The mining location of this copper mine was located at a depth of about five hundred meters underground. Charlie asked Noel and the Section Ambassador who was under his control to lead the crowd together with him to take the lifting cage to the dead soldiers’ living quarters. As they made their way down, Noel introduced the specific situation of this copper mine to Charlie.After decades of continuous development, the interior of this copper mine had become extremely intricate and complex. It consisted of a total of three parts. The first was the normal mining part of the copper mine which included the tunnel and the mining surface. The second was the part where the dead soldiers and their relatives lived, and the third was the part where all the supplies and equipment were stored. Going down from the shaft all the way to the bottom was, in fact, just going down to the working face of the copper mine.After going down, it could be seen that this was a very standard medium-siz
There was actually a large machine room behind this wall. This machine room was in fact a heavy-duty elevator equipment and operation room, and there was a large lifting cage below the machine room.Noel led the crowd into the cage, activated the cage with his own iris, and the cage then brought the crowd to the depths of negative six hundred meters. As the cage moved downward, Noel said to Charlie, “Mr. Wade, all the safety equipment here is one-way. The hidden door just now as well as the lifting cage can only be operated from outside. In addition, after the cage reaches the bottom, there is a door that can only be opened from the outside.”Charlie asked him, “This should be the only access to the outside world from the dead soldiers’ living quarters, right?”“That’s right.” Noel nodded and said, “The dead soldiers can only enter and exit through a passage, but there are a large number of steel ventilation pipes in their living quarters. However, the thickest internal diameter o
At this moment, the dead soldiers as well as their families who were kneeling to greet the special envoy did not know that the man in the black robe in front of them was no longer the special envoy they thought he was.According to the regulations, on the day of the antidote distribution, all the dead soldiers and their families had to line up in this hall that was tens of thousands of square meters in advance and kneel to welcome the special envoy. Charlie was also shocked by the scene in front of him when he saw so many people kneeling on the ground.This underground area that was tens of thousands of square meters with a height of more than ten meters combined with the huge support pillars and the lighting at the top which made it look as bright as day made this scene look like a magnificent ancient palace. What’s more, thousands of people were kneeling in front of Charlie and saying the same sentence in unison. The echo made the entire underground space shake. Charlie looked
Charlie saw the people’s shocked and flustered expressions, so he said lightly. “To tell you the truth, I’m not the special envoy from the Qing Eliminating Society. The real special envoy is under my control now, and all the members of the Armed Calvary Guards have already sworn their allegiance to me to fight by my side against the Qing Eliminating Society. So, I came to ask you whether you would like to fight alongside me like them?”The crowd was in an uproar as soon as Charlie said this!No one expected that things would turn out so unexpectedly!However, 3900 was shocked and could not help but say, “Sir, if what you’ve said is true, none of us would be able to survive today. Even if you obtain the real antidote from the real special envoy, we would only be able to live for another week. Even if we wanted to fight alongside you, I’m afraid we would be powerless.”3900’s words made all the dead soldiers who were in shock feel extremely depressed for a moment.Everyone knew that
From the time that 3900 could remember, his father had used practical actions to let him understand that the fate of the dead soldiers was extremely difficult, but each generation was still living strong and producing offspring with the sole purpose of hoping that their own bloodline would finally be able to break the shackles of the Qing Eliminating Society one day in the future and truly gain freedom.There were several difficulties in front of this goal, and the first difficulty that needed to be crossed was the severe poison that occurred regularly in their bodies. There was really no need to talk about this kind of poison. No matter how many dead soldiers and generations had tried, they still had no way to get rid of this strange poison.Although 3900 had never forgotten his father’s earnest teachings, he also knew very well that this was simply something he could not accomplish. He had even pinned his hopes on his son and even his son’s future son. The mentality of all
