My Manor

"Mr. Valen, I know I was wrong. We just want to make some money. Please spare me. Please!" The man's voice quivered as tears, snot, and his own blood stained his face while listening to Billy Valen's words.

"I'm not a cold-blooded person," Billy Valen replied, his voice calm. "I don't care if you sell things to make a living, but you beat my people and dared to shout. That's wrong. Now, it all depends on your sincerity." Billy stood up with a smile, looking at the man in front of him with disdain. If this guy thought he could make a living in Boston by provoking him, he was courting death.

Billy casually took a dagger from one of his men behind him and threw it in front of the man.

The man stared at the dagger and understood what Billy meant—it was a test of his "sincerity." It seemed he couldn't keep one of his hands today, but he was reluctant to lose one. With trembling hands, he picked up the dagger, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Mr. Valen, you should die instead of me!" he screamed, his reflection staring back from the blade. In a sudden burst of desperation, he lunged at Billy Valen, stabbing the dagger toward his chest.

Billy Valen merely smiled and took a step back. Just as he was about to speak, a pair of massive hands reached out from his side. Without a word, one hand grabbed the man's wrist while the other seized his shoulder. In an instant, the arms exerted force, and a sickening crack sounded as the man's arm was twisted outward.

The pain was unbearable, and the man screamed in agony. But unfortunately for him, his scream did nothing to invoke mercy. The brute who had broken his arm released him and retreated. Billy Valen's other men quickly closed in, launching a flurry of punches and kicks.

Within seconds, the man had already exhaled more than he had inhaled. He collapsed to the ground, his eyes rolling back as he gazed up at the sky in helpless resignation. In this world, people like him simply couldn't survive.

"Get rid of him," Billy Valen said, looking down at the man with contempt. He turned and walked out of the alley, while his men dragged the man toward a car that had been waiting by the docks. They poured alcohol into him before hitting the accelerator, sending the car speeding toward the sea. Even if the body was ever found, no one would care. It wasn't that the Boston police were inept, but who would care about the life of a petty thug selling flour? For people like them, their fate had already been sealed the moment they chose this path.

Billy Valen returned to his hideout, only to find a group of people waiting for him. Seeing them, he cursed inwardly.

These were the same people who had repeatedly asked him to kill Jiang Hai, but Billy had no interest in killing him.

Jiang Hai was a wealthy man with significant influence in Winthrop. Though Billy had thousands of followers, a direct confrontation with the police over Jiang Hai would surely lead to his downfall.

This was a society governed by laws, unlike the days when the Gray Gang controlled the United States.

If things escalated, it wouldn't be just the police—the military could get involved. No matter how powerful Billy Valen thought he was, he couldn't take on the state apparatus.

That was why he had been hesitant to go after Jiang Hai. If it weren't for the initial funding provided by these people, he might have abandoned them long ago. Now, seeing them again, it would be surprising if he didn't feel some distaste.

"Don't look at us like that, Billy," said a man dressed in black, the leader of the group, with a smile. "This time, we're not here to ask you to kill Jiang Hai, but to cooperate with him."

"Cooperate? What could I possibly cooperate with a cattle farmer for?" Billy Valen asked, perplexed.

"Because you have no idea how much money he makes from raising cattle. The top-tier premium beef on the market comes from Jiang Hai's estate, and it's even sold to China. Do you know how much he makes off of each cow? $150,000! $150,000! And he has 20,000 cows, which means $3 billion. Doesn't that tempt you?" The man in black chuckled and then said seriously. When Billy heard the figure of $3 billion, his heart stirred.

There was a real divide between urban and rural areas in the United States. City folk often looked down on those from the countryside.

Billy had originally thought Jiang Hai was just a cattle farmer, with assets worth around 800 million yuan, including land. But he never imagined that cattle farming could be this profitable. 20,000 cows worth $3 billion? When did making money become so easy?

"Really?" Billy asked, his confusion turning into intrigue.

"Of course," the man in black replied with a knowing smile. These were all details his boss had shared.

"So, what do you want?" Billy Valen questioned, still skeptical.

"We want his beef. If you can take over his manor or cooperate with him, we'll buy all the beef at the highest price. And if we don't want it, you can't sell it to anyone else." It seemed the An family had seen the potential in Jiang Hai's beef. This became clear the day Qi Li's restaurant opened.

When the beef from Jiang Hai's manor appeared on the plate, it caught the attention of many people.

Most of the guests were elites or influential figures who had eaten many fine dishes in their time. Yet even they were stunned by the beef's quality. It was tender and juicy, without being tough. The fat and meat seemed to melt in their mouths, releasing an explosion of flavor that made them want more.

Many asked where the beef came from, but Qi Li and her family refused to reveal the source.

Everyone was confused, except for the An family, who knew the beef likely came from Jiang Hai.

After an investigation, it was confirmed that the sensational beef was indeed from Jiang Hai's estate.

This made the An family nervous. If Jiang Hai fully supported Qi Li, her restaurant could become a massive threat to their business in the catering industry. But if they could somehow obtain his beef, they would control the market. Since Jiang Hai wouldn't sell through normal channels, they needed another way—and Billy Valen was their best bet.

The An family knew well that Billy Valen was greedy. If he could take control of Jiang Hai's manor, it would be to their advantage.

If he failed, conflict between Billy Valen and Jiang Hai was inevitable. And if Billy Valen killed Jiang Hai in the process... well, that's exactly what the An family hoped for.

To catch a fish, you need to offer bait. The conflict between Jiang Hai and Billy Valen was exactly what the An family wanted.

"Now that you mention it, I'm actually interested in this guy's manor." Billy Valen smirked, touching his chin. The man in black could tell that Billy was now intrigued.

As Marx once said, when there's enough profit, capital grows bold.

If the profit is 10%, it will be put to use everywhere. If it's less than 2%, it moves cautiously. But if there's 50%, it takes risks. At 100%, it'll trample over any laws, and at 300%, it will break any rule—even risking death.

In Billy Valen's eyes, Jiang Hai was now a fat, lucrative target. Though Billy wasn't one to blindly trust the man in black, if he investigated and confirmed the profits were as significant as stated, he wouldn't hesitate to get involved. In his eyes, Jiang Hai was just another rich country bumpkin, like a child with a piece of gold in his arms, easily taken by anyone willing.

Walmart Group might shield him from some pressure in business and politics, but what was Walmart to these desperate men? For them, nothing mattered more than the green, lush dollars.

After hearing about the $3 billion, Billy Valen had made up his mind.

That night, his men gathered intelligence on Jiang Hai.

The final report confirmed that while half of Jiang Hai's cattle could not be sold, the remaining 10,000 were worth $1.5 billion. Not $150,000, but $1.5 billion.

Billy Valen's eyes lit up when he heard this. If he could get his hands on that money—or the cattle—it would be worth the risk. The police in Winthrop were few, and as long as he didn't clash directly with the armed forces, the government might not take action.

Thus, a plan to seize Jiang Hai's manor began to take shape in Billy Valen's treacherous mind.