Asura in Arknights

So Li Ang tampered with the customs X-ray machine a little, which he believed caused some minor malfunctions.

Fortunately, Elena understood Li Ang's meaning, and under her urging, the customs had no choice but to use the original blood analysis protocol.

This is exactly what Li Ang hoped for.

Li Ang extracted the excess Originium crystals from his and Adele's blood samples, reducing them to normal levels.

With X-ray machines as a means of inspection, these customs employees rarely conduct close searches anymore. In addition, given the large group of people associated with Rhine Life, they don't want to offend anyone.

After the blood sample analysis results came out, they hastily determined that the two were not infected and issued temporary passes to Leon and Adele.

Only after they were far from customs did Elena finally suppress her curiosity and ask in a low voice, "Leon, Leon, how did you do that? Adele... she must be infected too, right?"

Thanks to the adorable mascot Rosemary, the Upika sisters have become quite familiar with them in just over ten days. The older sister, Xingji, still retains a touch of the elegance and politeness befitting a young lady, while the boisterous younger sister has fewer such concerns.

"This is one of my special abilities; I can control tiny Originium particles."

After thinking for a moment, Li Ang decided there was nothing to hide and satisfied Elena's curiosity. "I just used this method to extract the Originium crystals from the blood sample. As long as the final blood Originium crystal density is lower than the standard value, they will consider you to be non-infected."

“I see…” Elena nodded in understanding.

Most people would have been satisfied with this, but Elena, as a researcher, was much more flexible in her thinking. She quickly realized the deeper uses of this ability.

"So, does that mean your ability can cure... no, control Oripathy?"

The Energy Department is a department that deals specifically with Originium. With so much interaction, they naturally have a considerable understanding of Oripathy.

Not to mention that after contracting Orepathy, Elena specifically consulted her colleagues in the Structural Medicine Department, who are also semi-experts in this field and are very clear about the mechanism of Orepathy.

Hemodialysis is indeed a common method for controlling Oripathy, but the problem is that... current technology cannot accurately separate the Originium crystals in the blood, and can only rely on repeated sessions, which will put a serious burden on the body's functions over time.

Li Ang's special ability solved this problem very well.

"It is possible, but it is a special ability similar to the talent of the gods, which is impossible for others to learn."

Li Ang shook his head, extinguishing the nascent thought that had just begun to form in Elena's mind.

"I see..."

With her hopes dashed, Elena looked rather dejected.

She thought she'd found a shortcut to easily control Oripathy... but it's not that easy after all. She'd better just stick to Rhodes Island's treatment...

Rhodes Island's treatments are tedious, but the results are truly remarkable; otherwise, Rhine Lab wouldn't have partnered with Rhodes Island.

The only thing that Elena found troublesome was that she still had to go to Rhodes Island or its offices regularly for treatment, which took up a lot of her time.

There's no such thing as an easy thing in this world... otherwise, Oripathy wouldn't be such a dreaded disease.

Elena had to return to the Energy Department to report to Ferdinand first, so she left alone.

Before leaving, Li Ang specifically instructed Elena not to tell Ferdinand anything about them.

It's probably some kind of business competition... After all, he's the chairman of a large company.

Although Elena was somewhat doubtful, she nodded in agreement.

After Elena left, Li Ang chose a hotel close to Rhine Lab headquarters and settled Adele and Rosemary there.

After disguising himself slightly, Li Ang, led by Xingji, arrived at the Ubika family mansion and met Xingji's father, the current president of the Astrological Association.

Chapter Eight Horhaiya

Li Ang could tell at a glance that Xingji's relationship with her parents was not harmonious.

When Li Boli, dressed in a rather retro style, saw his biological daughter after nearly a year apart, he showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever. He simply gave a cold "hmm" and told Xingji to return to his room.

The Ubica family mansion was not small, but it seemed very deserted. Apart from the Starry family of three, the other people living in the mansion did not seem like servants.

After looking at Mr. Ubika, who was dressed like a nobleman from Gaul two hundred years ago, Li Ang roughly understood what kind of person this guy was.

He was rigid, vain, arrogant, and heavily indebted.

His situation is probably similar to that of Marna back then. Both of them have a large mansion to manage and maintain. At least Marna had a proper job, while Mr. Ubica... obviously had no other source of income besides being the president of the Astronomical Society.

