Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

"...I was just about to come find you." Patriot's voice was deep and resonant, like an echo in a water tank. His innate sense of oppression always lingered in people's minds, making their legs tremble involuntarily.

“I plan to leave for a while, Leader.”

Where are you going?

"Kazdel".

"Kaz...Dell?"

Talulah managed to utter the name with difficulty, searching through the knowledge in her mind, only to find that even though she was well-versed in the archives of the Duke of Ursus, the name was still somewhat unfamiliar to her.

What place is that?

She asked. A red light flickered in the Patriot's eyes, his tone filled with reminiscence:

"That was my homeland a long, long time ago. The homeland of all Sarkaz."

Not knowing the meaning behind the name "Kazdel," Talulah was about to say something to persuade Patriot to stay, but Wendigo refused:

“I must go, there’s no need to stop me, it’s for Yelena.”

"Yelena, what's wrong with her?"

"The Oripathy infection is getting worse, and she, Katniss, is not able to fight it. I have to think of something."

The patriot said,

“I have an old friend in Kazdel. She is a great sorceress who has mastered the oldest life-extending secrets of my people. I must go and ask her for an amulet.”

In fact, Patriot himself wasn't sure if the legendary secret technique could actually curb Oripathy, a disease that modern medicine couldn't cure. But he truly had no other options.

Yelena was his daughter, and he couldn't bear to watch her suffer from Oripathy every night, unable to sleep. He also didn't want to see her body temperature drop so low as the disease worsened, to the point where even shaking hands and hugging her siblings became a luxury. As a father, he had to do something.

But he didn't know any medical experts, and his meager living on the snowfields left him with no money to buy the Oripathy inhibitors that even he couldn't afford during his military service. After much deliberation, he had no choice but to try his luck with the Sarkaz's oldest witchcraft.

Returning to Kazdel, seeking out that old friend who may or may not have turned into sand in the river of time, and shamelessly asking Yelena for a protective amulet—this is the only thing the old man named Bozokasti can do now.

"Leader, the Shield Guards will protect you while I'm away. But please be careful. And please take good care of Yelena for me."

The patriot spoke in an unquestionable tone, then slowly took a step and walked into the distance.

Talulah looked somewhat helpless, but she could understand Patriot's thoughts, and she was also worried about Yelena's health.

We need to keep a low profile for a while.

Chapter 41 The more gruesome the death of Columbia, the better (4k2)

July 6, 1092, evening, Columbia, Silicon Valley.

Having just returned to Silicon Valley by air, Chianti didn't immediately go back to his office. Instead, he turned to his trusted secretary and asked about the whereabouts of another person.

"Where are Victoria's distinguished guests now?"

The secretary paused for a moment, then immediately replied:

"He had just gone to the boundary between the industrial area and the undeveloped area, where Silicon Valley workers gather."

Chianti frowned in confusion:

What was he doing there?

“We cannot be certain, but our camera footage shows that he was guided by an intern researcher at Rhine Labs.”

The secretary was very efficient and quickly retrieved the relevant information from her tablet.

"Her name is Olivia Himer, a research intern at Rhine Lab. She graduated from the Mitchell Laboratory at Miskatonic University in Colombia, majoring in biological sciences. She is currently interning under Professor Andronikov, a veteran professor at Rhine Lab. There is a high probability that she will join Rhine Lab in the future."

An unremarkable resume. Chianti had seen plenty of high achievers in his life; it wasn't anything special, let alone for someone like Wayne.

Normally, Chianti would have thoroughly investigated what it was about Himer that attracted Wayne, but now, his power had been stripped away, and he might even be forced to leave Silicon Valley soon. Time was of the essence, and he could no longer afford to take his time to investigate everything.

"Never mind, take me there. I need to see Mr. Wayne."

The secretary blinked: "But he's not Prince Victoria. Wouldn't it arouse their suspicion if I met with him without the permission of the Federal Parliament?"

“What’s there to doubt?” Chianti glanced at her and chuckled. “They’ve removed me from my position as a Silicon Valley state legislator. My position as the Prince of Wales’s plenipotentiary host remains completely unaffected.”

This was his backup plan.

Chianti is a seasoned political veteran who has been navigating the Colombian political scene for decades. How could he be so foolish as to be so easily dismissed like a child?

He never sent anyone to monitor Wayne, as that would anger Victoria. Instead, he kept track of Wayne's movements through surveillance cameras throughout Silicon Valley, deploying hundreds of people to monitor him 24/7 under the pretext of "strengthening security in Silicon Valley during the expo." This way, even the unicorns couldn't find fault with him.

All the preparations were for the moment when he could use his intelligence, which was linked to the mysterious Prince of Wales, Wayne, to gain benefits in the military or political arena.

But now, he's changed his mind. In his short life, he's learned one thing: the more a politician schemes, the more likely their schemes are to fail due to unpredictable accidents. If he's not strong enough, no matter how many times he returns to politics, he'll eventually be discarded like trash. And the military is a bunch of cold-blooded ruthless guys; they can't even defeat a foolish politician, let alone protect him and let him get revenge!

There is only one way to avenge our humiliation and make them pay the price!

Called Dad.

My dad is called "Columbia"!

Having spent years navigating Colombian politics, what hadn't he seen? What dirty deeds hadn't he committed? What evidence hadn't he gathered? He told Wayne all this, eager to see what would happen next.

As for why we should do this?

I have been operating in Silicon Valley for over 20 years, transforming it into Terra's renowned tech city and creating countless values ​​for Columbia. But after all that was done, Columbia wants to kick me aside like a pebble on the side of the road.

