Alchemists do not need self-cultivation

After thinking for a moment, Okajima Rokuro said, "If bribery doesn't work, then throw all the guns into the sea. That way, even if they arrest you, they won't have any evidence."

"Not bad, this young man has a lot of potential," George praised from the side.

Isaac laughed and said, "That's right, just like Wilson's choice."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"I didn't realize you were so smart." Dutch laughed at Okajima Rokuro, then turned to Levi. "Learn a thing or two from Levi. You won't make money just by knowing how to shoot."

"cut."

"Mr. Isaac... are these questions you're asking me related to situations you've encountered before?"

"Yes, I've encountered similar situations before."

"So how did you do it?"

“It’s simple, just like Levi said, wipe them all out,” Isaac laughed.

"..."

"See! Who said I can't make money doing this?" Levi was instantly smug.

Isaac looked at the somewhat bewildered Okajima, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it for himself, and then handed one to him.

Want to smoke?

"Oh? Thank you."

Isaac lit his cigarette and continued, "The reason I made this choice is that I don't want any force to cause my interests to suffer, so under normal circumstances, my choice is basically to silence them."

"I see..."

"Do you think it's evil? The definition of evil in this world is far too vague. Maybe one day when I buy crude oil, I won't use US dollars and they'll label me as evil." Isaac took a drag of his cigarette and laughed. "I've done a lot of bad things since I started IW, but Uncle Sam has never bothered me. Isn't that because I've helped them a lot and all my transactions are settled in US dollars?"

On the surface, he didn't say anything, but in reality, he was thinking all day about exchanging the dollars he had for other currencies and starting a war at any moment.

Are you saying... there is no justice in this world?

"Of course there is justice in this world, and I firmly believe that one day a righteous hero will come and deal with me. But at least I will never be dealt with by those hypocrites who wave the banner of justice."

"..."

“Mr. Okajima, I see the potential in you to be a bad guy. It's a bit of a waste for you to work in a country like Japan where hierarchy is so strict.” Isaac patted him on the shoulder. “Would you be interested in coming to my company to help me?”

"what?"

“I plan to use Roanapur as a location for arms retail, and I need someone in charge here. I think you are a good fit.”

"Um...may I ask who you are?"

“Didn’t you already hear that?” Dutch said from the side. “You’re incredibly lucky to have made it into IW’s management.”

"IW?" He was completely bewildered after hearing the name.

After all, those who know about this company are mostly high-level executives of large corporations, officials from various countries, and people who have long dealt with mercenary organizations; ordinary civilians have basically never heard of it.

"It's Isaac Worldwide, the second largest military organization in the world after 'Mithril.' If you can get on board this big ship, you'll be set for life," Dutch laughed.

“A military company… I understand, but can I really do it? Someone like me…”

“You only have the potential right now; you still need some training,” Isaac said to Dutch. “Could you let this kid train with your chamber of commerce for a while?”

“We’ll definitely help if Boss Yao asks,” Daqi agreed immediately.

When the IW boss asked for his help, he had no reason to refuse.

"Wait, I haven't..."

“This is a good opportunity, Locke,” Dutch said, putting his arm around Okajima’s shoulder. “Since you can’t go back to a normal life anyway, you might as well stay here.”

"Locke?"

“Your name is Ryokurou, so calling you Rock sounds more friendly.”

"..."

"Besides, once you become the regional head at IW, those arrogant leaders from your company will have to bow and scrape to you. Don't you want to get revenge on the company executives who abandoned you?"

"This one……"

He was still somewhat hesitant. After all, if he agreed, it would mean a change in his peaceful life. He wasn't mentally prepared to accept such a change.

“It’s a gamble, Mr. Okajima,” Isaac laughed.

"You have two options. One is to wait for your boss to come and take you away. However, because of this setback, it will probably be difficult for you to stay in the company in the future. Furthermore, you know the secrets of the higher-ups, so what will happen when you go back is unknown. You will face unprecedented challenges."

"..."

"As for the second path, it's to join us. I can't say whether you'll encounter any dangers afterward, but there will definitely be a lot of things that will shatter your preconceived notions."

Isaac's words silenced Rokuro Okajima.

"Is it my turn to roll the dice?" he muttered to himself.

Then he saw that in the dilapidated bar, the bottle of wine he had finished drinking was still intact on the bar counter.

