"Reiki?" Bruce asked, bewildered. "What's that?" Instead of answering his question, Charlie coldly asked, "There's a secret passage in your office, isn't there? Did you lock Biden Cole under the secret passage?" Bruce stared at Charlie in astonishment and muttered, "W-What... W-Who the hell are you?! How do you know about the secret passage and Biden Cole?" "I came here because of him." Charlie grinned. Then, Charlie penetrated his Reiki into Bruce's brain and commanded in a stern tone, "Answer me!" Bruce trembled all over. His brain immediately regarded Charlie as an honorable figure, and he answered truthfully, "There is indeed a secret passage behind my office, which is an elevator shaft, and there is a secret cell under it. Biden is locked up there.""Who else is there besides him?" Charlie asked. "No one..." Bruce replied. "He's the only one there, locked in a completely sealed room. I send him food and water once a day." Charlie continued, "Why did the Rothschild f
Charlie stepped into the narrow elevator with Bruce following close behind. The control panel in the elevator only had one green button. Bruce pressed the button and explained, "If someone is at the bottom, press this button to go up. If someone is at the top, press this button to go down. You can't stop in the middle." Charlie nodded. As the elevator started moving down, he looked at Bruce and asked, "How deep is it down here?" "60 meters," Bruce answered. Charlie asked curiously, "How did you secretly dig such a deep elevator shaft?" Bruce detailed, "Although Brooklyn Prison is a federal prison, it has long been controlled by the Rothschild family. A few years ago, they donated a sum of money to renovate the prison. In fact, the money was mainly used to build this elevator shaft and underground fortifications." He paused for a second and continued, "From the looks of it, there is only one access, but there is a one-way underground access that can be opened from the outsid
The room was about 20 square meters. There was an open space of about 7 square meters outside the room without any furniture or objects. There was only a toilet and a faucet with a small stream of water running inside. A man with a full beard and disheveled hair covering half his face was sitting crookedly on the toilet. A solid metal collar was placed around his neck. Behind the collar was an iron chain as thick as a thumb. The length of the iron chain was short enough that he could not reach the open space no matter what. He could only be confined to the corner of the room. The floor was damp and cold. There was no place to sit or lie down. There was not even a straw mat, let alone a mattress. The harsh environment had caused the man to curl up on the toilet to sleep with great difficulty. At this moment, the man heard the commotion and raised his head weakly. As he and Charlie exchanged glances, his eyes widened in utter shock as if he had been struck by lightning, and his who
Charlie urged without hesitation, "Let's go outside and talk!" "No..." Raymond shook his head and insisted, "We'll talk here."He pointed at Bruce, who was standing there dazed, and assured, "He's the only one who came here recently. Since you've controlled him, we are absolutely safe for now. I need to explain something to you right now." Charlie hesitated for a moment before nodding lightly. "Alright. Let me heal you first, then we'll talk." With that, he placed his fingers on Raymond's meridian and transferred some Reiki into the latter’s body. The Reiki restored and greatly improved Raymond’s physical condition. Raymond gasped in surprise, feeling the healing power within him, "It seems that you have mastered the Apocalyptic Book. Your father would be very pleased." Since Raymond was getting better, Charlie told Bruce to stand guard outside the room, and he and Raymond sat on the floor. Raymond started, "What do you want to know? Just ask, and I'll answer you." Charl
"Yes." Raymond nodded. "The unofficial history I read recorded that when Huang Chao started the rebellion, he was lucky enough to be assisted by a master who located and obtained the Four-Sided Treasure Tower. Huang Chao failed to succeed as an emperor despite the help of the treasure tower. As a result, the tower fell into the hands of Zhu Wen. “However, the tower couldn't play its true role as Zhu Wen didn't have talented people who studied the Book of Changes. Since then, the whereabouts of the tower have been unknown." Raymond paused for a moment before continuing, "The tower resurfaced several hundred years later in the hands of Nurhaci. According to the legend, Nurhaci was blessed by the tower. The nation's fortunes soared. It coincided with the decline of the Ming Dynasty and continued to grow stronger. Then, the country entered the Qing Dynasty, and they finally successfully conquered the land." Charlie asked, intrigued, "In that case, the tower must have been a national
Charlie finally knew the whole story of Raymond's imprisonment in Brooklyn Prison. He sighed lightly. "I was skeptical at first. With the Rothschild family's power, if you had really stolen from them, they would not have to settle it through legal means. It turned out that you called the police and surrendered." "That's right." Raymond nodded and lamented helplessly, "In this country, even though the family is powerful enough to override the law, they do not want to cause public anger. I did indeed steal from them, but since I turned myself in, the case must go through the legal process.” "In this case, they cannot take me away directly. After all, I'm famous in antique dealing, and I know people. If they arrest and torture me and the news gets out, the police will suffer the humiliation. "So, the family can only settle for the second best option and let the court do their things and imprison me. However, no matter how badly they torture me, they can't kill me because I was onl
Touched by Raymond's patriotism, Charlie nodded and promised, "Don't worry. I'll bring the treasure tower back to Oskia. You have my word. I happen to know someone who has quite a diverse network. I can bring back the treasure tower through him." The person Charlie was talking about was Emmett, Vera's adopted son. He had no right to keep the treasure tower since it was a national treasure. Returning it to Oskia through Emmett was the right thing to do to honor the treasure. Excited to hear this, Raymond beamed, "Thank you, Mr. Wade. I can call it even after the treasure has returned to Oskia and I serve my fifteen-year sentence." Charlie cleared his throat and said in a solemn tone, "The British and the Rothschild family have looted so many historical relics from China. They belong to Oskia no matter how hundreds and thousands of years have passed, and that's the truth. Sooner or later, they will all be returned to Oskia. I won't let you stay in this hellhole for fifteen years.
