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"Uh..." Yan Qingsong appeared somewhat troubled. Initially, he thought that offering seven billion dollars from Hongmen was quite a substantial amount, especially since some publicly listed companies had a market value lower than that. However, upon hearing that the Hidden Order required five several billion dollars just for the first step, he realized that his seventy billion dollars was merely a drop in the bucket.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yan Qingsong finally spoke up. "About ten billion dollars," he paused for a moment before continuing, though he had reduced his initial offer by thirty billion. Ten billion dollars could likely place someone in the top one hundred of the United States' wealth rankings; honestly, it was not a small sum.
Yan Qingsong believed that the five several billion dollars mentioned by the Hidden Order was unrealistic. No one could provide such an amount to collaborate with them, unless it was the U.S. government, but the Hidden Order's principle was to avoid working with officials.
Of course, there was another way—crowdfunding.
"Ten billion dollars is too little for us. I'm sorry, but it seems we at the Hidden Order cannot collaborate with you at Hongmen," Donald said regretfully.
Being outright rejected by the Hidden Order left Yan Qingsong feeling somewhat unwilling to accept defeat. "Elder Donald, if I may say something unpalatable, you mentioned that five several billion dollars is needed for the first step, but I doubt there are many people on Earth who can provide that amount. However, I have an idea: one person's strength is limited. Perhaps we could find more people to collaborate. If one person can contribute ten billion or fifty billion, we would only need fifty individuals. With the reputation of the Hidden Order, I believe it would be easy to find fifty willing investors," Yan Qingsong suggested.
"Master Yan Men, you are mistaken on one point. There are indeed people on Earth who can provide five several billion dollars; however, they are very few—likely no more than five. We prefer not to work with fifty individuals because the more collaborators there are, the more complicated it becomes. We at the Hidden Order do not like complications," Donald replied.
"Elder Donald, I understand your point. But if I'm not mistaken, those families probably wouldn't be willing to invest five several billion dollars in the Hidden Order. If they were willing to invest, you wouldn't have agreed to meet with us today. You know we at Hongmen cannot provide five hundred billion or even a few hundred billion; yet you still agreed to meet us. This indicates we might still have a chance to collaborate," Yan Qingsong said with a slight smile.
Hearing this, Donald chuckled and looked deeply at Yan Qingsong. "Master Yan Men, you're quite clever. I enjoy dealing with intelligent people like you. You're right; even the largest families in the world, such as the Delson Family, would hesitate to part with five several billion dollars. Therefore, we will proceed as you suggested—with crowdfunding."
Donald’s words puzzled Yan Qingsong a bit; why did he seem to contradict himself? If they were going to crowdfund, why say that ten billion dollars wasn’t enough for collaboration with the Hidden Order?
Noticing Yan Qingsong's confusion, Donald smiled and explained: "What I mean is that you provide ten billion dollars in support; however, our relationship with you at the Hidden Order does not constitute a partnership."
"Not a partnership? Then what kind of relationship is it?" Yan Qingsong frowned slightly.
"There is no relationship," Donald stated plainly.
At this declaration, Yan Qingsong and his companions' expressions turned sour. The Hidden Order seemed rather arrogant; if there was no relationship at all, who would willingly give them money?
"Elder Donald, I'm not quite clear on what you mean by 'no relationship,'" Yan Qingsong asked helplessly.
"Master Yan Men, please don’t misunderstand. If you provide us with ten billion dollars, although there will be no relationship between us, what we at the Hidden Order offer in return will definitely exceed ten billion dollars," Donald assured him.
"What kind of return?" Yan Qingsong began to understand; it seemed that the Hidden Order only wanted to raise funds without getting too entangled with their investors. They likely intended to offer something in exchange so that afterward there would indeed be no relationship between them.
"Longevity," Donald replied simply.
"Longevity?" Yan Qingsong was genuinely shocked; this topic was impossible to ignore.
"What do you mean?" Yan Qingsong's eyes were filled with a burning intensity. For a young person, the topic of lifespan might not resonate deeply, but for someone like Yan Qingsong, who felt as if he had one foot in the grave, it was an incredibly sensitive subject.
"Master Yan," Donald said slowly, "as I mentioned earlier, our Hidden Order is conducting various research projects. The Mothman is merely one of our less significant findings; its value is not substantial. The question of lifespan has been a pursuit of humanity since ancient times. Our Hidden Order has also been researching it for hundreds of years and has made some breakthroughs."
Yan Qingsong was indeed captivated, his gaze fixed intently on Donald as he awaited the next words.
Donald paused for a moment before continuing, "One billion dollars to grant you another hundred years of life—would you be willing?"
Yan Qingsong nearly jumped out of his chair, and Li Yunye was equally shocked. In the face of lifespan, money seemed trivial.
One billion dollars for an extra hundred years of life would surely attract the wealthy like moths to a flame. But could this really be true? Could money truly buy the continuation of life? After all, this was a question that only time could answer.
"This... this is unbelievable. However, this matter seems far-fetched. It's not that I don't believe in the capabilities of your Hidden Order; it's just... just..." Yan Qingsong longed for another hundred years but was not so foolish as to take Donald's word at face value.
"Don't worry; I understand your doubts. If you are genuinely willing to offer one billion dollars, we will eliminate all your concerns," Donald assured him.
"By the way, our research on this drug is limited; we can only provide it to one hundred individuals. So if you delay, even if you have the money, you won't be able to extend your life," Donald added.
Yan Qingsong's eyes burned with excitement as he momentarily forgot the purpose of his visit.
"Ahem." Li Yunye cleared his throat to remind him.
Though shocked, Li Yunye remained rational. After all, while he was older, he wasn't at death's door yet. Moreover, even one billion dollars would be difficult for Hongmen to gather; how could they possibly come up with another billion to extend both Yan Qingsong's and his own lives? Most importantly, Li Yunye felt there was something untrustworthy about this proposition.
Hearing Li Yunye's cough brought Yan Qingsong back to reality. Using Hongmen's one billion dollars for his own longevity felt selfish; surely no one in the organization would agree to that. Thus, despite its allure, this option seemed fundamentally impractical.
"Is there any other option besides extending life?" Yan Qingsong asked.
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