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Chapter 223: Chapter 190: Is This... a Hand Grenade? (Please Subscribe!)_1
"Mr. Xiong, one last question, how much are you willing to spend to settle today’s matter?" The robot asked with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhiyang immediately realized that he was surely going to lose money. He couldn’t help but give a bitter smile. Today had been a total defeat.
First of all, he did not succeed in his plan. The big shot from Bangkok would surely take out his anger on him. Dispatching people for revenge might be unlikely, but he could forget about ever going to Bangkok again; if he did, he might not come back.
Secondly, he had completely offended Tang Kai. Even if Tang Kai was forgiving, he would not do business with him after this incident. Losing two important suppliers in one go, the big shot and Tang Kai, was a significant blow to his jewelry company. Considering their local relationships and influence, his company’s future looked dim. And now, he was even being forced to cough up money to ward off disaster. It was a loss on all fronts.
But Xiong Zhiyang didn’t dare to refuse. He tentatively said, "Brother, I am willing to give one million RMB. Would you please spare me?" 𝖓𝔬𝖛𝔭𝔲𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
The robot immediately stepped forward upon hearing this and pointed his gun coldly at Xiong Zhiyang’s forehead, saying, "Mr. Xiong, do you think we’re here to beg? One million? Your life isn’t worth much, huh."
Feeling the cold barrel of the gun against his forehead, Xiong Zhiyang could no longer remain calm. He stammered, "No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Five million, I’ll give you five million RMB. Please calm down, brother. Be careful not to misfire."
Among the group of bodyguards, who were anything but simple, he saw three. He believed there had to be more hidden. Tang Kai likely had some people left behind too. All these powerful forces going out, one million was indeed a bit insulting.
It wasn’t that he was really stingy, but it was a business habit. When buying something, start with an extremely low offer, then haggle and gradually increase. When selling, naturally, you would ask for a high price and wait for the other party to negotiate.
"Well, since you have assets of hundreds of millions, I won’t ask for much. How about twenty million in cash?" The robot said with a smile.
Naturally, this amount was decided by Tang Qing. As a business owner himself, he knew there was a difference between assets and cash, especially for a jewelry company with a considerable asset-structure tied up in heavy assets. A lot of money was tied up in the merchandise. For Xiong Zhiyang, twenty million in cash meant draining his company’s cash flow, making its future operation questionable.
It wasn’t he couldn’t ask for more, but if he did, it would probably take Xiong Zhiyang ten days, or even longer, to get the funds together. Tang Qing didn’t want to wait. He just wanted to recoup the costs of today’s operation and not feel like he had made a loss. Asking for an extra one or two million didn’t make much sense. It was the equivalent of his arbitrage profits in just over a day. He didn’t see it as worth it. After all, for all of his effort, he just wanted to break even, and twenty million would do just that.
Upon hearing the figure twenty million, Xiong Zhiyang’s face immediately fell. "This is a bit too much, brother. I can’t get that much cash together all at once. How about ten million RMB?"
Twenty million was nearly all the cash he had. If he were to hand it all over, he’d have a hard time ahead. He’d be busy everywhere, mortgaging, borrowing, taking loans to just keep his company afloat. It would be much more than just a painful hit; it felt like a death sentence.
However, his intentions had long been seen through by the people in the command room. His facial expressions and eye data had been thoroughly captured during their interactions. In front of Little Two’s frame-by-frame analysis and the intelligence officers, it would be extremely difficult for him to lie.
Upon receiving the information transmitted from the command room, the robot let out a cold snort and fired a shot at the cement floor beside Xiong Zhiyang. After the muffled sound, shards of rock flew everywhere and the shell fell. Xiong Zhiyang leaped up in fear, while his three bodyguards retreated a few steps, protecting him.
"Mr. Xiong, I know you have twenty million in cash. So, this figure can’t be negotiated. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee your limbs won’t be at risk." The robot said menacingly.
This menacing smile, the result of countless calculations, scared the four people into taking another step back. A thought crossed all their minds simultaneously. This smile was like something out of a horror movie. It was far too scary. Was this really the smile of a human? Anyone who saw it at night would surely pass out from fear.
