Chapter 18: Everyone, calm down. I’m here to talk business!

"What is your name?" Lin Wendong asked, hoping to ease the tension after noticing the man sweating profusely from nervousness.

"My name is Han Daniu," the counterfeit bill dealer stammered.

Lin Wendong nodded, trying to keep his tone light. "Don't be nervous. Even though you tried to swindle me earlier, I'm not a petty person. Not only will I not give you any trouble, but I also plan to collaborate with you!"

Han Daniu felt like crying. *Not nervous?*

*Could you please remove the handgun pressed against my temple before saying something like that? With you acting like this, there’s no way I can stay calm!*

Soon, the two reached the outskirts of Gel City—or perhaps, it would be more accurate to call it the countryside.

The country of Jianpu Village is a miraculous place. It was once visited by two powerful men in succession: one transformed its rural areas into cities, while the other turned those cities back into rural areas. After the two of them finished their respective overhauls, they finally created a miracle of zero pollution—an astonishing achievement in the history of environmental protection on Blue Star.

The car drove until it reached a remote, desolate area. Through the window, Lin Wendong saw many people already waiting for him.

"The man in the middle is our boss, Lie Erye," Han Daniu said, introducing the group.

There were six of them, including Lie Erye, all young men around twenty years old. They watched as Han Daniu drove up, but after waiting a moment, they realized no one was getting out of the car.

"What's going on?"

Lie Erye raised an eyebrow and led his men toward the van. They didn't suspect anything amiss; Han Daniu had already confirmed on the phone that there was only one Chinese man, and he wasn't carrying any weapons. How could six of them lose to one person? It was a joke!

The car windows were tinted so that one could only see out from the inside; from the outside, it was pitch black. Lie Erye walked to the passenger door, tapped on the glass, and said dismissively, "Daniu, where's the client? We have the one million dollars ready."

At the mention of the "prepared" million dollars, the others sneered.

Lie Erye’s lips curled into a playful smirk. The window rolled down halfway, and then, his smile froze.

A black gun barrel poked out from inside the car, pointing directly at his forehead. Through the opening, Lie Erye saw the scene inside clearly. A young man, seemingly from China, sat in the passenger seat, looking at him with a calm expression. He was holding an AK-47 pointed straight at Lie Erye's head, while another handgun in his other hand was leveled at the stunned Han Daniu.

The scene seemed to freeze in that instant.

"A gun...? He has a gun!"

"Didn't Han Daniu say this guy wasn't carrying any weapons? Where did that AK come from?!"

Outside the car, the others saw the barrel and were too terrified to even speak properly.

Of all the people present, the one whose mind was in the greatest turmoil was not Lie Erye, who was held at gunpoint, but Han Daniu inside the car. He was certain that Lin Wendong hadn't had any weapons on him earlier. A handgun was small enough that it might have been hidden under his clothes, but... where had this AK-47 come from?

Han Daniu only remembered blinking, and suddenly, an AK-47 had appeared in the man's hands.

*Am I... am I hallucinating?* He wondered if he was dreaming.

"What... what do you want?"

The standoff lasted for a moment before Lie Erye finally broke the silence. With a cold barrel pressed against his head, knowing a bullet could end his life at any second, even the toughest person would feel immense pressure. And Lie Erye was only in his twenties. Beads of sweat as large as peas rolled down his cheeks; he didn't dare move a muscle.

Lin Wendong said nothing. Seeing that the time was right, he pulled back the hand holding the pistol, opened the car door, and stepped out slowly. However, he kept the AK-47 trained on the leader, Lie Erye.

If it came to physical combat without weapons, these six men would be no match for Lin Wendong, who had been injected with a strengthening serum and possessed the [Grandmaster Combat] skill. However, firearms were not prohibited in Jianpu Village, and Lin Wendong was mainly concerned that they might have guns of their own. He decided to intimidate them first; that way, he could secure the most favorable terms for the negotiations ahead.

The "collaboration" he had in mind was, of course, partnering up to forge US currency!

Unlike arms dealing, this was illegal worldwide and couldn't be done openly. If Lin Wendong wanted long-term growth, he couldn't personally get his hands dirty, but the profits from counterfeit dollars were substantial. After hearing about their situation from Han Daniu, Lin Wendong immediately thought of his own skill: [US Dollar Manufacturing Process]. With this skill, it was no exaggeration to say he could forge currency with his bare hands. Han Daniu and his group lacked the technical expertise, and if Lin Wendong taught them...

"Friend, are you looking to steal our money or...?"

After Lin Wendong stepped out, Han Daniu scrambled out of the car as well. Although the group was terrified, they couldn't just stand by while being threatened, so they forced themselves to engage with Lin Wendong.

*Gulp.*

The sound of people swallowing hard echoed repeatedly. It wasn't that Lie Erye and his men didn't have weapons; they just hadn't been carrying them on their persons. They had been too careless! After hearing on the phone that there was only a lone "client" without weapons, they hadn't taken the threat seriously. But even if they had been armed, they had lost the initiative. With their boss held at gunpoint, no one dared to retaliate.

Lin Wendong glanced at them and said slowly, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I... came to talk about a partnership."

"A partnership?"

Lie Erye was stunned. For a moment, he even forgot his precarious situation and blurted out, "Do we know each other? What could we possibly partner up on?"