200: Chapter 199 Stalking

Cai Xidong's face changed when he heard Wu Meng's words. He was both humiliated and incredulous. Taking a deep breath, he put on a forced smile and said to Wu Meng, "This young brother is a friend of mine. I hope Young Master Meng can show some mercy for my sake. He is still young and doesn't know much. How about this? We'll pay a fifty percent premium over last year's actual price. This price is definitely much higher than this year's market rate. Consider it his apology to you. What do you think?"

"Do you expect me to swallow the words I've already spoken? There's no room for negotiation. It will be the price I said—fifty million for the goods, not a penny less. Don't waste your breath. Since he's your friend, your future purchases will be calculated this way too." Wu Meng stared at Cai Xidong with an unfriendly squint, speaking firmly.

"You... Wu Meng! Aren't you afraid I'll tell your father about this? You aren't the only family in Myanmar. If you dare treat me like this, I'll contact other suppliers and stop taking goods from you! I, Cai Xidong, have been in this business for many years; I have that much influence!" Cai Xidong hadn't expected the other party to be so stubborn, even unreasonably dragging him into it. He gritted his teeth and pointed at Wu Meng in shock and anger.

Wu Meng's eyes flickered with a dangerous light as he glared at Cai Xidong. With a sinister smile, he shouted, "Go ahead and try. See if my father believes me or an outsider like you. And don't point your finger at me, or I'll chop it off and feed it to the wild dogs. Remember, you're just an ordinary raw stone merchant; don't be so arrogant as to think others will listen to you. Merchants chase profit, and we decide the price of the raw stones! Because of those words, I'll spread the word that no factory in Myanmar will sell to you again. Also, since you used to be sensible, I'll let you go today. Don't bother coming to Myanmar anymore, and don't even think about attending the Jadeite Public Auction. Otherwise, imagine the consequences for yourself! Go home and beg for food! Men! Take him out!"

Wu Meng's sudden outburst shocked Mr. Cao. He had thought Cai Xidong and Wu Meng were on good terms, but now they had turned against each other so violently. In just a few sentences, a deep grudge had been formed. Wu Meng had directly cut off all of Cai Xidong's business. For a raw stone merchant, being unable to source jadeite from the production area or the public auction was equivalent to losing their livelihood. Cutting off someone's source of wealth is like killing their parents—this was a major feud! Mr. Cao felt a bit guilty; Cai Xidong had only fallen into this situation because he tried to speak up for him. However, facing an unreasonable paranoid like Wu Meng, he didn't plan to speak up for Cai Xidong yet, as doing so might only further provoke the madman.

Thus, Mr. Cao pulled back Cai Xidong, who still wanted to argue, and said to Wu Meng with a fawning smile, "Young Master Meng, there's no need to be angry. Let's talk this out. I never said I wouldn't buy! Don't make things difficult for Brother Cai. I'll buy a hundred million worth of goods at the price you stated! I'll pay first!"

Wu Meng's expression was one of indescribable arrogance and triumph. He laughed loudly at Mr. Cao, "Hahaha! I didn't realize you were such a spineless coward. I tell you, people like you are just gluttons for punishment; you only understand force, not kindness. All that whining, and I had to spell it out for you to understand. That's right, I'm extorting you, and I've got you right where I want you. If you're not happy, I'll treat you to some bullets! I didn't realize you were actually rich. A hundred million is too little. Hand over three hundred million right now, and that pile of stones is yours! If you dare say one more word, don't even think about walking out that door today!"

The two soldiers outside appeared at the perfect moment, eyeing them like tigers as they raised their rifles and chambered rounds, aiming at Mr. Cao and Cai Xidong. Cai Xidong's face turned pale with fear. He didn't speak, looking at Mr. Cao with a bitter expression that revealed his indignation and apology.

"I only have a hundred and forty million. As long as you let us leave, I'll give it all to you, and I don't even want the stones anymore!" Mr. Cao pleaded, stammering as if he were utterly terrified.

Wu Meng looked at Mr. Cao with disgust and said, "Seeing you act so pathetic makes me sick. Transfer the money and get lost immediately!"

