The Dagger Revealed, a Parting on Bad Terms

Daniel Crawford sat in the not-so-comfortable armchair, leaning back slightly, his hands still gripping the smooth wooden armrests tightly, as if they were the only fulcrum he could use to steady his mind at that moment.

He took about ten seconds to adjust his breathing, calm the anger still churning in his chest and the humiliation of being forced to lower his posture.

Forcing himself to look away from Lin Feng's overly calm face, his gaze swept over the lifeless vase of flowers on the round table, then over the guests around him who, though seemingly engaged in conversation, never truly looked away. Finally, he refocused, and the grotesque, distorted smile on his face was replaced by a more professional expression—a mixture of displeasure and forced restraint.

"Mr. Lin," Crawford spoke again, his voice lower than before, deliberately slowing his pace to regain control of the conversation, "NLG has just undergone a change of control and is in a time of great need for rebuilding and stability. At such a time, rash actions are the worst thing to do, and it's also the easiest time to fall into a trap due to unfamiliarity with the situation."

He picked up the wine glass that had been untouched until now, which had been refilled by the waiter, took a symbolic sip, and his gaze once again carried that air of "a senior instructing a junior," although the earlier conflict had somewhat diminished that air.

"We at ' All-American Express ' have been deeply involved in the North America logistics industry for over forty years, experiencing countless economic cycles and industry changes, and dealing with all sorts of... tricky internal problems."

He was alluding to NLG's previous financial woes and personnel turmoil, saying, "As a relatively experienced player in the industry, we've always believed that while healthy competition is important, positive cooperation, especially helping promising new partners transition smoothly and grow together, is more beneficial to the entire industry ecosystem."

He spoke in high-sounding words, trying to lay the groundwork for a "noble" reason for his subsequent demands.

Lin Feng listened quietly without interrupting, his face remaining expressionless. He would occasionally pick up his glass, take a small sip, and calmly gaze at Crawford, as if appreciating a carefully rehearsed but poorly acted monologue.

His right hand, resting on his knee, tapped its fingers unconsciously and very lightly, rhythmically and with an almost indifferent patience.

Seeing that Lin Feng didn't respond but just listened, Crawford felt slightly relieved, thinking that perhaps the other party was temporarily intimidated by his "All-American Express" reputation and his "grand principles," or at least was cautiously assessing the situation. He leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and made his tone more "heartfelt," as if he were sharing a valuable business opportunity rather than demanding something:

"I heard that NLG holds an exclusive operating contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the Northwest region's strategic stockpiling and rapid distribution system for emergency supplies, which expires next spring and will be re-tendered?"

He observed Lin Feng's reaction. Lin Feng's eyes flickered almost imperceptibly, but his expression remained calm. Lin Feng certainly knew about this project; it was a particularly bright spot in NLG's financial statements.

Although not the company's core business (such as long-haul transportation or port operations), it was regarded by Walton Times as an important "cash cow" and "relationship lubricant" due to its high profit margin, stable cash flow, low susceptibility to economic cycles, and certain government backing and entry barriers. The contract amounts were substantial, and the operations were relatively mature.

"This project is indeed quite profitable," Crawford continued, a knowing look on his face saying, "But it's also extremely complicated to operate. It requires navigating the bureaucratic systems at the federal, state, and county levels; the standards for material management are extremely stringent; the delivery time requirements are almost insane; and there are countless reports, audits, and emergency drills. When Old Walton was around, he spent a lot of effort and resources to maintain this contract."

He deliberately obscured the specific meaning of "resources," giving people unlimited room for imagination.

"NLG has just undergone such a major change, with a reshuffle of management, internal integration needed, and external client relationships need to be rebuilt." Crawford's tone became more "sincere," as if he genuinely cared about Lin Feng's well-being. "At this time, independently bidding for and operating such a complex government project with extremely low tolerance for error is too risky. If anything goes wrong, not only could we lose this excellent contract, but it would also seriously damage the company's newly stabilized reputation, and might even attract extra attention from regulatory authorities. It would be a losing proposition, Mr. Lin."

He paused, giving Lin Feng some time to process it, before throwing out the real bait, or rather, the "proposal" he believed the other party couldn't refuse:

"We at All-American Express have far more experience in this area. We have years of experience working with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security, and other federal agencies. We have well-established processes, extensive networks, and a nationwide emergency response network. Rather than letting NLG bear such a high risk alone, why don't we... cooperate?"

He leaned forward even more, lowered his voice, and his eyes were intense:

"Our company, ' All-American Express,' will lead the renewal negotiations and subsequent overall operation of this project, with NLG participating as our strategic subcontractor."

You can provide warehousing and some transportation capacity in the Northwest region and share the project's profits. In this way, NLG can retain its share of the pie and enjoy stable revenue without bearing the main operational pressure and risks.

And we can consolidate our advantages in government projects and expand our influence in the Northwest region. It's a win-win situation, Mr. Lin. I can guarantee that the profits NLG will receive will be at least as much as the net profit you would have made if you operated independently and bore all the risks. We can 'discuss it further.'

