After a hard day's work, Robert Downs returned to the dilapidated building.
I poured half a glass of red wine, leaned back on the sofa, and savored it bit by bit. The mellow aroma spread in my mouth, and time seemed to freeze.
Robert particularly loves red wine. When he was a boss, he would pour two glasses of Romanee-Conti every night. The feeling was unforgettable.
After a while, there was a sound of the door opening behind him. Warren Austin walked into the room, glanced at the empty bottle in the corner, and said helplessly,
"A box of red wine was finished in a few days. I guess I have to call my boss and ask him to send a few more boxes."
Robert raised his glass and said, "Would you like a drink?"
Warren shook his head. "I prefer whiskey to wine."
"Whiskey is too strong and makes you drunk easily."
Warren didn't comment and asked, "How's the financing going?"
Robert shook his glass and said casually,
"Luke Xiao has given me full authority to handle the financing."
oh!
Warren raised his eyebrows slightly, a little bit unbelieving.
"I remember you had just joined ShowMe and he gave you such an important job."
"He had no other choice but me."
The simple words contained strong confidence. Warren smiled ingratiatingly, but a hint of sarcasm flashed in his eyes.
He had originally admired the boss of ShowMe, who had grown a startup to a scale of millions of users in just two months. This was not something that ordinary people could do, but from now on, he seemed to be just a lucky guy.
People who don't know how to judge people and use them improperly also want to succeed!
"It seems that the financial power of ShowMe is now in your hands."
Robert nodded. "ShowMe's funding chain is severely impacted and we urgently need cash flow. This afternoon, Luke Xiao gave me a death order: we must finalize a financing plan by next Friday. The bottom line is $35 million."
"What about the shares?"
"20%!"
"It's too little. The boss wants more than 67% and absolute control."
"I'm afraid it's difficult. Luke Xiao won't agree."
Warren raised the corner of his mouth and said nonchalantly, "He's just a seventeen-year-old kid. What can he be capable of? If he doesn't agree, then let him see the adult world."
Robert glanced at his old friend, lowered his eyelids, and looked ahead dimly, not knowing what he was thinking.
"Tomorrow morning, the Sequoia Group Investment Department will negotiate with you. What happens next is up to you."
"I know how to do that?"
Warren patted him on the shoulder and left with a smile on his face.
The door closed and the dark room fell into silence again.
Time passed little by little, and when the hour hand crossed the ninth mark, Robert put on his coat, walked out of the house, walked through the alley full of sewage, and stopped at a street restaurant.
I bought a cup of coffee and two sandwiches, found a table and chair where no one was, sat down, and ate them bite by bite.
After a while, a white middle-aged man in his forties walked into the store. He was tall and strong, and his suit was bulging out. He had a gold chain under his collar and a gold watch on his wrist. He was dressed like a successful man, but his face full of fat was intimidating.
He sat carelessly on the chair opposite Robert and said coldly,
"You kept me waiting for ten minutes."
Robert quickly put down the sandwich, looked around, and made sure no one was paying attention to this side, then said in a slightly complaining tone,
"Mr. Rhodes, there's something you can't say over the phone. You know my identity, so you can't make it public."
"Who cares about you!"
Alexander Rhodes grinned widely, not hiding the irony on his face.
He slammed the table, called the panicked waitress over, ordered a glass of dark beer, and continued, "If the boss hadn't asked me, I wouldn't have come to a crappy place like the Metropolitan! Listen..."
He put his arms around Robert's neck and threatened word by word,
"The boss is very dissatisfied with your work and asked me to give you a good scolding! You know what scolding means, right?"
Robert struggled and said, "My injuries haven't healed yet. If I get hurt again, I won't be able to go to work."
Alexander Rhodes touched his chin and thought for a moment, then pushed Robert to a chair in the face of his nervous expression.
"Let's remember this beating first. Let's talk about Batman."
Batman!
Robert stretched his neck, his face filled with confusion.
Alexander gritted his teeth and said, "I don't care what method you use, you must get Batman's identity information within two days. This is the boss's final test for you. If you fail, you know the consequences."
Upon hearing this, Robert was completely despaired.
"Batman didn't register with his real name, so his personal information is impossible to find. And according to the information from the technical department, Batman is very likely in the North Pole. You can't ask me to go to the North Pole to look for him. How can I have that ability?"
"Arctic!"
Alexander was furious. "That rotten Bat was in Gotham City last night, and now he's gone to the North Pole. FUCK! How dare you lie to me!"
The roar exploded, and all the customers in the cafe looked over here.
Robert waved his hands repeatedly, feeling nervous and fearful. "I didn't say he was in the Arctic. The IP address shows that the registered person is in the Arctic, which means he probably built a base there."
Alexander thought about it and felt that what the other party said made some sense. If it were him, he would not write his real name.
"I've already told you what the boss said. Whether you can do it or not has nothing to do with me. You only have two days, so figure it out for yourself!"
After he finished speaking, he took the beer glass and pinched the waitress's fat butt, which made her glare at him. However, Alexander didn't care and even whistled proudly.
Robert had a bitter face, wanting to defend himself but not knowing how to say it. He sat there like a punching bag. After a while, he lowered his voice and said,
"I think given the current situation, it's impossible to find out Batman's identity in a short period of time, unless the boss sends someone to the North Pole."
After a pause, he looked up and saw Alexander still flirting with the waiter, and continued,
"But now there's a great opportunity to track Batman long-term. That's ShowMe. As long as we have access to ShowMe's database, we can find his real location based on his IP address. Furthermore, we can manipulate his account to post or delete inappropriate remarks, such as support for racism or terrorism..."
"Mr. Rhodes, are you listening?"
Alexander drank the whole glass of dark beer, burped with satisfaction, and said,
"I'm not interested in the IP addresses and social media accounts you mentioned. Just tell me what you want to do."
"Let's stick with the original plan. Acquire ShowMe and keep the social platform firmly in our hands. Boss, I sincerely beg you to let me meet with Sidney. I will convince him."
…
At ten o'clock in the evening, after watching Alexander drive away with the waitress, Robert subconsciously tightened his clothes. He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had touched a woman.
Enduring the cold night wind, Robert returned to the dilapidated room.
The lights came on, and a familiar yet unfamiliar figure sat on the sofa, staring straight at this side with indifferent eyes.
FBI, Roger Consius!
Robert was horrified.
"You...why are you here?"
Roger Consius crossed his legs and said with a half-smile,
"Alexander Rhodes, Falcone's trusted henchman, if I tell Luke Xiao that you and he colluded to betray ShowMe, guess what he'll do to you."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Mr. Consius, I'm seriously warning you that trespassing is illegal."
Robert swallowed and glanced around the room.
"Don't look for it. The others are outside. It's just you and me in the room."
Roger Consius stood up, walked to Robert, and played a recording in his ear. After listening to it, Robert collapsed to the ground like a fish with its bones removed.
Roger Consius patted his cheek and laughed softly,
"Mr. Downs, from now on, you are mine!"