Raymond's passion was so intense it overwhelmed Charlie. Truth be told, Charlie's father had already predicted and planned everything for him. At that moment, Raymond's eyes were filled with heightened excitement as he continued, "I've been waiting for the day when you were ready to rise from the abyss ever since your parents passed away. I've been waiting for twenty years!" "Old Master Lennard went to Eastcliff about five years ago. He departed from the United States, and I happened to be in the States as well. When he took off from Los Angeles in your family's private jet, I stood by the fence at the end of the airport runway and watched the plane fly into the sky. "At that moment, I knew that the moment when you reached the fate of the dragon would come soon!" "After arriving in Eastcliff, he spent several years and used his lifetime's knowledge to finally solve the dilemma of the dragon-stranding predicament in Mount Wintry. I was so excited when I heard the news, I could
Yolden nodded slightly. "He does.""My gosh…" Matilda murmured. "That's too much… Ashley's son? A member of the Acker family and the Wades?!"Pausing, she then asked in confusion, "Wait, if Charlie has so much power and influence, why would he permanently reside in Aurous Hill… No, why would he be content as Jacob Wilson's son-in-law? Does Jacob know who he really is?""Definitely not," Yolden shook his head. "There were some compelling circumstances, and his identity is a sensitive one. That's why I'm asking you to tell no one except Paul—and even then, you should only tell him if he can keep the secret."Matilda was sharp enough to pick up on the reasoning, too. "Charlie's hiding because of his parents' accident, isn't he?""Yes," Yolden sighed. "He has his plans, but I didn't pry since I can only do that much, let alone help him on that.""Got it," Matilda nodded repeatedly. "Don't worry. My lips are sealed… And you just said you're resigning? Are you going to help with this e
"That would be Ashley Layna Acker," Matilda replied without hesitation. "She was our age, as well as a major investor in Silicon Valley, while we were only starting to get our first clients. It's no exaggeration to say that she's the shining example in many case studies when it comes to business."Pausing, she then continued, "And she used to be your classmate, right? I remember you mentioning that in our conversations before.""Yes," Yolden sighed emotionally. "She was a classmate and the star of our generation."Matilda nodded but soon shook her head, "Wait, weren't we talking about Charlie's car company? What does that have to do with Ashley Acker?" "Here's where I let you in on a secret," Yolden said. "But first, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone except Paul."Matilda nodded without hesitation. "Don't worry—if it's a secret, I won't tell Paul either."Yolden scratched his head. "Actually, Paul should know. We are going to marry soon, and he's my stepson, lega
In fact, the legal department of major enterprises covered many responsibilities, the chief of which concerned intellectual property, which was why veterans were needed to lead.Additionally, Charlie trusted Matilda's accomplishments in the legal field, especially since she had worked in the United States for years.With Curtis Autos' intended expansion worldwide, that meant the legal department should also know the laws of countries abroad, ready to file or respond to lawsuits at any time. After all, competitors may use the law to impede their growth, along with the government applying unfair policies to impede their development and impact on local businesses.Moreover, Charlie considered Paul young and therefore lacking in experience, not to mention that it was not likely he would abandon his family's law firm. As such, the ideal solution was to poach Matilda for now.As for Matilda, she was still in the dark and had no idea what she was in for, asking Charlie in confusion, "Lega
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,