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Chapter 784: Chapter 682: Contacting Tang Qing (Subscriptions Requested!)_1
Chai Ren was a bit dumbfounded.
Unsure of how to respond.
He couldn’t exactly say that he knew them, as he genuinely did not know the Karonba brothers.
Yet, if he were to say that he didn’t know them, it would also not be entirely true. Without them, the previous American company wouldn’t have sold the iron mine to them, he wouldn’t have taken Liu Qian to America, there wouldn’t be the following events, and he wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to meet Tang Qing.
Mulaiel looked at the conflicted expression on Chai Ren’s face and sneered.
However, in his mind, he was planning the best way to kill Chai Ren.
But before that, he needed to find out who murdered his two nephews. He had contemplated revenge in the past but lacked the power. Recently, he usurped the previous leader, consolidated his power, and subsequently began contemplating revenge again.
He had asked Martin Bahati, the man who took his nephews’ place.
Unfortunately.
Martin Bahati remained silent, much to Mulaiel’s frustration.
However, he couldn’t possibly force information out of him on his turf. It would have been different had they lived closer to each other, but with such a distance between them, there was no way to threaten him, no matter how powerful he may be.
He returned to his tribe and asked.
But to no avail.
The people insisted it was either a feud or an accident.
But how could Mulaiel possibly believe that? He knew that his nephews were planning to extort the American, but before they could, a Chinese man took over the iron mine and was about to extort him.
Just then, Karonba died.
As if the world had changed.
On that very same day, everyone planning to blackmail Chai Ren ended up dead. He believed that it was undoubtedly related to this Chinese man, but Chai Ren didn’t usually come to this side. The Chinese rarely came out, and there were also the potassium transport vehicles.
However, just two days ago.
Someone approached him, saying that Chai Ren was coming over for inspection. They even provided the timing and the itinerary and left it up to them. Then, that person left. Mulaiel didn’t know who this person was, but it was apparent that he had a grudge against Chai Ren and was trying to sow discord.
Without a doubt.
This was how the current situation came to be.
"Have you remembered?" Mulaiel ominously said as he leaned towards Chai Ren.
Chai Ren leaned backward, avoiding Mulaiel’s overpowering scent.
He opened his mouth.
And struggled to say, "I remember."
Mulaiel sat back straight.
"Then tell me, how do you plan to resolve this?"
Chai Ren gave a bitter smile, "You state your terms, and I’ll see if I can fulfil them."
Mulaiel laughed loudly, "Good, straightforward. I like chatting with people like you. Actually, my demands are quite simple. First, two hundred million dollars. Second, tell me who killed them. I only seek the killer, not trouble you. Don’t tell me it was an accident, I don’t believe it."
Two hundred million dollars.
Mulaiel didn’t ask for more, not because he didn’t want it, but he was afraid Chai Ren’s family couldn’t afford it in a short amount of time. If they waited for half a month or so, and word got out, he wouldn’t be able to get away unscathed.
As for not causing trouble, that was, of course, just a claim.
Chai Ren looked at Mulaiel’s satisfied expression.
"You really won’t trouble me?" Chai Ren asked, perplexed.
"Of course, I always keep my word. If I say that I won’t kill you, then I won’t kill you. As for the first condition, you can call your family later and ask them. As for the second question, I want to know now." Mulaiel assured confidently.
Did Chai Ren believe him?
Of course not.
Natives remained natives.
He had doubts about their intelligence. If they truly didn’t want to cause trouble, the second condition wouldn’t have been brought up. If he only heard the first half, he might have believed it. Who in their right minds would only seek revenge on the perpetrator and not the mastermind behind the scheme?
But that’s ignorant.
However, Chai Ren dared not to underestimate others’ intelligence.
Chai Ren was a bit puzzled.
The first one wasn’t a problem; money was something his family could provide, and they would definitely meet this request. It wasn’t that much. The main issue was his safety and whether or not to disclose the perpetrators.
Suddenly.
Chai Ren remembered something.
When he cooperated with Tang Qing’s friend before, his friend said he would help resolve any danger. The reality had proven that Tang Qing’s friend was indeed reliable. Every single iron mine and various minerals under the African Union Mining Group were secure without exception.
Moreover, considering that Tang Qing’s friend could manage to get his hands on potassium transport vehicles, Chai Ren felt that his only hope was with Tang Qing’s friend. Even if his family could provide the money, his chances of survival were still slim.
