Chapter 23: Mission Accomplished!

"What on earth happened last night? Who killed Tai Hao? Was it Xu Jiang or Xia Fei?!"

"Find out immediately! Damn it, it took so much effort to stabilize things and keep those three in check, and now Tai Hao has been blown to pieces!"

Inside the mayor's office, Li Lintian, the mayor of Gore City, was roaring furiously at the police chief on the other end of the line. He was stunned to receive the news of Tai Hao's bombing. He had personally propped the man up, intending to create a three-way balance of power in Gore City's underworld, but now... the person he had supported had been blown up.

"Damn it, who has the audacity to touch a man of mine, Li Lintian?!"

Just as he was gritting his teeth, the office door suddenly swung open. He looked up to see a young man of Chinese descent walking in, carrying two briefcases.

"Who—who are you?" Li Lintian was taken aback. Before he could even finish his question, he prepared to call for security.

Lin Wendong waved a hand dismissively. "I’m here to talk business... No, I’m here to invest in your city of Gore!"

"Hm?" Li Lintian paused. Seeing that Lin Wendong didn't look like a dangerous criminal, he relaxed slightly, his expression darkening. "If you want to invest, go make an appointment with the relevant departments. You can't just walk in here like—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he watched the young man open one of the briefcases, revealing it packed to the brim with US dollars.

"This... this is..."

In an instant, Li Lintian swallowed the reprimand he was about to deliver. As a seasoned politician, he immediately understood why this man had come to see him. 'Investment? Investment is excellent!' His expression shifted, replaced by a hypocritical smile.

He turned to draw the curtains over the window behind him, then walked quickly to the door, glanced outside, and closed it, locking it tight.

"Come, my young friend, sit down and let’s talk." Li Lintian’s attitude was extremely warm. Based on his past experience, he could see at a glance that the two briefcases held at least half a million dollars each. Two half-millions—that was a million dollars in total!

What kind of sum was that? Converted into Chinese currency, it was seven million yuan, let alone in a backward place like Cambodia. For someone like Li Lintian, his annual salary was only about fifty thousand dollars, even including all benefits and subsidies. At that rate, it would take him forever to save a million. Though he was a mayor, Gore City was not wealthy, and his opportunities for side income were limited. A million dollars showing up at his doorstep was something that might not happen once in five or ten years. That was why his attitude had shifted so rapidly. Money makes the mare go—that is the same in every world and every country.

Lin Wendong sat on the sofa and, without wasting words, placed both briefcases on the table. He opened them fully, revealing stack after stack of green hundred-dollar bills.

"Mayor Li, this is one million US dollars. Think of it as a small token of our acquaintance," Lin Wendong said in a calm tone before introducing himself. "I am from Taizhai, China. We plan to establish an enterprise here, and I hope for your full support, Mayor Li."

Li Lintian’s eyes darted to the million dollars on the table from time to time. Upon hearing Lin Wendong, he immediately patted his chest in assurance.

"Establishing an enterprise will boost the economy of Gore City. As mayor, it is my bounden duty to provide my full support!"

"What kind of industry are you looking to establish in our city?" Li Lintian asked casually.

"An arms company," Lin Wendong said slowly.

"Hm?" Li Lintian looked startled. His gaze shifted from the cash to Lin Wendong’s face, his brows knitting. "An arms company? This..."

"Mayor Li, I only wish to lease a piece of land in your territory to set up an assembly plant. I won't trouble you with anything else," Lin Wendong added. That was his plan: produce the parts in Mang Village, ship them here for assembly, and then sell them.

"This..." Li Lintian hesitated. The risks were high, but the temptation of a million dollars was higher. Finally, he nodded emphatically. "Very well! There is a large vacant plot in the suburbs of Gore City; you can build your plant there! By the way, I know a construction company—you can have them help you build it!"

Lin Wendong glanced at Li Lintian. That last sentence clearly meant he had a brother-in-law who owned a construction company and wanted to take a kickback. Lin Wendong had no objections; it was just a factory, and it didn't matter who built it.

Once both sides reached an agreement, Li Lintian made calls to all the relevant departments. Everywhere, the leader in charge held absolute power. Soon, the heads of various departments arrived at his office.

"Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Lin, who is here to invest in our city..." After his introduction, the attitude of the department heads toward Lin Wendong became sycophantic.

"I have already approved that vacant plot in the suburbs for his factory. All departments must cooperate fully, do you understand?!"

"We will certainly support the Mayor’s decision and do our utmost for the development of Gore City."

"Exactly. Since this is a project fully supported by the Mayor, if Mr. Lin encounters any problems, please come to me. Just call me Old He; I am the local police chief."

"..."

"Then I shall rely on you all from now on!" Lin Wendong concluded.

With the heads of every department personally involved, the usually tedious procedures were given the green light. A short while later, all the paperwork was ready. Taizhai rented the suburban land for an annual fee of one hundred thousand dollars.

With the land secured, the next step was construction. Building the plant would take at least a month or more. Lin Wendong could not wait in Cambodia for that long. He planned to return and send someone from Taizhai to oversee it. He already had someone in mind: the head of the Second House, Lin Yaohua.

With everything settled, Lin Wendong booked a flight back home for the following morning. As he boarded the plane, he stashed all his weapons into his spatial storage. "Once I’m back in China, I cannot take any weapons out," he thought to himself.

[Host: Lin Wendong]
[Money Value: None]
[Mall] [Lucky Draw]
[Skills Acquired: Martial Arts Grandmaster, Firearms Proficiency, Don't Say You Understand Stinky Tofu, Language Mastery...]

On the plane, Lin Wendong looked at his current panel. He had originally had thirty thousand in money value, but he had spent it all on three micro-bombs.

"System, charge one hundred thousand in money value." This time, Lin Wendong used the Taizhai corporate account!

"Draw." [None]
"Draw." [None]
"Draw." [None]
...
Soon, the one hundred thousand was gone. He hadn't drawn any skills. Lin Wendong was used to it; the system's "drop rate" fluctuated. He turned his attention to the mall, scanning the dazzling array of weapons.

The flight reached Dongshan by morning. Counting the time, Lin Wendong had only been in Cambodia for a day. By the time he returned to Taizhai, it was nearly noon.

Lin Wendong went straight to Lin Yaodong’s house. Only he and Lin Yaodong knew about his trip to Cambodia.

"Uncle Dong, it’s done," Lin Wendong said as soon as he saw him.

"So fast?" Lin Yaodong was surprised. From the time the young man left for Cambodia until his return, only a single day had passed. And the deal to start an arms company was already done?!

At that moment, Lin Yaodong felt an irrepressible shock. Although Lin Wendong had paved the way with money, it still required immense courage. To be in a foreign land with a million dollars in cash—one slight mistake could have left him with nothing.

"Uncle Dong, the land in Cambodia has been leased, and the factory is under construction. It will take a month or two, so we need to send someone to keep an eye on it."

Lin Yaodong nodded. "Who do you think is best for the job?"

"Lin Yaohua," Lin Wendong replied without hesitation.

Lin Yaodong pondered for a moment before speaking slowly. "Call them all to the village committee. This arms company concerns all of Taizhai; they need to know."

Soon, Lin Yaohua and the others arrived at the committee. In the conference room, Lin Wendong made no preamble and explained what had happened in Cambodia.

"What?! You used nearly ten million from the Taizhai public account to build a factory in Cambodia? An arms factory at that?!"

"Have you gone mad?!"