Chapter 311 — Money Over Life

A tremendous crash rang out. Wei Zhao stood where he was, not so much as a hair stirring, while Ah Huang's body flew backward in a dead straight line, followed by another "bang" as he slammed into the corridor wall outside the room's door, caving a dent into it. The decorative picture frames above clattered down and rained on Ah Huang's head — but by now Ah Huang was already senseless, a thread of black blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, lying there motionless.

Wei Zhao had not used his full strength. An expert of the early Yellow Rank was not worth his effort at all; he had merely bounced the force of Ah Huang's own charge back at him, which amounted to Ah Huang punching himself.

Even so, that one blow was not enough to take Ah Huang's life — it would only put him in a hospital bed for a while. Wei Zhao had come to negotiate with Xie Guangbo, and he had no intention of killing him; as for his personal guard, Wei Zhao would not kill him either.

"You... you... just what are you?" Xie Guangbo had not imagined that his own personal guard would fail to last even a single move against Wei Zhao and be finished just like that. Of course, he did not know that Ah Huang was not yet dead.

As far as he was concerned, once Ah Huang flew out there had been no further movement from him. If that was not death, what was it?

"I already told you, I am Gu Mengyao's personal guard. Or rather, not a personal guard. In any case, I do not know what I am doing either." Wei Zhao shrugged. "But now, you can sign the equity transfer agreement with me, right? I do not want to kill anyone. Do not force me."

Xie Guangbo was somewhat dispirited. Ah Huang had been his only hope; he knew Ah Huang's strength well enough — a legendary Yellow Rank expert. If Ah Huang had not owed him a favor from years past, an expert of that caliber would never have come to protect him.

But an expert of that caliber had been "beaten to death" by Wei Zhao — and that, even as it shocked Xie Guangbo, frightened him to the bone.

"The equity cannot be transferred to you." Xie Guangbo shook his head. "That absolutely cannot be done."

"So you want to die?" Wei Zhao was somewhat annoyed. Was there really such a thing as a man who wanted money more than life? This was the first time he had ever seen a creature so plainly frightened out of his wits, yet who, the moment the shares were mentioned, would not loosen his grip even at the cost of death.

"I do not want to..." Xie Guangbo shook his head, yet a look of resolve flashed in his eyes. "The shares I cannot give you. Even if I die, I cannot give them to you."

"..." Wei Zhao truly did not know what to say. He wished he could slap the fellow dead on the spot.

Wei Zhao picked the safe door up off the floor, meaning to give Xie Guangbo a little more of a shock. He intended to bend the door in his hands to frighten him. But Xie Guangbo clearly misread him, taking it that Wei Zhao had lost patience and was about to finish him off, and suddenly blurted, "Wait, do not kill me... the shares can be given to you, but you must wait a few days."

"Wait a few days?" Wei Zhao was taken aback.

"At the very least, you must let Jin Gubang become the group's chairman. After that, I can give you all the shares," Xie Guangbo said. "Even if I go to prison, it does not matter. You can kill me afterward too, and the shares will still be yours. But right now, absolutely not..."

"Hm?" Xie Guangbo's words left Wei Zhao rather baffled. Giving him the shares, but only after Jin Gubang became chairman? He could even be killed afterward? Was there anything more absurd in this world? Was Jin Gubang his father or his grandfather, that he was worth such a sacrifice?

"What has Jin Gubang given you?" Wei Zhao frowned.

"My son is studying abroad, but he has picked up gambling and drugs, and owes the local gang close to a hundred million in loan shark debts. My son is already in their hands. If I do not give them the money, they will kill my son." Xie Guangbo knew that if he did not explain things clearly to Wei Zhao, Wei Zhao would likely not let the matter rest — he might even kill him in a fit of rage.

"Oh? You mean Jin Gubang has put up the money to pay off your son's debts?" Wei Zhao frowned. So this was the reason. At the thought, he could not help a bitter smile — truly, pity the hearts of all parents under heaven. To save his son, Xie Guangbo would rather die than transfer his shares to him; but once his son was saved, shares and life alike could be cast aside...

"No. He does not have that much cash on hand, and neither do I." Xie Guangbo smiled bitterly. "The loan sharks my son owes are in US dollars. The forty million in my passbook, wired over, would be a drop in the bucket. But Jin Gubang has already promised me that once he becomes chairman, he will allow me to draw on the company's funds..."

"Damn." Wei Zhao really wanted to curse aloud when he heard this. Jin Gubang was vicious enough, agreeing to terms like that? It seemed that to sit in the chairman's seat he would stop at nothing, willing to sacrifice the company's interests in exchange for the position.

"Where is your son? I will bring him back, and you will transfer the shares to me." The rest of Wei Zhao's words carried no tone of inquiry at all, but the tone of a command, brooking no doubt.

"This..." Xie Guangbo was taken aback.

"What, you do not believe in my strength?" Wei Zhao narrowed his eyes and looked at Xie Guangbo.

"No, of course not..." Xie Guangbo hurriedly shook his head. Ridiculous — how would he dare doubt Wei Zhao's strength now? Ah Huang had been beaten by him until it was unknown whether he lived or died. Strength that formidable was rare in this world. But no matter how strong one man might be, what he would be facing was an overseas gang — could he bring his son back?

"Could it be that you really believe that once you give that gang the money, your son will come back safe?" Wei Zhao looked at Xie Guangbo mockingly. "Use your own head for a moment. With a money tree like that, would they ever let him come home? Drug addiction and gambling addiction are the hardest things in the world to break. So long as he is still there, you may as well start preparing the money for the next time."

"This..." Xie Guangbo did not deny it, because in his heart he had already come around to Wei Zhao's words... His son's requests for money were not the first. Only the reasons had varied before, and the sums had never been this large... Something about offending people of influence in the area, something about wanting to buy a car, something about a girlfriend running off with another man... all sorts of things. Though after giving the money Xie Guangbo always told his son to come home as soon as he could, his son seemed simply unable to hear him. Now that he thought about it, Wei Zhao was probably right — these repeated demands for money had been his son paying off gambling debts and loan sharks...

"I will give you one second to think it over. Die now, or bring your son back and give me the shares?" Wei Zhao looked at Xie Guangbo and slowly raised the safe door in his hand. "All right, one second is up..."

"Wait..." Xie Guangbo gave a start and hurriedly waved his hand. "I... I agree."

Xie Guangbo did not doubt for an instant that Wei Zhao would bring the door down and smash him dead on the spot — had he not just been shown exactly what happened to Ah Huang?