5: Chapter 5 Don't misunderstand, we are a legitimate veterinary drug factory.

"You want all of it? Sophia, do you think this is grocery shopping?"

Chen Yuan finally managed to pry the landlady, who was clinging to him like an octopus, off his body, and slowly straightened the collar of his bathrobe that had been crumpled in the struggle.

Sophia didn't have time to worry about her appearance; she paced back and forth in the living room in excitement, her high heels tapping out a rapid drumbeat on the floor.

"Do you know how much the revenue was last night? Twenty thousand dollars! A full twenty thousand!"

She spun around suddenly, her eyes gleaming as she gestured, the curves of her chest heaving with excitement. "That fat guy didn't just max out the drink tab, he even tipped every single waiter in the place. If his wife hadn't dragged him away with two bodyguards at the end, he would have even tried to buy the stripper pole from the bar to take home as a souvenir!"

Chen Yuan sat on the sofa, crossing his legs, watching the woman who had fallen into a frenzy, his heart remaining calm.

This was already within his expectations.

In this city filled with oppression and exhaustion, dopamine was the hardest currency.

"So, Chen, don't play those cat-and-mouse games with me."

Sophia leaned forward, bracing her hands on the coffee table, her peach-blossom eyes fixed intently on Chen Yuan. "I know you're short on cash. This run-down Pharmaceutical Factory needs electricity and water bills, labor costs, and you still have to pay back those... uh, even though Jack is dead, the other creditors must still be around."

She took a deep breath and threw out her bargaining chip: "I can be your exclusive agent. As long as it's sold in 'Night City,' we split the profits fifty-fifty. How about it?"

"Fifty-fifty?" Chen Yuan chuckled, picking up an empty wine glass from the table and toying with it. "Sophia, aren't you being a bit too greedy? I have the product; I could easily stock it at any truck stop or underground casino. Why should I give you half?"

"Because I have the channels, and..." Sophia gritted her teeth, as if making some sort of decision, "and I can help you block some of the trouble. For example, that greedy Sheriff Carlos."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the shrill sound of a police siren suddenly came from downstairs.

Immediately following that was the frantic shouting of Old John and a flurry of chaotic footsteps.

"Damn it! Speak of the devil!"

Sophia's expression changed. She walked quickly to the window, took a look down, then turned back to Chen Yuan and said, "It's Sheriff Carlos, and he brought at least ten police officers. It must be that the matter with Jack wasn't cleaned up properly, and someone called the police."

She grabbed her coat anxiously, "You hurry and leave through the back door; I'll go help you stall them..."

"Sit down."

Chen Yuan's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority.

He did not show the slightest bit of panic; instead, he pulled a heavy black briefcase from the safe under the coffee table. That was the "compensation for mental anguish" he had looted from Jack's corpse yesterday, containing exactly two hundred thousand dollars in cash.

"Sophia, in this world, only the dead need to run."

Chen Yuan patted the case, the corners of his mouth curling into a meaningful arc, "The living only need to negotiate."

Two minutes later, the office door was kicked open roughly.

A middle-aged sheriff with a bloated figure and a face full of flab rushed in, accompanied by several police officers with their hands on their holsters.

Sheriff Carlos.

The infamous "vampire" of San Verde. As long as you paid him, he would turn a blind eye to even murder and arson. But if you didn't pay, even if you just spat on the ground, he would throw you into a detention center to feed the rats.

"Chen! Someone reported that a serious, violent brawl occurred here, with suspicions of illegal imprisonment!"

Carlos shouted as soon as he entered, his murky eyes scanning the room, finally settling on Sophia with a lecherous grin. "Yo, Miss Sophia is here too? It seems our young Master Chen is living quite comfortably."

Sophia frowned in disgust and instinctively shrank behind Chen Yuan.

Chen Yuan sat behind the desk, hands clasped, looking at the uninvited guests with an innocent expression.

"Sheriff, I think this must be a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding?" Carlos sneered, striding to the desk and bracing his hands on the surface. "My informant saw Baldy Jack enter your factory with five people, and they never came out again. Do you want to explain where they went? Did they ascend to heaven to meet God?"

"Something like that."

Chen Yuan shrugged, his tone as relaxed as if he were discussing the weather. "Mr. Jack did indeed visit, and we had a very... frank business negotiation. In the end, he deeply realized his mistakes; not only did he forgive my debt, but he also decided to go to a very distant place to start a new life."

"Bullshit!"

Carlos slammed the table, his facial fat trembling. "Are you playing me? Who in all of San Verde doesn't know that Jack is a mad dog? He's going to start a new life? Only if he's dead!"

"Search! Search it! Even if you have to tear this run-down factory apart, find me the bodies!"

