Chapter 175: The Break

"How should I put it? A domestic dog fed on kibble not only refuses to work for its master but also tries to bite back."

Dwight Payton sneered. "It's the Dragon Witch Cult, isn't it? A bunch of heretics worshipping lizard bones? Speaker Jex, you're making me regret supporting you."

"Do you know what you're saying? Dwight Payton!"

The figure behind the glass wall was clearly already somewhat angered. "No one dares to show such disrespect to the Dragon Witch Cult!"

"Just a pack of stray dogs. There's no such thing as daring or not."

Dwight Payton's expression was dismissive. "You know I won't let this go easily, Jex!"

"I've roughly guessed from your attitude, but what you can do now is actually quite limited."

This time, the 'Speaker's' tone was quite calm. "The Nathan Military-Industrial Complex possesses a powerful armed force that can annihilate the Blood Hand in a single day. But Mr. Payton, you're not without opponents within the Nathan Group, are you?"

"Whoa!"

Dwight Payton's eyes had now narrowed into slits. "Don't get too arrogant, Mr. Jex. Are you sure you think I can't do anything to you?"

"Maybe you can, maybe you can't. But what does it matter? Since neither side is willing to back down, we're bound to clash, aren't we?"

The 'Speaker' laughed. "Then let's end today's meeting here. I'll wait for Mr. Payton's move."

With those words, the figure inside the glass wall vanished without a trace.

Dwight Payton continued to gaze out the window, lost in thought. After about three minutes, he pressed a button on a phone.

...

Li Mochen spent about an hour and a half browsing the magic material shops and magical equipment stores in the club. Then the over nine million gold shields in his hands were completely drained. He ordered everything directly from his room and had it delivered.

Li Mochen didn't go to the auction, knowing that the items there were all expensive and he couldn't afford many even if he spent everything he had.

His purpose this time was to find bargains.

Li Mochen relied on his knowledge from the Primordial Dome and the crafting system there, which was completely different from alchemy.

The same material could be valued quite differently in the eyes of Americans compared to the appraisal of the 'Divine Firmament Boundless Purple Void Immortal King.'

This time, Li Mochen did find a few good items—things that American alchemists dismissed, but in Li Mochen's view, these items, priced at most thirty to fifty thousand gold shields, were worth twenty times that amount.

What delighted Li Mochen even more was that he had gathered everything he wanted. Whether it was for awakening his own bloodline or helping Li Tailai and the others advance to Outlaws, he had everything ready. He also bought a few items he fancied, which were extra gains.

Only a set of sixteen-level sword artifacts called the 'Sun, Moon, and Stars Celestial Sword' and a lord-level beast crystal he had his eye on had to be set aside for now due to insufficient funds.

Just then, Carl Holton came to him with a few people.

"These two are senior executives from the Red Sparrow Casino's Credit Management Department. I've negotiated with them: 35 million gold shields, an annual interest rate of ten percent, with the term starting from the official effective date of your endorsement contract, and no early loan recall."

Carl introduced the two behind him to Li Mochen. "If you agree, sign a contract with them, and the money will be deposited into your account. But A-Mo, I still want to ask you: are you sure you want to do this? You must understand that the Blood Hand's strength lies not in itself but in the people behind it."

Li Mochen's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who?"

He guessed that the Nathan Sports Group had already found out the specifics, or else Carl wouldn't have said such things.

Carl Holton didn't answer immediately. He first glanced at the two people beside him. Seeing them both step aside and cover their ears, Carl said quietly, "It's the Dragon Witch Cult. In Atlanta, it's Creasy Jex, the City Council Speaker and the Conservative Party's whip for the Atlanta branch. Your cousin clearly holds secrets you don't know about, A-Mo. The boss says she must be extremely important to the Dragon Witch Cult, so much so that they'd risk exposing a pawn at the level of Atlanta's City Council Speaker."

Li Mochen knew that the so-called whip was a party's disciplinary officer, responsible for ensuring party members attend parliament and vote according to party lines. This position was usually held by the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the council and wielded significant power and influence in local politics.

"I guess Mr. Payton is also in a difficult position?"

"How should I put it?"

Carl Holton hesitated but finally decided to tell the truth. "This Jex isn't a match for the boss, but it will still take some time to bring him down. Right now, this guy has tied our hands at the government level, preventing us from using public power to crack down on the Blood Hand's business. Mr. Payton also plans to deploy the company's defense force, the 'Hand of Nathan,' but someone inside the company is blocking him. A-Mo, these are just minor troubles. Mr. Payton will resolve them eventually—"

"But it takes time? Maybe ten days, or twenty, right?"

Li Mochen said the next words Carl was about to say, then began browsing the specific terms of the loan contract.

"Tell Mr. Payton I'm very grateful for his efforts. I'll try to use my own power next, but I may need a little help from him in certain areas."

"I'll tell him."

Carl Holton couldn't help but sigh. He really couldn't understand why Li Mochen would go so far for a little girl, even to the point of starting a war with one of Atlanta's top ten gangs.

This really wasn't a good idea. He guessed Li Mochen would be crushed under Antonio's heel. Although in his boss's eyes, that gang leader was just an insignificant nobody, to Li Mochen, he was as terrifying as a giant mountain.

But Carl didn't continue to persuade. He wouldn't do anything too contrary to Li Mochen's wishes. He even thought that maybe it was good this way—after tasting the bitterness of failure, the naive young man would become more dependent on the Nathan Group and his boss.

Anyway, with the boss backing him, the kid wouldn't be in any life-threatening danger.

"I can personally assure you that as long as your conflict doesn't affect the public too much and you don't leave solid evidence for the judiciary, the Nathan Group can handle it. But you still need to be careful—the smaller the commotion, the better."

"That's enough."

Li Mochen signed his name on the loan agreement without hesitation.

"Carl, I'm going to the human resources agency on the fourth floor next. Want to come along?"

"Of course!"

Carl followed Li Mochen without hesitation. "Mr. Payton told me to stick with you and make sure you don't get cheated."