The Wolf of Los Angeles.

A red Porsche 911, glowing like a flame, drove through the lit 16th Street and into a detached villa.

Denise Stormi, dressed in a burgundy women's suit, got out of the car and quickly went to greet Neville, giving him a tight hug and saying, "You called me over in such a hurry, you don't want it again, do you?"

Neville put his arm around her waist and led her into the villa, saying, "It's very important business."

Denise let out a smirk, grabbed at something, and asked deliberately, "Is there anything more important than this?"

In the past, Neville would have been excited to see this typical American blonde with big, wavy hair.

But what he was about to do tonight was no small matter. He pulled Denise into the study, quietly turned on the concealed anti-recording device, and asked, "I heard you ran for senator in Louisiana last year and got a lot of support."

Denise was quite confident: "My fans are still very supportive of me, but unfortunately I lack supporters in politics and lost the election by a narrow margin."

Neville smiled and said, "Gaining the support of big shots is not easy. We've known each other since before I became successful. Back then, I was full of ambition and considered myself exceptionally talented, but I was frustrated and unable to achieve my goals."

These words reminded Denise of many years ago, when she was just one of the many artists in the Saint Valley film industry, and Neville was a distributor for Saint Valley films.

As a high-earning female artist in the industry, she couldn't even be bothered to give Neville a second glance.

As a result, a few years later, the other party had amassed a fortune of hundreds of millions.

What are the reasons for this?

Neville simply found a powerful patron.

Denise, considered a clever person in the Holy Valley, immediately asked, "How can I gain the favor of important figures?"

Neville poured her a glass of water and said, "Do you remember what I told you before?"

"About Dong Zong?" Although Denise's actions were mostly for show, she had still run for state senator and was quite interested in politics. She said, "Dong Zong just announced that it will run for president next year."

She quickly realized, "You asked me to collect some information about Mr. Dong before, just for this."

Neville extended a finger and lifted Denise's chin: "You're a smart woman."

Denise made no secret of it: "As I told you before, I did get some key video footage, but you know very well what I'm in. If I come forward and leak the information, the consequences will be quite serious, and I will lose a lot of business."

“You can move behind the scenes and become a director, producer, or executive,” Neville said, outlining the conditions Hawke and Brian had offered. He added an important clause: “You will become a senior executive at the San Gabriel Valley’s largest production and distribution company, a position far higher than your current one. Once you’ve accumulated experience, you can return to Louisiana and run for office again; you’ll have support then.”

Last year, Denise returned to her hometown to begin her "listening tour" campaign. After the news spread, she received strong support from her fans, who created a campaign website for her called "Sign Up for Stormy".

The election actually failed in the first round.

Denise carefully analyzed the situation and realized that she did not have enough power to support her, was unable to cope with the high campaign costs, and did not receive serious attention from the media.

This so-called election is more like a farce.

But things are different now; an opportunity has presented itself.

Denise didn't hesitate much and said, "I'll fully cooperate with whatever the specifics are."

If possible, who would want their career to depend on that stuff every day?

Conversely, it feels incredibly good to have others fawn over you.

Neville slowly said, "First, he leaked the information on Twitter, then he gave media interviews and publicly accused Mr. Dong... Hmm, do you know about Nicole Kidman's affair with Tom Cruise back then?"

Denise nodded: "I know a little."

Neville said, "Just like Nicole Kidman still tries to ride on Tom Cruise's coattails after her divorce, you'll inevitably talk about Mr. Dong whenever you post on Twitter or face the media."

“No problem, this is too easy for me.” Denise might have had doubts about other presidential candidates, but she had few concerns about Mr. Dong.

In Denise’s view, Dong’s so-called announcement of his candidacy is essentially the same as her participation in the Louisiana election last year, both of which are aimed at attracting attention.

Since Denise has decided to step forward, she must be seeking the greatest benefit for herself.