Carlos waved his hand, and the police officers behind him were about to take action immediately.

"Wait."

Chen Yuan spoke up suddenly.

He reached out and pressed down on the black briefcase, giving it a gentle push.

The case slid across the smooth tabletop, stopping accurately in front of Sheriff Carlos.

"Sheriff, where is the search warrant?"

Chen Yuan asked with a smile. "If there is no search warrant, this is called trespassing. Of course, if it's to support safety production inspections for local businesses, then as a taxpayer, I am very welcoming."

Sheriff Carlos paused.

He looked at the black case, and then at Chen Yuan's calm, water-like eyes. Years of professional instinct told him that what was inside this case was definitely not some local specialty.

He waved his hand to stop his subordinates and suspiciously opened a slit in the case.

A charming shade of green came into view.

Sheriff Carlos's breathing instantly became heavier. The thickness of the stack inside was at least fifty thousand dollars. That was two years of his salary.

"Ahem..."

Sheriff Carlos quickly closed the case, the ferocious expression on his face instantly vanishing, replaced by a seasoned, somewhat greedy smile. "Well... Mr. Chen is right, we are indeed here to conduct... safety checks. After all, public security hasn't been great lately."

"Understood, completely understood."

Chen Yuan pulled another box out from under the desk.

This time it wasn't money, but a box of pre-packaged "Purple Water."

"In addition to supporting the police department's development, I've also prepared some small gifts."

Chen Yuan took out a bottle of "Dali," twisted off the cap, and handed it to Sheriff Carlos. "This is our factory's newly developed... nutritional supplement for animals. For those officers who need to patrol and work long shifts, it can effectively relieve fatigue and improve... work efficiency."

Sheriff Carlos took the bottle and sniffed it suspiciously.

That familiar grape scent reminded him of the rumors he had heard at "Night City" last night. It was said there was a mysterious elixir that could make a man go seven times a night without getting tired.

Could this be it?

"Animal medicine?" Sheriff Carlos narrowed his eyes, his gaze sharp. "Will anything happen if a human drinks it?"

"Sheriff, you're joking."

Chen Yuan pointed to Alice, who was standing to the side, silent but imposing. "We are a legitimate Pharmaceutical Factory, and every product has legal approval—of course, for animal use. As for if someone accidentally drinks it as a beverage... that just shows it tastes too good, doesn't it?"

"Besides, the only side effect is feeling a bit hungry."

Sheriff Carlos looked at Chen Yuan, then at the box of money and the box of medicine.

He had been in San Verde for so many years, seen too many desperadoes, and seen too many fallen nobles. But this was the first time he had seen someone like Chen Yuan, who could be so calm about using money and interests to pave the way after committing murder and robbery.

This young man had changed.

He was no longer the wastrel who only knew how to gamble, but a wolf that had just bared its fangs.

"Since it's a misunderstanding, then that's easy to settle."

Sheriff Carlos calmly picked up the case filled with money, the movement so practiced it was heart-wrenching. "Scum like Jack, his disappearance is just ridding the people of a scourge. As long as I don't see any bodies and you don't make things difficult for me, this matter is closed."

He picked up the bottle of "Dali" and downed a gulp.

A few seconds later, that violent surge of energy instantly washed through his exhausted body, making his murky eyes become incredibly clear in an instant.

"Good stuff!"

Sheriff Carlos couldn't help but exclaim, feeling that his back didn't ache and his legs didn't hurt; he even wanted to go out on the street right now and catch a few drug dealers to practice on.

"I want as much of this stuff as you have."

Sheriff Carlos picked up the box of medicine as well. Before leaving, he suddenly stopped and turned back to give Chen Yuan a meaningful look.

"Chen, since you're so sensible, I'll give you a piece of news."

"The truck driver union over at the docks has been striking recently. Those drivers, in order to make time, will put anything in their mouths. If you can sell this stuff to them..."

Sheriff Carlos licked his lips. "That would make a lot more money than selling this pittance in a bar."

After saying this, he left with the police officers, fully satisfied.

The office returned to silence.

Sophia stared at everything in a daze. It wasn't until the sound of the police cars faded away that she came back to her senses and looked at Chen Yuan in disbelief.

"You just... handled him like that?"

"What else? Invite him to breakfast?"

Chen Yuan sat back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Sophia, remember one thing. In this place, there is nothing that money cannot solve. If there is, it's because there isn't enough money."

He turned his head and looked toward the busy docks outside the window.

Truck drivers. Striking. Isn't this a ready-made, huge, and hungry market?

"It seems our first pot of gold will be earned from these truck drivers."

Chen Yuan snapped his fingers. "Has Victor arrived? Tell him to come see me. We need to get to work."