520: Chapter 515: A Trap or an Opportunity?

The off-road vehicle stopped smoothly at the hotel entrance.

The waiters and security personnel at the door immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing Shen Yan.

This treatment made Paci's expression shift again.

He realized that this young man before him seemed to hold a considerable status here.

The group took the exclusive elevator directly to the top floor.

The moment the heavy solid wood door of the presidential suite closed behind them, Paci felt as if he had entered another world.

This place was like heaven compared to the Dragon Stone Alley he had just left, which felt like hell.

"Sit down."

Shen Yan pointed to the huge leather sofa in the living room.

He himself walked toward the bedroom.

Paci did not sit. He stood in place, forming a small defensive formation with his bodyguards.

A moment later, Shen Yan walked out pushing a luggage cart.

On the cart were six silver-white alloy briefcases.

These were the same ones Manager Hans had delivered earlier.

"Click."

Shen Yan opened the first case.

Neatly stacked US dollars radiated a deadly allure under the crystal chandelier.

He opened the second, then the third...

By the time all six cases were open, the mountain of cash made Paci and his bodyguards hold their breath for an instant.

Even Paci, once the Jade King of City of Jade, had never seen such an enormous amount of cash at one time.

"Inspect the goods."

Shen Yan's voice was light, yet it struck Paci's heart like a heavy hammer.

Paci took a deep breath and waved his hand.

A bodyguard stepped forward, took out a small banknote counter, and began verifying bill by bill.

The other two bodyguards started manually spot-checking using the most primitive method.

In the room, only the whirring sound of the counter and the rustling of paper currency remained.

Paci's gaze was fixed greedily on the money.

This was his lifeline.

It was his only hope for a comeback.

Just as he was completely focused on the pile of green paper, Shen Yan's voice echoed softly.

"Mr. Paci, twenty years ago, you relied on a pickaxe in the old mining area of Pakan to dig up the first pot of gold in your life."

Paci's action of counting money suddenly froze.

His body felt instantly frozen.

Shen Yan did not stop.

"Fifteen years ago, you bought the Black Dragon Vein, dug out three Imperial Green jades, and became famous overnight, earning the title 'Jade King of City of Jade'."

"Ten years ago, you established the Paci Mining Group, monopolizing seventy percent of City of Jade's high-end rough stone exports."

"Five years ago, you began cooperating with the Satoda Conglomerate in Country R, and your business grew bigger and bigger."

Paci's face turned paler with every sentence Shen Yan spoke.

Cold sweat was already seeping from his back.

These events were the history of his rise, the legend known to everyone in City of Jade.

But hearing them spoken one by one by a stranger he met for the first time, in such a flat tone, the feeling completely changed.

That was not admiration; it was judgment.

"Three years ago, your old rival, 'Rattlesnake,' fell off a cliff with his car on the way back from the mining area."

"Two years ago, the customs supervisor in City of Jade was replaced, and your shipments were always cleared first."

Shen Yan paused, picked up a glass of whiskey from the bar, and swirled it gently.

"A year ago, the Satoda Conglomerate, together with General Taka locally, accused you of arms smuggling, seized your Black Dragon Vein, and froze all your accounts."

"Your mining group collapsed overnight."

"Your friends became your enemies."

"Your subordinates either died or scattered."

"You took your last few confidants and hid in Dragon Stone Alley, surviving by selling off your remaining stock."

"Until today, you are cornered, with only one unsellable 'Blood Beauty' left."

Whoosh—

A stack of US dollars slipped from the hand of one of Paci's bodyguards and fell to the floor.

Money scattered everywhere.

But no one went to pick it up.

All four bodyguards stared at Shen Yan as if they had seen a ghost.

Their hands instinctively moved back to the weapons at their waists.

The air in the room solidified.

Paci slowly raised his head. The greed in his eyes had vanished, replaced by extreme vigilance and deep fear.

He stared fixedly at Shen Yan, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was rubbing.

"Who... exactly are you?"

"What do you mean by saying all this?"

He dared not make any rash moves.

This was the top floor of the Golden Triangle Grand Hotel.

He knew very well that people who could stay here were not people he could easily provoke.

Moreover, the other party had investigated his background completely.

This was not a buyer.

This was the King of Hell coming to claim his life.

Shen Yan looked at him and smiled.

That smile, in Paci's eyes, was more terrifying than a demon's.

"Don't be nervous."

Shen Yan pushed another freshly poured glass of whiskey in front of Paci.

"If I wanted to harm you, you would already be a corpse."

"I am just a businessman."

"A businessman who simply wants to do some business in City of Jade."

Paci did not touch the glass of wine.

His brain was working at high speed.

What was the other party's objective?

"The situation in City of Jade is too murky,"

Shen Yan took a sip of wine and continued speaking.

"I brought money here. Without a local guide, this money will quickly become a death warrant."

"I need a connection."

Shen Yan's fingertips tapped lightly on the rim of the glass.

"And you, Mr. Paci, were once the thickest connection in City of Jade."

Paci's heart leaped suddenly.

He seemed to have grasped a hint of the other party's intention.

"You want to use me?"

"No."

Shen Yan shook his head. "Cooperation."

"I am well aware of your current situation. General Taka and the Satoda Conglomerate will not give you any chance to recover. Even if you get this money, you won't be able to take it out of City of Jade."

"As soon as you leave this hotel, there will be at least three groups waiting outside to take your life."

Shen Yan's words were like a sharp knife, piercing precisely into Paci's heart.

This was what he worried about most.

Paci's Adam's apple bobbed. He stared intently into Shen Yan's eyes, trying to discern any clues.

"Why do you think I can help you?"

"I am just... a man who is about to drown."

"The power a drowning man erupts with in the final moment is the most terrifying."

Shen Yan set down his glass.

"I want to know exactly how you were taken down by the joint efforts of Satoda and Taka. I want to see if there is any room for salvage in this."

"Or rather, if there is... an opportunity for me to intervene."

Paci fell silent.

He looked at the young man before him, who was not much older than his grandson.

The other party's eyes were as calm as water, yet unfathomably deep, making it impossible for him to see through him.

Was it a trap? Or an opportunity?

He could not afford to gamble.

But he seemed to have no other choice.

Finally, he deflated like a punctured ball, his entire imposing aura collapsing.