339: Chapter 338 The Van Dijk Family

Not long after, Murdoch's slightly chubby face appeared in Brown's office, followed by several men in black trench coats.

Brown looked at Murdoch, who had already taken his seat, forced a smile, and said, "My dear Mr. Murdoch, it's been a few days. How have you been?"

"I was doing quite well, Mr. Brown."

Murdoch's expression wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it carried a hint of displeasure. "Until you sent people to find me. I would like to know the reason you have gathered us together once again, Mr. Brown."

"Calling you here is, of course, because there is a better business opportunity, Mr. Murdoch."

Brown smiled and said, "I assume you have all been following the stock market trends over the past few days. What do you think?"

Murdoch frowned and said, "If you are referring to the decline, Mr. Brown, we are reasonably satisfied."

"I'm glad you're satisfied."

Brown smiled, looking quite nonchalant, and said, "The gentleman behind me is also very satisfied and greatly appreciates the support of you gentlemen. So..."

"My boss has authorized me to increase the budget again and invest more capital into the plan."

Brown looked at the investors before him as if he were looking at a platter of delicious delicacies.

"I believe you gentlemen would absolutely not want to miss such a golden opportunity, would you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell deathly silent, and the investors all remained speechless.

Murdoch frowned slightly. "Mr. Brown, if I recall correctly, we just raised two hundred million US dollars for you a dozen days ago."

"Indeed."

Brown nodded slightly, putting on an expression of considering everyone's interests, and said, "But this time is different, gentlemen. As long as you raise another two hundred million US dollars, we can increase your returns by ten percent..."

Before he could finish, Murdoch interrupted, "Mr. Brown, forgive my rudeness, but the two previous rounds of fundraising have almost drained all of our liquidity. I'm afraid we cannot continue to raise more funds for your use for the time being."

Brown withdrew his smile and said calmly, "Gentlemen, if you cannot raise it, there are your friends and your business partners. I believe two hundred million US dollars is not a difficult task for you gentlemen. Besides, a ten percent increase in returns means a return of billions of US dollars. Are you sure you won't reconsider?"

One shareholder spoke up, "Mr. Brown, we trusted your reputation, which is why we entered into this partnership, but please do not attempt to coerce us."

"Coerce?"

Brown looked at the shareholder who had spoken and smiled. "Mr. Austin, I am doing this entirely to look after everyone's interests. How can you call it coercion?"

As he spoke, he turned his gaze toward Murdoch.

Murdoch signaled the shareholder to sit down, then looked at Brown, who was sitting behind the desk, and asked, "Mr. Brown, has something gone wrong with the plan?"

The smile on Brown's face faltered slightly. He leaned back against his chair without a trace and said, "There is no problem with the plan, Mr. Murdoch. Everything is proceeding according to schedule. The final victory will definitely be ours."

"That would be for the best."

Murdoch nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "We can find a way to get the funds, Mr. Brown, but it will take some time. We can raise a portion of the funds through other channels."

"Very good."

Brown heaved a sigh of relief. He knew the strength of this group better than anyone, which was the reason he sought to cooperate with them. If they truly did not want to cooperate, he would have no choice but to resort to some unconventional methods.

However, this bunch of fence-sitters wasn't as comfortable to use as his own people. Should he just get rid of them all after this cooperation?

In the vast United States, a few car accidents, plane crashes, fires, robberies, and shootings every year were perfectly normal occurrences; no one would investigate them too deeply.

Brown pondered this inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged, and he revealed a friendly smile once again.

"Thank you all for your strong support. The Genesis Foundation looks forward to your joining."

"Happy cooperation!"

The brief meeting ended quickly. Brown stood by the window, watching Murdoch and the others get into their cars. He turned back and said coldly, "Send a few people to follow them. From now on, I want to know their every move twenty-four hours a day."

"Very well, sir."

A young man replied and immediately turned to leave.

Brown looked down at the curve on his phone that was still steadily rising, a hint of malice in his eyes.

...

"Mr. Murdoch, I don't understand. Why did we have to agree to him?"

In the black Cadillac, a young shareholder looked puzzled and asked, "We have already raised three hundred million US dollars for him, yet this idiot hasn't done anything."

Murdoch glanced at young man who had spoken and shook his head slightly. "Little Brick, you don't understand."

"I want to know, Mr. Murdoch."

young man said stubbornly, "I cannot let the funds my father spent his whole life earning disappear just like that without a clear explanation."

"For your father's sake, Little Brick, this is the only time. There are many rules on Wall Street, and many rules that are never spoken aloud. You need to observe and discover them yourself."

Murdoch said calmly, "Do you know Brown's background?"

young man frowned and said, "I've heard a little. It seems he comes from an ancient family."

"Yes, an ancient family."

Murdoch seemed to be recalling something, then said, "The Van Dyke family, a family known to everyone a hundred years ago, gradually retreated behind the scenes after the new century arrived. The last time they appeared before the public was thirty years ago, due to a scandal known to all high-level figures."

"The heir to the Van Dyke family at the time, Noel Clovis Van Dyke, lost control after drinking at a high-end gathering and got a maid pregnant."

young man listened very carefully.

"No one knew how it all happened, just as no one would believe the Van Dyke family couldn't handle a maid. But the fact is, this matter became known to everyone and became fodder for all the elites. To mitigate the impact, the Van Dyke family negotiated fairly with the maid, but as you can see, although the impact was mitigated, it left behind quite a tail."

Murdoch said calmly, "The child in her womb was still insisted to be born. The Van Dyke family guaranteed the child's normal survival and education, but the prerequisite was that they could not use the Van Dyke surname and could only use their middle name."

young man's mouth hung open. "This child... is... Mr. Brown?"

Murdoch nodded slightly.

"Then, Mr. Murdoch, your cooperation with him..."

"It is for the sake of the Van Dyke family."

Murdoch said softly, "Our growth has reached a bottleneck. We are in the freest country in the world, possessing hundreds of millions in assets. We don't lack luxury homes, yachts, private jets, or even the ability to buy a spaceship, but we are still very far from the very top of this world."

"That is a level that ordinary people cannot even imagine. It is the level I have dreamed of my whole life. It is a level where one word can determine the rise and fall of a nation, a level where one sentence can easily make a person, or hundreds of people, disappear without a trace."

"Little Brick, can you imagine? Because of one person, Iraq was almost destroyed. Because of one person, the United States was deeply mired in Asia for decades. With one word from them, the President of the US Government would be affected. Even such an outstanding and great scientist as Einstein was just a pawn in the eyes of these people."

"And the Van Dyke family is at that level."

"The Genesis Foundation is their threshold."

young man's eyes were filled with shock. Only today did he feel that a corner of this world had opened up to him.

"You ask me why I had to agree to Brown?"

Murdoch returned to the initial question, his expression turning deep. "Because if I hadn't agreed, none of us would have been able to walk out of that room today."

"Believe me, Little Brick. Brown could do it; all it might take is a certain price."

Little Brick's eyes showed a hint of fear. He hadn't expected that he had just been so close to death.

After a long while, he asked in a slightly trembling voice, "Uncle Murdoch, may I know Mr. Brown's full name?"

Murdoch was silent for a long moment, then slowly said, "His full name is..."

"McLean Thorne Clovis Brown."