Hmm... He didn't have the life of an aristocrat, but he got all the aristocratic ailments. He didn't learn any of the good things, but he did manage to pick up about 70-80% of the bad habits of the Gallic aristocracy.

Just like those who have little ability themselves but place all their hopes on their children, it's not surprising that Elena would fall out with them.

Miss Astesia has really had a lot of bad luck...

With a slight sigh in his heart, Li Ang took a step forward and, before Mr. Ubika could speak, unleashed a wave of killing intent, interrupting his attempt to close the door.

"Mr. Ubica, please forgive my unannounced visit. I am here on behalf of the Rose Newspaper Group to discuss a business deal with you."

As he spoke, Li Ang handed over a prepared business card.

"Hmm... Oh."

Mr. Ubika, whose mind was blank, subconsciously accepted the business card.

"......Business?"

After regaining his senses, Mr. Ubika realized what Li Ang had just said.

He frowned subconsciously, but after seeing the business card in his hand, his frown turned into a rather awkward smile.

It was clear that he actually looked down on people like Li Ang, but for the sake of money, he had to condescend to communicate with them. Li Ang's specially made business card had obviously fooled Mr. Ubika.

Even before setting off, Li Ang had already prepared several plans.

Since Xingji had agreed to his proposal, Li Ang activated his first fake identity.

Andrew Nelson, Executive Director of Rose Newspapers.

Well... although it's a fake identity, Li Ang has used the Rose Newspaper's branch in Colombia to cover it up.

No matter who investigates, they will find that Rose Media Group did indeed parachute in such a leader, but no one has ever seen what this chairman looks like.

Further investigation reveals that a major upheaval recently occurred in Casimir's news media industry, with the once-massive Rose Newspapers consortium being split into several new companies, plunging the industry back into a period of fierce competition.

Li Ang still harbored some resentment about being betrayed by Rose Newspapers, so he proposed splitting up the company at a board meeting. Unexpectedly, all the shareholders agreed.

After the deaths of the Ross family, many people took the opportunity to invest in Rose Newspapers, all wanting to use the platform for their own purposes. However, there were also quite a few opposing shareholders on the board, which hampered their actions. Splitting up the company would have been more in their best interest.

The business in Colombia was specifically secured by Li Ang.

It must be said that Ross has done a pretty good job here; even Mr. Ubica has heard of the Rose Newspapers.

"Mr. Nelson, what would you like to talk about?"

"How about this, if you have some time later, let's find a place to talk in detail."

"......no problem."

Mr. Ubika agreed quite readily.

So, as planned, Li Ang made a reservation at a local upscale restaurant... well, a retro-style restaurant with a Gallic flair.

No matter how much he denies it, Mr. Ubica, who wanted to pretend to be a Gallic nobleman, grew up in Colombia, and some Colombian habits were already ingrained in his subconscious.

Even Leon knew that Gallic nobles did not discuss business at the dinner table; for them, meals were merely a social activity. However, Colombians quite liked to do so, which was closely related to Colombian history.

To those in the know, Mr. Ubika's behavior seemed rather comical.

However, Mr. Upika himself did not feel that way. He subtly indicated that he really liked the style of the restaurant, which made him feel like he was back in his hometown.

Li Ang? Li Ang could only offer an awkward yet polite smile.

While waiting for the food to be served, Li Ang said to Mr. Ubika, "To be honest, I came here for the 'Astrological Association'."

As Mr. Ubica tidied the tableware, he said slowly and deliberately, "I guessed that was the case... Apart from the old house left by the family, this is all I have left."

"However... what I don't quite understand is why you people who work in journalism would take notice of this small association?"

No matter how you look at it, the astrological association and the news media are two completely unrelated industries.

Li Ang had anticipated this.

He pretended to be hesitant, and after a moment of hesitation, he explained, "Actually, there's nothing to hide."

"I think you should also know how fierce the competition is in my industry. Without a unique competitive advantage, you can forget about getting ahead."

The Rose Newspapers' advantage lay in its exclusive access to information about the Casimir equestrian matches. However, no matter how exciting the matches were, most Colombians wouldn't travel to Casimir to watch them, and the audience for match recordings in Colombia was relatively limited. Thus, the Rose Newspapers' business in Colombia found itself in an awkward, neither-too-high nor-low position.