She thought for a moment, then said, "These past few days, I've been recalling the moments I spent with Mr. Dong, preparing to write a memoir to reveal what happened between us. But I don't have any publishing channels, and my connections with the media are just so-so..."

Neville laughed: "Once the story gains traction, you can start by updating it on Twitter. I'll contact them and try to get you some traffic and exposure. I can also put in a good word for Random House. Once we get some buzz, publishing won't be a problem."

Denise felt that her life had reached a major turning point, and that her status might change drastically as a result. She was particularly enthusiastic and asked, "When do we start?"

Neville said, "Dong Zong has just announced his candidacy, and the momentum is high. Let's get started right away."

"I'm going to get the collected video footage." Denise grabbed her car keys and left. "Wait for me for half an hour."

Neville was cautious: "I'll go with you."

Less than half an hour later, the two returned to the study.

Neville meticulously reviewed the documents Danielle had retrieved from the bank vault in order to formulate an appropriate tweet.

…………

Mumbai, India.

Gilberto received a call from Los Angeles and immediately had someone notify Juan to come over.

Once only the two of them were left in the small conference room, Gilberto quickly said, "The order has been issued from above: Project World One is officially launched."

Juan has been staying in Mumbai for the past few years, handling the team's behind-the-scenes affairs: "We've been preparing for so long, and finally we can put it to use."

Gilberto continued, "The plan is divided into two parts. I will be responsible for the overt matters, but there are some hidden obstacles that you will need to handle."

Juan had contacted Edward directly and replied, "I have no problem on my end."

Gilberto took out the documents he had prepared beforehand, pushed them from the conference table in front of Juan, and said, "This is Sanil, the highest-ranking officer of the Indian Military Space and Aviation Command, and also the superior of our old friend Abhishek. He is a middle force in the arms procurement faction within India. The Indians' plan to purchase a series of satellites from Surrey Satellite Corporation originated from him."

Juan, having learned about this man, asked, "Would he agree?"

“He will agree to that batch of satellites worth tens of billions of dollars.” Gilberto had had enough communication with the other party before, and the Indians would make concessions in many ways in order to obtain the world’s “most advanced” communication and survey satellites.

For example, paying the full balance of the outstanding payment for goods traded with the country.

West Coast Technology has received the final payments for the vast majority of trade orders, with the remaining amount being negligible.

Juan understood: "Satellites are very important to the Indians."

Gilberto suddenly couldn't help but laugh: "Especially after the incident of using Jupiter and Venus as neighboring countries for high-altitude reconnaissance drones, the Indians' thirst for advanced satellite technology has become exceptionally strong, leading them to give all sorts of green lights in the process." Juan took out a map from the documents, spread it out on the table, and quickly located the location of the World One Tower project.

Then, not too far away, he discovered a base belonging to the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Juan said, "At this distance, it's safe to say it could have an impact, right?"

Gilberto laughed: "Of course there is no problem. This is a military department. Although Indians are unreliable, there is no doubt about the capabilities of their military forces. They have considerable power in both aviation and aerospace. The Loda Group, on the other hand, is not as large or well-connected as this group."

Juan nodded slightly: "Once the military issues the order, the already constructed 60-plus-story building will inevitably be caught in a dilemma, and the money invested inside cannot be withdrawn."

Gilberto added, "The reason the authorities chose this time to launch their attack is twofold: firstly, Mr. Dong has taken action, and secondly, the sunk costs of the World One Tower are already high enough."

From design to construction, Loda Group and Dong's Group have invested nearly $20 billion.

Of the remaining units above the 70th floor that have not yet been built, most have already been pre-sold.

If a breach of contract occurs, not only will a refund be issued, but a penalty fee will also be charged.

For an ordinary person, they could easily deny everything.

However, those who pre-purchase properties in One World Tower are either celebrities and socialites from both the US and India, or relatives of wealthy businessmen or political figures.

Even the worst conditions result in medium to high yields.

