At this moment, Charlie was inside a small courtyard, and there were only three earthen houses in this small courtyard. It looked very dilapidated. Charlie used his Reiki to feel and perceive his surroundings, and he realized that there were no signs of anyone’s presence in these three earthen houses at all. So, he prepared to move forward little by little toward the central square of the village starting from this courtyard.When Charlie was skydiving, he had seen the opposition force’s four armed helicopters parked in the central square. So, this showed that the opposition force regarded the central square as the most defensive spot. Since all of the expensive helicopters were parked there, Charlie believed that the eight hostages, including Autumn, should also be detained and kept captive near the central square.After Charlie had passed through the small and deserted courtyard and just as he was about to cross over another small courtyard, he heard footsteps sounding from not too
These two opposition force’s soldiers were completely defenseless deep down in their hearts, and they were just chatting amongst themselves earlier.After all, this was their base. Their base was not only heavily guarded by their own soldiers, but the people living here were also their supporters.So, in their subconscious mind, as long as there was no war going on outside, it should be absolutely safe inside their base.However, an unknown person had suddenly appeared inside this ‘absolutely safe’ environment!This made the both of them feel extremely nervous at this moment.Since they were not responsible for keeping guard, neither one of their guns was ready to use at the moment. This meant that even if they wanted to use their guns to deal with the enemy behind them, they would have to load their guns and deactivate the safety pin before they could pull the trigger.However, no matter how fast they could act, this process would take them a few seconds at least.Moreover, the
“This…” The man hesitated for a moment before he said, “To be honest… anyone can tell that you look like a foreigner at first glance… simply by looking at your face. So, there is really nothing much that I can do to bring you inside…”Charlie pointed at the soldier next to him before he asked, “If I were to change into his clothes, would you be able to bring me in, then?”The man prevaricate before he said, “If… if you put on his clothes and put on a mask, you should be able to get into the courtyard… but once you go down to the cellar, the guards in the cellar will unmistakably question you about your identity and where you are coming from. This is because our commander has already clearly commanded for these eight people to be placed under strict surveillance. Moreover, even if you can go in, it is inevitable for you to get exposed…”As he spoke, he hurriedly added, “Besides that, if you were to attack them, it is very likely that you will alert the guards outside. There is only a
As soon as the man heard Charlie's words, he hurriedly pleaded as he blurted out, “Friend! Friend! I honestly did not mean to do that! I… I was just confused. Please give me another chance!”Charlie shook his head. “Sorry, but there is only one chance! If you have another lifetime, remember not to betray someone who regards and treats you as a friend.”The man turned pale in fright, and he decided to try his luck for one last time as he opened his mouth in an attempt to shout out for help.At this time, he regarded calling out for help as his last chance to survive.If he could attract other people’s attention, he might still have the opportunity to survive, then.The bottom line was that even if he could not live, at the very least, he would be able to cause some trouble for this man in front of him!As soon as his whereabouts were exposed, there would be a high probability that this man would not be able to leave this place alive, then!So, he blurted out immediately, “Help…”
Charlie was finally relieved, and he pointed at the man who was lying on the ground as he said, “Take off his pants and hide his body somewhere. You simply have to make sure that no one will be able to find him tonight.”“Okay!”The other party responded before he immediately stepped forward and took the man’s pants off. After that, he carried him up and hid his body inside a dilapidated house in an abandoned courtyard next to them.Charlie put on the man’s clothes and pants directly. At this time, the man who was under the influence of Charlie’s psychological hints came back and said respectfully, “I have already made all the necessary arrangements according to your instructions!”Charlie nodded before he asked him, “What is your name?”The man hurriedly replied, “My name is Faizal.”Charlie asked him, “Faizal, do you have a mask on you?”Faizal hurriedly took out a black mask which was packed inside a plastic bag from his pocket before he said, “This mask has just been given t
Charlie and Faizal walked past the central square together. The loud roar of the diesel generators was getting more and more deafening.Many ordinary people would have difficulties having a conversation under such a loud mechanical noise, and many other noises around it were also covered up. This was a good thing for Charlie. Even if something were to happen during the rescue and pursuit later, it would be very difficult for an outsider to spot it even if anyone were to shout and yell out loud.So, Charlie asked Faizal who was next to him, “How long would your diesel generators usually be set to work for?”Faizal hurriedly replied respectfully, “As the government has already cut off our electricity supply, all of our electricity is supplied by a set of 50-kilowatt diesel generator sets. It is also equipped with a set of power storage equipment.”“Since the electrical consumption during the day would generally be lower, we usually do not use the generator during the daytime. We will
Charlie asked Faizal, “Don’t you have a unilingual practice here?”Faizal shook his head and said, “If we were to be unilingual, we should be speaking Arabic. However, the composition of the opposition force’s soldiers is more complicated, and many of us do not speak Arabic.”“Some of these people have been living in other countries ever since they were young. Some of them lived in former colonial areas, so they have been speaking English or French ever since they were young. So, the language and communication between all of the soldiers are not entirely smooth and easy.”“Take me for instance. I actually went to the United States with my parents when I was very young, and I even got a green card. I served in the US Army for three years. I only responded to a call and came back to join the Freedom Army just a few years ago. So, my command of the Arabic language is very poor, and I can essentially only communicate in English.”Charlie nodded. This kind of multilingual situation was
