Chapter 142: Unequal Exchange

Hua Fo’s burly frame shuddered violently. He stopped the cigarette he was about to bring to his mouth, holding it suspended in mid-air, and muttered with a dazed expression, "It seems now that Corby’s weapon has actually succeeded. This is simply terrifying!"

Chen Cao nodded thoughtfully, gazing out at the driving, pattering rain, his eyes turning hazy as he said, "Imagine two warships engaged in battle. One side deploys this weapon, harnessing the power of an unknown creature through a special device to completely hypnotize the sailors on the other vessel. Then, trapped in sweet dreams, those men lose consciousness, turning on each other or drifting into death by suicide, leaving not a single soul alive. Such a weapon is far more lethal than weapons of mass destruction."

Hua Fo looked at Chen Cao without speaking, taking a deep drag from the cigarette pinched between his fingers. Exhaling a thick cloud of smoke, he said, "This is indeed terrifying. One can easily imagine how the sudden appearance of such a weapon could completely alter the landscape of global warfare. When that day comes, the side that possesses it will be able to obliterate the enemy silently and utterly, without firing a single shot or spending a single bullet!"

Chen Cao smiled, slipped his hand inside his coat, and opened his fingers. Lying on his palm was that pitch-black diamond. "Doesn't this thing seem capable of preventing hypnosis?"

Catching sight of the black diamond in Chen Cao’s hand, Hua Fo snatched it immediately. He stroked it affectionately a couple of times before shoving it into his own pocket and saying, "Who cares? Anyway, figuring out how to escape from this place right now is the main priority!"

Returning to the urgent matter of survival, Chen Cao immediately recalled Lu Tianming’s deduction that there would be a period of time free from piranhas. That window likely existed because of the presence of that strange creature, yet what on earth could possibly be attracting such a creature to this place? None of these questions made any sense. Fortunately, with Lu Tianming, the warship expert, present, getting this vessel moving after its long slumber shouldn't be a problem. But a new dilemma had now emerged: who exactly was going to go down there and release those stubborn, heavy anchor chains?

As Chen Cao pondered this, he noticed Hua Fo squinting at him. What crafty scheme was this slippery rogue hatching now? Chen Cao understood him all too well.

With a dark expression, Chen Cao demanded, "To get this ship moving, two conditions must be met. First, we have to deal with the piranhas lurking below, and second, that unknown creature!"

Hua Fo replied, "That poses zero problem. Since those creatures choose to linger around this perimeter, there must be something here that attracts them. When the time comes, we can just catch one, tie it up with a rope, and lower it into the water. That should act as a deterrent against the piranhas below. The only real question now is, who goes down?" With that, he crossed his arms, rested one foot against the other, and stared at Chen Cao.

Chen Cao looked at Hua Fo’s petty, hoodlum-like demeanor and let out a cold internal scoff. "Don't play the street thug with me, Hua Fo. My family tree goes back to the ancestors of all thugs!"

Putting on a look of exaggerated astonishment, Hua Fo said, "Is that so? I certainly can't see a shred of that in you right now. They always say the Great Chen military maintains strict discipline. It seems its influence on you is immeasurable. And as for Great Chen soldiers—I often crossed paths with them back when I was running my trades—they value deep bonds, uphold loyalty, and their obedience to orders is something no other soldiers can compare to." Seeing that Chen Cao's expression remained dark, Hua Fo suddenly seemed to realize something and quickly raised three fingers. "Pardon me, I swear I've wiped out Great Chen syndicates overseas, but I have never, ever killed a single Great Chen soldier!"

Chen Cao waved a hand and said, "Fine. I can go down, but you have to offer me generous terms."

Hearing this, the smile on Hua Fo’s face widened. "Naturally, naturally! We are both businessmen, after all."

Leaning back against the wall, Chen Cao looked at Hua Fo, knowing full well that his bargaining terms would be harsh.

Hua Fo said, "I'm sure you'll be quite satisfied with this condition. I know your younger sister is currently undergoing medical treatment. When I was tailing you, I figured you must be willing to risk your life precisely for that little girl. Well, the shortfall in her medical funds—I can cover it for you. The conditions are that you hand over all the gems from that small box and go down into the water to pull the iron chains!"

Chen Cao's body jerked slightly as he said in a chilly tone, "You truly are a ruthless profiteer."

Unfazed by the barb, Hua Fo shamelessly replied, "Thank you for the affirmation, Mr. Chen. As you know, under the present circumstances, only I can pull this off, and besides, there's no guarantee any of us will make it out of this jungle alive, understand?"

Chen Cao pondered for a moment before saying, "Very well, deal. One million US dollars."

"What? Have you lost your mind?!" Hua Fo, who had been wearing a victorious grin, instantly widened his eyes. "You must be joking! One million US dollars? I happen to have had my people secretly check your sister's medical bill estimates; it requires less than five hundred thousand US dollars! I'll pay six hundred thousand at most, not a penny more!"

Chen Cao paused. Staring unwaveringly at Hua Fo, he held up ten fingers. "One million US dollars, wired into two separate accounts. Five hundred thousand to cover medical expenses, and the other five hundred thousand—if I manage to make it out alive, I will have other uses for it."

Knowing that since Chen Cao had set this price, he must have his reasons, and recognizing that once the man dug in his heels on a price, he would never budge, Hua Fo gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! One million US dollars, it's a deal. Give me the account numbers!" With that, he pulled out a mobile phone wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, unfolded it, dialed a number, and hit the speakerphone button. Right there in the corridor, the two of them proceeded to conduct their transaction.

After two rings, the call went through immediately. The satellite phone signal appeared to be quite good, and the connection on the other end was crystal clear.

Even as Chen Cao wondered why Hua Fo suddenly had a working phone, a polite, professional voice came through the speaker.

"Hello, Mr. Hua Fo. This is the International Bank, it is a pleasure to serve you!" It was a very gentle female voice.

"I need you to help me wire two sums of money into two different accounts. How fast can it be done?" Hua Fo asked.

"No problem at all, sir. Provided the account numbers you wish to transfer to are correct, we can have it sorted in just a few minutes!" the voice replied with clear confidence.

"Good."

"Then please enter your passcode."

Hua Fo rapidly punched in the passcode.

"Correct, sir. Please give me the account numbers you wish to transfer to."

Hua Fo handed the phone over with a look of intense reluctance. Without hesitation, Chen Cao quickly and accurately keyed the two account numbers into the phone and pressed the end key.

"Please hold for a moment, sir..."

The two men held their breath. Barely a few seconds passed before the woman's voice chimed back in, "Hello, sir. The funds have been successfully transferred. You may check your balances in just a few minutes!"

"Thank you," Hua Fo said.

"Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No, thank you."

"Very well. We look forward to serving you again. Have a wonderful day, goodbye!" the voice on the other end politely concluded.

"Yeah." With his face twitching, Hua Fo acknowledged the farewell, hung up the phone, and handed it back. "One million, split into two accounts. You can check it yourself, but make it fast—you know there's no way to charge this phone out here!"

Without a second thought, Chen Cao pulled the small box from his person, tossed it across to Hua Fo, and took the phone.