"Hehe!" Mr. Cao just smiled foolishly as he took out his phone to transfer the money, not responding further. He thought to himself: Once you take the King of Hell's money, you must be prepared to repent in the underworld!

After leaving the mine dejectedly with Cai Xidong and passing the checkpoint, Mr. Cao's cowardly demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold sneer. After getting out of the car, he looked at Cai Xidong, who was still sitting in the passenger seat looking dejected and lost. He leaned over and shook his shoulder, saying, "Brother Cai, I dragged you into this today. But if you trust me, don't be in a hurry to leave Myanmar. Wait for me in Yangon, and I'll give you a massive business deal!"

Cai Xidong turned his head and said bitterly, "You don't need to comfort me. My poor judgment of character caused you to lose a fortune. I've made some money over the years, but most of it is invested in real estate. I have about eighty million left in my account; I'll give that to you first. As for the remaining fifty million, I'll have to wait until I return to China and sell some property. Don't refuse. I've been dealing in stones for over twenty years, moving cautiously step by step to build a decent net worth. I have three to five hundred million. I've also realized that I'm not young anymore, and my kid is already in high school. I'm tired after all these years of running around in the wind and rain. From now on, I'll just be a wealthy man and spend more time with my family."

Mr. Cao was quite surprised. He hadn't expected Cai Xidong to be so loyal as to voluntarily offer nearly half his net worth to cover the losses. This wasn't something a profit-driven merchant would do; even best friends might not be so generous in such a situation. Touched, he said seriously, "Brother, business is business. This was my bad luck; I can't take your money. Besides, I'm not short on cash. For starters, you know Hongdu Group, right? I hold ten percent of the original shares in Hongdu Group and half the equity of a company in Africa worth over ten billion. Not counting other scattered industries, the annual dividends from just those two companies exceed a billion! I'm not bragging; I'm telling you this so you know I'm serious. Back there, I was just acting. I'm not boasting when I say that forget a minor character like Wu Meng, I could turn the entire Kachin State upside down. I'm more than just a wealthy businessman! Just wait for me in Yangon with peace of mind. I'll have some bodyguards protect you. Ignore Wu Meng. When I return to Yangon, it will be his doomsday, and his family will vanish into thin air. I'll let you vent your anger then!"

After speaking, Mr. Cao turned and left without giving Cai Xidong a chance to respond, walking quickly back to his own car. In a short while, the bodyguards had finished changing the tires. Once inside, Mr. Cao told Duan Hong to drive away immediately, and the three cars quickly disappeared down the road.

"You don't need to follow me. What do I have to protect? We're heading straight back to China via the border highway. Go find Mr. Cao!" Cai Xidong said helplessly to the four people who had stepped out of the SUV that had been following his car.

"You can't go back to China yet. Mr. Cao's private jet is parked at Myitkyina Airport. We must escort you all the way to Yangon to wait for our boss's return. Mr. Cao specifically instructed us to ensure you don't encounter any danger. His word is law; we'll take you to Yangon even if we have to tie you up. And don't worry about safety. With the four of us here, no one can harm you. The weapons we're carrying are enough to wipe out an infantry regiment!" The speaker was Zhang Qiling. Along with him were Zhou Qingxuan and two other bodyguards. Zhou Qingxuan didn't want to go to Yeren Mountain, and naturally, Zhang Qiling didn't either. Mr. Cao simply had them use his plane to take Cai Xidong to Yangon, giving them a mandatory order and equipping them with weapons he had just tinkered with—weapons of mass destruction: nuclear bombs!

However, they weren't ordinary nuclear warheads; he wasn't crazy enough to seek his own death. They were miniaturized tactical nuclear weapons, fusion weapons similar to suitcase nukes that used antimony mercury oxide as the neutron source. However, they were much smaller than a suitcase and had much less power. Mr. Cao had fashioned them into special ammunition for long-range sniper rifles that could be fired directly. One bullet had an explosive yield of about fifty tons of TNT. Since the radiation effects of fusion weapons are almost negligible, as long as a firing distance of over a thousand meters was maintained, it wouldn't threaten the shooter's life. Of course, one had to find cover to block the shockwave and projectiles, or injury would be inevitable. After being refined by the AI, the trace radiation produced by these special nuclear bullets wouldn't leave marks in the soil, buildings, or air. Combined with the relatively small yield, no one would suspect they were nuclear weapons. Even Zhang Qiling didn't know and couldn't imagine these bullets were nuclear. Mr. Cao only gave him two, strictly warning him never to use them unless it was a matter of life and death.