After all the poison in the dead soldiers’ bodies had been successfully eliminated, Charlie walked down the stone steps and came to the plaza.Thousands of people looked at him and groveled before him thankfully. The leader, 3900, choked up and said, “Sir, I would like to thank you for your great kindness on behalf of all the dead soldiers and their relatives!”The others also knelt on the ground like him and shouted respectfully, “Thank you for your great kindness, Sir!”Charlie looked at the thousands of people kneeling on the ground and said calmly, “Get up. From now on, you will no longer be slaves, and you don’t have to kneel and grovel before anyone.”After saying that, he did not wait for the others to respond. Instead, he said to 3900 who was kneeling respectfully at the front, “Take me to visit the place where you live.”3900 said respectfully, “Understood!” With that said, he stood up and pointed to the back of the plaza as he said, “Sir, the area where the dead sold
Charlie nodded and said seriously, “After all, there are thousands of people here and only a few hundred people on the ground. It would be impossible to transfer everyone to live on the ground. The sudden increase in the number of people at once would also arouse the public’s suspicion and speculation.”Having said that, Charlie changed the subject and continued, “However, the passage between the dead soldiers and the ground will remain unobstructed from today onward. You should coordinate internally to allow some people to go to the ground in multiple time slots every day so that they can feel the real day and night as well as see the real sun, moon, and stars.”3900 was incredibly thrilled when he heard this and quickly said gratefully, “Thank you, Sir! Thank you, Sir! I’m satisfied as long as the children get to see the real world and breath some fresh air!” Charlie said with a smile, “All of you can go out, but you still have to lie low for the time being. So, everyone has to c
“Enjoy the sunrise?!”3900 was stunned and at the same time asked excitedly, “Are you serious, Sir?!”Charlie nodded. “I just said that I will make sure that the dead soldiers can take turns to go to the ground at any time in the future. The first time right now will be reserved for the children who have never seen the sun, moon, and stars before.”3900 was very excited, but he suddenly remembered something and asked Charlie, “Sir, is it still dark outside now?”“Yes.” Charlie said, “It will be dawn in half an hour.”3900 looked at the dense lights on the ceiling and sighed. “It seems that day and night are completely reversed for us compared to how it is outside.”Charlie smiled slightly. “They don’t want you to be able to calculate the date in real life, so they will naturally reverse and distort time and reality for you.”Having said that, Charlie added, “But you don’t have to worry. Day and night here will be consistent with the outside world from today onward. I will get so
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
Zachary chuckled and continued, "Well, I went to Antique Street and asked around. Turns out our mutual friend only brought a few hundred thousand grand with him. If he messes up and loses all his money, won't it be over for him?""He won't just be broke either—he'd be humiliated and forced to fuck off from Antique Street. You'd get even then!"Jacob was at once excited.Just yesterday, Claire and Charlie were warning him that assault meant doing time.As the vice president of the Calligraphy and Painting Association and the next presidential-hopeful, he would lose his place if he was charged with assault or being an accessory to a case.However, Zachary's plan was much better. Jacob wouldn't have to take responsibility, and the damage on Raymond would be even worse!In comparison, slapping Raymond meant nothing. Watching him go broke and get humiliated would really ease his heart!With that in mind, he promptly pressed Zachary, "Are you sure that prick will mess up?""I can't a
Jacob Wilson was in his office at the Calligraphy and Painting Association, planning his itinerary in Dubai.Still, he was immediately thrilled when Zachary told him that there was progress, and he quickly said, "Come see me at the Calligraphy and Painting Association. We'll talk in my office!""Alright!" Zachary agreed to it happily. "Just wait, Mr. Wilson. I'll be right there!"Jacob then quickly told him, "By the way, remember to address me as the vice president when you're here. Got it?"Zachary was naturally sharp enough to understand why, especially around other members of the Calligraphy and Painting Association.Smiling, he said, "Don't worry, chief. You can always be at ease when I'm on the job!"Once he hung up, he drove to the Calligraphy and Painting Association at top speed.There were just a dozen people around the dozens of work cubicles although Zachary was curious about the personal effects or office tools in the cubicles.After asking around, a staff member le
Then, Mick continued, "I won't lie—Moore Group's bean counters have been eager to get rid of Vintage Deluxe for a while now. It's only Miss Moore's insistence that keeps them at bay, even occasionally coming to check on how business is going. That means she holds sentiment for this place, but if she knows that Raymond is back and doing well, she might hire him again!"Zachary could laugh right then. After all, Mick was terrible at gathering information—he could worry about anyone taking his palace, but not Raymond. The man was fired because he had insulted Master Wade's father in-law, and Miss Moore was endlessly respectful—even obedient to Master Wade. There was no chance that she would hire Raymond back after what he had done, and Mick was just being paranoid.However, Zachary did not tell Mick that.As Mick was begging him to intervene and thus owing him big time, he would also be helping Jacob Wilson get even.Two birds with one stone, so why not?With that in mind, Zachar