It's quite famous among a specific audience, but most ordinary people have no idea what it is. While they won't starve, there's not much room for growth either.

Mr. Ubicard, who claimed to be a descendant of Gallic nobility, naturally admired equestrian sports, a kind of "noble sport," and was considered one of their long-time customers.

In fact, before Ross's incident, they had already been planning how to expand their business in Colombia. Li Ang just picked up a ready-made plan.

"The result of our board meeting was to use astrology as a breakthrough."

Astrology?

“We believe that traditional astrology is outdated, but the concept of astrology itself can be packaged and promoted as a popular element.”

Just like Li Ang's zodiac sign and tarot cards in his previous life, they were all hyped up at the beginning.

Columbia happens to have such an astrological association. Controlling this association is equivalent to controlling the interpretation of this series of concepts, and theoretically, this plan has a high degree of feasibility.

After achieving Li Ang's goal incidentally, it wasn't a complete loss in the end.

"More specific details are our company's trade secrets, and I apologize that I cannot disclose them."

"Ok?"

Although Mr. Ubika was somewhat displeased that the sacred concept of 'astrology' had been defiled, he held back, thinking about the large sum of money he owed the bank in order to maintain a decent life.

He will soon be unable to pay the interest on his bank loan, and if he doesn't find a way to raise some money, his family's old house may even be seized by the bank to pay off the debt.

"You mean... you want to buy all ownership of the Astronomical Society?"

"Yes."

Mr. Ubica's expression was somewhat uncertain. After a long pause, he slowly asked, "How much money can you offer?"

Then, Li Ang offered him a price he couldn't refuse.

Mr. Ubika's heart skipped a beat, and he was about to haggle when he was ruthlessly interrupted by Leon.

“Mr. Ubika, this is our bottom line.”

Of course, this is also Mr. Ubika's bottom line, and Miss Star had already revealed these details to Li Ang.

After seeing Mr. Ubika in person, Li Ang could easily understand why Xingji hated her father so much.

After a period of stalemate, Mr. Ubika finally gave in.

He had no choice but to compromise. This was a windfall for him. The price offered was not only enough to pay off his bank debts, but also to allow him to maintain the respectable life of a Gallo nobleman for a long time. What better way to get a better deal?

So, Li Ang took out the agreement that he had prepared beforehand.

However, an unexpected incident occurred while waiting for Mr. Ubika to sign.

Mr. Ubika's phone vibrated; it must have received a text message. At first, Li Ang didn't pay any attention to it.

However, after reading the text message, Mr. Ubica's attitude completely changed.

He tossed aside the half-signed agreement and arrogantly told Li Ang, "I think you've underestimated the value of the Astronomical Society. We need to renegotiate."

“Mr. Ubika, what do you mean by this?” Leon frowned. “I’ve already said that this is the highest price our board of directors can accept.”

Because of the other party's sudden change of heart, Li Ang's tone became less friendly. "According to what we know, Mr. Ubica, it seems you owe the bank a large sum of money, right? Would you like to reconsider how to repay this debt?"

"You don't need to worry about that."

Mr. Ubika gave Li Ang a disdainful look, which made Li Ang's eyebrows twitch.

"How lucky! One of our members just contacted me; she's also quite interested in the Astrology Association."

"However... since you came first, if you can offer this price, I might consider cooperating with you."

Subsequently, Mr. Ubika directly increased Li Ang's previous offer several times over.

Li Ang couldn't help but twitch his lips. "There's no need to play these little tricks anymore, Mr. Ubica. Apart from industries with special needs like ours, who else would be interested in such a lousy association? In short, the price we just quoted was the limit; it can't go any higher."

Li Ang's money didn't come from thin air. If he were to buy the Astronomical Association at the other party's quoted price, it would be like putting in several times his own money, and the risk and return would be completely disproportionate.

Furthermore, Li Ang didn't have a good impression of him, so he naturally wouldn't let such a person take advantage of him.

“She’s on her way. If you don’t believe me, just wait a bit.” Mr. Ubica seemed completely unconcerned, showing no concern whatsoever that Li Ang would leave.

This made Li Ang somewhat hesitant. Could what this family said be true?

Besides him, who else actually has their eyes on this run-down astrology association? What a coincidence!

Li Ang went to such lengths because of the connection between Christen and the Astronomical Society, plus the relationship with Xingji. What was that person's motive?