American Comics: Tales of Cultivator

Chapter 80: Emerging from Seclusion (2)

A cup of clear tea, wearing a Cloud-Water Azure Sky Crane Cloak, Tang Song sat on a zitan chair, gently using the teacup to stir the foam in the cup.

As Tang Song moved, a jingling sound echoed in the room.

Looking at this Boss with such a distinct temperament, Lane couldn't shake the illusion that the Boss was about to float away.

"Boss, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents just came looking for you!"

Lane walked over to Tang Song's side, picked up the teapot from the table, and refilled Tang Song's water.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. agents?" Tang Song flicked his finger, and a clear bell sound rang from his fingertip.

Lane couldn't help but look at the Boss's finger, only then noticing that the Boss's index finger was wrapped with a red thread holding a brass bell the size of a fingertip.

The small, golden-yellow bell shone with a golden luster. Faintly inscribed on it were bird and beast script. As the bell sound rang in his ears, Lane felt momentarily disoriented, as if falling into a dream.

"Cough!"

A cough brought Lane back from his daze. The sound of rushing water filled the air, and he lowered his head, only to realize that the water from the teapot in his hand had spilled all over the table.

"Boss!"

Lane quickly put down the teapot in his hand and took out a rag to wipe the table.

"No need for such trouble!" Tang Song reached out and drew a few strokes in the air. Points of light lit up, forming a talisman.

The spilled tea on the table was instantly drawn by an invisible force, gathering in mid-air to form a fist-sized water sphere.

"Boss, your "Dao" is complete?!"

Lane looked at the water sphere before him with a shocked expression and spoke in broken Chinese.

Since obtaining the God-Demon Transformation technique, in order for Lane and the others to better understand its essence, Tang Song specifically hired several Chinese language professors from China.

Among them, two were masters specializing in ancient literature, teaching Lane, Frank, and the others to learn Chinese.

Each lesson cost 5000 US dollars, and these professors could only spare four days a month. Tang Song specifically chartered a plane to transport these professors from Beijing to New York and back every month.

Judging by Lane's broken but understandable words, he was learning quite well. Of course, this might also be thanks to his super intellect.

However, it was clear that Tang Song's money was not spent in vain.

"Complete? Not yet, it's still early. It's just the first step of a long march. I merely took the opportunity while refining the Great Desolation Bell to sort through what I've learned and gained some insights!"

Tang Song flicked his finger. The water sphere floating in mid-air transformed into various shapes under the control of his true essence: water pigs, water monkeys, water birds...

These animal shapes formed by the water sphere walked and jumped in mid-air, their postures lifelike, as if they were living creatures.

Lane, standing beside him, watched the water sphere transform into an eagle and fly past him, momentarily speechless.

"The Black Water True Method within God-Demon Transformation allows one to transform into a black dragon. Such gods and demons are naturally capable of summoning clouds and rain, controlling all waters. When your God-Demon Transformation cultivation reaches the third layer, you'll be able to achieve this level!"

Tang Song waved his hand. The strange fish formed by the water sphere suddenly dispersed into countless water droplets.

Swish swish swish swish...

Countless water droplets shot out from the half-open window. The whistling wind made Lane's face twitch.

His super intellect quickly determined from the sound of the water droplets shooting out that the kinetic energy generated by these droplets was absolutely no less than that of some standard caliber automatic rifle.

"You said S.H.I.E.L.D. agents came looking for you?"

After cleaning up the water stains, Tang Song slowly picked up the teacup. The clear bell sound rang out, but to Lane's ears, it no longer carried that strange, soul-capturing sensation.

"Yes, Boss. Just as you predicted, it's about our sale of Stark Industries stock."

Lane said, "As you instructed, I told them about Obadiah."

Tap tap tap! Tang Song tapped the sandalwood tabletop with his finger. "How much clean money do we have left in our accounts?"

Lane naturally understood what "clean money" meant: legitimate, legal, laundered liquid capital that could withstand scrutiny.