Zachary then said, "By the way, I have some friends who have a lot of stock. How much capital do you have, Mr. Cole? I'll check if they have stuff that suits you, and you can partner with them."When Zachary asked how much capital, he was basically asking Raymond how much he would invest in his own business and how much he could spend on taking new stock as he was buying.As such, Raymond replied modestly, "I've been chasing my tail for a while, so I didn't earn more than a few hundred thousand. I definitely would have no issue taking items with rebates, but I'm afraid I can't afford premiums.""Alright!" Zachary nodded, having discerned the scale of Zachary's capital."I'll check on what's available and see if we can get a few personal deals."Raymond nodded. "Thank you, Zachary!"Zachary smiled, shaking his head. "Mr. Crane, please buy another fruit basket for Mr. Cole—I'll pay you later."Mick quickly said, "Oh, you don't have to, Mr. Evans! It's my pleasure, no worries!"Zach
With the last stroke, Raymond got on a ladder to reach the old signboard, pasting the banner over the old shop sign.Then, he added a notice by the entrance: We buy all antiques and measure all treasures.As soon as the makeshift sign and notice were up, Mick was the first to arrive with a fruit basket to celebrate the occasion.The instant they met, he greeted Raymond warmly, "Ah, Mr. Cole! You sure are efficient—you just came back yesterday evening, and you're already setting up shop today at noon!"Raymond smiled, "Doing a small business by myself is naturally much quicker."Mick shook his head disapprovingly as he put the fruit basket by the door, "Now, now. Don't be a stranger, Mr. Cole—almost everyone in Antique Street is a friend, but you didn't tell the gang when you opened the shop! It'd hype things up when everyone comes bringing you gifts!"Raymond quickly shook his head. "Thanks for the suggestion, but I don't know if this humble trade will last. It's better to keep m
To not lose three months' worth of rent on top of that, Donald called over the owner at top speed while getting some of the friends in the antique trade to appraise what merchandise he had left.Taking losses had always been the hardest pill to swallow, but once the decision was made, there really was nothing that couldn't be given up.The owner was plenty pleased as well since that meant someone was picking up on his rental. He promptly had Donald sign the agreement transferring the last three months for the rental to Raymond while signing a new rental contract with Raymond.Raymond didn't have to pay up immediately either—he just had to start paying rent to the owner once Donald's three-month rent was up.Once the agreement was signed, every stall owner as well as owners of businesses resembling the Pearl House swarmed the premises.After all, they loved to take stock from people in the same line of business. Once a business owner decided to close shop, they wouldn't be bothered
If Donald had to maintain his business under such circumstances, the next three months would be even worse.Hence, instead of doing that, he really wanted to stop this business altogether.As for what remaining merchandise, he'd just get some fellow in the same business to take them off his hands at a lower cost while he gained his freedom sooner.Hence, he stopped Raymond, "Wait, my friend! Let's talk about this… if the hundred fifty grand transfer fee is too much for you, why don't I cut it down even more—say, a hundred grand instead?"Raymond turned and told him solemnly, "I'm not paying a transfer fee at all."Frustrated, Donald blurted, "At least give me ten grand for my troubles! My shop is good—you'd definitely make bank once you take it off my hands!"Raymond thought about it and eventually said, "How about this—if you can clear up the place by the end of the day, I will pay you five grand on top of the forty five grand that is your remaining rent, but not one cent more."
The reasoning was simple too—with businesses failing, most shops were losing money.With months left on Donald's rental contract, all he could do now was keep his business afloat while attempting to transfer the rental to someone else. At the same time, he must be prepared for the situation where no one would rent it from him, and he must honor his contract to the very last second.With the losses he had sustained up until the contract expires, he definitely wouldn't extend it. That meant packing up to leave while returning everything to the owner to claim the deposit that the owner was holding.Even now that he was asking for a transfer fee, his mindset was to get whatever he could get. By the last month, Donald would naturally give up on such pipe dreams regardless.Still, when Raymond saw the lack of merchandise in the shop, he could tell Donald's business was at its final stretch. What little he sold would serve to recuperate his losses, and there was no chance in hell he would