"What are you?" the general asked, a mix of dread and awe evident in his voice. He couldn't fathom how the man standing before him possessed such extraordinary capabilities, capable of eliminating his elite forces with ease.
"I don't think that's information you need to know, General," Daniel replied, his tone enigmatic. He proceeded towards the general's table and swiftly severed the electric cable connected to the alarm button, ensuring their actions remained concealed.
While Daniel acted without much thought, Greed couldn't help but feel a slight headache at the situation. She was grateful that Daniel had intervened and averted a potentially disastrous shootout that would have revealed their magical abilities in self-defense. However, it now fell upon her to provide a convincing explanation for Daniel's exceptional physical prowess, which surpassed the capabilities of an ordinary human.
"General, have you ever heard of the Super Soldier program?" Greed asked with a smile, surprising Daniel with her choice of explanation that seemed to be straight out of a comic book.
"What? That old comic book thing about the super soldier during WW2?" the general questioned, his curiosity piqued. He reached for a knife, removing it from his hand, and retrieved a small bottle of painkillers from his drawer, gulping them down. His actions demonstrated that he was a true general, one who had commanded soldiers in the field rather than one who merely shouted orders from a safe headquarters.
"Well, actually, WW2 marked the beginning of our interest in the Super Soldier project. However, it was only recently that we obtained the necessary technology to make significant progress in such an endeavor," Greed explained, crafting a plausible story to account for Daniel's extraordinary physical abilities.
"Why did you tell me this, then?" the General asked cautiously, his initial fear subsiding as he grasped the reason behind Daniel's exceptional combat skills. The General understood that there were typically two motives for revealing a secret: either the person sharing it believed that the recipient would perish, leaving the secret undisclosed, or they saw some value in implicating the recipient and sought their assistance.
Greed was slightly caught off guard, realizing she hadn't anticipated the General's question as she didn't think that far as she just came up with a BS to bluff the General about Daniel's physical prowess, though she concealed her surprise. Having employed similar coercive tactics against her business rivals and those who crossed her, Greed was well aware of the implications behind the General's question.
"But before we delve into that, there's something I'd like to ask you. A few days ago, someone appeared on a news program claiming to have received financial aid from the Confederacy. I want to know who it was. Was it you or that lifeless body over there?" Greed inquired, staring at the former General's lifeless body beside the desk, her frustration evident. This betrayal struck a nerve, and she had no intention of cooperating with someone who had betrayed her.
"It was him. He believed it would be a clever move to involve the Confederacy, hoping they would serve as a check on your power and influence," the General confessed, seeming more composed than before.
"Yeah, that's exactly the kind of thing that bastard would do, meddling in politics," Greed agreed, fully aware of the former general's character.
"So, this brings us to the next phase of negotiations. Will you assist him in clearing the path for his business?" Greed inquired, motioning towards Daniel, who walked over to sit beside her on the sofa.
"What kind of business are we talking about?" the General asked.
"It's about providing clean and affordable energy to the people of this country," Daniel explained, outlining his business concept and the potential obstacle posed by the existing energy provider, which would likely face financial struggles due to Daniel's company offering energy at a significantly lower price.
Upon hearing this, the General felt a surge of delight. Having been a former body double for the previous General, he was well acquainted with the poverty that plagued this nation. He was one of the fortunate few who managed to rise above his circumstances, thanks to his unique abilities.
However, those very abilities made him an ideal candidate to serve as the former General's body double, subjected to years of exploitation until he finally reached his breaking point. Accumulating prestige and garnering support from military personnel who sought a better future for the people, they devised a plan to overthrow the former General, leading to the present situation.
"Why didn't you mention this earlier? If that was the case, I would have readily agreed to your proposal without any bloodshed," the General remarked with a smile, though Daniel saw through the hypocrisy concealed within the seemingly friendly words.
"Oh, really? And how much of a cut did you envision for yourself when you thought you had the upper hand? 30% or maybe even 50%?" Daniel inquired, stripping away the veneer of hypocrisy once again, showing no regard for the General.
