"Oh? Master Zhuge, we meet at last—an honor, an honor..." Lai the Fat Man was, after all, a merchant who had weathered many a storm. Strange as he found it, he did not neglect the proprieties in greeting the Zhuge military adviser. Yet his words carried a hint of a question: this is our first meeting, so what brings you here?

"Heh heh, you must be wondering right now, Mr. Lai—why am I here?" The Zhuge military adviser smiled faintly. "Well, I can reveal the answer to Mr. Lai this very moment!"

"Oh? Do enlighten me, Master Zhuge." Lai the Fat Man frowned slightly. This Zhuge military adviser, he thought, hardly seems to come in peace—otherwise, if this were truly a partnership, he would never have spoken so high-handedly. It seems there may be trouble in this cooperation after all!

"In truth, I am the one seeking to cooperate with Mr. Lai, and this gentleman is our organization's spokesperson in this small country!" The Zhuge military adviser smiled faintly as he addressed Lai the Fat Man.

"Oh? So Master Zhuge is the man behind the curtain?" Lai the Fat Man was somewhat taken aback, though his face betrayed nothing as he asked, "Then may I ask what it is Master Zhuge wishes to cooperate on? Still selling our company's〖medicine〗?"

"〖Medicine〗?" The Zhuge military adviser smiled indifferently. "The profits on〖medicine〗are not low, true, but we do not think much of them. We are not here to sell〖medicine〗with Mr. Lai—we are here to sell drugs!"

"What?!" Lai the Fat Man was startled, and his expression finally changed. "Master Zhuge, you must be joking. I am an honest businessman—this is no laughing matter..."

"Who is joking with you?" The Zhuge military adviser's tone shifted as well, turning from the smiling tiger of before into a domineering wolf. "I will tell you plainly: you are already aboard our pirate ship. You will do it whether you like it or not—otherwise, do not blame us for being unkind!"

"You..." Lai the Fat Man's face turned exceedingly ugly. "Selling drugs is illegal. Whether it is so in this small country I do not know, but in our country it is not permitted. I will not cooperate with you."

"Heh heh, not cooperate? You say you will not cooperate, and so you will not?" The Zhuge military adviser regarded Lai the Fat Man with a look that was neither smile nor sneer.

"Surely you do not mean to coerce me? We are all merchants; one man's well does not encroach on another's. If the deal falls through, goodwill remains. But if you press me relentlessly, then I can only call the police." Lai the Fat Man's tone had turned very unpleasant as well.

"Call the police? Go ahead, try it. I do not mind telling you—into this shipment of〖medicine〗you brought, I have already slipped a quantity of drugs. Go on, try calling the police, and see whether you end up implicated." The Zhuge military adviser spoke with utter assurance. "I know what you are thinking. You will say you knew nothing, that it was our doing—that does not matter. Once this matter breaks, the reputation of your Guan the Doctor Pharmaceuticals will be ruined. I will also have people spread word that your company is a drug-trafficking enterprise, that your painkillers and other〖medicines〗work so well only because of drugs!"

"You... you..." Lai the Fat Man was livid, his face ashen. Indeed, just as the Zhuge military adviser said, even if the matter were eventually cleared up and shown to have nothing to do with him, if these people set their minds to ruining his company, they could very well trumpet their smears before the investigation was even concluded, sending his company's reputation plummeting—and then it would be yellow mud dropped into one's trousers: whether or not it is shit, it is shit.

"You what? You are thinking that cooperating with us is the best way out, are you not? Rest assured, we do not need you to do anything. All we want is your company's exemption-from-inspection rights for exported〖medicine〗. Just let us take a share of the profits in your exports and imports, and you can sit back and collect the money. It is a win-win proposition—why not?" The Zhuge military adviser, having dealt the slap, now offered the sweet date, and began to paint the benefits of cooperation.

"Your headquarters are in our country?" Lai the Fat Man had calmed down by now, and after a moment's hesitation he asked.

"Heh heh, our domestic branch is just that—a branch. I am the head of the branch, and I am responsible only for the business in these parts; the rest is not mine to manage. Of course, if Mr. Lai wishes to expand the business, that is not impossible either—I will help make the connections." The Zhuge military adviser said.

"If we do this for a year, how much profit would there be?" Lai the Fat Man pondered a moment, then asked.

"If you cooperate fully, I can guarantee you at least five billion in profit a year!" The Zhuge military adviser smiled. "Mind you, the unit is US dollars!"

"What! Five billion US dollars?" Even Lai the Fat Man now stared wide-eyed in astonishment! No wonder they said the richest people in the world were those invisible drug lords—that saying, it seemed, was no lie at all. If he, as a company merely taking a cut, could make five billion US dollars, how much could they make themselves? An astronomical figure, surely?

"Heh heh, are you tempted?" The Zhuge military adviser watched Lai the Fat Man's expression and felt his coercion and enticement were taking effect—first frighten Lai the Fat Man, then dangle great profit before him. He did not believe Lai the Fat Man could remain unmoved!

"Phew... To be honest, I myself am deeply tempted." Lai the Fat Man was not tempted—only appalled—but at this moment he had no choice but to feign keen interest and play along with the Zhuge military adviser. Otherwise, Guan the Doctor Pharmaceuticals would likely be notorious by this time tomorrow for suspected drug trafficking, and that would deal a fatal blow to the company's reputation!

〖Medicine〗saves people; drugs harm them. The stark contrast between the two would surely send the company's good name plunging.

"Myself? What do you mean by that?" The Zhuge military adviser was slightly taken aback.

"You should know the company is not mine alone—I have partners. So on this matter I cannot decide by myself. Even if you threaten me, I still cannot make the decision now." Lai the Fat Man said. "Of course, personally I am very much inclined to cooperate with Master Zhuge—after all, this money comes so fast—but I must first persuade my partners."

"Your partners? Oh, that is fine. Make a phone call and have your partners come here—I will talk with them myself!" The Zhuge military adviser was in no hurry. Once Lai the Fat Man was settled, half the battle was won.

"Master Zhuge, why do we not discuss it in detail after we return home? At a time like this, having my partners leave is hardly realistic. If I go abroad, there must be someone holding the fort at the company at home." Lai the Fat Man pondered a moment, then said.

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