Chapter 62 A Life-Changing Transaction

To most people, the Horizon Bureau might be a newly hyped-up buzzword, but not to Walter.

Long ago, he had heard the legends of this mysterious organization within his circles. Renowned tech enterprises such as Fourth Dimension Technology, Life Pharmaceuticals, and Nagase Group—all of which had rapidly expanded from obscure little companies into today's industry giants—were all rumored to have received tremendous backing from the Bureau behind the scenes.

He never expected that one day his own family business would also catch the eye of the Bureau.

"What did they say? Did the reply leave any contact information?" Walter's speech quickened noticeably.

Seeming surprised by his father's excitement, Gio took a slight step back. "There is a phone number... but judging by the code, it's an international long-distance call."

"Send the business letter over," Walter demanded immediately.

"You're going to call them personally?" A flash of surprise crossed Gio's eyes. "Could the online discussions about the Horizon Bureau actually be true?"

"I don't know what people are discussing online, nor am I interested. But this deal will be handled by me. You may leave."

Gio complied, though before walking out, he cast a conscious, lingering glance toward the inner room.

Walter pressed his intercom button to instruct that no one was to disturb him. After confirming that both his bodyguards and servants had cleared the area, he solemnly picked up the telephone.

This number might require multiple transfers, the person answering might not be the actual principal, or it could even turn out to be a dead line. Yet, the moment Walter pressed the final digit, a voice came through the receiver.

"Horizon Bureau."

The voice was young, belonging to a man.

Since the other party did not state his name, it proved he had no intention of leaving his identity behind, not even a fake name or a codename.

Naturally, Walter did not press the matter. "I am Walter Weiss. I heard you're looking to purchase a batch of light weaponry, around five thousand units?" While waiting, he had already finished reading all the correspondence sent by the other party on his computer.

"Correct," the man replied briefly.

"How shall we trade? Money is easily settled, but as for abilities—"

"Open a video connection. But before that, you must determine what kind of ability you want."

So direct?

Walter felt his chest thumping heavily, much like when he had first taken over the company from his father and successfully closed his first deal with an outsider. A body well past fifty suddenly surged with an indescribable vitality.

"May I ask if any kind of ability is acceptable?"

The voice on the other end gave a light, brief chuckle. "Mr. Weiss, what do you think?"

If any other businessman had dared to speak to him like that, Walter would have hung up nine times out of ten. But at this moment, he held his breath and concentrated. "Please allow me a moment to think."

In truth, he didn't care all that much about what kind of ability he would acquire.

What truly mattered to him was the chance to forge a connection with the Horizon Bureau.

He had no idea why they had chosen him; in the arms industry, his family's company was entirely off the map. On second thought, however, those tech companies rumored to have ties with the Bureau had also started out from total obscurity, making the other party's choice seem entirely logical.

His company's performance appeared to have entered a stable phase, yet deep down, Walter harbored a persistent anxiety. Their product line was concentrated on individual combat equipment—aside from firearms and ammunition, they produced body armor, exoskeleton suits, and infrared night-vision goggles. However, these markets were constantly being squeezed by unmanned and smart weaponry, leaving very little room for upward growth.

At the same time, their shady, illicit dealings were suffering from the dual pressures of malicious competition from peers and international surveillance. Car accidents disguised as mishaps, or even direct assassinations using explosives, were no longer new to him.

Walter was urgently seeking a new market, preferably in the competitive, high-tech equipment sector, so he could completely extricate himself from illegal arms trading.

Now that the Horizon Bureau had come knocking, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

If he could verify their identity, he would gladly gift them this entire batch of weapons without taking a single cent.

Unfortunately, gaining an ability was the only way left for him to verify who they were.

Daring not to remain silent for too long, Walter spoke again after pondering for a dozen seconds. "If possible, I would like to know if there is a traitor within the company."

Lately, his business had been targeted and ambushed, with competitors seemingly anticipating his price quotes in advance. Coupled with the recurring risks of assassination during his travels, he had already begun to suspect internal sabotage.

Still, this was family business after all. Without confirming the other party's identity, he preferred not to elaborate too much.

The response did not come immediately.

Just as Walter began to wonder if his request was too whimsical, the monitor on his desk suddenly popped up with a video connection.

The lighting on the other end was very dim, making the background barely visible, and a large camera lens was positioned in extreme close-up at the center of the screen.

"Look at the camera," the phone instructed.

Walter instantly realized the company's network had been breached.

Yet, he felt no surprise. The study's computer was connected to the public internet anyway and held no sensitive data. Given that the other party was the Horizon Bureau, possessing such methods was hardly shocking.

He looked at the monitor for less than two seconds before the screen instantly went black, then flashed back to the normal desktop.

"Try it," the voice said again.

Walter started violently!

He perceived a trace of a different emotion—peaceful... detached, much like a cup of black tea without milk. Was this his imagination?

"What am I—"

Having done business for so many years, Walter felt constrained for the very first time.

"This is the ability you need. Don't be nervous. Once you get used to it, you can choose whether or not to sense it." The man seemed completely unsurprised by his astonishment. "We will contact you once your cargo is ready."

The call then disconnected.

Walter remained dazed.

He discovered that this peculiar emotional state emerged precisely as the other person spoke; it was definitely not his imagination. Could this truly be the ability bestowed upon him by the Bureau?!

