190: Chapter 190 Compensation

The Qin Family's meeting hall.

This was originally the power center where the Qin Family's higher-ups decided the family's direction and issued orders, but at this moment, it had turned into an unequal negotiation table.

Lin Fan sat arrogantly in the main seat, a position that usually only the Family Head was allowed to occupy.

Meanwhile, Qin Wentian, a Half-step Martial King, could only sit aggrievedly in a lower seat, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot.

As for the current head of the Qin Family, Qin Tiannan, he could only stand submissively to the side, not even having the right to sit.

Although General Ye Canglan's projection had already dissipated, that sense of deterrence still loomed over the hearts of everyone in the Qin Family.

Most importantly, Lin Fan did not possess the combat power of an ordinary Grandmaster. If it really came to a fight, he was confident that even a Half-step Martial King could do nothing to him.

"The tea is not bad. Da Hong Pao?"

Lin Fan picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smacked his lips. "Pity, the water temperature for brewing was a bit low. What a waste."

"Major General Lin, let's just talk directly about the compensation."

Qin Wentian really couldn't stand Lin Fan's attitude of acting like the master of the house. He suppressed his anger and said, "One billion. The Qin Family will transfer it now. In addition, another two hundred million will be added as tea money for your young brothers."

In his view, any problem that could be solved with money was not a problem.

As long as they could send this plague god away, twelve hundred million was painful, but still within the Qin Family's range of endurance.

"Twelve hundred million?"

Lin Fan set down the teacup, making a crisp clinking sound.

He raised his eyelids and looked at Qin Wentian with a half-smile. "Ancestor Qin, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the term 'mental distress'?"

"I am a pillar of the nation, a future General Ye Canglan seed. My spirit has been traumatized, and that is a loss for the entire Dragon Country."

"Do you think the future of the Dragon Country is only worth twelve hundred million?"

Qin Wentian's hand gripping the armrest suddenly tightened, and the solid wood armrest instantly turned to powder.

"Then how much do you want?"

"I don't want money."

Lin Fan shook his head and leaned forward, his eyes staring intently at Qin Wentian. "I want resources."

"I heard the Qin Family has three core mineral veins in West Mountain? One Profound Iron mine, one Scarlet Copper mine, and one... associated Spirit Stone mine?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Tiannan's face changed drastically, and he cried out, "Impossible! Those are the foundation of the Qin Family! It's absolutely impossible to give them to you!"

Mineral veins were the basis for a great family's standing; they were continuous wealth-generating machines.

Especially that associated Spirit Stone mine—although its output wasn't high, it was a key resource for the Qin Family to cultivate their younger generation.

Demanding these three mines was equivalent to inserting a tube into the Qin Family's main artery to suck their blood.

"Don't be so quick to refuse."

Lin Fan wasn't angry. He slowly took out a small notebook from his pocket. "I'm a very reasonable person."

"Look, my new department has just been established. Everything is waiting to be done, and what we lack are raw materials."

"Didn't your Qin Family previously order a blockade on my construction material supply? Since I'm not allowed to buy them, I can only dig them myself."

"This logic is very sound, isn't it?"

Qin Wentian took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to slap Lin Fan to death.

"The ownership of the mineral veins absolutely cannot be touched. That is the bottom line."

Qin Wentian's voice was icy. "If Major General Lin insists on this, then even if the Qin Family has to fight to the death, we will go to the Military Department to report you for extortion."

"Fight to the death?"

Lin Fan sneered. "Are you even worthy?"

"However, I'm not an unreasonable person either."

Lin Fan changed the subject. "I don't want ownership. I only want the mining rights for these three veins for the next ten years."

"During these ten years, seventy percent of the output goes to me, and thirty percent goes to you. After ten years, the veins will be returned to the Qin Family."

"Furthermore, I don't need the Qin Family's people to work. I'll send my own engineering team to dig."

Qin Wentian's brow furrowed as he quickly calculated in his head.

Ten years of mining rights—although the loss would be heavy, at least they would keep the ownership.