"Excluding your deposit in Wells Fargo, there's still three hundred and ten million on the books!" The super memory brought by his super intellect allowed Lane to clearly remember every single amount of liquid capital. Without the slightest pause, he gave Tang Song an exact figure.

"Use all that money to sweep the market and buy Stark Industries stock!"

Tang Song swung the small bell in his hand. The bell wrapped in red thread was occasionally tossed out and then pulled back. Although Tang Song couldn't remember exactly how long Tony Stark stayed at the Ten Rings Base, he knew that as soon as he returned to New York, Stark Industries' stock price would immediately double.

He naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

"Yes, Boss!"

Currently, the entire Wall Street was bearish on Stark Industries. In the eyes of many professional assessment agencies, without Tony Stark, Stark Industries' value would be discounted by at least forty percent.

Since the news of Tony Stark's disappearance spread, Stark Industries' stock has been nearly halved so far.

Buying Stark Industries stock at this time was truly not a wise move. However, Lane did not question the Boss's decision. Instead, he noted down the Boss's words, planning to execute them immediately.

That their Boss had secrets was something Lane and the others had known for a long time. However, their small group, which started by huddling together for warmth, now had a relationship close to that of a family.

Lane's self-positioning was the Boss's head butler!

As the head butler, he never questioned the Boss's decisions, even if they were wrong.

He defined his duty as identifying and fixing omissions, and executing the Boss's instructions perfectly.

Ultimately, if he truly found the Boss's decision to be wrong, Lane would find a way to make everyone believe that what the Boss did was right.

"During these past few days I was in seclusion, did anything happen?"

"Boss, the government dispatched a Special Forces unit to clear out some gang forces that had surfaced.

The Mafia in Russia and the Golden Gate in South Korea both suffered heavy losses.

Currently, most of Kingpin's territory has been taken by us, but there are still some industries that require your decision!"

Tang Song listened as Lane reported several territories, such as the casino in Las Vegas, the drug trafficking passage located in Mexico...

Apart from the shares in the Las Vegas casino, most of these territories were indeed non-performing assets left behind by Kingpin.

Like the few drug trafficking passages, they were truly chicken ribs for them – tasteless to eat, yet a shame to discard.

"Take it slow, no rush!"

Tang Song waved his hand. "You can't get fat by eating in one gulp. The current territory is enough for us to digest for a while!

"Hmm, hand those few drug trafficking passages in Mexico over to Willie," Tang Song rubbed the black jade thumb ring on his thumb, pondered for a moment, and decided.

"I've already lent him manpower! Tell him, if he can't take those few drug trafficking passages, I don't mind replacing him as the Godfather of the Gambino family!"

"Yes, Boss!"

......…

"Have the gifts I asked you to prepare been sent out?"

In the Rolls-Royce heading towards the manor, Tang Song, having changed into a suit, was resting his eyes, while Lane drove in the front.

Hearing Tang Song's question, Lane replied:

"The gifts have been deposited into the Swiss Bank. Besides a batch of bearer bonds, Magneto had a batch of gold transported. I've had it melted down into gold bars and deposited into the vault.

For those government High-level Staff you mentioned, I've reserved a Safe for each of them!"

"Good!"

The Great Desolation Bell chimed softly, making Tang Song's mind increasingly clear.

The Great Desolation Bell, from the Jambudvīpa World, is a magic treasure refined by a Great Desolation Rogue.

The reason Tang Song chose to refine the Great Desolation Bell was that this Great Desolation Rogue had once seen the true form of a certain Innate Pure Yang Supreme Treasure.

This Great Desolation Bell is considered a replica of that Innate Pure Yang Supreme Treasure.

Uh, the one Boss Tang refined is more like a knockoff version.

However, upon its initial completion, this magic tool is imbued with twelve restriction seals, capable of body protection, soul capturing, and calming the mind. For Boss Tang's current cultivation base, it is sufficient.

"During this time, the thirty-six armored corpses I am refining are about to be completed. Have Kane and the others prepare more blood food for the armored corpses..."

(end of chapter)