865: Chapter 86 Did your brain get caught in a door?

"One-third of the world's largest underground logistics network is in his hands."

"If he nods, even a single screw can be delivered to the South Pole within twenty-four hours."

"Conversely."

"If he shakes his head, don't even think about buying a decent piece of wire."

Franz whistled.

"Sounds like a big shot."

"But he looks too fake."

Franz pointed at the smile in the photograph.

"I’ve seen this kind of smile before."

"The lawyers who tried to swindle my family's inheritance used this exact smile."

"They shake your hand while calculating in their heads how to sell you off for a good price."

Shen Yan turned around, a playful curve on his lips.

"So, you two are cut from the same cloth."

"You are openly bad; he is secretly bad."

"You blow people up to the sky; he smiles them into a pit."

"Bring him over. All those headache-inducing tasks like procuring materials can be dumped on him later."

"You can focus entirely on your quantum collider."

Franz’s eyes lit up.

For a madman obsessed with technology, haggling with suppliers was absolutely the most painful thing in the world.

Those unscrupulous merchants either feigned understanding or substituted inferior goods.

If there were a vicious dog specifically tasked with biting those suppliers...

"Deal."

Franz tucked the file into his chest and stood up.

"I want this smiling tiger."

"But let’s make one thing clear: if he dares to try any of his superficial tricks on me..."

"I'll plant a C4 under the toilet in his office."

Ten hours later.

Southeast Asia, Singapore.

This garden city, which commands the throat of the Strait of Malacca, always had the humid, hot flavor of sea breeze permeating the air.

In a private manor on Marina Bay,

a small tasting event was underway.

Pei Jue held a crystal-clear stemmed glass, gently swirling the scarlet liquid inside.

He was wearing white linen casual wear, and even in such muggy weather, he didn't seem to sweat at all.

Just as Shen Yan said, he was an extremely dignified person.

So dignified that even his individual strands of hair looked meticulously calculated.

"CEO Shen, I’ve long admired you."

Pei Jue extended his hand with a smile so perfect it seemed measured by a ruler.

"It is an honor to meet you at a time when the 'asking heaven' AI is sweeping the globe."

Shen Yan did not extend his hand.

He simply nodded faintly and walked directly to a rattan chair nearby to sit down.

Chen Guangke stood behind him like a guardian deity, his eyes beneath his sunglasses fixed intently on the surrounding bodyguards.

Franz, meanwhile, acted like an unsophisticated tourist, squatting by a flowerbed and studying the automatic sprinkler system.

Pei Jue’s hand froze mid-air, but the smile on his face didn't waver in the slightest.

He naturally retracted his hand and smoothly adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

"It seems CEO Shen is a straightforward person."

"Then let’s get straight to the point."

"I heard CEO Shen is establishing a quantum computing center. I have already seen the list of specialized materials required."

Pei Jue took a document from a nearby waiter and gently placed it on the round table in front of Shen Yan.

"I must say, CEO Shen has a huge appetite."

"Liquid helium, superconducting niobium-titanium alloy, military-grade photoresist..."

"These items are all strategically controlled materials in any country."

Shen Yan didn't even glance at the document.

"You can get them."

This was not a question, but a statement.

The intelligence provided by the system was never wrong.

Pei Jue could not only acquire them, but he currently had a batch of the materials in his warehouse.

They were originally intended for shipment to a certain Middle Eastern country.

Pei Jue smiled, this time with a hint of a businessman's cunning.

"I am a businessman."

"As long as the price is right, there is nothing I cannot procure."

"But..."

He deliberately drew out the word, his gaze sweeping over Shen Yan.

"These items are too sensitive."

"If I take this order, I will have to bear a great deal of risk."

"So, besides the normal payment for the goods..."

"I also want five percent of Shenyan Group's non-voting shares."

Chen Guangke, standing nearby, frowned sharply.

Five percent?

This was simply an outrageous demand!

Thanks to 'asking heaven,' the market capitalization of Shenyan Group was already an astronomical figure.

Five percent of non-voting shares was enough to buy half of Singapore’s ports!

Franz also stopped studying the sprinkler system, turned his head, and looked at Pei Jue as if he were watching an idiot.

"Hey, four-eyes."

"Is your brain stuck in the door?"

"You want five percent? Why don't you ask to be the President of the US?"

Pei Jue wasn't angry either, maintaining that detestable elegance.

"This is called risk premium."

"This fair-haired gentleman might not understand, but in this world, some channels are priceless."

"Besides me, no one dares to supply CEO Shen with these goods."

"I also know CEO Shen’s current predicament. Tiannuo Biology is watching covetously, and that computing center must go online as soon as possible."

"Time is money, isn't it?"

He was certain that Shen Yan was anxious.

He was also certain that a newly risen magnate like Shen Yan had unstable foundations and no say in the international supply chain.

This was blatant extortion, done in plain sight.

Shen Yan finally picked up the document.

He flipped through two pages, then tore it in half right in front of Pei Jue.

"Five percent."

Shen Yan’s voice was light, betraying no emotion.

"Mr. Pei’s appetite is indeed impressive."

"But I don’t like doing business when someone has their hand around my throat."

"I have a new proposal for you."

Shen Yan took out a business card from his pocket and placed it lightly on the table.

"Join Tiansheng."

"Be in charge of the entire group's global supply chain."

"Annual salary of five million US dollars, plus one-thousandth of the equity options."

The smile on Pei Jue's face finally stiffened for a moment.

Immediately afterward, he burst into laughter as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He took off his glasses and used a handkerchief to wipe away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye.

"CEO Shen, are you joking with me?"

"You want me to work for you?"

"My 'Voyager Logistics' had a turnover of three billion US dollars last year."

"I own twelve bonded warehouses and seven ocean-going fleets globally."

"You want me to stop being the boss and become your... procurement manager?"

Pei Jue put his glasses back on, the temperature in his eyes suddenly dropping.

The veneer of gentle refinement had finally been torn open slightly, revealing the arrogance beneath.

"CEO Shen, it seems we have nothing to discuss."

"You should find someone more capable for those goods."

"However, I must remind you, in this region of Southeast Asia..."

"If I don't nod, no one will dare to take your order for those goods, even if they rot in the warehouse."

After speaking, Pei Jue picked up his teacup and made a gesture dismissing his guests.

The atmosphere instantly froze.