Chapter 440: Negotiation? The Executioner

What?

Upon hearing the black goat's scream, Li Ang couldn't help but pause slightly.

He had only just learned about the "Demon Suit" before setting out, and now less than three hours had passed—could it be that he'd already found the whereabouts of one of the "goat offal" pieces? Was his luck really this good?

Amid the black goat's frantic urging, Li Ang narrowed his eyes, thought for a moment, and didn't rush into the room. Instead, he turned to glance at the plaque by the door, then called out to the security manager.

"Just now, as I passed by that meeting room behind, I thought I heard someone talking about the public water pipes—who's in there?"

"That's Meeting Room Two. As for who's inside… let me check."

Having had his psychological defenses breached, the security manager felt no guilt at all in selling out his company—he simply pulled out the visitor schedule from his chest and flipped through it rapidly.

"Found it… representatives from the Road Administration Department's River Bureau, the Nongye Force's Water Conservancy Bureau, Char Department Store, plus senior noble families: Lionheart Lane, Shield York, Rose Ma Sai, and others."

According to the schedule sent to me, they've occupied that room for nearly three days—they're probably… probably negotiating compensation matters…"

Huh? So it really is related to the water pipes?

Li Ang had merely invented an excuse to extract information about the goat offal—his claim of overhearing talk about water pipes was pure fabrication.

Yet, by sheer accident, he'd hit the mark: the people in that meeting room were indeed connected to the public water pipe incident.

After marveling at his own luck, Li Ang pointed behind him at the meeting room, then slightly curled his lips into a knowing smile directed at the security manager.

"I… I really can't do that…"

Seeing Li Ang's expression, the security manager shuddered, then pleaded with a grimace.

"I'm just a junior manager in security! Taking you to the archives to look through records is the absolute limit of what I can do—I can't possibly get inside."

"The people in that meeting aren't even within my reach. Someone like me doesn't even have the right to view meeting minutes. You…"

"Don't worry—I'm not asking you to sneak me in. I just want to point out a security vulnerability."

Placing a hand lightly on the security manager's shoulder, Li Ang softly warned:

"Your company has had a lot of trouble lately. Those savage mobs outside came harassing again just today—you should be on guard."

"For instance, right now: Road Administration, Nongye Force, Char Department Store, senior noble families… so many important guests are in this meeting, yet there's no security personnel on duty at the door?"

"…"

Watching the security manager's expression shift with dawning realization, Li Ang requested:

"Your security department's duty room should have spare uniforms. Get me one that fits my build… hmm… one guard might look odd. Bring another guard—someone quiet and reliable—to keep watch with me outside the meeting room, how about that?"

After hearing Li Ang's request, the security manager's breath caught. Instinctively, he wanted to keep this demon away from anyone who might expose him—he gritted his teeth and volunteered:

"What if… I stay here with you…"

"No, no, no—you're the security manager! How could you possibly stand guard yourself? Besides, you have more important tasks to handle." Li Ang flatly rejected the offer, then calmly instructed:

"While I'm on duty here, go to the archives and try to retrieve the relevant files. If you can't take them out, copy the key parts and leave them on your desk. I'll come by after my shift to collect them."

"Hmm… to avoid confusion, place them under the family photo on your desk. Oh, and judging by the badge on the uniform in the photo, your wife is a teacher at Victor District Elementary School, right? If I'm not mistaken, your daughter attends there too?"

As the security manager's eyes widened in sudden terror, Li Ang withdrew his hand, smiled gently, and looked at him with encouraging warmth.

"It's wonderful—your daughter is so lively and sweet, your wife is gentle and beautiful, and you're a mid-level executive at a major company. Your life is already more fulfilling than ninety percent of the people in the royal capital."

"So promise me—you must be a good husband, and an even better father. Don't let them down, all right?"

…

"I'm sorry, but I cannot agree to this."

After reviewing the seventh revision of the compensation proposal, the middle-aged man with golden hair shook his head, his expression calm as he declined.

"Since the beginning of the funding and expansion of the municipal water pipes, our Lane family has invested heavily in every round—we've barely broken even on dividends over the past two years."

"If we accept this compensation plan, not only will we lose this year's dividends, we'll have to return last year's as well. The Lane family will not accept this."

"The York family also disagrees."

"The Ma Sai family opposes it."

"Three of the six directors have refused. It seems there's no need to proceed with this round of voting."

After observing the expressions in the room, the meeting chairperson shook his head and turned to the middle-aged woman on his left, whose face was dark with anger.

"Madam Char, though you contributed the most during the water company's founding, I still advise you to revise your proposal. The naive solution you desire is impossible to pass."

"Revise… how else can this be revised?"

Whether worn down by days of endless negotiation or enraged by the subtle sarcasm in the chairperson's words,

the middle-aged woman—though fine lines now creased her eyes—remained strikingly beautiful. She rose abruptly, meeting the cold gazes of the others with furrowed brows and a sharp, angry voice:

"We took only three-tenths of the profits during dividends, yet now you demand we pay five-tenths in compensation! What more do you want? Should Char Department Store bear it all?"

"Madam Char, please calm down."

Once the woman had finished her outburst, the middle-aged man from the Lane family tapped his knuckles lightly on the table, his tone serene.

"We never said Char Department Store should bear it all—we merely object to the method of compensation. Rather than tracking down each so-called victim for individual payouts, we prefer a more 'flexible' solution."

"For instance: spin off the five other operations—energy, irrigation, sewage—into a new company, let Char Water Power pay out all the compensation, then shut it down entirely."

Watching the woman across from him, eyes blazing with shock and fury, the middle-aged man leaned back into his sofa, his demeanor calm as he added:

"Since the problem lies solely with the water supply business, compensation should be limited to the profits generated by that division. There's no need to drag in the rest of the water power company. Personally, I believe this is a reasonable outcome. What do you think?"

(End of Chapter)