522: Chapter 517 The Former Jade King of Mandalay

This question is crucial.

Paci, having been in the underworld for most of his life, knew well that there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Especially in a place like City of Jade, behind every act of goodwill, there could be a poisoned blade hidden.

Shen Yan did not answer him.

Because Paci would never know the real answer.

The moment the System issued the mission just now, Paci's value in his eyes had increased.

The System would not issue an impossible mission.

Since the mission was generated, it meant that Paci’s path had the potential to be revitalized.

It held enormous potential returns.

This was the confidence that allowed him to risk four hundred and fifty million US dollars.

If the System had shown no reaction today, then this one hundred and fifty million would have been the only transaction between him and Paci.

He would have left with the 'Blood Beauty' and never had anything to do with this fallen Jade King again.

Shen Yan would not make an investment without certainty.

All his madness was built upon the most precise calculations.

He looked at Paci’s face, etched with terror and confusion, and slowly shook his head.

"You do not need to know my objective."

"You only need to choose."

"Whether to take this one hundred and fifty million and continue hiding like a rat until you end up dead in the street one day."

"Or take four hundred and fifty million, reclaim everything you lost, and make the entire City of Jade remember the name 'Jade King' again."

Shen Yan’s gaze calmly swept over Paci and his few loyal bodyguards.

"Of course, you can also choose to kill me right now and run away with this money."

"But I advise you to think clearly: the security system of the Golden Triangle Hotel and the people behind me are not something you can afford to provoke."

A threat.

A naked threat.

But also the most effective rhetoric.

The struggle in Paci's eyes was gradually replaced by a fierce resolve, like a dying ember reignited.

He had lost his whole life, and he had been ruthless his whole life.

Shen Yan had offered him a gamble he simply could not refuse.

The stake was his life.

If he won, he would take back everything.

If he lost, he would only be advancing the time of his death a little bit.

"I’ll do it!"

Paci squeezed out these two words through gritted teeth.

As if using up all his strength.

"Very good."

A slight smile finally appeared on Shen Yan's face.

He pointed to the six briefcases.

"You take the money first."

"Your mind is too chaotic right now to come up with any good ideas."

"I have already arranged for the hotel to prepare another suite for you, just downstairs. Rest well tonight and throw away all the fear and despair in your mind."

"Meet me here tomorrow morning at eight."

"I need to see the former Jade King of City of Jade, not a pathetic wretch."

After speaking, Shen Yan stopped looking at them.

He turned, poured himself another glass of wine, and began to savor it on his own.

The order to leave was given without politeness.

Paci took a deep look at Shen Yan’s back.

This young man seemed enveloped in a thick, impenetrable mist.

He waved his hand.

The four bodyguards snapped out of their daze, hastily closed the cases, and two men lifted each one, carrying away the six incredibly heavy alloy boxes.

As they walked out the door, they felt as if they had just passed through the gates of hell.

And their boss, Paci, seemed to have crawled back from the depths of hell.

The next morning.

Sunlight streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, flooding the entire Presidential Suite.

Paci appeared at the door exactly on time.

He had changed into clean clothes; although still simple, the man himself was completely renewed.

The stubble on his face was cleanly shaved, and light had reignited in his turbid eyes.

It was a light belonging to a powerful figure, long suppressed.

He was followed by only one bodyguard.

That bodyguard’s hand was no longer constantly resting on the gun at his waist.

Overnight, the relationship between master and subordinate seemed to have quietly solidified.

Shen Yan was seated at the dining table, leisurely enjoying his breakfast.

Another setting had also been prepared on the table.

"Sit down, Mr. Paci."

Shen Yan pointed to the seat opposite him.

"Try the caviar here, it’s very fresh."

Paci was not polite and sat down.

He did not touch the exquisite food before him, but instead pushed a hand-drawn map and several sheets of paper filled with writing toward Shen Yan.

"This is General Taka’s military deployment map, along with Sadao Takeshi’s several main strongholds in City of Jade."

"I didn't sleep all night, drawing them from memory."

"Although they aren't completely accurate, the core locations won't be wrong."

Paci’s voice was steady and powerful.

That former Jade King had returned.

Shen Yan put down his knife and fork, picked up the papers, and began to examine them closely.

The map was roughly drawn, but the annotations were very clear.

Armory, barracks, command post, sentry post...

Sadao Takeshi’s office, residence, secret treasury...

This was intelligence only a local overlord entrenched in City of Jade for decades could possess.

"Very good."

Shen Yan nodded and pushed the map aside.

"It seems you are ready."

"Tell me, Mr. Shen, what is your plan?" Paci’s gaze was sharp as an eagle’s.

"If we are going to overturn everything, there must be a method."

Shen Yan wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin.

"I have three options here."

He did not mention the System, but presented the three options as his own analysis, explaining them one by one.

"First, use money to smash through. We have money, four hundred and fifty million US dollars. This amount is enough to move General Taka. We can use a price he cannot refuse to buy back the Black Dragon Vein from him, then redeem your old subordinates, rebuild your commercial empire, and slowly squeeze Sadao out of the market."

After hearing this, Paci immediately shook his head.

"Infeasible."

"Taka is a jackal that can never be fed. If we can buy something from him with money today, tomorrow he can use guns to take both our money and our goods."

"Doing business with a warlord is no different from seeking a tiger's skin."

Shen Yan did not agree or disagree, and continued speaking.

"Second, play dirty. Taka has a sworn enemy in the north named Kun Sai. We can find a way to obtain evidence of Taka and Sadao framing you, then give it to Kun Sai. Let the two dogs bite each other, and we wait until they are mutually damaged before coming out to clean up the mess."

Paci’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"Even more infeasible."

"Kun Sai is more brutal than Taka, and his reputation is worse. If we give him the evidence, he might make a move, but we will also draw fire upon ourselves."

"Furthermore, chaos in City of Jade is of no benefit to us. What we need is order—an order that belongs to us."

"It seems we are thinking along the same lines."

A cold curve hooked the corner of Shen Yan’s mouth.

"Then there is only the third option left."

"What option?" Paci’s heart tensed.

Shen Yan leaned slightly forward, his voice lowered, like the whisper of a devil.

"Use the fastest speed and the most direct means to flip the table and rewrite the rules."