âWhatâs wrong?â Chen Zhao frowned at Pierce South. He found this guy strange. He was overly smart.
âTrede Pemptonâs wealth.â
âWhere does he have more wealth?â
âYou admit that you split his gold between the relatives of the victims?â Pierce grinned at Chen Zhao.
âI donât know what youâre saying. If you donât need anything, please leave.â
âDonât be so impatient. Listen to me. Iâm not here for that. Who you give gold to has nothing to do with me, but I heard that you need money these days. You want to buy Mirror Lake and the land around it, right?â
âMr. Pierce, youâre really informed.â
âItâs not that big of a secret. Many people know about it. I donât even have to try hard to find out.â
âAre you here to flaunt your connections?â
âOf course not. I told you that I want to work with you and find the rest of Tredeâs wealth.â
âYou mean that he split his gold in half?â
âNot gold. The other half is the art he collected.â
âYouâll work with me if he has valuable collectibles? I donât believe that.â
Chen Zhao needed money, but his mind was still clear. If it was him, he definitely wouldnât share with others. Pierce was very clever, so he definitely wouldnât cooperate with just anyone.
Pierce suddenly put a hand on Chen Zhaoâs shoulder. Feeling a stab of pain, he subconsciously punched Pierceâs face.
âAh!â Pierce was thrown back. âAhâŚhelp⌠You want to kill me?â His mouth was filled with blood and his teeth kept falling out.
Chen Zhao glared at him furiously. âWhat did you stab me with?â
Pierce held his mouth, face twisted in pain. âMisunderstandingâŚitâs a misunderstanding. I just wanted to tell you that Iâm a wizard. I used the Shadow Sting to make you hurt a littleâŚâ
He didnât think that he would be attacked so fiercely just by proving his identity. Chen Zhaoâs punch had come too suddenly and heavily. Pierce didnât know how many teeth he lost.
Heâd thought that Chen Zhao was like himâa wizard. He didnât expect Chen Zhao would have such a big reaction and punch him.
Hearing Pierceâs words, Chen Zhao was taken aback. âYouâre a wizard.â
âAhâŚit hurts so much,â Pierce said painfully. âGoddamm*t, why did you use so much force?â
âYou attacked me suddenly. I reacted with my instincts.â
Chen Zhaoâs punch had been seriously strong. Pierce was lucky he didnât die. He didnât know how many teeth were left in his mouth though. He felt a breeze when he spoke.
âIf you donât want to die, you better not do that again,â Chen Zhao said with a dark expression.
âYouâre a wizard too, right? How come youâre so strong?â
âWhatâs it to you?â
âFine, Iâll tell you the truth. The other part of Tredeâs wealth is very valuable. Itâs worth millions, but I canât get it by myself, so I want to work with you.â
âWhy canât you get it?â
âHe did some stuff in the place he hid it. He set up a ward and I canât undo it by myself. Since you could defeat Trede, that means you must be stronger than him. If you join, weâll be able to get his stuff.â
Chen Zhao was tempted. Millions of dollars was a huge sum. However, he didnât completely trust Pierce South. After all, they werenât close.
Pierce was a true fox. Chen Zhao didnât like interacting with these 'smartâ people.
âWhere are the hidden items? How will we split the money?â
âIâll take 80%. The remaining 20% is yours.â
âGoodbye.â Chen Zhao shut the door. Did Pierce think that he was poor and could only take his scraps?
âWaitâŚHow about 70-30? Or 60-40âŚThatâs my bottom line.â
âFifty-fifty. If you accept it, we can keep talking. If not, thenâŚâ
Pierce looked at Chen Zhao with gleaming eyes. âFifty-fifty, but weâre not going with the original price. Weâll take turns choosing items after we get them and whether you choose the valuable ones will depend on your own skills. How about that?â
Chen Zhao thought for a moment and instantly understood what this old fox was planning. Since he knew the itemsâ value, it was likely he was familiar with the collection. He might have even seen the items before.
He would know which ones were valuable and which ones werenât. He made this request so he could have a bigger advantage.
âIâll think about it,â Chen Zhao said. âBut Iâm curious. Youâre pretty rich too. Why would you risk it to get a few million?â
âDonât make a few million sound like a small number. My net worth is only a few million. That factory isnât my own either. Also, most of the value comes from real estate. Iâm rich, but I might not have as many savings as you. I have the chance to double my net worth now. The risk is worth it.â
âI agree with your distribution method, but I need a safety net too. If the items I choose are less than 30% of the total value, then you must give me at least that much.â
Basically, Chen Zhao wanted to get more money but also stay safe.
âOkay.â This plan was a compromise that they both accepted.
âDonât play tricks on me,â Chen Zhao threatened. âIf you dare take it all for yourself, Iâll kill you!â
âDonât think nonsense. I live in the nearby town, so itâs impossible for that to happen like weâre in the movies. PlusâŚyouâve never killed anyone before. You donât look like it.â
âIs it that obvious?â Chen Zhao asked, deflating. âMaybe I should act more aggressive.â
âOkay, weâve reached an agreement. Iâll call you on the day.â
âWhen are we doing it?â
âI need to prepare,â Pierce said. âThe time isnât right either.â