"Take your chopper?" Charlie looked at Julien skeptically and queried, "Where can your chopper take me?" Julien answered hastily, "Its range is about 300 miles. You can go anywhere it can fly!" He then added, "I just told the pilot to get ready to take off. You can go anytime!" "Where were you heading when you told the pilot to prepare for takeoff?" asked Charlie. Julien quickly responded, "I was planning to have Royce go home and check on the situation, to see how the others are progressing and gather some information..." Charlie replied calmly, "You're sending your son home, not outside the blockade. How can you be sure that your chopper can enter and exit the blockade?" Julien affirmed, "I'm the first heir of the family. My chopper can definitely get in and out freely. No one can stop me." "We'll see about that," Charlie smirked. He then turned to Hank and ordered, "You will accompany Mr. Royce to take the chopper for a spin. Fly directly outside the blockade area
Hank's men responded promptly, "Alright, boss! We’ve got it!" Charlie knew that there were hundreds of people watching the Cole family mansion now. He could sneak in quietly, but it was impossible to go to the gate and take the Four-Sided Treasure Stone from the lion statue. Moreover, he did not know whether he could take the treasure tower out of that place. There was no doubt that no one would be able to stop him if he forced his way out of the restricted area with the tower, but he would risk exposing himself. Currently, the big trouble with the Qing Eliminating Society hadn't been solved yet. It would only give him more trouble if he exposed himself to the Rothschild family now. Hence, Charlie needed to think of a method that was as safe as possible. He would have fulfilled Raymond's wish as long as he could quietly bring the treasure tower back to Oskia. It was now about three hours before dawn. Charlie decided to see if the helicopter route was feasible. Ten minutes l
Julien was astonished by Charlie's remarks. Upon careful consideration, Julien felt that what Charlie said made sense. Whoever took the Four-Sided Treasure Tower would be the first heir, so the only idea he had in mind was to quickly retrieve the treasure tower so that he could retain his position as the first heir. But when he thought about this crisis from another perspective, what if no one could find the treasure tower? He was the first heir, to begin with. If he cut off others' chances of advancement, he would still be the first heir, wouldn't he? The only difference, of course, was that in this case, although he was still the first heir, the treasure tower would no longer belong to the Rothschild family. But he was left with no choice now. His life was in Charlie's hands, and he was thankful to be able to survive the ordeal. Thus, he asked tentatively, "Sir, can you please guarantee that the other Rothschilds will never find the treasure tower, let alone get it home?"
Julien hastily replied, "The Four-Sided Treasure Tower originally belonged to Oskia. It would be best if it could return to Oskia..." "But your father dreams of getting it back." Charlie asked, "Why don't you share the same thought?" Julien assumed Charlie was testing him, trying to see where he stood, so he immediately responded with an air of righteous indignation, "To be honest with you, my father is still full of imperialist thinking. He believes that anything he seizes is his, but it doesn't work that way now. We're living in a civilized society! The treasure tower was obtained dishonestly back then, so it's only right to return it to its rightful owner. I've been educated with modern legal principles, so I do have a sense of justice!" With a satisfactory nod, Charlie asked, "So, even though you are the first heir of the family and even though your father, the patriarch of the family, desperately hopes that the treasure tower can return to your family, you are still willing
A roar of the helicopter came from far away. Charlie's eyes lit up as he said, "Your son is back." Julien involuntarily muttered, "I hope they're not in trouble." A few minutes later, Hank and Royce walked into Charlie's room. As soon as they entered the room, Julien asked anxiously, "How was it? Did anyone stop you?" "Yes!" Royce blurted angrily. "The National Security Agency's radar blocked the airspace in the blockade area. As soon as our helicopter arrived near the edge of the blockade area, they radioed to warn us that all non-government helicopters were currently banned from taking off in the airspace for national security reasons. They also asked us to land in the designated area for inspection. I told them my identity, and after they verified it, they did not force us to land for inspection, but told us to stay away from the boundary of the blockade area." Hank, standing nearby, added, "This level of strict control hasn't been seen since 9/11." Hearing this, Charlie
Moreover, simply leaving the blockade zone wouldn't be enough. It was possible that the Rothschild family had secretly instructed these agencies to expand the blockade. The best course of action would be to find an opportunity to leave the United States altogether. Thinking of this, Charlie asked Julien, "Your family should have many assets and businesses around the world. It should be common and usual for you guys to go abroad. If you or any family member wants to go abroad at this moment, can you avoid inspection?" "Well—" Julien muttered, "My father intends to mobilize the entire family's resources and go all out to search the Four-Sided Treasure Tower. Everything else can be put on hold for now. Given this situation, he probably won't let us leave the country. Not only that, but many key family members overseas have also started returning to the U.S. After all, the matter of the family head's successor is at stake, and no one wants to leave at a time like this." Charlie smack
Julien was a little confused by Charlie's remarks. He took a deep breath and began in a solemn tone, "Helena is the Nordic Queen. Her visit to Canada is a relatively serious political event, and such matters are usually planned well in advance. Her scheduled visit to Canada is set for next Friday, which is nine days from now. How could it be moved forward just like that?" "Don't worry about it," Charlie reassured. "Just answer my question." Julien thought for a while and began, "My father is hoping that Royce will keep in touch with Helena. It was an idea some time ago. A few days ago, he expressed his wish that Royce could represent our family to meet Helena in Canada. They can get to know each other first and then see if there is a chance of marriage. If Helena visits Canada according to the plan, he should send Royce over, but because of the special situation, I'm not sure if he will change his mind." "I don't think he will change his mind," Charlie replied. "For one, Helena
"C-Curtis?" Julien exclaimed. "Do you mean the Curtis Wade who turned my family upside down 20 years ago?! So... You're Ashley's son?!" "Yes." Charlie nodded. "That's right." Julien took a deep breath to compose himself and sighed. "No wonder! No wonder the short video platform that your family owned refused to remove and ban the freaking videos. So, you’re Curtis's son..." After that, he muttered, "You are Curtis's son, and you're here for the Four-Sided Treasure Tower, so... Bruce's exposure of Brooklyn Prison and Biden as well as the video of Malcolm's affair with Bruce's wife... Those were all your doings?" "Yes." Charlie admitted frankly, "They were all my ideas." "Tsk..." Julien inhaled fearfully. "You're incredible. Just a few smart moves have left us in disarray. You truly carry the same demeanor as your father back in the day." Charlie responded in a monotonous tone, "You can stop your flattery now." As he said this, he took out his phone from his pocket, casuall
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