He finished speaking, leaned back in his chair, picked up his wine glass, and waited for Lin Feng's response with a confident expression that said, "I've provided the best solution; you should be grateful."

In his view, this was an incredible stroke of luck. A newcomer to a company beset by internal and external troubles, faced with such a complex and challenging government project, and with an industry giant proactively offering "cooperation," "risk-sharing," and "guaranteed returns," what reason did he have to refuse?

This is tantamount to "All-American Express" giving money to NLG for free and helping it avoid risks. As for the "dominance" and "most of the profits," they naturally belong to "All-American Express," which is the proper meaning of "cooperation" and a manifestation of "strength." He felt that if Lin Feng had any business sense, he should immediately seize the "helping hand" he extended.

A moment of silence seemed to fall around the round table. Even the jazz music playing from the band not far away seemed distant and indistinct. Many gazes, some bright and some dim, were focused on the small round table. People couldn't hear the specific conversation, but they could feel the subtle and tense atmosphere.

Lin Feng listened quietly, his expression remaining almost unchanged throughout. Only when Crawford finished speaking and looked at him expectantly did he slowly put down the wine glass he had been holding, lean forward slightly, and casually place his hands, fingers interlaced, on the edge of the table.

He looked up at Crawford's grey-blue eyes, which gleamed with shrewdness and arrogance, and slowly, very slowly, the corners of his mouth curved upwards into a very shallow arc.

It wasn't a smile of acceptance, nor a smile of gratitude. It was a smile that mixed amusement, understanding, and a hint of undisguised mockery.

"Cooperation?" Lin Feng repeated the word slowly, his tone flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "I like... cooperation the most."

Crawford was secretly pleased, and his confident smile widened. He was about to say something polite like "a wise choice" when he was about to speak.

But Lin Feng didn't finish his sentence. He changed the subject, his tone still calm, but carrying a strange, unsettling penetrating power:

"However, Mr. Crawford, since we're going to cooperate, I feel... isn't it a bit too narrow-minded to just cooperate on this one FEMA project? It doesn't sound very interesting."

Crawford's smile faltered slightly, a sense of foreboding rising within him. "What does Mr. Lin mean?"

Lin Feng's gaze sharpened, like two newly sharpened scalpels, precisely Crawford the "friendly cooperation" atmosphere Crawford was trying to create. He leaned forward slightly, closing the distance with Crawford, and said clearly, word by word:

"I remember that ' All-American Express ' holds a long-term exclusive franchise for 'top-secret material transportation support for specific strategic routes designated by the Department of Defense,' right?"

Upon hearing this, the color drained from Crawford's face at a visible speed, his confident smile instantly freezing and then shattering. His fingers tightened around the glass, causing the wine inside to ripple slightly.

That project! How could he know so much about it?! It's the absolute core secret of "All-American Express," the company's lifeline and cornerstone! It involves the highest level of national security clearance, the profits are unimaginable, and it symbolizes the deep ties between "All-American Express" and the military, the intelligence community, and even certain forces on Capitol Hill! It's a forbidden domain that no outsider is allowed to peek into, let alone touch!

Lin Feng seemed oblivious to Crawford's sudden change in expression, and continued in that terrifyingly calm tone:

"That project sounds like it has more 'cooperation' value. NLG is also very interested in participating in this kind of high-barrier, high-value business."

He paused, looking at Crawford's face, contorted with shock, anger, and disbelief, and clearly uttered the words that, to Crawford, were tantamount to a declaration of war, or even worse:

"How about we 'collaborate' on this project? NLG is very interested in getting involved and developing it together. As for the profits..."

Lin Feng mimicked Crawford's tone, the mocking smile on his lips deepening.

"That's negotiable."

"Clang!"

Crawford could no longer control himself and sprang up from his chair! The movement was so violent that the chair legs scraped against the smooth marble floor with a sharp, piercing sound! The wine in his glass spilled out due to the violent movement, splashing onto the front and cuffs of his expensive suit and onto the table.

His face was ashen, his lips trembled slightly with extreme anger, and his grey-blue eyes burned with fury as he glared at Lin Feng, who remained seated calmly in his chair, his expression unchanged. He reached out, his fingers trembling slightly with agitation, and pointed at Lin Feng's nose, letting out a hoarse, extremely angry growl from deep within his throat:

"Mr. Lin! You--!!"

He was so angry that he could barely utter a complete sentence, his chest heaving violently.

"This joke! It's not funny at all!" He practically spat out each word, his voice distorted by suppressed anger. "If you're not serious about cooperating, then forget it! Pretend I didn't say anything!"

He felt humiliated and fooled like never before! Not only did the other party reject his "generous" offer, but they also dared to covet his company's most core and sensitive assets! This was not just being ungrateful; it was blatant provocation, a declaration of war, and wishful thinking!

He could no longer bear to stay there for even a second, nor could he bear the focused, inquisitive, and spectator-like gazes around him, and even less could he bear the insanely calm eyes of this arrogant young man from Great East!

After saying that, he abruptly flung his hand away, as if to brush away something disgusting, and turned to stride away from this place that had humiliated him.

The chair slid backward with a thud as he suddenly stood up.

The negotiations broke down with Crawford's furious exit.