The General was taken aback, realizing that Daniel's words held truth. He had indeed contemplated demanding a significant portion of Daniel's business revenue, perhaps even 50%, extending beyond just the energy sector. Anger began to well up within him as Daniel once again challenged and voiced his true thoughts, but the General swiftly regained control, careful not to reveal his anger on the surface, fully aware of Daniel's capabilities.
"Mr. Emberweave, you seem to despise civilized dialogue," the General remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
Daniel let out a smile and responded, not holding back.
"Oh, certainly not. I appreciate civilized conversation the most, but only when it's conducted with sincerity. I only treat people like hypocrites if they try to feed me their bull shit," Daniel retorted, displaying his unfiltered honesty.
"I see, so... what kind of incentive would you like to ensure my loyalty?" the General asked bluntly, not bothering with unnecessary words.
"That's more like it," Daniel remarked with a smile, appreciating the General's honesty before continuing.
"How about..." Daniel held up two fingers.
"20% of the energy profits in this country? That's quite generous of you," the General responded, expressing his appreciation for the larger share than he had anticipated. It could be considered an unexpected gain for him.
"No... it's 2% globally in the energy sector," Daniel corrected the General.
Initially, the General wanted to protest, but upon hearing the word "globally," he fell silent, pondering the implications. He decided to test the waters.
"While it's good that you're offering me 2% globally in the energy sector, you should know that I will need to invest a significant amount to clear the obstacles for you in this country," the General stated, trying to gauge Daniel's response. If Daniel showed any sign of wavering in his plan or offer, the General would push for more. However, he detected no such hesitation from Daniel.
This meant that Daniel was either oblivious to the potential consequences or implications of his plan failing, or he was incredibly confident in his ability to overthrow other energy providers with his competitive pricing.
"That's why I gave you 2% instead of 1%. You will need to invest a great deal of effort in suppressing those companies when they realize they can't compete with me on price," Daniel explained, pausing briefly to allow the General to absorb his words.
The General had another point of concern he wanted to raise in order to negotiate for further cuts, but Daniel preempted him with a more detailed explanation.
"Think about it, General. It's a global market. Once other countries witness the efficiency and cleanliness of producing energy with my technology, its popularity will soar. Unless someone can come up with a cheaper and more efficient method, they can only dream of dethroning me as the sole energy provider. Even if some countries wanted to reproduce my technology themselves, they would still have to pay me royalty fees, and that profit would also go to you as per our agreement, General," Daniel assured, offering the General peace of mind regarding the sustainability of his business.
"I see..." the General nodded in understanding, extending his hand toward Daniel.
"Where are the contracts? Where do I sign?" the General said with a smile, convinced by Daniel's explanation. He also understood Daniel's underlying agenda—to display his sincerity by suppressing the energy companies if they attempted to cause trouble. Starting off on the wrong foot, the General knew that in order to secure this lucrative 2% global energy revenue share, he needed to demonstrate his commitment.
Following that, Greed retrieved the contract from her suitcase, and the two signed it. Unbeknownst to the General, the contract Greed had prepared was a magical one that bound both parties to its terms. However, Daniel knew he could easily break it with one of his cards capable of dispelling enchantments, so he didn't concern himself with it.
"There's one more thing I need your help with, consider it a favor that I'll repay you later," Daniel started.
"Oh? What is it, Mr. Emberweave?" asked The General.
"It's about Elina Sun. She has been wrongly accused of treason and terrorism. Can you release her?" Daniel asked, knowing that the chance was slim, but still wanting to try and gauge the possibility.
Upon hearing this, The General's face fell slightly, as if he was burdened with regret.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Emberweave, but that scumbag has already used my face to declare on a news program that she is a traitor and a terrorist. As someone who shares the same face as that scumbag, I can't simply hold a press conference and declare that I was wrong in my judgment. It would greatly impact my credibility. Unless you have new evidence that is more reliable than the fabricated evidence that scumbag prepared to implicate her, I'm afraid I can't assist you," The General explained apologetically.
Updated from fr𝒆ewebnov𝒆l.(c)om