Not to mention how, after the information was leaked, mining oligarchs and state governments would join forces to crush an independent small landowner.
He could come up with this kind of script even with his toes.
Money and shields.
The old man on the other end of the line had everything he lacked.
Charles's business empire in Seattle spans finance, real estate, and energy.
His legal team can manipulate federal regulations in countless ways, and he also has a deep-rooted network of connections in the state legislature.
This 78-year-old guy, who can still fly to Alaska in person, has something in his hand that's enough to stop any opponent.
Ambition leaped between my ribs.
Su Wei pressed it back down.
Not now.
It wasn't over the phone, and it certainly wasn't when there were no bargaining chips on the table.
Charles is not a philanthropist; he is a predator.
Exposing your needs in front of him is no different from bleeding in front of a brown bear.
"Three people, wilderness experience." Su Wei's tone remained completely flat.
What intensity do you want?
"The most authentic kind."
"The most authentic kind is very difficult."
Charles let out a low chuckle.
The laughter was not polite.
The sound was rough and short, carrying a satisfying feeling of being tickled.
"Then let them cry."
Su Wei pulled out a chair and sat down.
Cotton Candy heard the noise from the blanket in front of the fireplace, her ears twitched, but she didn't move.
"Time," Su Wei said.
"The sooner the better. Is this week okay?"
Su Wei mentally reviewed the schedule.
The Raptor is still in Apex's workshop; today is the second day of the 72-hour modification that Daniel mentioned.
I can only pick up the car tomorrow afternoon or the morning after tomorrow, and that beat-up old car of Suoluode can't go into the mountains.
The weather window is only tomorrow; temperatures will drop and snow will begin the day after tomorrow.
Three days later.
By then, the Raptor modifications would be complete, and the worst of the weather would have passed.
"Three days later," Charles repeated, still speaking slowly.
"Thursday."
"Yes. You fly to Kodiak yourselves, I'll pick you up in town."
"OK."
Su Wei tapped the armrest of the chair with his index finger.
"Mr. Charles, there's something I need to clarify first."
There was a half-second of silence on the other end of the line.
Charles did not urge him on.
"Once we're in the wilderness, everyone has to listen to me, including you."
Su Wei used very flat words, without deliberately emphasizing any syllables.
"I can stop when I want, leave when I want, and lie down when I want."
"No discussion."
"Danger in the wilderness comes from anywhere possible; I need this command."
The silence stretched to the fourth second.
For an ordinary customer, these words would be considered offensive.
A young man told an elderly man worth billions, "If you're going to lie down, then lie down."
Charles's response was calmer than expected.
"OK."
He paused for a moment.
"You're the guide, you're responsible for our three lives. I won't argue with you about this on your turf."
As soon as Charles finished speaking, that deep sound rolled out from deep in his throat again.
It wasn't laughter; it was an almost instinctive response.
"I appreciate professionalism, young people. Besides, I'm really looking forward to it."
Su Wei's lips twitched, but he didn't reply.
"See you on Thursday," Charles said.
"Thursday."
The call was disconnected.
Su Wei put the phone back on the table.
He remained seated in his chair, his gaze passing through the window and landing in the direction of Pillar Mountain.
Dusk was creeping up the ridge, turning the snow-covered outlines a deep gray.
A four-minute phone call, not much information, but enough.
Charles's motive for bringing his grandchildren to the wilderness to "suffer" is reasonable.
Last time in the Chart Room, the old man ate a bear heart, and the desire that seeped from the depths of his body was not an act.
A 78-year-old financial tycoon, his body decaying, craves not scenery, but vitality itself.
He wants to use the violence of the wilderness to reforge the pampered offspring raised in the greenhouse.
But Charles won't come for just this.
A person with a strong desire for control personally called to confirm the itinerary and even offered to take over the "command."
He is investing.
Invest in a relationship.
His first impression of the Chart Room had already shown him Su Wei's value.
A young man with top-notch Cooking, exceptional professional abilities, and who refuses to bow down.
He also plans to build a truly top-tier Wilderness Club.
This wilderness survival experience was the second one.
What Charles might want to see is the Su Wei's true performance under extreme conditions.
See if he can handle things, protect people, and establish his own order outside of his rules.
Also, how is Su Wei's club doing?
If we pass this test, the rest of the games will be much easier.
Su Wei stood up, walked to the long table, and opened the laptop screen.
Cotton Candy finally jumped off the blanket, ran over, and put her front paws on his trouser leg.
It twitched its pink nose twice and whimpered softly.
Su Wei bent down, picked up the opened package of reindeer jerky from the coffee table, tore off a small piece, and threw it on the floor.
The white fluffy ball pounced, grabbed it, ran back to its usual spot in front of the fireplace, and lay down to slowly nibble on it.
The computer is turned on.
Su Wei did not open a browser or any editing software.
He created a new encrypted document, leaving the filename blank.
The cursor is jumping around on a blank page.
Su Wei brought up another window, which contained a scanned copy of a report from the Anchorage Mineral Testing and Metallurgy Laboratory.
The third page of the PDF file was dragged to the center of the screen, and the line of data marked in bold occupied the center of attention.
Au: 8.74 g/t.