203: Chapter 203 Uninvited Guest

Howard Clifford?

The two security guards stared at the young man in confusion. Wasn't that their chairman's name? Who was he, arriving alone to look for Mr. Clifford?

And without even an appointment.

After all, Mr. Clifford was one of the most respected figures in Lime City.

Was their chairman someone just anyone could meet? One guard immediately wanted to scold Lin Fang and make him leave, but the other, slightly older guard stopped him.

This guard said politely, 'Sir, please wait a moment. I'll check for you.'

Lin Fang: 'Thank you.'

The guard went inside and returned after a while with an apologetic expression. 'Sir, I'm sorry, but our chairman is not at the company today.'

'Where did he go?'

'I don't know that, sir. If it's urgent, you can leave your contact information. We'll notify you as soon as the chairman returns.'

'It's fine...'

After seeing Lin Fang leave, the younger guard finally couldn't hold back. 'Brother Wilson, why were you so polite to that Asian guy?'

The older guard wiped cold sweat from his forehead and whispered, 'What do you know? That man just now was extremely dangerous. Look at how scared Little Ka is.'

Little Ka?

The younger guard snapped to attention and looked at the Arcanine beside him. This Fire-type pokémon, usually majestic and imposing, now seemed to have encountered a natural predator. Its tail was tightly tucked between its hind legs, its whole body trembling, not even daring to look in the direction Lin Fang had left.

'I've never seen Little Ka like this,' Wilson said with lingering fear. 'Even facing the most vicious criminals, it's never been this scared. That man... is definitely not ordinary.'

'We get paid $3,000 a month. Why risk our lives? We shouldn't provoke someone like that.'

The younger guard suddenly understood, looking in the direction Lin Fang had left, a trace of fear also appearing in his eyes. 'Brother Wilson, you're really experienced. If you hadn't stopped me just now, I might have gotten into big trouble.'

Then he asked in confusion, 'But didn't we see the chairman go in this morning? Why did you say he wasn't here?'

'Sigh, this is called speaking human language to humans and ghost language to ghosts. Did you really expect me to go find the chairman? Otherwise, you wouldn't see that $3,000 either. We have to learn to be flexible.'

The younger guard said admiringly, 'Brother Wilson, you're amazing. Where did you learn all this?'

'I was once an exchange student at a security school in the Central Continent. It was a magical place...'

—

Seeing that the formal approach didn't work, Lin Fang had no choice but to turn to informal methods. Coming outside the building, Lin Fang looked up at the Clifford Building. Though not as towering as the Civilization Spire he had built in reality, it was still over a hundred meters high.

Seeing no one around, the light around Lin Fang distorted slightly, and his entire person vanished under the sunlight.

Completely invisible, Lin Fang tapped the ground with one foot, and his whole body flew straight upward. If someone were observing with a spectrometer at that moment, they would see a blurry mass of light rising vertically at incredible speed, soon reaching the top of the building.

But Lin Fang found the windows here were closed, with no way to enter. He could only go down to a floor with an open ventilation window.

Just as Lin Fang landed, Howard Clifford's female assistant suddenly received a message from the chairman asking her to come up. Not daring to delay, the assistant hurried toward the elevator.

Ding—

The elevator doors opened, and Lin Fang seamlessly walked in with her. As the doors closed, the assistant inexplicably shivered, as if something had followed her inside.

The assistant looked around but saw nothing suspicious; she was alone in the elevator.

Must be my imagination. The assistant brushed off the strange feeling.

The elevator stopped at the top floor. The assistant quickly walked toward the chairman's office, with Lin Fang shadowing her closely. As she pushed the door open, he silently slipped inside.

Inside the office, Howard Clifford, in his wheelchair, was reviewing some documents at his desk. The floor-to-ceiling window behind him offered a view overlooking Lime City. Hearing the door open, Howard looked up and asked, 'What's so urgent?'

The assistant was stunned. 'Didn't you ask me to come up?'

'When did I ask you to come up? Get out!'

Not daring to say another word, the assistant slunk away.

Neither of them noticed a figure already sitting on the sofa beside the bookshelf.

Over ten minutes later, Lin Fang, watching Howard still handling documents, shook his head slightly. What a diligent old man. If not for this, Clifford Industries wouldn't have its current scale and status.

He had reviewed Howard's information. The life trajectory of this business titan was indeed commendable. He hadn't started from scratch, but he had elevated his father's foundation to unprecedented heights.

When Howard took over his father's nearly bankrupt construction company at twenty-five, everyone thought it was just a rich kid's whim. Yet, in just ten months, he turned the company profitable, and two years later, he successfully took it public, its market value soaring dozens of times.

What truly made Lin Fang look at Howard with new respect was his foresight. While other enterprises were still battling in traditional industries, he keenly grasped the potential of pokémon technology and decisively shifted the company's focus to this emerging field.

From initial Poké Ball manufacturing, to later energy cube research and development, to now cutting-edge genetic engineering, every step he took was ahead of its time.

Over thirty years, he successfully transformed a company worth just tens of billions into a supergroup now valued in the trillions. It must be said, behind every prominent figure's rise, there is a legend worth writing about.

Thinking this, Lin Fang clicked his tongue in admiration twice, simultaneously dispelling his light invisibility.

'Hmm?'

Howard, who had been reviewing documents, suddenly looked up and saw a young man sitting on the sofa in front of him, appearing as if from nowhere.

Howard's cloudy eyes abruptly contracted. His first instinct was to press the emergency call button on his wheelchair's armrest, but as soon as he moved, he found himself immobilized by some force, unable to budge.

'No need to be nervous,' Lin Fang stood up calmly. 'If I intended to kill you, you would already be unable to breathe.'

'Mr. Clifford, my uninvited visit today is to discuss a very important matter with you. Please forgive my abruptness.'

As he spoke, Lin Fang had already walked up to the old man, looking down at him.

'Who are you? What is your purpose?'

Howard took a deep breath. Decades of ups and downs in the business world allowed him to quickly suppress his inner shock. Yet, locking eyes with this young man, Howard couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

On Lin Fang's face, he saw a greed akin to that of a jackal...