Chapter 359

Chapter 359 Xu Wenjie’s Reason!

Faced with Xu Wenjie’s coldness and dominance, the entire conference room fell into silence once again.

　　Having heard the old professor’s words, Xu Wenjie responded with an expressionless, icy tone: “I don’t think that’s necessary. This isn’t something that needs to be hidden from the light, so why would it need to be discussed in private? Professor Li, feel free to speak your mind.”

　　Professor Li, with his full head of white hair, gazed at the student he had once cherished most, let out a heavy sigh, then rose from his seat and walked out.

　　Tonight, Xu Wenjie had completely broken his heart.

　　”Jeremy, I think you can now share your perspective,” Wilkens said. “Why won’t you invest yourself, and why are you trying to stop others from joining Bikon’s new project?”

　　Xu Wenjie let out a cold laugh, a look of mockery flashing in his eyes: “Everyone here, I think you’ve only seen the enormous profits that triazolam could bring, but what you’ve overlooked is that this high return also comes with high risk.”

　　Wilkens disagreed quite strongly: “We’ve been in the investment business for so many years. Everyone knows this simple principle. It’s not as if we have no ability to withstand risk, so there’s no need for Mr. Jeremy to worry about that.”

　　The people from the major investment banks who were seated here and making investment decisions had already conducted thorough risk assessments long before this.

　　Xu Wenjie’s gaze fixed on the beautiful Zhou Anke, a cold glint subtly leaking from his eyes: “Miss Zhou, I wonder how much you know about drugs?”

　　Drugs?

　　The moment those words were heard, the entire conference room instantly fell into a deeply unsettling atmosphere!

　　This Xu Wenjie, bringing up drugs at a time like this? What exactly was he trying to say?

　　Su Rui’s eyes were already filled with a dangerous gleam!

　　Zhou Anke was equally taken aback, then answered honestly: “I’m sorry, I have absolutely no knowledge of drugs whatsoever. I also don’t know what Mr. Xu means by raising this kind of question right now. Are you trying to equate triazolam with drugs?”

　　”Exactly, that is precisely what I mean.” Xu Wenjie’s expression was as cold as frost. “Wilkens, have you ever used drugs?”

　　Hearing this, Wilkens seemed to flare up with anger: “I have never touched that kind of thing! Jeremy, don’t use your words to insult and slander me!”

　　”I never said you used drugs. Why are you getting so worked up?”

　　Xu Wenjie continued with a cold smile: “Even if none of you have ever used drugs, you must have at least heard of X-one, the new designer drug that swept through Europe and America in recent years, right?”

　　Those present didn’t nod, but their expressions undoubtedly answered the question. This drug had a notorious reputation and was widely known. It was said that at least ten million people around the world had used it at some point, and the annual consumption figures were simply astronomical!

　　”But what you don’t know is that triazolam, an essential component in psychiatric medications, is one of the key ingredients in X-one!” A deeper and deeper smile spread across Xu Wenjie’s face. “Without triazolam, psychiatric medications cannot achieve optimal therapeutic effects. But without triazolam, X-one equally could not have become the drug that swept the entire world!”

　　The conference room was very quiet, eerily so.

　　Even Zhou Anke was stunned by this revelation. She had never experienced a scene like this before and had absolutely no idea what to say.

　　That triazolam was one of the main ingredients of X-one was something only those who manufactured drugs would know. How had this Xu Wenjie come to learn of it? The fact that he chose to reveal this information at such a critical moment gave people no choice but to think deeper!

　　Drugs were a taboo for every government in the world. If X-one were ever to run rampant, some countries might ban the production of psychiatric medications containing triazolam!

　　Su Rui still sat to one side, watching coldly without saying a word. He wanted to see what kind of trick this Xu Wenjie was trying to pull.

　　Five minutes passed, and still no one spoke. Everyone was still processing the shock brought by this news. If what Xu Wenjie said was true, then triazolam was indeed a double-edged sword! If not handled carefully, it could very well end up cutting the hand that wielded it!

　　Xu Wenjie surveyed the room, very satisfied with the effect his words had produced.

　　Zhou Anke, however, furrowed her brow and said: “Mr. Jeremy, how can I be sure that what you’re saying is true? If someone just makes up a reason to discredit Bikon’s research achievements, that kind of tactic can hardly be called clever.”

　　”Do I need to resort to such low-level tactics?”

　　Xu Wenjie said: “I’m simply giving everyone a friendly heads-up. I have no intention of discrediting Bikon.”

　　Wilkens shook his head, however, and said with a smile: “Jeremy, your methods are nothing short of masterful. Just a moment ago, I really almost fell for it.”

　　”I have no reason to deceive you.” Xu Wenjie was completely unfazed.

　　”As everyone knows, people can extract methamphetamine from cold medicine, yet the global consumption of cold medicine doesn’t decrease one bit each year, and no government would cut off its nose to spite its face by banning the production of such medication. The same applies to psychiatric drugs. You can’t refuse to ever eat fish just because there are bones that might get stuck in your throat.”

　　Wilkens’ words made those present nod inwardly. It was entirely reasonable and logical, and it also eased the unease in the hearts of several of the investment bankers considerably.

