I See through Everything

Chapter 116: Chapter 93: Poised for Action

Inside Locke Manor.

The second-floor dining room of the villa.

After the servants laid the exquisite dishes on the dining table one by one, they tiptoed out of the room.

James, who had come alone, had his slightly graying hair parted meticulously down the middle. His face was etched with the ravages of time, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle’s.

Noah, sitting across from him, swirled the red wine in his glass. "Uncle James, I’m very glad you could come in person. To you!"

"Cheers!"

They clinked their wine glasses from a distance.

Both men took only a small sip.

"Noah, has David told you what he’s been up to lately?"

James, cunning as a fox, had naturally considered that someone was targeting David and the Locke Clan. However, he also knew full well that the other domestic consortiums were unlikely to be so reckless.

Hearing this, Noah shook his head in frustration. "I’ve checked my father’s private records. I didn’t find anything too unusual. The ones with motive lack the power, and the ones with power know the unwritten rules between us major consortiums."

"Is that so?" James paused, the steak knife in his hand halting for a moment.

Faced with such an unknown enemy, even James felt a chill run down his spine.

After all, if it were one of the domestic consortiums, they could heighten their defenses in the future. But an enemy about whom they had zero intelligence was simply impossible to guard against.

After a moment of thought, James spoke up. "I’ll notify the other families about this. We’ll investigate together. I won’t be able to sleep until we get to the bottom of it."

"Thank you for your help, Uncle James."

"As members of the consortium alliance, it’s only right that we help each other. This is the key to our position as masters of the world. Vicious infighting only drains our strength and allows external forces to profit."

Noah, of course, understood the implication behind James’s words.

He was telling him not to be impulsive.

Faced with James, who had been willing to come alone to reason with him, Noah ultimately chose to trust him.

"Rest assured, Uncle James, I will do my best to exercise restraint. However, I hope the other families can lend a hand to mitigate our consortium’s losses around the globe."

"No problem." This was also the purpose of James’s visit.

Although the Locke Consortium was in a crisis, where there was danger, there was also opportunity.

As the second-ranked of America’s ten great consortiums, the Locke Consortium’s resources around the world were immense.

Since Noah was asking for his help, he would certainly have to pay a price.

James roughly estimated that in this sudden incident, the Locke Consortium would likely lose about a third of its assets, and its overall standing among the ten great consortiums would drop to fifth place.

However, James was also well aware that a large portion of the assets the Locke Consortium lost would be snapped up by other powers in their respective regions—after all, they had the home-field advantage.

The resources left for the other American consortiums would likely only be a small fraction.

At the same time, James couldn’t keep it all for himself; he had to share the spoils with the other consortiums.

Noah also knew that the Locke Consortium would have to bleed this time, but it was a necessary price. If they didn’t pay it, their losses could be even more severe.

Soon, Noah and James reached an agreement.

That very night, from Locke Manor, James held a video conference with the heads of the other consortiums. He got them to join forces in investigating which power was targeting the Locke Consortium and David. At the same time, they also carved up a portion of the interests the Locke Consortium had coughed up.

...

Meanwhile.

Inside a major hospital in Peng City.

Li Rongyao, who had just been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward, was wrapped head to toe in bandages like a mummy.

He had been awake for five or six hours.

At noon, a nurse checked his heart monitor, saw no abnormalities, and left the room.

Not long after, drifting in and out of consciousness, he saw his wife, Yin Muhua, who had just flown back from Australia. He noticed, however, that a shadow seemed to hang over her face.

Seeing this, Li Rongyao’s heart sank.

Yin Muhua saw that Li Rongyao’s eyes were open and looked at him, her expression blank. "Lorenzo, everything at home has been taken care of. Is there anything you want to say?"

"You..." Li Rongyao’s eyes were bloodshot with defiance as he asked in a trembling voice, "What are you trying to do?"

"Lorenzo, it’s not that I want to be so heartless. It’s what *they* want. If I don’t do this, our son and I will disappear. For our son’s sake, just go in peace." Yin Muhua took out a handkerchief and poured some unknown liquid onto it.

"No... Muhua, are you really going to be this cruel? I don’t want to die..." Li Rongyao tried to struggle, but this was a private VIP room, and it was very well soundproofed. Moreover, with his entire body burned, he was immobilized on the bed.

"Lorenzo, don’t blame me. Just go in peace." Yin Muhua’s gaze was now utterly cold and ruthless.

The handkerchief, soaked with the special drug, moved closer and closer to his mouth and nose as Li Rongyao watched in terror.

CLICK!

"Don’t move!"

The door to the ward was thrown open, and five or six plainclothes officers rushed in.

Yin Muhua’s eyes went wide. Before she could even react, she was pinned to the side.

On the hospital bed, Li Rongyao, whose heart was still pounding with fear, finally let out a sigh of relief. Then he shouted with all his might, "Arrest her! She was trying to kill me...!"

The square-faced, middle-aged man in the lead adjusted his glasses. "Mr. Li, for your own safety, we need to transfer you to another hospital. Also, I hope you’ll cooperate with our investigation."