Chapter 72: The Opponent

"The potions in the refrigerator are your supply for one month. Additionally, starting next month, we will provide you with one bottle of初级圣橡树药剂 and one bottle of泰坦药剂. The global production of these two drugs is very limited, so they need to be ordered in advance."

In the spacious kitchen, Carl Holton explained to Li Mochen: "We have also purchased hotel-style housekeeping services for this apartment, so you don't need to worry about laundry, room cleaning, and the like. Every day at mealtime, just call the front desk, and a professional chef will serve you. To be honest, this place is far from the villa your family used to live in. But near the school, this is the best room available, and the apartment's various services are at a five-star hotel level. I just wonder if you're satisfied, A Mo?"

Li Mochen thought the house was already very large. The villa the original owner used to live in had a building area of 1,500 square meters, plus two spacious basement levels not counted in the area, and a back garden of 700 square meters. But that was near the suburbs.

Here, however, was near Lynden Academy, in the true city center, only a kilometer from the eastern commercial district. In terms of price, there wasn't much difference between the two.

"More than satisfied? This time, your Nesson Sports Group has overwhelmed me with favor."

A wry smile appeared on Li Mochen's face: "There's a saying from my father's hometown: 'One does not accept rewards without merit.' Do you know what that means?"

He estimated that the Lotus 350 alone would cost a considerable amount. Although he didn't know much about the car market, he guessed it would be at least 80,000 gold shields.

As for the duplex apartment before him, it would be impossible to secure for less than five million gold shields.

"Then I think, A Mo, you have no need for such concerns. You will soon be able to help us."

Carl said, gesturing for Li Mochen to follow him to the living room. He then turned on a projector, casting a photo onto the white screen. It showed a youth in silver-white armor, with bright golden hair and a sunny, cheerful smile, giving the impression of a prince stepping out of a fairy tale.

"Do you recognize this person?"

Carl was surprised to see a look of confusion on Li Mochen's face, so he explained in detail: "This is James Lanster, the runner-up in the last Atlanta High School MOS individual competition. You will meet him in the round of 32. What you need to do is defeat him on the擂台 without mercy, in the most humiliating way possible. If you can completely shatter his spirit, that would be best."

"In the most humiliating way?"

Li Mochen looked at the man beside him with deep meaning: "Doesn't that go against the spirit of competition? This James Lanster is a sponsored athlete of your competitors, right?"

"He is backed by Arcadis Sporting Goods Company."

Carl said bluntly: "It does go against the spirit of competition, but they did evil first, and we are just retaliating. In last year's competition, this guy successively defeated three of our sponsored athletes, forcibly shattering the knee joints of their armor, forcing them to lose in a kneeling posture. As a result, our company's sales in the entire state of Georgia dropped by a full 17% this year, losing nearly 2.9 billion gold shields in sales. If it weren't for a brilliant victory we achieved in Washington State, securing the endorsement contract of Conner Benham from the Caribbean Club, I think my boss would have been swept out of the Nesson Group boardroom."

Li Mochen's inner unease vanished instantly. Compared to nearly 2.9 billion gold shields in sales, what Nesson Sports Group had provided him seemed insignificant.

"This is also your turning point to step onto the big stage of MAC."

Carl continued explaining: "Before the round of 32, our company will do its best to create buzz, focusing on your 'luck,' to draw public attention and question your true strength. Then, in the round of 32, A Mo, you will defeat James Lanster, last year's runner-up, with absolute superiority, creating a huge psychological gap for all viewers—this is the script our marketing department has set for you."

At this point, Carl Holton wore a smug smile: "This will surely generate a huge news effect, making your name known in every household in Georgia. From that day on, Nesson Group will go all out to build you into the most eye-catching high school sports star on the East Coast. And the company's positioning for you at this time is: an invincible, only-to-be-looked-upon god!"

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, revealing a strange smile.

Invincible, only-to-be-looked-upon god? In his Heavenly Mind state, he might actually like that.

"So, before the quarterfinals, I have to hide my true strength, right?"

"I'm not sure."

Carl shook his head slightly: "Our CEO has a different idea. He thinks that since you've been lucky enough to reach the fourth round, why not continue being lucky? After all, there are only three matches left before the round of 32. But I'm not clear on the specifics of how it will be handled. I have to admit, it's quite difficult. And our positioning for you is like a god, lofty and aloof, standing alone, disdainful of concealing strength. Hiding your true condition from the audience would become a stain on you and is not advisable. So in your daily words and actions, you should be more straightforward. There's no need to be too arrogant, nor do you need to learn Eastern modesty. Just state what you believe to be the facts, especially in media interviews. Of course, I'm just giving a brief overview here. The company will have dedicated personnel following up on your image building."

"Understood."

Li Mochen nodded: "I'll pay attention to the image aspect."

"My boss says you're a smart kid, A Mo."

Carl Holton smiled with satisfaction, then handed a set of keys to Li Mochen: "Then this house is now yours. By the way, you should visit the Gate of Nesson a few more times in the next two months. Our sports lab is making a personal version of combat gear for you, all customized to your situation. With your personal involvement, they can progress faster and collect data more easily. Before that, you can check out your armory; there are various weapons and equipment prepared for you by our company."

Li Mochen was also looking forward to this. He had noticed it earlier when looking at the house but hadn't examined it closely.

Just as Carl Holton was leaving, he turned back and gave Li Mochen a strange look: "You surprised me, A Mo. I thought you would bring up the Sunrise Company. To be honest, our company even prepared an order for you. One of the main businesses of your father's company is processing trade, right?"

Li Mochen chuckled: "You mean my company. I think they won't need Nesson Sports Group's help for now. If there's a need, I won't hesitate to ask."

It seemed Nesson Group's intelligence system wasn't omniscient. His Sunrise Company, at this stage, indeed didn't need Nesson's help. Settling the council and restarting the apartment project now would bring in huge funds but also push the inheritance tax even higher.

Of course, with Nesson's intervention, the Caglen Law Firm might not do that.

But Li Mochen now leaned more toward the plan proposed by lawyer Specter.

Moreover, given Sunrise Company's current operating situation, if it couldn't find new business and profit points, the company would eventually decline. He couldn't always rely on Nesson Sports Group, could he?

Li Mochen deeply understood that Nesson's support for him had its limits; he couldn't just take and take without giving back.