Hmph, then I'll make them suffer the pain of being constantly scratched by pebbles!

Revenge doesn't need so many reasons; revenge is simply for revenge, it's that simple.

Chianti glanced at his secretary, who had been with him for ten years and now looked no longer young.

Contacting Wayne was a risky endeavor with an uncertain success rate. He hadn't yet figured out the young man's character, but since he was a member of Victoria's royal family, he was definitely not someone to be easily fooled. Moreover, he didn't know the extent of Wayne's interest in Colombian affairs. What if he really was just a tourist in Colombia? What if Victoria had lost interest in attacking Colombian politics? These were all uncertainties, and he had no choice but to take the plunge.

But she didn't need to do something so risky with him.

"Ask less. Knowing too much won't do you any good. Just take me there, and then..."

He took a check out of his pocket, signed the amount and his name, and handed it to his secretary.

"We can say goodbye now."

"Mr. Chianti?" The secretary's mouth dropped open slightly. After a moment's hesitation, she accepted the check and nodded, saying, "I understand. Best of luck."

...............

Wayne had just received news from headquarters that Director Henry was about to return to Silicon Valley and was preparing to rush back to Rhine Life when he was inexplicably blocked by a car with an unfamiliar license plate.

The man who got out of the car looked familiar to Wayne. After thinking for a moment, he remembered him. Wasn't this the government official who picked him up when he first arrived in Colombia? I think his name was Chianti? Judging from that name, this guy might be quite skilled with a sniper rifle.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Prince of Wales."

Chianti extended his hand, giving a friendly smile:

Wayne politely returned the handshake and replied, "Please don't use that title to address me outside; it's too flashy. This is my assistant, Kal'tsit."

“Hello, Ms. Kal'tsit.” Chianti extended her hand to shake hands with Kal'tsit as well, then turned her gaze back to Wayne. “Mr. Wayne, I’m here to see you. I have something that you might find interesting.”

Wayne raised an eyebrow.

Oh dear, what's going on? Are you saying you're planning to give me intelligence?

To be honest, Wayne was a little suspicious. It just so happened that at this critical juncture—the technology expo and the potential trouble with Rhine Life—a Colombian official suddenly appeared, offering to expose Colombia's dirty secrets. It was hard not to suspect that the Colombian government was setting a trap.

Wayne decided to play dumb and asked:

"I'm really interested in this. Are you going to recommend some tourist attractions in Silicon Valley?"

"No, no, no," Chianti shook his head vigorously, denying it. "Of course not. I don't have much time either, and I'm sure your time is also very tight, so I won't waste any more words. Your Highness, is Victoria still interested in anything related to Colombia?"

So straightforward?

If this were fishing, the hook would be way too straight! Would anyone actually be foolish enough to take the bait?

Or do you also know about my legendary status in Victoria? Do you see me as a good-for-nothing playboy? Is my identity that useful?

While Wayne was still deep in thought, Chianti was getting impatient. Every second was precious to him. Since he had already decided to betray his country, he needed to get a good price. If Wayne found out he had fallen from power and was desperate, it was hard to say whether he would still be able to get any reward.

Since Wayne still has doubts, he might as well show some sincerity.

“Your Highness Wayne, I know that you have some minor relationship with Rhine Lab. In fact, I have kept this a secret from the Colombian Federal Congress.”

He spoke mysteriously, while observing Wayne's reaction, only to find that Wayne not only did not show a happy expression, but instead frowned.

What's going on? Did I say something wrong?

He wasn't wrong in what he said, but in what he did. Wayne's original plan was to use a little manipulation of information to get the Federal Parliament to suppress Rhine Life, or even more aggressively, abandon Rhine Life. Then, he could conveniently use his shareholder status to intercept and buy up the company at rock-bottom prices, taking all the talent with him to contribute to Victoria's development.

And then you told me that you had kept it from me.

Wayne was numb, and even felt a bit like hitting someone.

Fortunately, Chianti was very perceptive. Seeing Wayne's displeasure, she realized she might have been on the wrong track; Wayne probably couldn't stand seeing Rhine Life doing well. So she quickly changed the subject:

"However, the Colombian lawmakers have recently decided to take action against Rhine Life."

"Ok?"

Wayne finally showed interest, coughed, and deliberately raised his voice:

"You're actually willing to recommend tourist destinations for me? But it's not proper to talk on the street. Let's find a place and chat slowly."

Chianti's face lit up with joy, and she nodded quickly, saying:

"Yes, Your Highness Wayne."

........

Henry's gaze grew increasingly hostile. Someone who had always been harsh on Rhine Life and even threatened the safety of the company's employees had suddenly come to the company and said he wanted to witness "Rhine Life's death day".

What a joke. Henry had lived for over fifty years and had never seen such an arrogant person. If it weren't for his status and the surveillance cameras, he would have even wanted to grab a folding chair and beat this ungrateful bastard out.

Alternatively, you could throw it out the window.

"Rhine Life is doing very well now, which is a real disappointment to you, former Senator Chianti."

Director Henry emphasized the word "former," as if to remind him that his power was a thing of the past, and if he had any self-awareness, he should leave quickly and not force him to call security.

"Save some dignity, former senator Chianti."

"It seems you don't really believe what I'm saying?"

Chianti smiled. Although he was down on his luck, he had always maintained a respectable appearance. He had come here for a large sum of money to remind Rhine of life on behalf of the boy who was unable to speak about the matter.