"Mr. Consius, let me ask you a question. Do we have a feud?"
Without waiting for an answer, Luke chuckled.
"I think we must, or you wouldn't say something like that. Do you know what it means for an internet company to illegally tamper with user data?"
"Charlie, tell him."
Charlie spoke up.
"ShowMe has signed a confidentiality agreement with every user. If we breach that contract, we would face tens of thousands of lawsuits, be abandoned by millions of users, and the company would cease to exist. As the founder, the boss would be left with tens of millions of dollars in debt."
"Did you hear that? That's the price I'd have to pay, all because of a single sentence from you."
Luke stood up, walked directly in front of him, and said expressionlessly,
"This conversation ends here. If you have any further requests, contact my lawyer."
"Will!"
Richard Will, who had been waiting outside, walked in.
"It's all yours now."
"Don't worry, boss, I know what to do."
Luke patted his arm, turned, and left. Two agents moved to stop him, but a grim-faced Roger shook his head, allowing the two to depart.
With the main person gone, there was no need to continue the negotiation.
A Powerful Lineage
Roger led his team out and walked directly toward a black SUV outside the ShowMe Headquarters Building.
Emily followed behind, puzzled.
"Why didn't you let me act? You know my abilities."
Roger lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
"We can't arrest him, and we shouldn't."
"Why?"
Roger opened a text message from an intelligence officer and tossed the phone over.
The message contained Luke Shaw's personal file. In the section for family members, there was a special name: Xiao Guoxing, the former Head of the Hongmen.
The Hongmen is a Chinese ethnic society of a special nature, only recruiting Chinese and some Asian members. Its headquarters is in Coast City. Due to historical reasons, they rarely speak out in mainstream media, but they always achieve their goals when they act.
The Hongmen could be said to be the most mysterious organization in the United States. No one knows how many members they have, and no one knows the extent of their influence.
"No wonder he was so arrogant. He's the grandson of the Hongmen's Head," Emily thought to herself.
Roger threw the cigarette butt onto the ground and stepped on it several times.
"I have a task for you: Get close to Luke Shaw, under a private pretense."
Emily frowned. "I don't understand what you mean."
"There's something wrong with that kid—a big problem. I suspect the Hongmen is behind him. ShowMe is a social media application with millions of users. What kind of impact would it have if those Asian people got their hands on that kind of resource?"
"That's just speculation."
"Speculation often becomes reality."
Roger decided to stop talking nonsense. "Emily, this is an order."
"I am with the Division of Anomalous Investigations. I don't report to you."
"As a supervisor, I have the right to request cooperation from agents in other departments. If you disagree, I'll call your superior and let him talk to you."
Emily took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to incinerate him right there. She hissed,
"Tell me what you want me to do."
"Get close to Luke Shaw. Use your abilities to figure out the connections behind ShowMe. If you get the chance, infiltrate the Hongmen's upper echelon."
Emily gave him a cold look and turned to walk away. As she passed a fire hydrant, it suddenly burst, and a powerful stream of water shot out like a cannon, hitting passing vehicles.
A gray Mercedes couldn't brake in time and crashed directly into a cafe. The SUV behind it was also affected, rear-ending a Bentley, which was then rear-ended by a Ferrari.
They were all crashing into each other, creating a chaotic scene.
"Damn metahumans!"
Roger cursed angrily.
A Proposal for Funding
With the FBI's departure, the sense of oppression finally vanished. Luke might not care about the Federal Bureau of Investigation, but that didn't mean his employees didn't. After all, it was the highest intelligence agency in America, with the authority to enforce the Constitution. Being targeted by them was not a good thing.
Charlie still felt uneasy and couldn't help but suggest, "Maybe... call the old man?"
Luke said coldly, "If you're scared, go back to Coast City now."
"I... I didn't mean that."
Luke patted his shoulder and sighed.
"Since we chose to start a business, we must have the courage to take risks. If you can't even handle this much trouble, how can you accomplish great things in the future? Charlie, you are senior management here. Don't let the people below look down on you."
Charlie's face flushed with embarrassment.
Luke said nothing more and turned toward the Technology Department.
There were too many strange events in the DC world. If an explosive news story didn't come out every once in a while, that would be abnormal. The frequent disasters led to a sharp decline in government credibility, and coupled with the extremely high crime rate, how could the public have a positive opinion of the government?
Any capable person would be reluctant to work for the public sector.
When he arrived at the Technology Department, the cyber war was nearing its end. The programmers, led by Zacks, were pushing the FBI into a complete rout with their elusive computer skills.
After watching for a while and seeing no issues, Luke left and returned to his office to handle documents.
The company had too many tasks and too few personnel, requiring Luke to oversee every aspect. Once he started working, time became blurry. Before he knew it, night had fallen.
Looking at the moon rising outside the window, Luke suddenly envied Bruce Wayne. The young master had vast wealth; money would pour in without him having to do anything. Unlike him, who was exhausted all day like a dead dog, without even time to date.
Just as he was thinking, a knock sounded on the door.
"Come in!"
Robert Downs pushed the door open, holding a folder.
"Boss, I want to talk to you."
Luke pointed to the chair across the table, inviting him to sit.
"What about?"
Robert straightened his newly bought suit and calmly uttered two words:
"Fundraising."
Luke looked up at him, his tone flat. "The company's finances are ample. We will not consider fundraising in the short term. If you have suggestions regarding this, save them for later."
"Are they really ample?"
"Of course they are."
Robert pulled at the corner of his mouth, his expression a little strange. As a financial genius, he had a keen eye, always able to find what he wanted in complex and dense data logs. For instance, ShowMe's financial statements contained many illogical entries. Grouped together, these points subtly indicated one fact: the company was out of money.
Robert was smart enough not to reveal this, but it didn't stop him from using it to get what he wanted.
"Ample funds and fundraising are two different matters. Years of financial experience have taught me a lesson: Fundraising is a deliberate gamble. You only reap the most generous rewards when you throw out the right chip at the right time."
Luke leaned against the back of his chair, his hands overlapping.
"A very good summary. Continue."
Robert was unsure of Luke's thoughts, and his tone became increasingly cautious.
"This incident has brought the company great notoriety, and our user count has skyrocketed. We can say we have established our position as the leader in social media. The financial groups and venture capital firms won't overlook this. This is their opportunity, and it's also ours. As long as we throw out the bait at the appropriate time, they won't resist."
Luke smiled. "It seems you already have a comprehensive plan."
Robert placed the document on the table.
"This is the proposal."
Luke opened the file and quickly scanned it. The smile on his face widened as he read.
"To present such a major gift on your second day of work, Robert, you truly surprise me. Tell me, what reward do you want?"
Robert narrowed his eyes, gazing at Luke. He spoke one word at a time.
"I want money. Three million US dollars."
"Three million is too much."
"It's less than one-tenth of the value. It's not too much. It's what I deserve."
Luke stared intently at him, hoping to see some different emotion in those eyes. Unfortunately, besides coldness and a hint of suppressed hatred, there was nothing else.
"Falcone is the mob boss of Gotham City. To deal with him, money alone won't be enough."
Luke closed the file and tossed it onto the table.
"I approve the plan. Once the deal is done, three million dollars will be yours. Not a penny less."
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