84: Chapter 84 The Inventor King Becomes a Lone Commander

As Edison's second wife, Mina pondered for a moment and decided that having a painter do a portrait wasn't a big deal.

A girl who grew up in the countryside of Ohio, she had never seen such a spectacle and was completely unable to resist a French Casanova from the city of romance.

Within a few minutes, Mina was captivated by the witty and humorous French hunk before her.

The two were of a similar age and had plenty of topics to discuss.

Unlike her and Edison, with whom she stayed at home all day without finding a single common topic, living a dull and lifeless life.

By the time the two walked out of the church, Mina had long been coaxed into a radiant smile, her eyes filled with joy.

A day later, the white assistant Willie stood before the desk and reported the results to Lin Tian.

The French painter named Piero had completely won over Mina.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Tian was startled: "So fast? Where did you dig up such a powerhouse?"

Willie quickly explained: "I asked the owner of Tony's Bar in Queens to help make the connection. I heard that although Piero is French, he used to hang out in London's high society, and all the wealthy wives and young ladies in London were infatuated with him."

"According to his own bragging, at his peak, he was dating fifteen girlfriends at the same time, living a life of debauchery every day, and the women would fight to pay his bills."

"If he hadn't played too recklessly and accidentally slept with the wife of a powerful British Marquis, leading the Marquis to issue a Europe-wide bounty for him, he would never have run to the USA to lie low!"

When Willie first heard this from the bar owner, his jaw almost dropped to the floor.

Later, when Lin Tian instructed him to find a handsome guy to test Edison's delicate wife, he immediately thought of this legendary Casanova who was famous throughout Europe.

After hearing this glorious resume, Lin Tian could only give a thumbs up in his heart and secretly sigh: He really is a genius!

"Willie, go ask Piero if he's willing to work for me in the future!" Lin Tian tapped the table and gave the order directly.

For a man like this who could make women spin in circles and be like a fish in water among them, Lin Tian not only wouldn't look down on him, but instead felt that this was a gift from God.

This was a rare talent that ninety-nine point nine percent of men couldn't learn even if they tried their best.

Think about Mina, that devout believer in Edison's home, who had her fortress breached by this guy in just one day.

This top-tier social skill, used in certain special occasions, could absolutely produce unexpected and miraculous results.

"Understood, Boss!"

Willie nodded and continued his report, "Mr. Van Persie from South Africa is very satisfied with the New York itinerary we arranged. He promised in person that after returning to his country, he would do everything possible to convince their President to take a portion of the gold from the national treasury and ship it to our Wells Fargo Bank for storage!"

"Well done. Keep an eye on him and let him enjoy the top-tier hospitality of the USA." Lin Tian smiled with satisfaction.

"No problem, Boss!"

Willie acknowledged, suddenly remembered something, and quickly added, "Oh right, Bai Ye, the secretary of the Hongmen headquarters, just called to say that a tough character has arrived in San Francisco. It's a martial arts master from back home who not only overturned the entire Chinatown martial arts gym scene with an undefeated record, but also announced that he would soon be heading to New York!"

"A martial arts master?" Lin Tian was somewhat surprised.

Ever since he introduced the concept of Chinese Kung Fu and took root in the USA, Chinese martial arts gyms had opened up in all major cities.

Magical Kung Fu had long become a topic of conversation for the common people after tea and meals.

With so many martial arts gyms opening, to fight for students and territory, collisions and friction between the various sects were inevitable.

After all, competitors are enemies.

Fortunately, everyone was under the banner of Hongmen.

And they all listened to the command of the leader, Lin Shi.

After years of painstaking management, Lin Shi's control over Hongmen was no longer what it used to be.

Because countless Chinese people had received his kindness.

From wealthy bosses with deep pockets to poor laborers repairing shoes on the street, everyone not only admired his chivalry but was also deeply grateful to him.

It is no exaggeration to say that with just one word from Lin Shi, more than half of the Hongmen brothers would absolutely be willing to risk their lives for him.

Under the absolute authority of Lin Shi, although the various martial arts gyms constantly made small moves, they never truly fell out.

