Chapter 174: The Reasoning
Kahn returned to his mansion at night. And told everything that happened during the meeting to Albestros & Ronin. While he had Szayel listening through the long-distance transmission artifact, the jade medallion given by the vampire lord.
"Isn"t that.. A bit extreme? This isn"t what we discussed previously." said Albestros after Kahn revealed his conduct in the meeting like a professional bandit.
"There is a reason why I did those things." he said.
Kahn pretended to be weak and docile in front of the committee. Because as said in the Art of War..
PRETEND TO BE WEAK, THAT YOUR ENEMY MAY GROW ARROGANT.
He used that strategy to know their real intentions.
"After I went to the meeting and talked with them.. I was even ready to reconcile and make amends. At the end of the day.. We too want to survive and do our business peacefully." he spoke and took a pause.
"But as soon as I heard all the terms & conditions.. It was as clear as sky to me that they weren"t going to let us off. Rather.. They wanted to bury us deep in the ground. We"d be no different than slaves who"d need their master"s permission to even breathe. And right then, I knew the whole meeting itself was nothing but a sham to begin with." he explained.
Kahn was someone who had lived through that life of a corporate slave where you give it all to the company or organization you worked for.. Only for them to have you either work to the bone or throw you away when you outlived personal usefulness. As soon as there was a better option.. They would cast you away even after hundreds of unpaid hours of work and sleepless nights you went through while only getting minimum wage.
In his past life, even though he had a good salary job.. He had no personal life. His entire life"s cycle circled around his work and affected him mentally and physically. But when he suffered through the scam which nearly broke him as a person... All he received was condescending and demeaning laughs and banters on himself.
And this was one of the main reasons why Kahn had decided that he would never work for someone or some company in this life. And thus, he entered the business field as soon as he saw the opportunity after he came to the capital.
His years of experience as an accountant and the information he gathered on how to manage a business was more than enough for him to enter this profession. He wasn"t one of those fake entrepreneurs on social media, but someone who knew the real ins and outs of this field.
"Before I entered the meeting hall, Mister Omega & Mister Jugram were already using an artifact to hide their presence and no one there was strong enough to sense them either. It was to let them think that these two were our biggest powerhouses." said Kahn.
He addressed the subordinates this way because their current persona was some top-rank fighters Kahn had hired to work for their company.
During the meeting itself, he didn"t release his own aura of a Semi-Saint Rank fighter because he had learned not to reveal his trump cards early on after the fight with Arkham & Solomon. The last-minute power boost such as Berserk G.o.d Mode & Bloodline Merge won"t always save his life. And after their use, he"d be left defenseless if none of his subordinates were with him.. Even a rookie soldier would be able to kill him during the weakened state.
And hence, he didn"t reveal his strength at all. By revealing Omega & Jugram as peak grandmaster rank warriors, he had warned them off that he wasn"t without backing either.
"The reason why I didn"t have them kill anyone was because there were too many witnesses, to begin with. I was also seen entering that floor. And there were many innocents involved like the receptionist who escorted me or the normal guards who were just doing their job.
Those had nothing to do with this whole ordeal. I don"t kill innocent bystanders just because they are present at a wrong place at a wrong time. So only giving them superficial injuries and a few broken bones was a better alternative.
Killing people publicly would only create unnecessary trouble for us, the kind we should avoid at any cost for now.
And at the end of the day.. It"s only business. Not worth killing someone over it." explained Kahn.
"But what if they retaliate & try to kill you? After all, you outright robbed their belongings and took years of personal wealth at the end." spoke Szayel through the medallion.
"Hey.. I"m not a psychopath who goes around killing people just over some small arguments and because I have some strength. You should learn how to handle things without spilling unnecessary blood. You are going to be the clan leader one day as well." reprimanded Kahn with his tone full of wisdom.
"But you did have sir Omega & sir Jugram spill some blood though.." a coy chuckle came from the other end.
[This b.i.a.t.c.h!] cursed Kahn in his mind.
"As long as no one is dead.. It doesn"t count." replied Kahn, trying to cover up the small burn he just received.
"As for why I robbed them off.. It was to give them a lesson they will remember for a long time and rethink a hundred times before messing with us again. Plus.. I had to recover all my losses because of those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.
And since they can"t let the public know about how a no-name guy came with a couple of bodyguards and robbed them off right in the center of their turf.. They will have to swallow it down till their final moments." spoke Kahn as he leaned on the comfortable sofa.
"Kid.. You should know that none of these people reached the place they are without burying some bodies. What if they come back seeking vengeance and target us again?" asked Albestros in a worried tone.
"I already gave them a final warning. That there won"t be any mercy next time." replied Kahn.
"And how are things progressing on your end, Szayel? Are you doing what I"ve told you as per our plans in the previous meeting?" asked Kahn to the vampire heir.
"It"s progressing slowly.. Even with my position as the clan heir.. It"s not easy to convince my grandfather & the elders. It"s not just our clan but the entire faction. Other clans are also hard to please. I can"t make big moves without drawing attention to myself." replied Szayel.
"What plans are you two talking about? Don"t leave me out of the loop again!" exclaimed the old man. He still remembered how these two planned their act of betrayal when they entered the headquarters of the Vandereich clan and how scared he was when they were put in jail.
"Don"t worry, you"re not in any danger this time." spoke Kahn calmly.
"As for the upcoming days.. We will have some peace."