Chapter 326: Succession
By the time Frank and Jimmy stepped off Nando's yacht, dusk had already settled over the lake.
Frank had discussed business with Nando, but unlike his usual style, he hadn't finalized any deal on the spot. Instead, he gave a measured reply—said he needed to "report back" before making a decision.
Publicly, Frank's role had always been that of Heisenberg's representative—a middleman, a messenger, the guy who handled the dirty work and negotiations.
Under Frank's careful management, no one knew who Heisenberg truly was.
To the outside world, Heisenberg wasn't a person—it was an organization. Vast. Shadowy. Highly professional. A secretive research team that had spent years, perhaps decades, developing Blue Angel, a revolutionary product that had reshaped the market overnight.
No one would ever imagine that "Heisenberg" consisted of just three people.
And that Blue Angel had been created by Walter alone—in less than a month.
It was like the story of Tony Stark building a miniature arc reactor in a cave, hammering together the first Iron Man suit from scraps. If it hadn't actually happened, who would believe it? Who would dare believe it?
In a way, Walter really was the chemistry world's Tony Stark.
Still, Frank hadn't immediately agreed to cooperate with Nando because there were too many variables.
This entire discussion had been a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Frank had heard about Nando from Jimmy before—about his influence in Brazil, how deeply rooted his power was. When Frank met him in person yesterday, the idea had formed on the fly: perhaps it was time to explore overseas expansion.
But because it was impulsive, too many details hadn't been thought through. He needed to weigh the risks carefully. He also needed to talk it over with Walter and Pinkman.
More importantly, there was Frank's health.
In his current condition, he could drop dead at any time.
If that happened, only Walter and Pinkman would remain.
Could the two of them even maintain the existing operation? Could they keep the current network stable?
That wasn't guaranteed.
Expanding into international markets under those circumstances?
That might be asking for collapse.
Everything had to be handled carefully, step by step.
"You're actually with Heisenberg?!" Jimmy stared at Frank on the drive back, studying him like he was seeing him for the first time.
Jimmy ran in shady circles—of course he'd heard the rumors. The mysterious Heisenberg. The man, or organization, behind Blue Angel. The legend everyone whispered about but no one had actually seen.
He just never imagined that Frank was one of them.
"Do you want to join Heisenberg?" Frank suddenly asked.
"What?!"
Jimmy slammed the brakes. The car screeched to a violent stop.
"Damn it! Are you trying to strangle me?!" Frank snapped, the seatbelt digging painfully into his shoulder.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to—wait, are you serious? You can let me join Heisenberg?" Jimmy asked, stunned.
"My body's not going to last much longer," Frank said calmly. "And I've made them a lot of money. That gives me the right to choose my successor."
"I'll do it. I swear, I'll do it well." Jimmy's eyes lit up with excitement.
"You can take my place," Frank continued, "but I have conditions."
Jimmy sobered instantly.
The last time Frank had set "conditions," he'd blackmailed Jimmy into giving up a house in exchange for keeping a secret.
"What conditions?" Jimmy asked cautiously.
Frank hesitated. Then shook his head.
"Forget it. We'll talk about it later."
"Don't do that. What's the requirement?" Jimmy pressed.
"I said later. Just drive."
Frank closed his eyes and refused to say another word.
---
When they got home, the kids bombarded them with questions. Both men brushed it off—said they'd just met an old friend.
That night, Frank called Walter to discuss Nando and the possibility of expanding into overseas markets.
Logically, something this big should've required all three of them sitting down together, having a proper meeting.
But Frank couldn't travel to New Mexico in his condition.
Walter had just undergone surgery and was still recovering—and he had a newborn daughter to take care of. He couldn't come to Chicago either.
So the conversation had to happen over the phone.
Pinkman would be delivering soon anyway. They could talk it through properly when he arrived.
For now, Frank focused on one key issue: the factory.
Production had long been stretched to the limit. They'd been rationing supply for months. If they couldn't even meet domestic demand, what was the point of talking about overseas expansion? Sell dreams?
Fortunately, Walter had good news.
The factory renovations were nearly complete. Equipment had been purchased under the company's name. If everything went smoothly, operations could begin next month—and large-scale production would finally become possible.
After a long discussion, Frank hung up.
---
A few days later, Frank relayed "Heisenberg's decision" to Nando.
In simple terms: the research team was still optimizing the Blue Angel formula. Current production limitations were due to technical constraints. Domestic demand hadn't even been fully met yet—overseas expansion would have to wait.
However, there had recently been a breakthrough. Once mass production was achieved, Nando would be the first overseas partner. He would have exclusive access to the Brazilian market.
Frank painted the vision beautifully.
Nando didn't doubt him.
He'd done his homework before coming to Chicago. He already knew Blue Angel's supply was extremely limited. Now, hearing Frank explain that the bottleneck was formula optimization—it all made sense.
There simply wasn't enough product to go around.
If Nando tried to take a share now, it would be like stealing meat from a tiger's mouth—cutting into the profits of powerful domestic players. That would spark serious backlash.
The cake was only so big. Everyone already had their slice. Introduce another major player, and everyone else's portion shrinks.
That kind of move could start a war.
Nando understood that.
---
"You're going to marry Fiona," Frank said abruptly one evening.
"Sure—…wait, what?" Jimmy froze mid-response, staring at Frank in disbelief.
"You don't want to?" Frank asked.
"It's not that I don't want to! That's not the issue! Where is this even coming from? And I'm already married. Until Nando's situation is settled, I can't even divorce!" Jimmy protested.
Frank didn't blink.
"That's your problem to solve."