241: Chapter 241 Desert Hunting Grounds

Wind and sand howled in the desert as the temperature plummeted below zero.

Chen Haoyu stood atop a sand dune and released his finger from the communicator.

"Move out."

As those two simple words fell, over a dozen Pangu mechanical war dogs kicked off the ground with their hind legs, charging into the enemy formation like streaks of black lightning. Covered in special alloy armor, they moved silently through the dark night.

"Fire! Stop them!" Scorpion roared, raising his automatic rifle and firing frantically.

It was useless. The bullets struck the mechanical dogs' outer shells, only kicking up a few sparks.

The leading mechanical dog leaped up, its metal front claws slamming heavily into Scorpion's chest. Scorpion was sent flying, crashing hard against an off-road vehicle's door; he fainted before he could even catch his breath.

The Shadow Guard followed up the assault. Wearing individual night vision goggles, they fired precise shots with their silenced rifles.

There was no nonsense, no standoff. This was a one-sided crushing defeat.

The tactical proficiency the mercenaries took pride in was worthless in the face of an absolute technological generation gap. Their electronic equipment was completely paralyzed, communications were cut off by intense jamming, and they couldn't even support one another.

The demolition expert tried to press the manual detonation button on the explosives box. A member of the Shadow Guard flashed out from the side and slammed a rifle butt directly into the back of his head.

In less than ten minutes, the gunfire stopped.

The desert returned to a deathly silence. Over twenty mercenaries lay scattered across the sand, all of them taken down.

"Clean up the battlefield. Tie them all up securely, load them onto trucks for the port, and dump them into the high seas overnight," Chen Haoyu commanded as he walked down the dune.

The Shadow Guard began tying the people up with efficient movements.

A faint static crackle came from Chen Haoyu's tactical headset, followed by a girl's soft voice.

"Hao Yu, it's cold in the Northwest. Did you bring thick clothes?" It was his fiancée, Li Meng.

Looking at the messy battlefield, the facial lines Chen Haoyu kept tense year-round softened.

"I did. Once things are finished here, I'll be back tomorrow to help you pick out a wedding dress."

He cut the communication and glanced toward the capital. The task assigned by the boss had been concluded cleanly.

The scene shifted back to the top floor of the Bvlgari Hotel in the capital.

Mr. Xiao kicked aside the shattered remains of a phone. He stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, his chest heaving violently.

More than ten minutes had passed, and there had been no further word from Scorpion. He knew in his heart that the top-tier team he had hired for a fortune was gone.

The assistant stood behind him, not daring to even breathe loudly. He held the top-secret document he had just obtained with both hands.

"What was that insider information you just mentioned?" Mr. Xiao turned around, staring intently at the assistant.

The assistant hurriedly handed over the document. "Huihuang Group has a trillion-level bridge loan with our country's four major banks. It expires the day after tomorrow."

Mr. Xiao snatched the document and scanned it quickly.

This money was used by Huihuang Group to cover the initial investment for the second phase of the Northwest mining area construction. Given Huihuang Group's previous scale, the expiration of such a loan would usually be a mere formality, with banks scrambling to offer them extensions.

But now, it had become a fatal vulnerability.

Mr. Xiao gripped the pages tightly, the paper making a harsh crumpling sound.

"A trillion-level loan... their current cash flow is all tied up in the new mining area and the development of the second world. Once the banks withdraw the loans, Chen Fan's capital chain will break immediately!" Mr. Xiao laughed aloud.

He threw the document onto the table.

"Go, contact those old financial magnates who were forced into retirement by Chen Fan. Tell them the chance for a comeback has arrived."

The assistant nodded. "Mr. Xiao, what about the banks?"

"Smash them with money! As long as those bank executives are given enough, combined with the joint pressure from several major magnates, I don't believe they'll dare grant Huihuang Group an extension!" Mr. Xiao gritted his teeth, staring toward the Huihuang Group headquarters building outside the window.

"Chen Fan, so what if your technology is strong? Without money, your empire is just an empty shell!"

The next afternoon.

Huihuang Group headquarters, top-floor conference room.

The air was so heavy it was suffocating.

Chen Muyang sat in the main seat, looking at the four middle-aged men in suits sitting opposite him. These four were the heads of the credit departments of the country's four major banks.

"President Li, President Wang." Chen Muyang crossed his hands on the table. "According to the contract, that trillion-level loan is supposed to be extended tomorrow. Now you're coming here to tell me the risk assessment failed?"

The leader, President Li, avoided Chen Muyang's gaze and gave a dry cough. "Young Master Chen, the banks have their difficulties too. Huihuang Group has spread itself too thin, and some of your overseas assets have been frozen. Following a board resolution, this loan cannot be extended."

"You're demanding immediate repayment?" Chen Muyang stood up.

The four presidents didn't respond, which amounted to a silent confirmation.

The CFO was sweating profusely on the side. "Presidents, this is a trillion! Not ten billion! Demanding the money tomorrow—isn't this forcing our capital chain to break?"

President Li stood up and placed a formal demand notice on the table.

"It's in black and white; we are acting according to the rules. Young Master Chen, if the money isn't in the account by 5:00 PM tomorrow, we will have no choice but to proceed with judicial measures and seize the assets under Huihuang Group's name."

After speaking, the four men walked out of the conference room without looking back.

Chen Muyang kicked over a nearby chair. The solid wood chair slammed into the glass wall with a loud crash.

"Burning bridges! These bastards have definitely been bought off by Mr. Xiao!" Chen Muyang cursed loudly.

A trillion-dollar funding gap with less than twenty-four hours to go. This was a complete dead end.

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open.

All the executives looked over.

Chen Fan walked in pushing a baby stroller. Inside, the third child, Chen Xingchen, was sleeping soundly while biting his finger. Chen Fan leaned down and gently tucked a pacifier into the little guy's mouth.

He raised his hand and put his index finger to his lips.

"Shh. Don't wake the child."

Chen Muyang whispered urgently, "Dad! The trillion-level loan is being withdrawn tomorrow. If we can't produce the money, our company will be seized!"

Chen Fan's face remained calm. He pulled a crumpled slip of paper from his pocket and handed it over.

"Go to this address and find this person. Bring your Yellow Vest with you," Chen Fan said softly.