[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-158":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151649,1495,"Chapter 158 - 144: Another Mr. Lee’s Predicament (5 more Chapters to go)","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-158",158,"\u003Cp>Peter wasn’t Spider-Man, so Martin Li deemed it necessary to reconnect and reassess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In many versions, he was always Spider-Man’s nemesis, Kingpin’s rival, and occasionally the enemy of the Osborne Group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin’s rise in the \"financial industry\" began eight years ago during the last frenzy of the US housing market, around the same time United Construction Company was established.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In New York, engaging in \"finance\" and \"real estate\" almost invariably meant they were mafia bosses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering he had become a hot potato himself, Martin still managed to contact him in this way, indicating that this financier’s situation might not be any better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin warmly said, \"Given that we share the same surname, I’ll call you by your first name, if you don’t mind.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Your technical capabilities are strong, but you’ve suffered undue hardship because of an intern. I deeply regret that. If it’s convenient, I’d like to know what your plans are moving forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For now, the side effects of the Lizard Serum are irremediable, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other applications. I’ll continue to invest in the research.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you need money,\" Martin found his opening, \"Pardon my straightforwardness, today the court only mentioned 2.34 million US dollars, but the final loss amount will likely double.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille raised an eyebrow, \"Why?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You are competitors of the Osborne Group and have outpaced them slightly—a small trip-up is something they’d gladly cause, not to mention that the government itself is eager to act.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That seemed like nonsense—Lille immediately realized that Martin was trying to steer him into conflict with the Osborne Group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because it didn’t need the Osborne Group to create obstacles; the city government would \"reimburse\" Lille itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille gave a slight nod, \"True enough, for instance, by cleaning up the discrepancies in the accounts.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin smiled, \"It seems you understand, so I’ll be direct. The environment isn’t favorable for any of us. Do you think this technology can make money? I can invest.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It can, and will make a lot of money—I could offer 10% of the company shares, with the condition that the amount needed for compensation from our side is covered.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s too little, not enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille added, \"...then an additional piece of information, the matter with Laboratory No. 3 is under investigation, and we are technical support consultants for the NYPD.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin nodded, \"A laboratory sponsored by Osborne Group—that’s something you can hype up, but the matter is not yet concluded, still not enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille pondered and said, \"Martin, you might not have a concept of what ’a lot of money’ means to me, so how about this? We’ll sign an agreement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the next three weeks, I will provide you with 1000 units of whole blood. If I fail, I will compensate you. Name your price.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The minimum amount for a blood donation is one unit per person, which means finding 1000 donors within three weeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the current market average price for one unit of blood is 300 US dollars, meaning that Lille would provide at least 300,000 US dollars worth of whole blood in the next three weeks!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blood supplies are not like other medical supplies, managing them slightly can far exceed this price—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key was, Lille only had a shabby laboratory under his command...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If this is the case...\" halfway through his thought, Martin looked up and saw that Lille remained quite calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had a rare ability to be highly sensitive to people’s emotions and could even manipulate their joy, anger, and moral orientations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he wanted to test the waters, he instinctively felt that he shouldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So... I originally planned to negotiate for more benefits, but since you are so honest, I can’t be seen as taking unfair advantage. But I’m curious, aren’t you planning to negotiate more conditions with me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until that moment, the atmosphere finally relaxed—neither party had truly reached a consensus on the cooperation before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that Martin wasn’t pressing his advantage further, Lille currently believed Martin was indeed worth cooperating with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he spoke up, \"Hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation is already considerable, and it’s not just about money. One must consider your influence in Chinatown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since we’ve confirmed our cooperation, I’ll be straightforward. I believe 10% of the shares is quite generous, equally for the both of us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want more, I’ll refuse outright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My situation may seem dire, but the development prospects are very good. Once I make this public, there will be no shortage of collaborators.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in finance... Martin, let me be blunt, without further industry support, your financial empire has already reached its limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the subprime mortgage crisis recedes, your survival space will only shrink.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This statement sounded contradictory; why would Martin’s industry shrink as the subprime crisis recedes—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It mainly came down to the issue of industrial layout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Martin’s industry profits weren’t high, relying instead on sheer scale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With several Chinatowns and Asian neighborhoods as a base, the order of the base was maintained through sweatshops and the criminal underworld.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sweatshops could create numerous jobs, offering slight advantages in political maneuvering, but profits were pitifully low, thus necessitating the underworld to enforce order, or rather, the rule over the underworld was essential to maintain the sweatshops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this order, in the 150-member New York Assembly, secured him two tightly-aligned council members.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, as the financial crisis passed and high-tech industries entered a growth period, everyone’s assets grew faster than his, essentially making him lose money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was akin to his assets shrinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In discussing this with Martin, Lille had already examined all the related annual reports of the relevant enterprises. He believed Martin was feeling the heat now—\u003C\u002Fp>",953,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.909Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","66e0df0c28c55838ba2be94a3d3eb757ac1cf53fe627520a748266c632c8ddf8","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-159","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-157",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]