The prison guard nodded and left the cell with the other two guards, ignoring Charlie.Then, the gate closed on its own.As soon as the guards left, the dozen men who were standing in line relaxed their shoulders and moved away casually. The muscular man named Dean glared at Charlie and sneered, "Hey, new guy! I'll walk you through the rules of the cell."Charlie ignored him and walked straight to his bed, number 16.Enraged by Charlie giving him the cold shoulder, Dean grabbed Charlie by the collar, clenched his fist, and gestured to Charlie. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you fucking deaf?!"With an annoyed frown, Charlie huffed, "Your mouth is foul, and so is your body. The whole cell smells awful. It seems like we’ll have to do something about the hygiene of the cell."Then, he brushed Dean off and started to make his bed. Dean was taken aback and confused by Charlie's audacity in talking to him in such an indifferent manner. He was concerned that Charlie had some background
With a perverted grin on his face, Dean snarled, "Enough with the chattering. Why don't we go to the bathroom now? I'll show you step by step so that you can have a taste right away!""Woah!" the crowd guffawed. One guy whistled and quipped, "Boss, are you going to do it in broad daylight? Can I have a taste of him once you're done?""Of course, but let me check him out first!" Dean snickered. "After I'm done, anyone interested can try him out!"Then, his expression darkened. He glared at Charlie and directed coldly, "Come on. To the bath."Charlie nodded, pointed to the footprints on his bed, and said monotonously, "Okay, I'll settle this with you later."With that, he spruced up his shirt and headed for the bathroom."He's got an attitude. I like that," Dean snorted and swept his glance over the excited crowd. "Wait outside and don't peek, or I'll kick your ass!"Everyone nodded with a perverted grin. Then, Dean went into the bathroom. He slammed the door shut as soon as he
Charlie sneered disdainfully as he looked at Dean's horrified expression. "I told you that your mouth stinks, but you got mad at me. Look at you! You've never liked brushing your teeth since you were a kid, huh? You're dirtier and lazier now. Come, let me teach you how to brush your stinky mouth!" Charlie grabbed the toilet brush at his side, pried Dean's mouth open with his other hand, and stuffed the dirty brush right into his mouth. Dean was muscular, and his chest muscles were as big as an adult's head, but his mouth was comparatively smaller. When Charlie forcefully stuffed the toilet brush into his mouth, the hard burrs cut his lips, and the corners of his mouth turned bloody. Dean was trembling in pain, but Charlie didn't give a damn. He exerted some strength and shoved the entire toilet brush into Dean's mouth. Then, he began to move the toilet brush up and down vigorously as if he were brushing Dean's teeth. In an instant, Dean's mouth was filled with blood. Dean
Dean knew these words were not a threat. Charlie would walk the talk. When he heard Charlie say that he would torture him to death, he felt an utmost sense of desperation and agony. He and his fellow prisoners were no match for Charlie, so he was certain he could not get away from Charlie. Even if the fellow inmates realized that something wasn't right and rushed in, Charlie would immediately subdue them, and they couldn't save him either. It was at least four hours before dinner. Getting revenge and preserving his reputation was the last thing he had in mind. All he could think of was for Charlie to stop the inhumane torment and humiliation. He would never have thought that the glory and self-respect he had defended for so long would be completely destroyed today by having the dirty and smelly toilet brush stuck in his mouth. Kneeling on the ground in desperation, he bowed desperately with his hands above his head in the most humble way like a tamed pet dog, asking for C
The skinny man soon realized that it was Charlie, who wore a cold expression, who was standing in front of him. He was taken aback but didn't feel anything out of the ordinary. He grinned obscenely, "Hey, cutie. You can't wait for a second round, huh?" With a flat smile, Charlie grabbed Dean up from the inside of the door with one hand, brought him to the front, and scoffed, "It seems that you want to be the second one." The skinny man opened his mouth wide in terror as if he had seen a ghost but couldn't say a word or make a sound. He couldn't believe that the man in front of him, who was so miserable and distorted, was Dean, whom he had admired all along. When Dean saw him, he subconsciously wanted to call for help, but the toilet brush was still stuffed in his mouth. As he opened his mouth, the blood and saliva immediately gushed out, causing goosebumps to rise on the skinny man. The other inmates couldn't see what was currently happening. They knew Dean had a bad temper
As soon as Charlie finished speaking, Dean struggled and stood behind the red line made of his own blood. Charlie then raised another finger and shouted, "Two!" The others were still shocked, but when they saw Dean follow Charlie's order despite his miserable state, they knew that Charlie was serious and quickly lined up behind the red line. Charlie nodded and said lightly, "Three." At this moment, everyone had lined up except the skinny man whom Charlie had kicked and subsequently fainted. Charlie stood up, walked past the line, went to the back, and glared at the skinny man who was still unconscious. He leaned down a little, grabbed the man's curly hair, and dragged him to the front of the line. He tossed the man to the ground, leaving him lying motionless like a corpse, and turned toward the line. "I said everyone must stand in line when I count to three, didn't I?! But this gentleman lay there like a log and disregarded my order. How can I gain your respect as a leader?
