Chapter 1193: So This Was the Truth

But Shi Youxuan did not take it to heart.

Wealth is an external possession; you don't bring it with you when you are born, and you don't take it with you when you die. It is not important.

What is more important than money are bonds—love, family, and friendship all count!

It is just that Qi Heng does not understand this principle; he thinks that businessmen value profit and that there is nothing that cannot be done if one uses benefits to entice them.

That is why he wanted to use money as a bargaining chip to negotiate with Shi Youxuan!

But Shi Youxuan had no intention of negotiating with him at all.

"President Qi, you are now the president of a country and are very busy with ten thousand tasks every day. I, a common citizen, will not delay you in handling state affairs, lest something goes wrong on your end and you blame the Sheng Family again."

"Beep, beep, beep—"

Qi Heng was just about to speak, but the call on the other end had already been hung up.

"Damn it."

He was so angry that he threw his phone, but he was at his wit's end.

The situation within L Country was becoming even more severe.

Shops and restaurants were closing one after another, and the people were not just complaining; they were taking to the streets to protest!

They were protesting in front of the Presidential Palace.

They even clashed with the military, with bloodshed occurring constantly and the number of casualties continuing to rise.

The military itself was not peaceful either.

Qi Heng held the title of Commander-in-Chief, but he did not have the highest authority when speaking within the military.

This time, he wanted to do as he had done before and withdraw a portion of the military funds for an emergency, but his order did not work!

No one listened to him.

From the top of the military to the bottom, everyone was paying lip service to Qi Heng; they would agree readily, but the money would simply never arrive!

Whenever he asked, there would be a reason.

The person in charge of the money was away, the finance department was on leave, the bank procedures were incomplete and could not be processed, and transfers could not be made...

Qi Heng was not a fool; he quickly realized that these people were just fooling him and had no intention of executing his orders at all!

Only then did he discover that without experience in the military, having only the title of Supreme Commander was completely useless.

So, he immediately thought of Liu Quan, who had retired to his hometown, and personally called him, preparing to invite him back to serve as Military Region Commander once again.

An unnamed Island in L Country.

Birds were singing, flowers were fragrant, and a gentle breeze was blowing.

L Country possessed numerous small islands, many of which were privately owned; without the owner's permission, no one had the right to go up, including the president.

This small island looked no different from other islands on the surface, and it would not attract anyone's attention among the many islands.

But the people on the island today were a bit special.

There were some strangers on the island; although they were all in plain clothes, it was not hard to see upon closer inspection that these people were soldiers who had undergone special training.

They and the original bodyguards on the island seemed to dislike each other; both sides were in a state of high tension, guarding against one another!

In a place heavily guarded by everyone stood a small Villa with white walls and red tiles.

The living room of the Villa was decorated luxuriously and magnificently. In the center of the living room was a circle of handmade leather sofas, and two men with a vast age gap sat at either end of the sofa!

Zhu Qingrui and Liu Quan.

Behind both men stood guards, their faces serious, vigilant, and meticulous!

The atmosphere in the living room was not very pleasant; the two seemed to be having a poor conversation.

Zhu Qingrui: "Uncle Liu, since we are cooperating, we must have sincerity in our cooperation. Your condition is too harsh; I cannot agree to it."

Liu Quan gave a cold laugh, his eyes shrewd and calculating: "Harsh? Mr. Xiao Zhu is still too young; you only see your own efforts but fail to notice the contributions of others."

"Put your hand on your heart and tell me, if it weren't for me, could you have finished off those two old things from the Qi Family in such a short time?"

He answered honestly: "No. If Uncle Liu hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have been able to do it within ten years."

"I certainly remember Uncle Liu's contribution, and I haven't given you any less of the benefits, but these were things decided beforehand. Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to raise the price on the spot?"

Liu Quan: "I'm raising the price on the spot? If it weren't for your people being incompetent and letting Shi Youxuan and Sheng Hanyu escape, I wouldn't be wasting my breath on you."

"It's not like you don't know the capabilities of those two; although there are only two of them, they are worth a thousand troops!"

"If they were still safely locked up on Shark Island, L Country would soon be in our hands, and the Treasure of the Ji Family would sooner or later be ours too. But now that they have escaped, both of these things are uncertain."

The more he spoke, the angrier he became, and his voice grew much louder involuntarily!

Among Zhu Qingrui's subordinates was someone new, a relative of the housekeeper.

Many people were lost during the pursuit of Sheng Hanyu and his wife last time, and he was one of the replacements brought in this time.

Originally, the newcomer had no qualifications to serve as a guard in the living room, but because he was the housekeeper's relative, he got in.

This person was not old, only seventeen.

He knew a little martial arts when he was at home, but he didn't have much experience.

This time, the housekeeper brought him out and promised him a good wage for his family, so he came out happily.

After coming out, he underwent simple training before starting the job.

The main content of the training was—shooting and loyalty!

This child was also honest and kept the word "loyalty" firmly in his heart.

The atmosphere had just been tense, and his nerves were also highly strained. Now that Liu Quan's voice had suddenly risen, he immediately raised his gun and aimed it at Liu Quan's head!

"What do you want, you little brat?"

Liu Quan was a soldier by trade, having walked through a hail of bullets; he didn't put a small fry in his eyes at all. In his eyes, this was instigated by Zhu Qingrui.

"Clatter—"

His subordinates reacted very quickly, immediately pulling back the bolts of their guns, the pitch-black muzzles aimed at Zhu Qingrui.

Zhu Qingrui's men followed suit, likewise aiming all their muzzles at Liu Quan.

The situation was very grave, ready to erupt at any moment.

Zhu Qingrui turned around and glared at his own people: "What are you doing?"

The housekeeper grabbed his nephew and slapped him twice, left and right: "You bastard, who the hell told you to take the safety off?"

The boy had a mournful face, his voice trembling, and he was so nervous he couldn't even speak a complete sentence: "I, I don't know... no, I mean I was scared..."

You point a gun at someone's head just because you're scared?

Zhu Qingrui's face was gloomy as he said to the housekeeper: "Take him out and deal with it."

"Yes."

"No, please, Young Master, spare my life, I beg you to spare me..."

The boy burst into loud sobs, trembling all over like a sieve from fear.

Although Liu Quan frowned, he intervened: "Forget it, just take him out and give him a beating, don't resort to killing at every turn, accumulate some virtue for yourself."

Zhu Qingrui: "Commander Liu is pleading for you; the death penalty is waived, but the punishment cannot be avoided. Housekeeper, you know how to arrange it."

"Yes, I will certainly satisfy you and Commander Liu."

The boy was dragged out, and the housekeeper whipped him in full view of everyone to serve as a warning to others.

Having been given enough face, Liu Quan did not pursue the matter further.

To show his sincerity, Zhu Qingrui agreed to Liu Quan's request: after the Treasure was obtained, it would be split four-six, with Zhu Qingrui taking four and Liu Quan taking six!

Having achieved his goal, Liu Quan left the Island, feeling satisfied.

Zhu Qingrui watched the speedboat disappear over the horizon, his gaze becoming increasingly cold and sinister.

The housekeeper stood behind him, feeling immensely guilty: "I'm sorry, Young Master, it is all my fault; please punish this old servant."