a cellar into the ground beneath, with the stables as an entry point.As Jacob followed Mr. Cardensky down the cellar, he exclaimed in awe, "Your operation is definitely big, digging such a huge cellar!"Mr. Cardensky smiled humbly. "Anyone working in the business would have sustained their losses before. In the end, we're all folk of humble origins, starting out with raiding tombs or excavating artifacts. Just digging a cellar is really nothing."As they conversed, they cleared the stairs and arrived at the main hall.It was certainly a hall as it was around a hundred square meters,
Zachary nodded repeatedly. "Mr. Montague? Very well!""Yes!" Jacob grinned smugly. "Longer last names are simply better—it just sounds so authoritative."With that agreed upon, both men alighted, where the master was waiting nearby.Seeing them get off, he hurried over to them, smiling, "Please, follow me."Zachary looked around and huffed, "Honestly, Mr. Cardensky, isn't this way too far from the highway? The road is narrow and terrible, and I have to park my car all the way out here. Just coming here is taxing."Mr. Cardensky smiled in turn. "My friend, that's exactly why we picked this place. Do you remember seeing a couple of cars parked by the road, occupying half of it?""We arranged for them to be there. Anyone coming by car would have to slow down that way, buying time for us to see who they truly are. If it's cops, our watchers would quietly text us while we clean the house and bail."Zachary exclaimed in realization, "You boys really run a tight ship!""For sure," Mr.
After working in Antique Street for years, Zachary's connections and influence were naturally special. And yet, though he was acquainted with some of the more impressive individuals, he was not that close with them either.For example, the forgery masters who worked specifically to deceive experts only accepted jobs from major clients, usually antique traders high in social status and wealth.In contrast, they wouldn't ever be interested in frivolous people like Zachary. Even if he could reach them, they might not look at him twice.If one would describe them as the cartel boss, then Zachary would be a low-level enforcer, managing night joints or goofing off.But now, Zachary had turned over a new leaf—he worked under Don Albert, so one of those masters was pleasantly surprised when he called one of them, inviting him to his own workshop for a visit and further discussion.As such, Zachary picked up Jacob and went over to the master's hideout where the latter worked on his count
Zachary was naturally shrewd enough to read Jacob's intention.In reality, he wasn't offering to pay just because he wanted the profit. He merely wanted to get in Jacob's good graces. After all, wouldn't Jacob be even more grateful that he wasn't just helping his revenge but also helping him make money?As such, he didn't hesitate to tell Jacob, "Well, chief—since you'll be paying, I will make sure that you will get every cent of profit that you deserve."Jacob was grinning ear-to-ear, but he said, "Oh, you don't have to! If we really are making a profit, there's no way I would let your good work go unrewarded!"Spreading his arms, he continued generously, "How about this? I will pay the full cost while you get twenty percent of the net profit!"Zachary laughed. "Now, that can wait, chief. We need to pay as soon as we decide on the item we want, and there's no time for buyer's regret. But if Raymond doesn't take the bait, all that money will go down the drain, and whether we can s