Charlie nodded, pointed at Dean on the ground, and asked, "In that case, you must have seen him torturing many of your fellow inmates, right? Tell me, did you protect the victims when he tortured them?" "I-I..." the priest tittered nervously. The priest did not intend to speak for the skinny man nor did he want to help him. When Charlie came out of the bathroom with the toilet brush in Dean's mouth, he realized that Charlie had ascended the throne and become the new leader here, and it had opened a new era in this cell. It was merely a ploy of his to appear righteous and justified to gain Charlie's trust and emphasize that he and Dean were not in the same league. Moreover, he highly believed that by introducing himself as a priest, he would not be targeted and retaliated against by Charlie. As a result, he could be well protected and gain the favor of the new leader. In spite of that, his carefully crafted gimmick was ruined by Charlie single-handedly. Previously, when Dean
Dean had thought that Charlie would continue to torture him. Instead, he had been given a chance to contribute. At this moment, he felt a glimmer of hope. Excited, he nodded profusely to express his sincerity. "No problem, sir. I'll take good care of him and make him happy." Jonah was so terrified and shocked that he almost fainted. Knowing Dean's attitude, he could imagine how Dean would torture him in exchange for Charlie's praise. As the thought flashed across his mind, Jonah fell to his knees and begged, "Please forgive me! I'm old. I can't stand it!" Charlie waved him off. "It's okay, don't worry. You won't die." He turned to Dean and directed, "Listen carefully. No matter what you do, you must make sure he stays safe and alive, do you understand?" "Yes, yes!" Dean nodded repeatedly. After that, he looked at the teary Jonah and assured, "Don't worry, Jonah. I'll be gentle!" Instead of feeling glad, Jonah realized that his future days would be bleak and terrible. H
Later, after Charlie told Jeremiah over the phone about the joint venture with the Ackers to establish Curtis Autos, the old man was awash with tears, especially after Charlie told him that it was Keith who suggested it. After all, Curtis was his favorite son whose death he could never really get over. Moreover, he once believed that only his family mourned Curtis while the Ackers never did, and he held a grudge over his son's passing. As such, he was surprised that Keith held such great respect toward his late son and didn't hesitate to say yes when Charlie invited him to Aurous Hill to sign an agreement with the Ackers.Still, Charlie wasn't in a hurry to arrange for a specific time, and he was going to let the Ackers sort out the human resources of Godot Autos over a few days. It still wouldn't be too late by then.Moreover, he was keen to allow the buzz to have time to grow so that the automotive industry would be astounded by the joint project between the Ackers and the Wade
Christian was the first to exclaim in approval, "Yes! Curtis Autos sounds wonderful! It has my vote!""Seconded!" Kaiden nodded, pumping the air with his right fist. "I've looked up to Curtis the most, and I absolutely agree with naming the company after him!"Jaxson was nodding too. "Me too!""Yes!" Lulu chirped.Yolden couldn't help agreeing as well. "Curtis Autos is definitely a good name!"Merlin raised his hand gingerly as well. "Quit it with your flattery already," Keith chuckled, and he turned toward Charlie solemnly. "In the end, Curtis is Charlie's father, and the final decision goes to him!"Charlie's eyes were welling up with tears—his parents had been gone for almost three decades, yet he had never thought of dedicating anything to their memory.As such, Keith's suggestion to use Curtis's name for the car company left him thrilled. After all, wouldn't his father's soul be honored if Curtis Autos rocked the country, maybe even the world?With that in mind, he nodd
Charlie also had to agree that this was an opportunity to formally reconcile the Wades and the Ackers.While he couldn't reveal himself just yet, the Wades and the Ackers had been in-laws for years. Even if they had had a dispute for the longest time, restoring good relations made sense now that the Ackers had come to Oskia, and it wouldn't arouse any suspicion.That was why Charlie agreed to it without hesitation, even making a mental note to invite his paternal grandfather, Jeremiah, to Aurous Hill.The old geezers could meet up and clear the air while deciding on the partnership.Yolden was prepared to resign as a professor as well so that he could help the Ackers and Charlie fully develop their automotive company.With a general direction planned, he asked everyone, "Since we're creating a new brand, has anyone come up with a name?"No one was feeling inspired at that moment, but that was when Lulu, who had been silent throughout, said, "Since Charlie and our family are worki
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