“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
As he spoke, a trace of Reiki was transferred into the other party’s body as it headed straight to the other party’s brain.Immediately afterward, just like Faizal, Charlie had already given this person a psychological hint. As soon as he heard this, he hurriedly said, “You are right!”Charlie nodded in satisfaction before he pointed at another person as he spoke up and said, “Brother, you must also feel very dissatisfied, right?”The man hurriedly said, “No, I dare not! I wouldn’t dare to! I will simply do as the commander asks me to. I have absolutely no other thoughts at all!”Charlie smiled before he walked toward the man and patted him on his shoulder as he said, “You have a very high level of understanding! I will certainly put in a good word for you in front of the commander in the future.”After he was done speaking, another trace of Reiki was transferred, and Charlie used the same method to firmly take control of this person’s consciousness.At this time, a man who had a
As soon as they heard Charlie’s order, someone immediately took out the key as he prepared to open the iron door inside.Charlie instructed, “You guys will keep guard outside the door later. If someone comes, try to keep him away.”With that being said, Charlie looked at the time before he said again, “I guess that your commander will come here soon. If he wants to come in, let him in. You guys should behave naturally and not let him notice anything amiss.”“Okay!” The five men agreed in unison.Immediately after that, the room door was opened.As soon as the door was opened, there was a strong earthy smell inside the room. Charlie quickly stepped inside, and he discovered that there was nothing in the whole room. There was only a lone lamp that was hung on the top of the room. Not only that, the wattage of the bulb was very low, and the light was extremely dim.Although there were some traces of artificial reinforcement at the top of the room, it was basically simple mud walls s
Holding up a thumb at Charlie, Julien exclaimed in approval, "You're right, my friend! That's far more exciting than having him jailed!"Just hearing that he would be sent to a kennel, Jimmy knew nothing would come of it—even if he didn't know the details, it was so obvious that Julien was thrilled by the very idea!Turning nervously toward Charlie, he was sobbing as he asked, "Mr. Wade…? What's this about a kennel…?"Julien chuckled coolly even before Charlie said a word. "A kennel is where you keep dogs, of course. Though there are literal dogs and metaphorical dogs, and you are the latter."Oh, don't worry. It's a really nice place where you get your own cage, and you'll be fed every day. You don't even have to work, so just sit tight and keep eating until the day you die."Jimmy's soul left his body in that instant.He was going to be locked in a cage?! That was way worse than being locked up and sent to jail! Where was the humanity around here?!Even as the thought struck h
Matilda was actually caught off guard by Jimmy's pleas, and even Paul found it hard to watch.Turning to Charlie, he said, "Please, Mr. Wade—my uncle can be a little despicable, but he is my father's brother. Please, let him have a chance to turn over a new leaf, seeing that he's earnestly repenting."While Paul spoke with Charlie, Jimmy was still confused and wondered why Paul would plead his case with Charlie instead of Julien. If there was anyone Paul should ask, it was Yolden since he was Julien's friend. So, why would he ask some young man instead of Yolden?That was when Charlie asked in curiosity, "You want to let him off? After he tried to take away your parents' legacy?"Paul smiled awkwardly. "I mean, I know the guy. He made sure to travel all this way to make a scene because he had nothing legal that could help him claim Smith Group Corporate Law from us. Otherwise, he'd have already filed the lawsuit in the States. Sure, it's a dirty move, but that's basically a des
As Julien finished, he realized something was wrong and turned toward Charlie before he knew it.Charlie held his gaze in turn, his expression quizzical and amused.Julien cleared his throat right then. "See, there are people who can order me around, but they have my utmost respect. However, a third-rate lawyer like you? Who do you think you are?"That was when Julien's butler called, and he reported respectfully as soon as the call was answered, "Sir, I've spoken with Nate Ellis, the owner of Ares LLC. He has since agreed to fire Jimmy Smith right away as well as disbar him nationwide."Julien asked, "Good. Anything else?""Well, Mr. Ellis also delivered some documents that can be used as evidence against Jimmy Smith, which he claims is enough for a lifetime sentence. If you deem it necessary, we can have it sent to the FBI.""Yes, let's go with that!" Julien replied, his tone satisfied. "And ask the director to handle it personally—I want this prick to never set foot stateside
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