When Xiong Zhiyang heard that the robot knew he had so much money and was determined to get it, he knew it was time to be smart. He didn’t wish to suffer an undeserved hit like Pi Qiang and quickly said, "Gentlemen, I’ll give it. I’ll give you twenty million. Provide me with an account, and I’ll transfer it to you first thing on Monday, without delay."
"Humph, at least you know what’s good for you. But I want it now." The robot said.
"But it’s so late now, I can’t make the transfer." Xiong Zhiyang said in surprise. It was well past midnight, and it was Sunday. How could he make the transfer? Did these people have some problems with their brains?
"You give me the account and password, and we’ll take care of it." The robot said.
It wasn’t that the robot was dumb, or Tang Qing was brain-dead. It’s just that the transfer between an external bank account and the system could be made regardless of the external bank’s working hours. It could be transferred in or out at any time, but two external accounts could not transfer between each other outside of working hours.
The reasoning was pretty straightforward. The system and the external bank account transactions went through a kind of special channel, unrestricted by time. After all, even at night, it didn’t mean all the bank’s systems were idle. Transactions and settlements from various time zones and countries all over the globe couldn’t possibly all halt, right? That was impossible. Services were just not provided to the general public outside of working hours.
Transactions between two external accounts and the system had no ’transfer’ relation, therefore, they were not protected by the system. These followed the regular transaction route and were restricted by the external bank’s working hours.
Xiong Zhiyang didn’t know what to say for a moment. They wanted his bank card and password? Were they planning to take everything?
Seeing Xiong Zhiyang’s worry, the robot said, "Don’t worry, Mr. Xiong, we only need 20 million. We won’t take a penny more."
Xiong Zhiyang had no choice but to believe it. His life was in their hands, after all. What else could he possibly consider?
"But I don’t have my card on me, it’s at home," Xiong Zhiyang said.
"Well, we’ll just go to your house and get it," the robot said bluntly.
"You..." Hearing that these guys were planning to go to his house, Xiong Zhiyang panicked. Were they intending to crank up the pressure? What if they came back to extort him again in the future?
Deny them?
He didn’t dare.
"Alright then, we have an agreement. As soon as you get the bank card and passcode, you won’t kill us." Mustering his courage Xiong Zhiyang said. He felt hopeless, he had to accept this situation.
"Rest assured, as long as you don’t play any tricks, we will keep our promise," the robot responded, nodding its head.
"How are you going to get there then?" Xiong Zhiyang asked.
"We’ll drive your car. I’ll be in the passenger seat, and you three will be in the back." the robot said matter-of-factly.
"You’re going alone, aren’t you afraid we might attack you?" Xiong Zhiyang asked, genuinely confused. To him, his fall today was not caused by the bodyguards in front of him, but rather an entire force behind them. If he dared to play any tricks, he would surely die.
He initially thought that they would leave him or bodyguard as a hostage, but it didn’t seem like they planned to do so. Did they think they had him under complete control? Yes, they certainly did. But that was fine, as long as they were at his house, they wouldn’t get too reckless.
"Ha-ha, because you wouldn’t dare," the robot chuckled, taking something out with its left hand. Since they were quite close, Xiong Zhiyang and the bodyguards clearly saw what the robot was holding.
They all swallowed hard, their eyes wide with fear.
So what did they see?
A ring pull.
Attached to an elliptical object.
It was a freaking grenade! Damn, weren’t they escalating things too much? They were just well-off common people. They were absolutely terrified! They obviously had real guns, and this grenade was surely not a toy.
Seeing the fear in their eyes, the robot grinned, "Any more questions, Mr. Xiong?"
"No," Xiong Zhiyang managed to choke out the word, his teeth chattering.
He was genuinely terrified. Where on earth did these lunatics get a grenade from? They were completely insane!
The three bodyguards completely gave up the idea of saving their boss, knowing better than to mess with lunatics.
"Since there are no questions, let’s get going," the robot chuckled. It pocketed the gun and got into Xiong Zhiyang’s car, gripping the grenade as if ready to pull the pin at any moment.
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