Ryan looked at Chieftain Adam with a cold expression and said, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
Chieftain Adam, hearing Ryan be so direct, understood his blunt and ruthless nature. He waved off the servants and even had his son, the prince who had greeted Ryan, leave the room.
Then, turning to Ryan, Chieftain Adam said, “Mr. Ryan, since you are so straightforward, I won’t waste your time. Time is precious for both of us.” As he spoke, he glanced at Echo, Cobra, Bill, and Tiger standing behind Ryan.
Ryan’s expression darkened slightly, and he said, “Speak plainly.”
Seeing that Ryan didn’t dismiss Echo and the others, Chieftain Adam hesitated for a moment but then nodded. “They’ll find out sooner or later anyway. Mr. Ryan, follow me.” He stepped back and turned around, leading them toward the back of the palace.
Ryan and the others followed Chieftain Adam inside. Ryan walked at the front with Adam, while Cobra and Echo stayed close behind him. Bill and Tiger trailed a little further back. No one said a word as they moved in silence.
They passed through a curtain, and Chieftain Adam pressed a hidden button on the wall. Suddenly, a secret door opened, revealing a steep staircase leading downward. There were no lights, just the soft glow of large luminous pearls embedded in the walls, casting enough light for them to see.
As they descended deeper, more hidden doors appeared.
Chieftain Adam’s face grew more serious, his earlier smile completely gone. His cautious movements were almost exaggerated.
Echo exchanged a glance with Cobra, and they both quickened their pace to stay closer to Ryan. Cobra was focused on staying in a position to protect Ryan at the shortest distance, while Echo felt the uneasy atmosphere and wanted to stay near Ryan for some sense of security.
“We’re here,” Chieftain Adam said in a low voice, standing before a golden door. He pushed it open as he spoke.
Inside wasn’t a dark, eerie room, nor was it anything terrifying. Instead, there was row after row of machines whirring away, and a few people stood around the center of the room, frowning deeply at something.
This place was clearly an underground lab.
Ryan, Echo, and the others raised their eyebrows slightly as they took in the scene. The small number of staff, the vast array of machinery, and Chieftain Adam’s serious demeanor made it clear that whatever was happening here wasn’t trivial.
“Titanium ore,” Tiger said, frowning as he looked at the gray stone inside a machine in the center of the room.
Ryan glanced at Chieftain Adam and said flatly, “Is this what you wanted to show me, Chieftain?”
Titanium was a rare element, one of the best materials for making airplanes and ships. While it was a rare metal, there were still millions of tons of titanium reserves worldwide, so compared to other rare metals, it wasn’t extremely valuable.
Since the Dark family was a major player in the arms industry, using titanium for jets and warships was common. Tiger, who was responsible for this area, recognized it immediately.
Chieftain Adam nodded and said, “Yes, but it’s not titanium ore.”
Tiger blinked, a bit surprised. He stepped closer to examine the stone. It was grayish-white, with a bit more white than regular titanium ore, and he couldn’t quite make sense of it at first.
“This is the result of the scan, Mr. Ryan. Take a look,” Chieftain Adam said as he took the data from one of the men who had been standing nearby and handed it to Ryan.
Ryan glanced at it briefly before his brow furrowed. He said in a low voice, “Technetium.”
The moment Tiger heard this, his expression changed. Bill and Cobra, who had remained silent until now, exchanged shocked glances and turned to stare intently at the gray stone in the center of the room.
Chieftain Adam nodded solemnly and said, “Yes, it’s not titanium ore, but technetium.”
With a serious expression, Ryan walked up to the gray stone and examined it closely. “This is no joke,” he said coldly.
Chieftain Adam stepped up beside him, speaking slowly and deliberately, “I know this is no joke, which is why I called you here. The discovery of something like this will change the world in a big way.” There was a glimmer of excitement in his otherwise serious eyes.
Ryan frowned as he stared at the stone.
Technetium was a rare element that doesn’t occur naturally-it can only be extracted from titanium ore. It plays a crucial role in nuclear fission reactions and is vital for nuclear weapons. Because it can only be refined, it requires advanced technology and equipment, and without the right resources, it’s impossible to produce high-purity technetium.
But now, right in front of him was grayish-white ore that contained technetium naturally. The implications were staggering. If this were real, the impact it could have on the world was unimaginable, even for Ryan.
Seeing that Ryan, Tiger, and the others weren’t speaking, Chieftain Adam turned to Tiger and said, “I know you’re an expert in this field. I have some untouched raw ore here, and you can test it yourself.” He pointed to the gray stone in the center of the room.
Tiger glanced at Ryan for approval. Ryan, still studying the stone, nodded in agreement. He needed to confirm this for himself. With Ryan’s approval, Tiger went to put on protective gear for radiation.
The glass cover was lifted, and Tiger went inside to begin testing the ore. Ryan, Chieftain Adam, and the others watched Tiger in silence, waiting for the results.
Echo didn’t know much about rare elements, but seeing Ryan so serious surprised her. She stared at the gray stone in the center of the room, wondering, What is this thing? What’s it used for? Even Ryan, who usually remained calm no matter what, looked tense. Curiosity piqued, she moved closer to get a better look.
Inside the glass enclosure, Tiger was carefully conducting tests, and from his increasingly shocked expression, Ryan and the others outside began to frown as well.
“Boss, it’s technetium,” Tiger said, emerging from the glass enclosure, his face full of astonishment.
It was an incredible discovery-a naturally occurring technetium ore. This was a groundbreaking find, one that would upend the current understanding of elemental theory.
Ryan nodded slightly at the confirmation, then turned to Chieftain Adam and asked in a serious tone, “What’s your intention, Chieftain?”
Chieftain Adam, seeing Ryan’s direct question, wasted no time and replied, “Mr. Ryan, I want to make a deal with you.”
Ryan’s voice was low as he asked, “You want to sell it to me?”
Chieftain Adam nodded, then shook his head and said, “Yes and no. Let me be straight with you. My men accidentally brought this ore back. They say there’s a lot more of it at the site. But as you know, while this stuff is valuable, it’s not much use to me. If I hold onto it, it could easily turn into a curse. But for you, it’s a goldmine-one of the key components of nuclear weapons. With this, the global arms trade could end up bowing to you. Maybe not just the arms trade either.”
At this point, Chieftain Adam raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. With such a unique resource, Ryan could become the true king of the underworld-a powerbroker even nations would have to respect.
Ryan listened, then nodded coldly. “How much do you want?”
Chieftain Adam saw that Ryan was agreeing to the deal and, keeping his serious expression, said, “Let’s be clear from the start. I’m only giving you the information. I’m not getting involved in anything else. I don’t have a huge appetite-I just want twenty percent of the profits. Consider it a favor.”
Ryan frowned slightly and said, “It’s dangerous.”
Chieftain Adam laughed, knowing Ryan had already figured it out. He didn’t hide the truth as he looked at Ryan and said, “Yes, very dangerous. My men stumbled upon it by accident, but none of them made it out alive. I sent several more teams, and only one person managed to bring this sample back. He died shortly after, probably from exposure to the radioactive elements. It seems this ore has altered the bodies and energy of some local tribespeople, making them stronger than normal humans. I lost all of my best men there.”
Bill, who had remained silent until now, frowned and asked, “Why did you decide to work with us, Chieftain Adam?”