As more and more martial arts gyms opened, a craze for martial arts competitions swept across the USA.

On the street arenas, one could often see two white strongmen putting on a show, performing Baji Fist, Hung Fist, or Gu Ang Fist, the scene quite comical.

This craze naturally also spread to China across the ocean.

Starting a few years ago, martial arts masters from back home successively crossed the ocean to the USA to open gyms and spar.

Some madmen, wanting to make a name for themselves, even clamored from afar to challenge Lin Tian.

Obviously, this martial arts master who popped up from San Francisco was likely also here for fame and fortune.

However, this person really had some skills to be able to sweep through the martial arts experts of the entire San Francisco Chinatown single-handedly.

Without some real ability, one could absolutely not do such a thing.

"Did Bai Ye mention what that person's name is?" Lin Tian asked curiously.

"It seems his name is Li Shuwen, about twenty-eight years old. He practices Baji Fist and carries a big long spear on his back!" Willie repeated what Bai Ye had said.

"Good heavens, it really is the butterfly effect!" Lin Tian couldn't help but exclaim in his heart.

"Even that peerless powerhouse known as 'The Unrivaled Fist, Divine Spear Li Shuwen' has been attracted here? Or is it just a coincidence of having the same name?"

Come to think of it, because the Chinese Exclusion Act was never enacted, the number of Chinese people moving to the USA to settle down had exploded in recent years.

From three hundred thousand eight years ago, it had doubled directly to eight hundred thousand.

Compatriots flocked to buy houses and land, making Chinatowns appear everywhere in the USA.

New immigrants staying inside felt no different than being back home.

A wave of migration to the South Seas was directly sparked back home.

Coming to the USA had become the top choice for many young people opening their eyes to the world.

According to historical trends, Li Shuwen, who should have never left the country, had actually followed this wave to the other side of the ocean.

"I know. You go get busy." Lin Tian waved his hand calmly.

"Yes, Boss!"

Willie agreed and turned to exit the office.

Regarding this suddenly appearing Divine Spear Li Shuwen, Lin Tian didn't take it to heart at all.

After injecting the perfect t-virus, his current physique was comparable to a human monster.

His vitality was terrifyingly strong; even ordinary pistol bullets hitting his body couldn't reach vital organs, and it wasn't easy to die.

No matter how fierce Li Shuwen's Baji Fist was, or how accurate his spear thrusts were, in the end, he was just an ordinary human.

In the face of absolute strength and speed, no matter how exquisite the martial arts, it was all just for show.

Lin Tian put the matter of the competition behind him, picked up the phone, and dialed Anna's number directly.

He told Anna exactly what happened with Mina's affair.

There was silence on the other end for a moment before Anna spoke: "I've handled things on my end too! Edison's closed-door research on the nickel-iron alkaline battery is absolutely hopeless. We at Umbrella Laboratory have long produced a finished product for this technology, but we just haven't announced it publicly, and he is completely in the dark!"

Anna continued: "More than half of the researchers at Edison Laboratory have privately signed letters of intent with us. As soon as his side goes bankrupt, this group can immediately pack up and jump ship to work at Umbrella Laboratory!"

After hearing Anna's words, Lin Tian shook his head inwardly.

The Inventor King had reached a pitiful state.

His employees not only had zero loyalty, but were probably burning incense and praying every day, hoping their boss would go bankrupt and close down sooner.

Only then could they logically jump to the deep-pocketed Umbrella Laboratory.

These researchers dreamed every day, hoping they could be like Tesla.

Just by coming up with a practical patent, they could get a five percent stake in the power company.

Relying solely on this dividend, Tesla had long become a veritable millionaire.

In contrast, working under Edison, no matter how amazing the invention, the patent rights would be forcibly occupied by Edison, and in the end, he would toss them a few hundred dollars in bonuses like giving alms to a beggar.

If it weren't for the strict rules of the confidentiality agreements, when Umbrella Laboratory went to poach people, these laborers would have long since run off, leaving no one behind.