Chapter 64: Showing Off Muscles

In this world of ruins, the price of housing was abnormally high. So much so that Ma Jun could only afford a roughly one-hundred-square-meter apartment in a residential tower hundreds of stories tall. The room was filled with intelligent control devices; such a life was the stuff of dreams. Yet the dim sky outside the window reminded everyone that this was nothing but a wasteland.

In the living room, Ma Jun sprawled lazily on the sofa, exhausted from his recent scientific experiments. He took out his phone and answered a call. “Hey, Lao Qian, how are things at the company?”

Not long ago, Ma Jun had brought Qian Motuo over and promptly handed over all company affairs to him, becoming a hands-off boss.

“Boss, R Company has replied. Their president invites you to meet next Friday at two in the afternoon.”

“Excellent. Get ready. We’ll go together then.”

But before Ma Jun could meet with R’s president, an uninvited guest appeared at Junma Technology the very next day.

The visitor, a man in his early thirties, arrived in a luxurious car, accompanied by ten bodyguards, and marched straight into Junma Technology. The receptionist did not report to Ma Jun but brought the group directly to his office.

The bodyguards, all burly and imposing, guarded the door while the thirty-something man pushed it open and entered.

“Boss, they said they’re from R Company,” the receptionist said, troubled.

Ma Jun waved her off without rebuke and turned to the man, rising with a smile. “Hello, I am Ma Jun.”

The man was impeccably dressed, his hair meticulously styled. He nodded to Ma Jun, took a seat without any courtesy, and said, “Sit down. I am Dawson Carl, shareholder of R Company.”

As he spoke, pride flickered in his eyes.

Ma Jun frowned slightly and returned to his seat. “I wonder what brings Mr. Carl here?”

“You’ve developed a new drug?” Dawson Carl scrutinized Ma Jun, his tone laced with distrust.

“Yes,” Ma Jun replied with a smile. “You’ve already received the full documentation, haven’t you?”

“Of course.” Dawson Carl tilted his chin. “My time is very valuable. You must have heard the Carl name. Let’s get to the point. You’re lucky. I’m interested in your product. Name your price.”

Ma Jun was amused. Apparently, the Carl surname was supposed to be impressive, but he had never heard of it, nor did he know much about the so-called elite families of this dimension.

“Mr. Carl, soon I’ll visit your company to discuss the product in person,” Ma Jun said.

Dawson Carl frowned. “Not many matters warrant my personal attention. You should feel honored.”

“Are you representing R Group?” Ma Jun shrugged, unmoved. “Sorry, as an ordinary person, I’ve never heard of the Carl surname.”

Dawson Carl burst out laughing. “Well, it seems you haven’t understood my leverage. Let me enlighten you. The Carl family is involved in energy, finance, telecommunications—every sector. The electronic products in your hands are all manufactured by Carl family businesses. If you don’t grasp what I’m saying, then my visit today was truly unwise.”

“You want to fully acquire my product?” Ma Jun asked.

“Exactly!” Dawson Carl thought Ma Jun was about to agree, nodding enthusiastically. “In fact, I’ve already reached agreements with several young students involved in your experiments. They’ll work in my laboratory, where we provide top-tier equipment—far superior to your rented lab. If you consent, you’ll be the head of the lab, with an annual salary of one hundred million dollars.”

Ma Jun sneered inwardly. Dawson Carl certainly acted fast—rushing to seize the opportunity after hearing news from R Company.

Clearly, he had already begun to act. Yet he mistakenly believed those university students would be useful, not knowing they were merely Ma Jun’s cover.

Having realized his initial plan had failed, Dawson Carl came in person to seek Ma Jun.

But to ask a dimensional raider like me to work for you? And only offer a hundred million a year? That’s shameless.

This miraculous drug was meant to solve the food problem for tens of billions. Food, above all, is humanity’s primary need—medicine and other fields come second.

“I’ve already planned to cooperate with you,” Ma Jun feigned ignorance. “On Friday, I’ll visit R Company’s headquarters to discuss these matters.”

“I represent the Carl family,” Dawson Carl enunciated each word. “You cannot afford the consequences of refusing us. Mr. Ma Jun, I’ll give you one last chance—accept my invitation, and you’ll reach the pinnacle of life.”

“I’m to develop the miracle drug, only to be kicked aside when the work is done? The Carl family will profit immensely, but you misunderstand—this drug is greater than you imagine. If the Carl family tries to monopolize it, many others will covet it.”

