Chapter 470

One, five, ten, fifteen, twenty...

Malik silently ran the numbers through his head.

The more he calculated, the worse his expression became.

He had originally thought twenty or so Demon Heart Warriors would be plenty. But after listening to Evenson talk about bodyguards, a personal guard, an off-world search team, and everything else, the number had somehow ballooned into the hundreds.

And these Demon Heart Warriors certainly weren’t going to be cheap.

If each one cost sixty or seventy million dollars, Malik could understand it. If they were being sold for less, he wasn’t sure he had the nerve to buy them.

A hundred at sixty or seventy million each...

Six to seven billion dollars.

Malik’s personal fortune was roughly $9.2 billion.

Granted, that was only his liquid personal wealth. It didn’t include company funds, property, or other assets. Still, the realization hit him like a brick.

This dinner was becoming increasingly strange.

He had originally invited Evenson over intending to use him for his own purposes. Somehow, the conversation had evolved into a partnership, with Malik increasingly finding himself on the weaker side of the negotiation.

That alone was acceptable. Partnerships were built on mutual exploitation. Both sides gained something.

But this?

How had the conversation somehow turned into Malik preparing to hand over sixty percent of his personal fortune?

"Um... about those Demon Heart Warriors..." Malik rubbed his right hand nervously against his knee. "How much does one cost? And if I’m ordering in bulk, is there a discount?"

It was the first time in his life he’d found himself haggling over a price like a retiree arguing over vegetables at a street market.

Evenson looked entirely pleased with himself.

"The Demon Heart Warrior is currently our company’s most advanced product, so naturally, it isn’t cheap. In fact, for certain reasons, it’s not technically for sale yet."

Malik’s heart sank.

"However, considering our future cooperation, I’m willing to make an exception and authorize a sale to you."

Evenson smiled as though he were granting Malik an extraordinary favor.

"But don’t worry. Our company values its reputation above all else. You provide the raw materials, and we’ll provide finished products that meet your expectations."

"We provide the raw materials?!"

Stephanie stared at him in disbelief.

She had quietly done some calculations of her own while her father was talking. Regardless of the final figure, she already knew one thing: she probably wasn’t going to be celebrating her birthdays at the Burj Al Arab for quite some time.

And now she discovered that all those billions were merely the processing fee.

They still had to provide the raw materials.

Apparently, capitalism had found a way to charge you for both the factory and the ingredients.

Evenson rested his chin on one hand.

"Our company’s products are primarily modified humanoid bio-weapons. So you should have a fairly good idea what the most important raw material is."

Stephanie’s expression went blank.

Evenson continued smoothly.

"Of course, if supplying the materials yourselves is too troublesome, we can provide everything. As a courtesy to our customers, we’d simply deliver the finished products without charging you anything extra for the materials."

He smiled.

"But do you really think that’s a good idea, Mr. Malik?"

"No."

Malik rejected the offer without even thinking.

"We’ll provide the materials ourselves."

A conventional weapon was just an object. A rifle, a missile, a bomb, none of them had a mind of their own.

These were different.

The soldiers he was preparing to create would be his sharpest sword and strongest shield. His own life, and eventually the fate of everything he ruled, would depend on them.

There was no chance he would entrust such a force to strangers.

"Very well."

Evenson opened a wooden box sitting on the table.

Inside was a neat arrangement of Brazilian cigars.

He picked one up, held it beneath his nose, and took a slow breath.

Not bad.

He glanced at the brand.

He had no idea what it was.

Still, anything displayed on Malik’s table was unlikely to be cheap.

Evenson placed the cigar between his lips and tapped one end lightly with his finger.

The tobacco ignited.

He took a slow draw, and his eyes immediately brightened.

"That’s a damn good cigar. Excellent."

He exhaled thoughtfully.

"Given the identity I’m currently maintaining, getting something like this isn’t exactly easy."

"Take a box with you when you leave."

Malik rubbed his eyes wearily.

At this point, he’d already spent half his fortune in his head. What was one box of cigars?

"Much appreciated."

Evenson took another leisurely puff.

"Now, how many Demon Heart Warriors are you planning to order?"

Malik clenched his teeth and forced a smile.

"Let’s start with one hundred."

"One hundred?"

Evenson lowered the cigar.

"Don’t you think that’s a little low?"

"Not at all. One hundred is more than enough for now."

You are trying to bankrupt me, aren’t you?

"All right."

Evenson tapped ash from the cigar.

"There are a few things I should make clear first. The Demon Heart Warrior modification is cutting-edge technology we’ve only recently developed. Some aspects of the process are still experimental."

Malik’s expression tightened.

"In other words, there may be defective products."

Evenson took another drag.

"After the modification is complete, every candidate will also undergo an extremely rigorous final evaluation. Some will fail that examination as well. We do this to ensure that only the highest-quality products are delivered to our clients."

Malik frowned as he worked through the implications.

"So if I want one hundred finished warriors, I need to provide materials for considerably more than one hundred."

"Correct."

"And if some of them fail..." Malik’s eyes narrowed. "Do I still have to pay for those?"

People were cheap.

If sacrificing a thousand candidates meant obtaining one hundred of these monsters, Malik considered it a worthwhile exchange.

The real question was whether he would have to pay for failures.

Evenson spread his hands.

"Customer satisfaction comes first. We don’t charge for failed products."

"Good."

Malik finally allowed himself to breathe.

He had insisted on financing and supplying the entire project personally precisely because he wanted the resulting force to belong to him alone. He had refused to let the other Hydra families participate.

If he had been forced to pay for every failed candidate as well, he might have needed to start selling his houses.

"What sort of requirements do you have for the materials?" Malik asked.

"Male or female, it doesn’t matter. They must be physically healthy, with no physiological or psychological disorders. And to save time, they should preferably be young people with military training."

Malik nodded.

That wasn’t an unreasonable request.

He had plenty of people under his command who fit the criteria.

"How many candidates do you need?"

Evenson pretended to think carefully.

"Taking the success rate of the modification into account, along with the percentage who will pass our final evaluation..."

He paused just long enough to make Malik nervous.

"Five hundred should do."

Five hundred.

Malik stared at him.

That wasn’t even as many as he’d expected.

Finally, Malik straightened in his seat.

He had reached the question that mattered most.

"Considering our friendship, and the potential for future cooperation between us, how much do you think I should pay?"

Evenson didn’t hesitate.

"I’ll make the decision myself."

He smiled.

"Two hundred million dollars."

...

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/Sinmerry