Charlie and Faizal followed behind the man as they walked into the cellar, and it was only then that Charlie discovered that this cellar was indeed dug very deep. Even the staircase itself was at least five to six meters deep, and it was about two stories high.As it was the rainy season during winter in Syria, there was a lot of rain, and the staircase was very dark and damp. The soil on both sides of the staircase also revealed a very strong earthy smell.As they were walking down, the person who was leading the way in front said in a flattering manner, “Captain Faizal, can I ask you for your help in regards to a certain matter?”Faizal asked coldly, “What is it?”The man hurriedly said, “Captain Faizal, I would like to apply to join the armored brigade. I can control heavy machine guns!” Faizal sneered as he asked, “I think that the reason why you want to join the armored brigade is because you are afraid of dying, right?”“No, no.” The man hurriedly said, “I simply want to j
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his
Naturally, Jimmy couldn't care less about Julien's suggestion, even looking at him pointedly from head to toe while smirking in contempt, "What, do you think I'd just do what any nutjob tells me to do just because they're claiming to be the Rothschilds' heir apparent?"Julien nodded, still smiling. "Good point, but don't worry—it's the same whether you call him or he calls you."Jimmy laughed. "I was offering you a way out, but you want to keep pressing your luck? Since you don't care to back off, let's see how you're going to finish this fight."Then, he shrugged while pointing at Yolden. "Well, it's the perfect chance to measure Matilda's husband, I guess."Based on what he saw of Yolden, there was no way he would buy Julien's claims, and thus labeled him an impostor in his mind.An ordinary lecturer in Aurous Hill, being friends with the Rothschilds' heir apparent? Not to mention that there had been plenty of fraudulent cases outside the States where the Rothschild name was use
Jimmy was taken aback since he didn't recognize Julien at all, mainly because the Rothschilds had always kept out of the public eye.In fact, it was basically impossible to gather genuine information about the Rothschilds online, as it was a mix of press releases and gossip. Most online biographies would only be about the older generations or certain frivolous figures. Any information about key members like Steve would never be searchable online.Matilda was confused as well, not quite understanding who Julien was since he wasn't on the list of guests invited.Seeing that she was confused, Julien turned and smiled at Yolden, "So, Professor, shouldn't you introduce me to the bride?"Yolden finally remembered that and quickly nodded, "Sorry, it slipped my mind."Turning toward Matilda, he smiled, "Darling, this is Julien Rothschild… A friend of mine from the states…"Julien's full name left everyone within earshot gaping as the Rothschild name was way too famous across the globe.
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved as he could see that Charlie really wasn't trying to make things awkward for him, and he straightened his collar as he said, "Actually, I didn't mean to cause trouble—I'm pleased that Matilda has found true love once more, and if we can be friends, I can set aside my claim and stay for the rest of this wedding, offering the newlyweds our best wishes as a representative of my family."Still, his expression showed contempt as he turned toward Yolden. "Also, I'm really curious and looking forward to seeing what connections Professor Hart might have that you say could be better than Bill.""You'll see soon enough," Charlie smiled and nodded.Jimmy remained skeptical and scoffed, "I really do
If Charlie really did get Jimmy to stay, who knew what other rubbish Jimmy would spout.As for Jimmy, he was actually surprised Charlie was asking him to stay, and his instincts told him that Charlie definitely didn't mean well.Not only that, he was on foreign soil—wouldn't he be defenseless if Charlie called in his friends to beat him up?Hence, he shook his head without hesitation as he said, "I'm sorry, but my sister-in-law is quite keen for me to leave, so I have no reason to stay and add to her problems. And it is her big day. I can afford to let her save face instead of spilling the beans on her all at once.""Oh, but you were complaining about the lack of important people just now!" Charlie quickly interjected. "It just so happens that we have a big-shot on his way here, and he's a good friend of the groom. When I told him about you over the phone, he said to keep you here no matter what it took, since he would like to talk to you face to face."Jimmy frowned. "What, are y
And with those words, Jimmy turned to leave.Despite threatening Matilda, there was no such agreement, and he knew that Matilda was well aware of that.Regardless, the only strategy he had in mind when he came to Oskia was harassment. As such, he simply came up with a lie to make Matilda look bad in public. All it took from there was just for one person to relay what he had said—even if it were all lies, Matilda's character would still be called into question.He made himself very clear so that Matilda would understand that if she didn't give in, his family would keep hounding her to take their two pounds of flesh. Even if she wouldn't surrender the stateside estates and human resources of Smith Group Corporate Law, they would still claim a sizable chunk.But if that failed too, they would just have to destroy Matilda's reputation along with Smith Group Corporate Law.Either way, they were not letting her off easy!And reading that much from Jimmy's behavior, Matilda snapped co
Jimmy didn't expect Matilda to break down the share ownership of Smith Group Corporate Law to such detail, and he hollered as he was starting to feel embarrassed, "Now, you're just being irresponsible, Matilda. My father gave my brother a million to start the law firm in the first place, and they had agreed that the family would have a stake, albeit only at 49%, to not deny your decision-making as a startup. Or are you denying it?"Matilda immediately became furious and snapped, "Bullshit! That was just a loan of one million, and the agreed term was three years. However, your brother returned it in one! I even asked him to return the money with every single one of his siblings watching, since you might all get skeptical, yet suddenly, you're calling it an investment?""You said he's returned it? Well, what proof do you have?" Jimmy quickly shot back. "Our entire family can testify that the money hasn't come back to us!""So, this is how you're going to play it?" Matilda smirked. "Th