Mulaiel looked at the ever-changing expressions on Chai Ren’s face.
"Speak. You might not know, but I have a bad temper. If you don’t speak properly, I won’t do anything to you, but I can’t guarantee the safety of those outside," warned the man.
"You better not touch them," Chai Ren coldly replied.
Mulaiel burst into laughter: "Haha, I call the shots here. So, who caused all of this?" He waved the gun in his hand.
After a brief hesitation, Chai Ren finally answered.
"It’s a mercenary organization. They approached me, offering assistance with the iron mine in exchange for 10% of the profits. If I refused, they threatened to kill me or cause chaos. I had no choice but to pay them."
"What’s their name?" Mulaiel inquired.
Chai Ren shook his head forcefully. "I don’t know. I just paid them. As long as I didn’t have to shoulder the losses of the previous Karonba collaboration, I was willing to agree. All I really wanted was the iron ore. Otherwise, I would never have agreed to this troublesome mining operation."
"Should I believe you? Maybe you were in contact with them from the start. Why did they approach you and not the American company?" Mulaiel sneered.
Chai Ren added, "Maybe it’s because the American company is too powerful, and I’m easy to bully. You know, we Chinese usually don’t like causing trouble; we prefer to focus on our business. You see, I was captured so easily. The American boss would probably never set foot on this land in his lifetime. Even if he did come, he wouldn’t have such a modest security force."
Mulaiel looked doubtful.
What Chai Ren said made sense.
Relative to others, Chinese people are indeed easier to bully, they tend to keep a low profile globally. Americans, on the other hand, are often stubborn, refusing to engage in unprofitable matters. Yet, you couldn’t rule out the possibility that Chai Ren was lying to absolve himself.
After a moment’s pondering, Mulaiel suddenly smiled.
"Okay, I believe you."
After all, the key was to get rid of the mastermind behind Chai Ren. Once he’s dead, he could avenge his nephew, get the money, and then just hire people to investigate who was behind this. Whether he knew or not, at this point, didn’t matter much.
Chai Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
Regardless of Mulaiel’s sincerity, the good thing was that he no longer dwelled on this issue. Otherwise, whether he spoke up or not, he would be in a difficult position. Now, thankfully, he didn’t have to betray his friends.
Mulaiel then took out a satellite phone.
"What’s your home phone number?"
There was barely a signal here, not to mention a base station.
After some hesitation, Chai Ren relayed his father’s phone number. He couldn’t keep it a secret much longer and was hopeful that his father would find a way to get in touch with Tang Qing to figure out how to deal with this situation.
These people were obviously just a small local force.
Even if he exerted pressure at a national level, it might not intimidate them and could stir up a lot of trouble, which would be detrimental for his family. If possible, it would be best not to resolve this issue on the national level.
...
Beijing.
Chai Guoqiang’s office.
The phone rang.
"Hello."
"Hello, Chai Ren is with me. If you want him back, be prepared to part with 200 million dollars, otherwise..." Mulaiel’s words were all too familiar to Chai Ren, making him feel awkward.
Chai Guoqiang understood English.
His youngest son had been kidnapped?
He looked at the unfamiliar number on the screen.
"Who are you? Why should I believe you?" Chai Guoqiang felt a sudden pang in his heart. He knew his son had gone to Africa for inspection. If this was true, he started to lose his composure.
It was his son after all.
No one could remain calm in such a situation.
Mulaiel passed the phone to Chai Ren.
"Dad, contact Tang Qing," Chai Ren hurriedly instructed.
Mulaiel, who didn’t understand Chinese, assumed it was a plea for help and quickly took back the phone.
"Believe it now, huh? Two hundred million dollars. Wire it to a Swiss bank account, the account number is... I know it’s a lot of money, so I’ll give you three days. If I don’t see the money by this time the day after tomorrow, you should prepare to..."
Chai Guoqiang took a deep breath.
"Alright, I understand. Can I talk to my son again?" Chai Guoqiang asked.
"No."
Mulaiel quickly hung up the phone.
The more you say, the more mistakes you make.
Looking at Chai Ren, Mulaiel coldly smiled, "It seems you’ve cooperated well, Chai Ren. As long as the money comes through, I’ll let you go."
"Hopefully so," Chai Ren answered with a bitter smile.
