Chapter 606: Ten Billion USD, a Thousand-Man Guard Force

“I’m open to all forms of payment, and we can also deduct the cost from our last deal.”

“If we have a deal, from now on, we’ll share core intelligence and shoulder all profits and risks together. You’ll have access to every security measure I possess.”

“And, your friends will be my friends, and your enemies will be my enemies.”

Lin Chu’s offer was something of an overreach. By this valuation, his Security Group alone would be worth twenty billion US Dollars.

All his previous investments were finally starting to show a return.

But he had poured his heart and soul into the Security Group. Lin Chu genuinely felt it was absolutely worth this price.

Especially for someone like Zhao Peng.

After all, safety is priceless.

And the price of “protection” is never determined by the client, but by the strength of the provider.

Zhao Peng stared intently at Lin Chu and took a deep breath. “Besides me, are there any other shareholders?”

“On the surface… no.”

Zhao Peng…

‘You have to listen to what isn’t said, not just what is. “On the surface, no”… That must mean there are others in the shadows, right?’

‘This young man really is airtight with his words.’

Although this kind of posturing, this “riddler” act, was rather annoying, it also demonstrated a certain restraint. Saying too much often leads to mistakes. Some things were better left unsaid, understood just between the two of them.

“Alright.”

“I have no objections.”

“A thousand-man guard is too much. A hundred should be enough. It would be best if some were visible and some operated in the shadows. There are quite a few people watching me right now. Maybe you can figure out a way to get rid of them first. I don’t have that kind of capability.”

“And… these men. Do they answer to you? Or to me?”

He asked bluntly. It was better to get certain things out in the open and agree on them beforehand to avoid misunderstandings later.

“The surveillance problem is easy to solve. I’ll have my people take care of it.”

“As for your second question… that’s a very good question, and a very practical one. I understand your concern. I was tempted to be clever and say they’re ‘our’ people, but that would be too perfunctory. I respect your intelligence too much to try and fool you.”

“The company will pay their monthly salaries. As for what you can offer them to turn them from company employees into your personal friends—that’s your business, and a testament to your own charisma. I won’t interfere, nor will I object.”

Lin Chu replied with great sincerity.

‘His concerns were perfectly normal.’

‘But he wasn’t too worried about this kind of poaching.’

‘First, he held all the most crucial channels and connections.’

‘Second, he had far more men than Zhao Peng did.’

‘Third, Zhao Peng was only seeking self-preservation, not expansion.’

‘Even if Zhao Peng really did manage to poach a few, it wouldn’t be a major problem. The Security Group would have a constant stream of new recruits coming in.’

“Alright. I have no more questions.”

“I can provide the ten billion US dollars’ worth of digital assets in three hundred separate wallets. The private keys will be stored on an independent hard drive…”

“Five points is worth one billion. That leaves nine billion…”

“I want an island like this one. Name your price.”

“I want a promise from you. Again, you name the price.”

“And build a high-standard hospital, right here. Name your price.”

“For the rest, Gold, cash, whatever works. I don’t care. To me, cash is meaningless right now.”

Zhao Peng suddenly revealed a magnanimous side. And it was true—with his exchange minting money daily, it was a total cash cow. The numbers on a screen had no real effect.

Lin Chu…

Hearing this, he couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

‘Now it feels like I’m the one working for him.’

‘But that was fine. The numbers really were meaningless.’

‘What he was doing now, however—connecting people—that was becoming more and more interesting.’