“Bang!” Dawson Carl’s face darkened as he slammed the table and stood abruptly. “I hope you’ll come to R Company as scheduled on Friday.”

With that threat, the foreigner stormed out in fury.

“So quickly, someone’s come knocking,” Ma Jun yawned, lit a cigarette, and watched his adversary’s retreating figure. “Since he’s using the family name, it’s probably not just R Company testing the waters. He’s deliberately trying to intimidate me, but I’m no pushover.”

The other party clearly thought Ma Jun was a naive youngster, ripe for exploitation. But he didn’t know Ma Jun was a seasoned veteran. Since he’d baked a delicious cake, he’d be sure to slice it himself, not let anyone snatch it away.

After this incident, the university students at the company promptly resigned, emboldened by the Carl family’s backing. They saw themselves as too important to stay at a small firm. Several others followed suit. Ma Jun let them all go; removing these people would actually benefit his future plans.

In the evening, the weather was gloomy, and the sulfur in the air made it nauseating to breathe.

The floating three-dimensional advertisements above emitted sickening glows.

Ma Jun and Qian Motuo, both dressed in tailcoats, left the company and wandered the streets.

“Boss, someone’s following us,” Qian Motuo suddenly said.

“Mm.” Ma Jun grinned. “The gun we got from George hasn’t tasted blood yet. Time to have some fun—let Dawson’s fool stew in paranoia.”

“Yes.”

They turned a corner and entered a narrow alley.

Halfway down the alley, a group of more than thirty men dressed in black suddenly appeared at both ends.

“Greetings, Mr. Ma Jun. My boss has invited you to visit.”

The group surrounded Ma Jun and his companion. The tall, thin leader spoke coldly.

If Ma Jun went, he’d surely be locked in some dark room, forced to serve endlessly. This was nothing but brute force and robbery.

“Lao Qian, let’s see who kills more,” Ma Jun said cheerfully.

There were no cameras in this alley; both sides were solid walls, and above was an advertising screen—an entirely enclosed space.

In the Deer Cauldron dimension, Ma Jun had been a battlefield general, slaying thousands. If he traded his weapons for modern firearms, would he be just as formidable?

In an instant, an automatic rifle appeared in Ma Jun’s hands out of thin air.

“Rat-tat-tat!”

A burst of gunfire rang out, and the tall, thin leader dropped first.

Without a word or warning, blood was spilled—so quick, there was no time to react.

At the same time, Qian Motuo drew his own automatic rifle, firing back-to-back with Ma Jun.

Within seconds, more than ten men lay dead. The survivors scrambled to draw their pistols and return fire.

Yet something even more astonishing happened.

Ma Jun leapt onto the wall, running along it to dodge bullets, while his automatic rifle blazed.

“Devil!”

The foreigners were so terrified they lost control of their bowels, but before the relief could finish, their breathing had already ceased.

“Heh, I win this round!” Ma Jun said with a grin, gun in hand.

“Boss, you’re truly remarkable!” Qian Motuo flattered him at just the right moment.

“All right, clean up the scene and let’s go home,” Ma Jun said, yawning. “I’m getting sleepy.”

Qian Motuo, gun in hand, wandered around firing a few more rounds, then hurried after Ma Jun, activating their tailcoats, scaling the wall, and escaping.

In a manor, its decor ancient and elegant, the history of the estate was evident.

Dawson Carl sat upright on a wooden sofa, sliding his finger across the coffee table, reviewing images and documents.

Suddenly, the images vanished and a video feed appeared. “Sir, our people have been completely wiped out. Here are photos of the scene.”

Bloody pictures appeared one after another.

Dawson Carl’s face grew increasingly grim.

The person in the video continued, “According to our investigation, all our men died within less than a minute. From some of the victims’ expressions, it seems they witnessed something utterly terrifying right before death.”

“I understand,” Dawson Carl gritted his teeth, closing the video feed and smashing his fist onto the table.

A rosy-faced, white-haired elder walked briskly from the house, smiling kindly. “What’s the matter, is our little Carl hurt? I told you before, your methods are flawed. Anyone capable of developing such a mysterious drug, even if young, deserves respect.”

The old man took a bottle of some unknown beverage, sat beside Dawson Carl, and continued, “He has protection. Don’t try any more forceful tactics—those tests are pointless. There’s still time before Friday. Show your sincerity and reach out again. If you succeed, the Carl family’s future will be in your hands.”

“First force, then courtesy,” Dawson Carl mused. “It seems his abilities or background warrant us paying a price.”