　　”Is that really so? Can triazolam really be compared to ordinary cold medicine?”

　　Xu Wenjie showed no anger whatsoever, still wearing a cold smile: “The enormous profits of X-one are beyond your imagination. And Bikon’s latest research can dramatically reduce the production cost of triazolam. From that angle, if Bikon’s technology were adopted, the production cost of X-one would equally drop, and the final cost could potentially be as low as one-fifth of what it is now!”

　　Drugs naturally carry extraordinarily massive profits. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people every year willing to put their lives on the line just to take the risk of manufacturing and trafficking drugs!

　　But this figure of one-fifth the cost still shocked everyone present to the extreme!

　　Money makes the world go round, and people will die for wealth just as birds will for food. As long as someone got their hands on the research technology for triazolam, they could gain an immense and boundless profit margin. How could those drug traffickers not be tempted?

　　None of this needed to be spelled out by Xu Wenjie. Everyone present had already figured it out. They were all elite figures in the financial world, and many things only needed a nudge to become clear!

　　It was precisely because they had worked through all of this that they now fell into silence!

　　The president of China Construction Bank who had spoken earlier said: “This is Huaxia. Bikon is a company under the close attention of the Huaxia government. Even if Western drug traffickers desperately want to get their hands on the triazolam formula, they would have to think very carefully about what the consequences would be of causing trouble on Huaxia soil!”

　　Huaxia was undoubtedly a country with a very well-established legal system, at least on the surface, and many people didn’t dare to act recklessly. X-one was extremely prevalent in Europe and America, yet in Huaxia it had almost completely disappeared and was rarely seen. This alone showed just how firm and forceful the Huaxia government’s anti-drug measures were!

　　The CCB president’s words once again put everyone’s minds at ease.

　　Xu Wenjie laughed with full mockery: “Is that really so? Do you truly believe Huaxia is as powerful as you imagine? Arrogance and self-importance have always been the greatest weakness of you Huaxia people!”

　　The CCB president was furious. He was a person of considerable standing, and being challenged so bluntly by a young man in his thirties was more than even the most even-tempered person could bear.

　　”We Huaxia people? Were you not once a Huaxia person yourself? Black eyes, yellow skin, even if you’ve taken American citizenship, it still doesn’t change the fact that you are of Asian descent!”

　　”What my identity is, is not something you need to question, and you have no right to question it.”

　　Xu Wenjie paid absolutely no regard to the CCB president, who held a senior official rank, and said: “Today is a promotional event for Bikon’s new project. Please don’t shift the topic toward personal attacks against me.”

　　This fellow seemed to have already forgotten how he had just fired a broadside at Huaxia people moments ago.

　　”Jeremy, you don’t need to say any more. No matter what you say, you can’t change my view or shake my resolve to invest.” Wilkens turned to Zhou Anke with a smile and said: “Beautiful Director Zhou, I think, if possible, we can go ahead and sign a preliminary cooperation agreement. My confidence in Bikon’s new project has never wavered.”

　　Zhou Anke was just about to respond when she was interrupted by Xu Wenjie: “Hold on, Wilkens. If you hear what I have to say next, you definitely won’t be saying that.”

　　”Is that so?” Wilkens crossed his arms, and said with a cold smile: “Although I have no particular interest in you as a person, hearing you say that has made me curious. Go ahead and say what you have to say. Let’s see if you can shake my decision.”

　　Everyone present also wanted to see what Xu Wenjie was up to. The advantages of Bikon’s new project were plain to see. Even if those drug traffickers were brazen, they couldn’t possibly stir up any trouble on Huaxia soil. What was this high-and-mighty investment expert trying to accomplish by discrediting Bikon like this?

　　”I’ll say it again: in the face of the temptation of money, all principles and bottom lines can be thrown out the window.” Xu Wenjie swept his gaze around the conference room and said: “Everyone here moves in the light of day, but how much do you know about the dark world of the West?”

　　The dark world of the West?

　　Hearing this very unfamiliar and very distant phrase, most of the Easterners present were stunned, yet Wilkens and the others visibly tensed.

　　They were Westerners themselves, and naturally knew what those words represented, and what kind of world they described!

　　Su Rui’s eyebrows also shot up!

　　Taking in everyone’s reactions, Xu Wenjie continued: “That world is filled with blood and slaughter. There are no rules whatsoever. Every powerful figure who rises to the top has waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood. The top few forces are even more powerful than the armed forces of some nations!”

　　These words left everyone in the room breathless.

　　”Have you ever considered what kind of catastrophic consequences it would bring to Bikon if the new synthesis method for triazolam were to be targeted by these powerful forces? By that point, your investments would be completely down the drain!”

　　”The dark world of the West has the Twelve Gods, representing twelve top-tier forces. As far as I know, several of these top-tier forces have already set their sights on Bikon. Under these circumstances, I believe that even the Huaxia government would be powerless to help Bikon!”

　　Xu Wenjie’s words sent the Westerners with investment intentions into a complete panic!

　　Yet what none of them knew was that one of the Twelve Gods of the Western dark world, the Sun God Apollo, was sitting quietly in a corner of that very conference room, not saying a single word.