Yet they hadn't even met him in person, let alone administered any pills, surgeries, or injections. The only thing the other party had done was make him look at a camera across the network.

After sitting blankly for a moment, Walter pressed the communication bell on his desk.

"George, come in here, and bring Danny with you."

George, his elderly butler, had been waiting in the next room.

"Yes, sir."

The butler quickly pushed forward a bloodstained man and stood him before Walter. "Is there anything you require?"

"Say something to me," Walter leaned back into his soft leather chair.

The old butler was momentarily stunned, but complied with his master's command. "The weather is nice today?"

"Tell me I'm handsome."

George's face twitched uncontrollably. "Sir, I hardly think that description suits you."

Breaking character entirely, Walter insisted, "I want to hear it."

With a stiff face, the butler managed, "You... are handsome."

Every time the old man spoke, even a brief "yes," Walter felt a wave of bright, comfortable warmth, akin to autumn sunlight streaming through a window. This felt completely different from the sensation the man from the Bureau had given him; he could clearly distinguish between the two.

Even when the old butler uttered words he didn't mean, this emotional feedback did not change in the slightest.

This proved that it could not determine truth from falsehood.

"You say it too," Walter turned his gaze toward Danny, whose hands were bound behind his back.

"Boss, I really don't know anything! Please believe me, I've been framed!" Danny pleaded repeatedly, "I beg you to let me go, I have children at home waiting for me!"

In an instant, a sharp, vivid malice flooded his mind, forming a stark contrast to the previous warmth.

"So that's how it is." The corners of Walter's mouth curled up. This was an ability... a subtle sensation ordinary people could never comprehend. But what comforted him even more was that his company could finally establish a line with the Bureau.

"Are you going to let him go?" the old butler inquired.

"Release him. But choose a spacious bay for his release, so it's not a waste of the ten years he spent following me."

As soon as Walter said this, Danny's face turned ashen. Before he could cry out for mercy, George had already pulled out a handkerchief and shoved it into his mouth.

"Wait, let Gio handle this matter," Walter added. "Since he's going to take over the company, things like this are inevitable. Consider it a way for him to adapt in advance."

George nodded in acknowledgment. "I will go inform him."

Soon, the eldest son was summoned to the study.

"Father, what is the meaning of this..." Gio frowned deeply as he looked at Danny, whose face was covered in blood and mouth stuffed.

At that exact moment, Walter suddenly felt an indescribable surge of malice, one whose intensity far surpassed Danny's! If the discomfort Danny caused him felt like a pool of sewage, the malice rolling in now was a towering tidal wave!

Staring at his son, Walter suddenly understood many things. Some trade secrets could not be stolen by a couple of conspiring employees alone, but if a company heir was involved, the situation changed entirely.

"Father, isn't it a bit rash of you to treat Mr. Danny this way?" Gio showed no awareness of the change on his father's face. "I feel this matter still needs further investigation; the whistleblower's words are not worth your trust—"

Walter opened his drawer, pulled out a revolver, disengaged the safety, and slid it across the desk toward Gio.

"Kill him. Now."

Gio froze. "Father—"

"Danny is a traitor," Walter said in the slowest, most deliberate tone possible. "Don't forget the family motto: never forgive a traitor."

His eldest son's face turned ashen. He walked over to the desk, picking up the pistol with a hand that seemed weighed down with lead.

He was clearly hesitating, but not for long.

"You forced me..."

Muttering under his breath, Gio suddenly whipped the muzzle around to aim straight at Walter! "Let me and Danny leave! Otherwise, I'll shoot!"

"Young Master, what are you doing?!" The old butler was utterly shocked.

Unfazed, Walter asked, "Is it because of your wife's death? Or do you despise me to a degree you can no longer tolerate?"

"All of it!" The detachment on Gio's face was gone, replaced by a grimness he had never shown before. "If you hadn't been smuggling arms, Alissa wouldn't have been blown to pieces! If the family hadn't run this damned company, many tragedies wouldn't have happened! If you keep on being this cold-blooded, we're all going to ruin sooner or later!"

Wave after wave of malice crashed over him, seemingly endless.

Walter accepted every bit of it.

He opened a drawer on the opposite side, pulled out an identical revolver, and slowly raised the muzzle.

"Don't move! Put it down!" Gio warned harshly.

His father's hand was sluggish yet resolute.

Gio pulled the trigger first—

With a single gunshot, the eldest son stared at him in profound shock, seemingly unable to believe any of it was real. Yet the moment he clutched his chest and collapsed, all the pain on his face melted into an intense, unyielding resentment and hatred.

Of the two guns, only one was loaded with a bullet—another one of Walter's habits.

"Sir, he was your son!" the old butler cried out in distress.

Walter lowered his gun, walked over to George, and patted his shoulder. "Precisely because he was the heir of the Weiss family, I had to do it myself. Besides, I suddenly feel... I am still quite young, a long way from retirement."

He found his son had been right: he truly was a cold-blooded animal, especially when weighing business against familial affection. He didn't even have time to grieve Gio's betrayal, because his long-dormant drive for battle was once again beating powerfully and steadily.

This deal, and all future dealings with the Horizon Bureau, would be handled strictly by himself.