Originally, Mr. Cao had created them to deal with the mysterious entities in Yeren Mountain. But considering Wu Meng's mental instability, if he found out Cai Xidong hadn't left Myanmar and had a sudden episode, four bodyguards alone might not guarantee Cai Xidong's safety. That was why he had cautiously handed them over to Zhang Qiling and the others.

Cai Xidong could tell that the four people before him, including the girl, had received military training. Since Mr. Cao had given the order, these people would execute it to the letter; he couldn't change their minds. He wanted to contact Mr. Cao but realized he didn't even have his contact information, so he had no choice but to go to Yangon. He was also curious about Mr. Cao's identity. At such a young age, being a shareholder in Hongdu Group was impressive enough, not to mention having his own private jet and bodyguard team. Furthermore, his words earlier were full of confidence and didn't seem fake. If it was all true, the implications were staggering. He wondered if he had met a legendary benefactor and couldn't help but look forward to the "big business" Mr. Cao had prepared for him.

Mr. Cao didn't have time to worry about how Cai Xidong felt. By now, his group had reached the end of the dirt road leading to Yeren Mountain, and they had run into some trouble—they were being driven away again. The ones driving them away were none other than the Japanese people from the convoy they had encountered earlier. That convoy was now parked ahead of them, though most people had already left, leaving only three men to guard the vehicles. Seeing Mr. Cao's arrival, the three men approached their cars with guns drawn before they could even get out, ordering them to leave immediately.

Being threatened and driven away at gunpoint twice in one day made Mr. Cao incredibly frustrated. At the mine, he had been cautious, but here, in the middle of nowhere with dense forests and high trees, no one would know what happened. Mr. Cao naturally wasn't going to endure it again, especially from Japanese people.

"This isn't Japan. It's not your place to tell us where we can or can't park. Stop pointing those guns at us, or face the consequences!" Mr. Cao calmly faced the three submachine guns. He walked up to the three Japanese men and shouted at them in Chinese with a piercing gaze.

"Baka! So it's those damn Chinese! Don't let them leave, kill them!" One of the Japanese men heard Mr. Cao speaking Chinese. Although he didn't understand the words, he recognized the language and knew they were Chinese. He immediately shouted to his companions in Japanese with anger, while simultaneously taking aim to fire.

Having been infused with linguistic knowledge by the industrial mother machine, Mr. Cao naturally understood Japanese. Before the other party could fire, two golden Star Pistols appeared in his hands. He raised his hands and fired twice. With his current physical reaction speed, the bullets had already left his pistols before the opponent could pull the trigger. The two men less than two meters in front of him fell instantly. Less than a second later, a fist-sized blood hole appeared in the third man's head. Mr. Cao looked back to see Li Quanshuo nonchalantly lowering his sniper rifle, while the other bodyguards were already charging toward the Japanese convoy.

"Clear! Spread out and maintain a perimeter! Snipers, take the high ground."

Watching the bodyguards search the convoy and coordinate their defense, Mr. Cao let them be, even though he knew no one else was nearby. Once they confirmed there were no more enemies, Mr. Cao said, "Dispose of the bodies. These Japanese people are acting suspiciously. Coming to Yeren Mountain with so many people and a large amount of cargo can't be for anything good. Since we've crossed paths, we'll look into this. They have so much cargo; they shouldn't have gone far. We'll follow them quietly from behind to see what secret business they're up to. Tracking is your specialty; don't get too close."

"Understood. I've already scouted it. They went that way. Forty-eight people, with mule droppings and hoof prints. They're carrying a lot of supplies; they must have planned this long ago!" Cheng Xiaodao said.

"Boss Cao, we could have just negotiated with them, or entered the mountain from somewhere else. There was no need to kill them outright! These Japanese people clearly have a significant background. Killing their men won't be settled easily. Given the way they operate, this will cause a huge incident!" Zheng Hui was terrified by the bloody scene and only now regained his senses, speaking with great trepidation.