Julian's dagger pressed against Adam's skin.
The blade reflected the lights in the office, and the chill penetrated through the skin to the bone marrow.
"It seems that your days in a mental hospital have made you tired of living!"
Julian's voice was bloodthirsty with excitement, and he had dealt with countless enemies in the same way on the battlefield in Afghanistan.
Adam felt the breath of death, but his expression was still calm as water.
He didn't even blink his eyelids.
His gaze passed Julian and looked directly at Sterling, who was sitting behind his desk.
"You don't dare to touch me."
The voice was flat as if discussing today's weather.
Sterling took a sip of whiskey with great interest.
"Young man, why?"
He lowered his glass and tapped his fingers on the table.
"With what my friend has in his hands."
The corners of Adam's mouth rose slightly.
"If something happens to me, a piece of evidence about your early 'rat barn' deals will be sent to the media."
A hint of surprise flashed in Sterling's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.
He nodded at Julian.
Julian put away his dagger, walked quickly to the other side of the office, picked up the internal phone and dialed a number.
"Go to the café across the street immediately and find a kid named Ben."
His voice was low but could be heard by everyone in the room.
"Alive."
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
Julian picked up the phone, his face gradually becoming ugly.
"What? Run away? "
He hung up the phone abruptly and turned to look at Sterling.
"That kid was very alert, and he left before our people arrived."
Sterling smiled contemptuously.
"Adam, your little trick is not good enough."
He stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city beneath his feet.
"What important evidence can a bankrupt boy have?"
Adam's eyes suddenly became sharp.
"Of course that's not enough."
He paused for a second, letting the weight of the sentence settle completely.
"So, is the name An Jianguo enough?"
Sterling's glass almost slipped out of his hand.
He turned abruptly, and the contempt in his eyes disappeared in an instant, replaced by deep fear.
"What did you say?"
Victoria also stood up from her chair, her face turning pale.
"An Jianguo, the real member of the China Securities Regulatory Commission."
Adam's voice was still calm, but every word was so heavy that it hit the heart.
"Known for its iron fist, it specializes in dealing with illegal transactions on Wall Street."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over everyone in the room.
"More importantly, he was my father's classmate at West Point."
"There is a lifelong friendship."
Sterling's fingers began to tremble.
He looked at Victoria, his voice clearly nervous.
"Victoria, John's relationship with An Jianguo..."
"Indeed, as he said."
Victoria's voice was so dry that she couldn't make a sound.
"John saved An Jianguo's life back then, and their relationship was extraordinary."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Everyone could feel that suffocating tension.
Julian's hand reached his waist again, but this time he hesitated.
He knew that once he alarmed the CSRC, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Sterling stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window for a long time, and the lights of the city cast a changing light and shadow on his face.
His brain was racing against possibilities.
It's easy to kill Adam, but if it really alarms An Jianguo...
It would be an earthquake enough to destroy the business empire he had painstakingly run for years.
After a long time, Sterling suddenly burst into laughter.
The laughter echoed in the huge office, sounding a little weird.
"Good boy, you have the style of your father back then."
He turned around and sat back down behind his desk.
"I'll give you this face."
A hint of appreciation flashed in his eyes, but more of a deep murderous intent.
"How much do you want?"
Adam did not answer immediately.
He knew that the more readily Sterling agreed, the more he meant that he had murderous intentions.
But now that it has come this far, there is no way out.
"Two million dollars."
His voice was so calm that there was no wave.
Sterling's eyes were more murderous, but the smile on his face was brighter.
"Two million?"
He stood up and walked to the safe.
"This amount is a bit big, I need time to prepare."
He took a suitcase from the safe.
"First give you a deposit of 200,000 yuan, as my sincerity."
The suitcase made a dull sound on the desk.
Sterling opened the box, which was neatly arranged with stacks of brand new U.S. dollar bills.
Each one exudes the scent of ink.
"Give me a month for the remaining 1.8 million."
Adam looked at the bills and knew in his heart that this was not a hush money.
This is the money to buy his life.
But he walked over and picked up the suitcase.
The weight is heavier than expected.
The weight of two hundred thousand dollars in cash is about four pounds.
"Deal."
He picked up his suitcase, turned around and walked towards the door.
"Boy."
Julian spoke viciously behind his back.
"Take the money and get out of here, let me see you again, I won't be so lucky."
Adam didn't look back, only paused for a second as he passed Julian.
"Julian, I remember you."
His voice was very soft, but his murderous intent was so strong that he couldn't dissolve it.
A chill suddenly surged down Julian's spine.
The moment the elevator door closed, Sterling's smile completely disappeared.
He walked to the wine cabinet and poured himself a stronger glass.
"Victoria, contact Clark."
Victoria nodded.
Clark is the most professional cleaner in the Wall Street underworld, specializing in all kinds of "troubles".
"Tell him that I want that kid to disappear in three days."
Sterling took a sip of the wine in a toast.
"Clean and neat, leaving no trace."
"Na'an Jianguo's side..."
"What can a dead friend say?"
Sterling sneered.
"As long as it is done cleanly, who can prove that we did it?"
Julian walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and watched Adam leave downstairs.
"Boss, that kid is a bit evil."
He touched the scar on his neck.
"I felt an aura of danger in him."
"Danger?"
Sterling shook his head disdainfully.
"Julian, you have been on the battlefield for a long time and have become suspicious."
He sat back down at his desk.
"What danger can a bankrupt madman have?"
But Julian's brows were still furrowed.
As a veteran who survived the battlefield, he has a beastly sense of danger.
At that moment, the breath he felt from Adam...
That's not what an ordinary financial practitioner should have.
More like a wolf hiding in a flock.
In the café across the street, Ben waited nervously.
His phone screen was always on, ready to send that email.
When he saw Adam safely out of the building, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
The two meet at a safe location a few blocks away.
It was a small bar open 24 hours a day, with few customers and dimly lit corners.
Adam put the suitcase on the table and opened it for Ben to see.
"Oh my God..."
Ben looked at the banknotes, and his eyes straightened.
"Did you really succeed?"
Adam pulled out a wad of money from it and handed it to him.
"It's yours."
This pendulum waved his hand.
"Brother, this is your money..."
"Ben."
Adam's eyes became solemn.
"Sterling wants to use the money to make me disappear."
He closed the suitcase, his voice low and low.
"We must use this money to find a real backer for ourselves before they do it."
Ben's face instantly became serious.
"You mean, they will..."
"Within three days."
Adam nodded.
"With Sterling's methods, it won't give us much time."
He stood up and lifted the suitcase.
"Let's go, we have work to do."
The music in the bar continued, but the figures of the two men had disappeared into the night.
$200,000 is not a lot of money on Wall Street.
But for Adam now, this is the first fulcrum to get back on his feet.
It may also be a life-threatening charm.
[System prompt: The first start-up capital is in hand, the danger level is raised to red, it is recommended that the host immediately find reliable shelter]
The night is deep, and the lights on Wall Street are still bright.
But behind this prosperity, a game of life and death has just begun.