These people's money is hard to get away with; they might even commit suicide if things go wrong.

“There’s one more thing,” Gilberto lowered his voice and asked, “How are the preparations at the construction site going?”

Juan said, "It can be started at any time. You contact the regulatory authority on your end, and I'll definitely be ready on my end."

To guard against unforeseen circumstances, he made two preparations: "Our bribed insiders provided information that there was a problem with the concrete used in the construction."

Gilberto tapped the table lightly and said to Juan, "Go and get ready."

Juan glanced at the time: "I'll let you know when it's over."

After Gilberto waited until he left, he picked up the phone, dialed a number, and said with a smile, "Abhishek, it's me. I'd like to meet with Mr. Sanil... No, no, I'm on my way to New Delhi now. I'll be there before I get off work, and I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

Up to now, the two sides are still partners with a fairly good relationship, and Abhishek went directly to consult his superior.

Gilberto's West Coast Technologies and Surrey Satellite, which are directly related to the future of India's aerospace industry, prompted Sanil to readily agree.

The two sides quickly arranged a time and place to meet.

Juan wasn't idle either. Having been stationed in India for several years, he used his ample funds to build a network of connections and win over several reliable locals.

India has a large population, and although most of them are not very reliable, there are always some who don't want to be lizard riders, and whose minds seem a bit abnormal among Indians.

Such people are of value.

Juan and the others drove two cars to a warehouse near the dock area.

On one of the signal vehicles, the electronics team was already ready.

More than a year ago, Juan had someone rent several warehouses here under the name of a building materials supply company, and ordered a batch of construction steel from overseas.

At this point, the steel had already been loaded onto the truck.

Late at night, at Juan's command, several trucks drove out of the warehouse one after another. The area was already lacking in surveillance, and the few that were there were also interfered with by the signal vehicle.

The vehicle arrived smoothly at the loading dock of the World One building construction site.

Mumbai's power supply is unstable; even a project the size of One World Tower faces power outages at times.

The construction site, which was originally quiet, used to have lights on.

Suddenly, everything was plunged into darkness.

The few backup power supplies were turned on, but the lines connected to the limited number of surveillance cameras were disconnected beforehand.

The World No. 1 Building was originally a trap set by Hawke for Mr. Dong.

Hawke didn't push it much, but President Dong jumped in on his own.

From the moment the project was initiated, Juan's team kept a close eye on the situation and made ample preparations over the years.

The guards here had already been bribed. After receiving the signal, they opened the gate and contacted a person in charge of the building materials department who was on duty that night.

They quickly sent someone over to coordinate and unload the goods into the material area.

The person in charge on duty filled out all the corresponding forms and completed the warehousing procedures.

After the convoy left, the person in charge and the security personnel restored the interior to normal. Under the cover of night, when no one was paying attention, they quietly left the construction site, quickly went to the port area, got what they were owed, and then boarded a ship leaving India.

Their families had long since left India and headed towards their beacon of hope—America.

And America will inevitably welcome more outstanding Indians like them in the future.

Indian construction sites, let alone a building jointly built by the Loda Group and the Dong Group, even national key projects, are notorious for their chaotic management and constant problems.

When shift handover occurred, no one could be found to take over, and the person who came to relieve them didn't seem to care. In the eyes of the laid-back Indians, their colleague must have already left early.

Those people had done similar things before; they had done the same thing.

As for the extra steel, these people didn't care, since the entry procedures were complete.

Just as construction was about to begin, a large number of regulatory personnel from the Mumbai Municipal Regulatory Authority and the Maharashtra State Government entered the site to conduct random inspections of the building materials used.

Naturally, the newly arrived steel was placed in front of these people.

During the sampling, some rebar fell from the crane and hit a concrete pile, breaking into two pieces.

Supervisory personnel immediately sealed the steel and retrieved the relevant documents.

Meanwhile, another group of inspectors found that the concrete used by the construction company did not meet the required grade. (End of Chapter)