And if Lin Fan mined it himself, given this kid's level of greed, he would surely dig frantically, but it was still better than having them seized outright.

Just as Qin Wentian was about to grit his teeth and agree, Lin Fan dropped another bombshell.

"In addition, to prevent you from playing little tricks behind my back, like cutting off power or blocking roads..."

Lin Fan's finger lightly tapped the tabletop. "I need a Qin Family member I trust to be solely responsible for the handover and management of these three mineral veins."

"Who?" Qin Wentian asked warily.

"Qin Feng."

Lin Fan spat out two words.

The hall instantly fell into a dead silence.

Qin Tiannan's expression became extremely strange.

Qin Feng was one of his many sons and was nominally a young master of the Qin Family.

But because Qin Feng was stubborn and unwilling to follow the crowd in their corrupt ways, he had always been marginalized by the family and was even dispatched to Jianghai City to network with minor families.

He hadn't expected Lin Fan to name him specifically.

"Qin Feng is a member of my Qin Family; he will naturally consider the family's interests," Qin Tiannan said, forcing himself to speak.

"Don't give me that nonsense."

Lin Fan waved his hand impatiently. "My condition is this one. The agent for these three mineral veins must be Qin Feng."

"All accounts, personnel transfers, and transportation approvals must be signed by Qin Feng to be valid."

"If anyone else is substituted, even if a single piece of ore is missing, I will default to the assumption that your Qin Family has torn up the treaty. When that time comes, don't blame me for bringing Elder Ye's jade talisman back to 'talk reason' again."

Qin Wentian looked deeply at Lin Fan.

This move was too poisonous.

This wasn't just snatching resources; it was interfering in the Qin Family's internal affairs, propping up a puppet, and even splitting the Qin Family.

Once Qin Feng held the management rights for these three core mineral veins, his status in the family would skyrocket instantly, even enough to contend with the Family Head.

Moreover, the relationship between Qin Feng and Lin Fan...

"Fine, I agree."

Qin Wentian closed his eyes, appearing as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

He had no choice.

If he didn't agree, the Qin Family wouldn't get past this hurdle today.

Besides, Qin Feng was still a member of the Qin Family after all. Better to have the meat rot in their own pot than to be completely swallowed by an outsider.

"Splendid!"

Lin Fan slapped his thigh and directly pulled out a pre-prepared contract from his system space. "Come, come, come. Sign it, seal it, and leave your thumbprint."

Looking at that contract, which was dozens of pages thick with terms detailed to an infuriating degree, Qin Tiannan's hands were shaking.

This kid came prepared!

He even had the contract printed in advance?

As Qin Wentian and Qin Tiannan signed their names and stamped the Qin Family's clan seal on the contract, this negotiation, filled with the smell of gunpowder, finally reached its conclusion.

Lin Fan put away the contract with satisfaction, a sincere smile appearing on his face.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Ancestor Qin."

"From now on, we're strategic partners. Let's make money together."

Qin Wentian snorted coldly and turned his head away, not wanting to look at him.

Make money, my foot!

This was a completely one-sided plunder!

"Oh, right."

Lin Fan walked to the door, suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Please pass a message to Qin Feng. Tell him to hurry back to the capital to report for duty."

"My department is about to be officially inaugurated, and I'm still waiting for him to send a flower basket."

After saying that, Lin Fan hummed a little tune and walked out of the hall with an arrogant stride.

Watching Lin Fan's departing figure, Qin Tiannan slumped into a chair, his face full of bitterness.

"Ancestor, this..."

"Shut up!"

Qin Wentian snapped his eyes open, a cold glint flashing through them. "Since the deed is done, let Qin Feng come back."

"Tell those fools in the clan that from now on, when they see Qin Feng, they'd better be polite to him."

"This kid found himself a good backer..."

Qin Wentian sighed.

He knew that from today onwards, the power structure of the capital had completely changed.

That Qin Feng, once regarded by them as a discarded pawn, would now step on the family's sore spot and soar to the heavens in a single bound.