Chapter 154 – Are You Crazy?
Click.
A busy tone buzzed in the receiver.
Lucas kept the phone pressed to his ear, stunned for a long time.
Crash!
When he finally realized he had been kicked out of the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine deal, his fury erupted like a volcano.
He hurled his phone against the opposite wall—it shattered into countless pieces.
He stood up and violently kicked the desk in front of him. With a loud bang, the desk toppled, scattering documents and the desk lamp across the floor.
"You bastards! Sons of bitches!"
He roared with rage, venting his fury like a madman.
Outside, company staff gathered near the CEO's office, cautiously peeking in.
Lucas no longer cared about the funding efforts. With a few trusted aides, he boarded a plane and flew to the province of Tubo.
When he saw Denba again—a man he had always regarded as a friend, a seemingly honest Chinese fellow—he found that tanned, UV-battered face from the highlands uglier than ever.
Disgust boiled within him, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"You betrayed me!" he growled through clenched teeth.
"I had no choice," Denba replied with a pained expression.
"I gave you all my trust, and this is how you repay me?" Lucas beat his chest, thudding with rage. "I went back to Jia Nation to raise funds for our venture—I gave it my all! And what I got in return is betrayal!"
Among the Chinese he had worked with, he had spent the most time with Denba, often discussing technical matters. They had formed what he believed was a strong revolutionary friendship.
Now, that boat of friendship had capsized.
"They're waiting for you—go straight in," Denba said with a helpless sigh.
Following Dawa's notice, Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue had arrived in Dawa's office.
Lucas stormed in. Upon seeing two unfamiliar faces, he immediately knew who had swooped in to snatch his treasure.
His glare burned with intensity. A powerful aura radiated from him, meant to crush his opponents psychologically.
But Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue weren't intimidated in the slightest.
Though neither spoke, the tension in the room was palpable.
"Let's talk calmly," Dawa offered a strained smile. "Lucas is from Jia Nation—he brings capital, technology, and advanced equipment. Li Tang is one of China's hottest geological experts, deeply familiar with the country's mineral exploration policies. If they could collaborate, I think it could be a beautiful partnership."
The moment he finished, Lucas snapped at Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue, teeth clenched: "You two thieves stole my mining rights while I was away!"
Li Tang met his gaze and said calmly, "Your mining rights? Don't be ridiculous. This is China—our land, our home. If anyone's breaking and entering, it's you!"
"I was here before you. I began the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine exploration before you did."
Lucas pointed at Denba and Dawa. "I had a verbal agreement with them. They agreed to transfer the prospecting rights to me! You used despicable tricks to steal them!"
"Verbal agreement?" Li Tang smiled faintly. "By your own words, it was verbal. Who knows if it was even real?"
"Denba, didn't you promise me?" Lucas turned to him.
Denba stood silently at the side—he neither sat down nor answered.
Could he answer Lucas?
No.
Even if it were true, given the situation now, he had no say in the matter.
If he supported Lucas, it would mean going back on the agreement with Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue—he'd offend too many people.
He shut his mouth tightly, unmoving.
"So it wasn't true, then," Li Tang chuckled.
Lucas realized he was completely isolated. Rage surged again.
He had hoped the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine would be his great comeback, a way to elevate Land Mining Company and shine in the capital market.
The higher the hope, the deeper the disappointment.
He couldn't understand why these two strangers had suddenly jumped into the picture. Before he came, no one had cared about this worthless project.
Even now, he believed only he truly understood the mine's immense value.
Only he had seen the drill data.
Everyone here, he thought, could have been fooled.
And he still believed that.
Suppressing his anger, he adjusted his mood and looked at Li Tang, Xiao Yongyue, and even Dawa and Denba with new eyes.
"If you want more money, just say it—name your price."
He assumed these Chinese were impoverished troublemakers trying to extort more money from him.
The poorer people are, the greedier and less principled they become.
That was his only conclusion on the flight over.
Given the circumstances, he had no choice but to compromise. It was shameful and hard to endure.
"Yes, we can talk things over," Dawa agreed, thinking Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue were trying to squeeze Lucas for money. "Since we're all here, we can discuss anything."
"Money?" Li Tang shook his head. "I don't want money—we've got plenty."
"Don't pretend. Just tell me how much you want to return the prospecting rights." Lucas thought they were trying to wear him down.
"You're mistaken. We never intended to transfer the mining rights."
"There's no shame in this kind of thing."
"There's nothing more to say."
Li Tang sat steadily, sipping tea unhurriedly.
Xiao Yongyue, knowing Li Tang was serious about investing in the project, finally spoke: "We believe strongly in the potential of the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine."
Lucas was still hoping to buy them off—even if it meant overpaying—to reclaim the rights.
But that hope collapsed. These two either wanted too much or had no intention of selling.
"I'll give each of you one million!" he offered.
Dawa and Denba looked at Lucas in shock.
The prospecting rights had just been transferred to a joint venture between Zhenguan and Gaolu Potash Company. Flipping them instantly for a 2 million profit?
Was money really that easy to make now?
None of them had imagined the Gongcun mine was so valuable that Lucas would stop at nothing to take it.
"One million?" Li Tang looked at Xiao Yongyue. "Mr. Xiao, what do you think?"
"What do you think?" Xiao Yongyue countered.
"One hundred million!"
Li Tang held up one finger. "Not in dollars or Jia yuan. One hundred million in RMB."
"A hundred million?!" Lucas shouted. "Are you crazy?!"
"That's my valuation of the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine," Li Tang said casually, almost like a joke.
Lucas realized this young man was toying with him.
"You've gone too far!" Lucas lost control, pointing at Li Tang's nose and shouting, "This is robbery! Theft! I'm taking you to international arbitration—you'll pay for this!"
"Feel free," Li Tang stood up, waving goodbye to Dawa and Denba.
"You'll regret this!"
Lucas pointed after him, still shouting threats. "You're finished! Your shameless looting will bring retribution!"
Negotiations had completely broken down.
Li Tang didn't take the threats seriously. This was China, and everything they had done was legal and proper.
In fact, intercepting the mining rights meant preserving a valuable national asset and saving huge amounts of foreign exchange.
He felt at peace, even proud—like he had served the nation.
But the matter didn't end there.
Lucas's curses weren't just empty threats—he was truly taking action.
Nobu summoned Li Tang and Xiao Yongyue to his office, worry etched on his face.
"A notice from Yanjing just came in. The Department of Mineral Resources is requesting we go there immediately to clarify the dispute over the Gongcun Copper-Gold Mine's prospecting rights."
"What's there to clarify? We signed a black-and-white transfer agreement with the Geological Exploration Bureau. The rights are ours!" Li Tang said confidently. "Lucas only had a verbal agreement with Geological Team Six—there's no proof he ever secured the rights."
"But Land Mining has gone to the Jia Nation Consulate in Yanjing. They brought media and contacted the supervising ministry," Nobu frowned. "The authorities are taking foreign enterprises' concerns seriously. They've ordered us to explain things in person."
"What does that mean?" Xiao Yongyue asked in confusion.
"This timing… it's extremely sensitive!"
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