Without saying a word, he picked up the wine glass and gulped it down. After finishing, he smashed the glass on the ground. His face was slightly red, but a strange smile appeared on his face.

"I accept the challenge."

"Excellent, excellent, a very wise choice. Welcome to the team, Mr. Okajima."

“Okajima Rokuro is dead.” He wiped his mouth, looked at Isaac and smiled. “My name is now Rock.”

Chapter 596: The Atmosphere Suddenly Became Soviet

The next morning, while it was still barely light, the sky began to brighten.

An emergency board meeting is being held on the top floor of Asahi Heavy Industries, Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan.

A large number of people were seated around the huge conference table; they were all shareholders of this large company.

"Jingshan, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"It's a bit embarrassing to say, but I gathered EO's company to intercept the CDs that were outside... but..."

"But what?"

"Someone beat us to it, and then EO Company unilaterally cancelled the commission," Jing Shan said with difficulty.

Some board members were dissatisfied and questioned, "What exactly happened?"

"The disc is now in IW's hands."

Upon hearing this, the entire conference room fell silent at first, then erupted in chaos.

"What!?"

"Are you kidding me?!"

"IW? How did they get that thing?"

One of the major shareholders remained remarkably calm. He addressed the crowd, saying, "Calm down, Jingshan. You continue. Since they obtained the discs, they must have made demands of us as well."

Jing Shan nodded and continued, "IW wants us to pay one billion US dollars."

"what?"

Even the man who had just spoken lost his composure. He shouted, "One billion US dollars? That amount is absolutely unbearable for our company right now!"

What would happen if we refused to cooperate?

“Then they will hand over the CDs to the international community, which will make it impossible for our Sunrise Heavy Industries to continue operating,” Jing Shan said. “Moreover, they also said they would block our sea routes for raw materials.”

"...This is troublesome."

Under normal circumstances, they could apply for international assistance, but the problem is that Isaac still has incriminating evidence against them. Once they do that and Isaac submits the evidence, they don't know if international organizations will sanction IW, but they will definitely be the first to be sanctioned.

If the purchase of nuclear materials from embargoed countries for research purposes is confirmed, none of us here can escape the consequences.

"By the way, because we had planned to cooperate with them before, IW has already obtained all of your personal information."

"..."

Now, everyone was afraid.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

On the Roanapur side.

A group of soldiers in full gear stood in a room, with Balalaika, wearing a military overcoat, sitting in the middle. The radio in the room was playing the Russian song 'The Sacred War'.

“Is it just my imagination, Miss Balalaika?” Isaac sat across from her, smoking a cigarette. “Every time I come here, the atmosphere suddenly becomes Soviet.”

“Just consider this our ‘corporate culture’,” Balalaika said, staring at Isaac. “What brings you here today?”

“Don’t be so tense. You’re looking at me like I’m a KGB purge agent,” Isaac joked. “I’m here to discuss the CD with you.”

"Oh, you mean that CD? I remember I had the Black Reef Merchant Guild help me steal it; it was an important item to blackmail Sunrise Heavy Industries. What happened?"

"I'll take the CD."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone there glared at him with fierce eyes.

"Hey, do you think I won't dare to touch you just because we've had arms deals?"

“If I were afraid of you, I wouldn’t have come alone. Put aside your pointless threats. I’m here to talk business with you.” Isaac was completely unfazed by their menacing aura.

"What business? Selling us weapons again? Sorry, we're not in the mood right now."

"How much are you planning to extort from Sunrise Heavy Industries for that CD? A million US dollars?"

“Five million US dollars, that’s a big deal, Chinese boy,” Balalaika said coldly. “We need to make money before we can continue doing business with you, don’t we?”

"Twenty million US dollars."

"what?"

“Give us the CD, and I’ll give you twenty million US dollars,” Isaac laughed. “And I’ll also send you a Mi-24 as a token of our friendship, how about that?”

What's wrong with you?

Balalaika found Isaac's behavior somewhat incomprehensible.

“This disc may not be of much use to you, but I can multiply the profits it brings in my hands several times over,” Isaac said. “By the way, I can also help you pay the 20,000 baht you promised to pay the Black Reef Chamber of Commerce. These are just trivial matters.”

Bala Laike took a deep breath and suddenly laughed: "That's right, this condition is indeed very reasonable for us. There's really nothing more to say about us getting more than four times the benefit."