CHAPTER 193.1: FIERCE SURGE (PART ONE)

While Zhan Yi had retracted all his statements and seemed like he had just slapped himself in the face, he showed no signs of embarrassment whatsoever.

He was doing this for the company’s interests. His dignity was nothing.

“Mr. Zhan, how can you just pull back your promises? Is Black Orchid that untrustworthy?” someone in the back demanded.

“That’s right. We’re Black Orchid’s business partners. We hope that you’ll consider our demands with care,” another said earnestly and sincerely.

Zhan Yi gave them a cold glare. He had already cast aside his dignity for the sake of the company’s interests. Why couldn’t they be more understanding of the company’s troubles?

Chen Chuan cast a glance at the uneasy members of the powerful families before turning to the black card. He put it back into his pocket.

He’d asked Gao Ming to look into it, and his cousin eventually uncovered where the card came from and what it was used for.

Chen Chuan had been worried about whether the card would bring him trouble, but his name was printed on it, which meant that he did own it. His parents were the ones who left it for him.

There was one problem with the card, but it was not important. He had already done what he needed to do.

The fourth step was complete.

“Mr. Chen?” Zhan Yi asked again when Chen Chuan did not reply for a long time.

Chen Chuan turned to him and said, “I believe that your company has nothing to do with this court case.”

“Yes. We do indeed have nothing to do with it.” Zhan Yi immediately nodded. He understood what Chen Chuan was trying to say. Since they made their decision, the crowd’s survival had nothing to do with them anymore.

“Well then, goodbye, Mr. Chen,” he said cordially before beckoning all the security guards from Black Orchid Co. to leave with him.

***

Meanwhile, Mr. Luo was tapping on his knee with one hand, as if he was waiting for something. After some time, the telegraph clerk removed his headphones and said, “We received word, Mr. Luo. They said that there is a recommendation card from Proto-Being under Chen Chuan’s name, but...”

“But what?”

“The person-in-charge there said that the card had been canceled ten years ago because they believed that the owner had died.”

Mr. Luo was stunned. Then, his gaze sharpened. “They believed him dead, and they canceled the card ten years ago? Is that right?”

“They’re verifying it. This is what is written on the records, but they aren’t dismissing the possibility of an error, since it happened such a long time ago. That’s why they’re not confirming it immediately. They said that they need to go to the headquarters to verify it. We’re going to need at least three days to get confirmation.”

Mr. Luo sank into deep thought. If the owner of the card was dead, their card no longer held any value, but Chen Chuan was clearly still alive, which made the situation rather complicated. Was he an impostor, or was there some other reason behind it?

If he was sure that the owner of the card was dead, he could disavow everything that Zhan Yi said and turn against Chen Chuan again. Proto-Being would not cause them any trouble for this.

Should he tell the crowd that Black Orchid Co. changed their minds again and was willing to continue protecting them? But if they kept changing their response like this, no one would believe them anymore, much less work with them. They might even...

When his thoughts arrived at this point, he realized an even more severe problem. His heart sank, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

“Oh no.”

He immediately yelled at his driver. “Go back to the branch company, now!”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Mr. Zhan?” the driver asked.

“I told you to drive, didn’t you hear me?!” Mr. Luo practically forced his strained voice out of his throat.

“Understood!” The driver was shocked and hurriedly started the limousine.

***

A motorcade drove down the public road toward Yangzhi City.

Mr. Cao took a telegram that had just been sent over. A telegraph clerk had been constantly updating him about the situation in the tribunal court. When Chen Chuan produced a black card, he wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

He was paying attention to something else instead. When the assistant from Black Orchid Co. saw Chen Chuan’s card, he immediately stopped harassing Chen Chuan, and he even did it meekly, to the point where he gave up on all his partners.

Mr. Cao’s gaze instantly turned sharp, just like how a predator’s eyes would when they saw a prey.

While Proto-Being was a mega corporation, its power in the Great Shun Republic did not necessarily compare to that of Black Orchid Co. Yangzhi City could also be considered to be Black Orchid Co.’s stronghold, especially since the company was at the crucial stage of making arrangements to seize complete control over the city. Yet they chose to back down at such a moment. Did this mean...

No. That might not be enough proof just yet.

Mr. Cao’s cautious nature made him take out a pen and scribble a few names. Then, he handed the note to his assistant. “Send a telegram to our men. They need to arrest these people immediately...”

Wait.

Before his assistant could take the paper, Mr. Cao pulled his hand back and sank into contemplative silence. Then, he huffed in mock annoyance. “That brat just handed us a knife. Looks like we’ll have to bring the net back in ahead of schedule...”

The telegraph clerk sitting beside the telegraph set removed his headphones and handed over the telegrams that just came in. “Mr. Cao, Azure Floodworks and Enclosed Shore have both sent telegrams over.”

Mr. Cao took the papers and read through the two strikingly similar telegrams. Then, in a grim voice, he said, “They noticed it too, as I expected.”

He looked ahead, and his gaze turned even sharper than before. “Contact the Constabulary. Tell them that we don’t have to wait anymore. Arrest those people right now!”