"Knowing too much just gets you killed!"
Li Qingyuan glared at April, who was leaning over the counter, thinking this woman was seriously asking for trouble.
Did she really think she was some protagonist with plot armor?
A single item that made Norman Osborn spend one billion dollars—and she dared to get close and ask what it was? Was she really implying that all American journalists were fearless enough to poke at a billionaire?
"Ten billion spent, why is the domineering CEO so obsessed? Norman Osborn's untold secret? Which headline do you think is better?"
April clearly didn't catch the sarcasm in his tone. Instead, she began fantasizing about tomorrow's front-page headline.
Even though there had been no concrete leads about the mysterious turtles, April already felt like she had struck gold.
An item worth ten billion dollars purchased by the head of the Osborn Group — that alone could dominate the news for days! And as the exclusive reporter to break this story, her career would skyrocket overnight.
"Do you come from the shock desk?"
Hearing April's suggested headlines, Li Qingyuan remained noncommittal. This girl clearly wanted fame badly.
"Do you really think a newspaper would dare run this story?" he asked with a teasing smile.
Until the family's hereditary disease was resolved, Norman would never allow too many people to know about the perfection of his bloodline.
After the Richard Parker incident, he was already jumpy and paranoid. Norman would personally handle sensitive matters rather than entrust them to others — which showed just how extreme his caution had become.
If any paper dared report this now, Norman wouldn't hesitate to make both the newspaper and the reporter disappear.
…
April wasn't stupid. She'd been in journalism for nearly a year and understood the unwritten rules.
In the U.S., media could freely criticize gangs, government officials, and even the President — but never the financial elites.
Of course, this referred to extreme negative coverage. Reporting that Tony Stark spent millions on models? That was fair game.
But Norman Osborn spending ten billion at a roadside antique shop on a mysterious box? Heaven only knew what was inside. Reporting on that was practically suicidal — stepping outside right now could get you assassinated by a professional hitman.
"Boss, you've got to save me!"
Chills ran down April's spine. Moments ago, she had felt like she struck a jackpot, but now it seemed more like a death trap.
The amount of money involved was staggering. For gangs, wiping out rivals for a few million was routine — and now she had just witnessed a ten-billion-dollar underground deal. Death threats were inevitable.
"I thought you weren't afraid of death!"
Seeing April shiver like a quail, Li Qingyuan felt immensely pleased.
"That's a billionaire! I'm only twenty! I don't want to die so young," April protested, feigning innocence to protect herself.
"You're twenty? I doubt it."
Li Qingyuan eyed her skeptically.
"Twenty… plus a few extra months. Boss, do you know questioning a woman's age is very rude?"
April wished she could slap her driver's license down to intimidate him but decided against it.
"As long as you don't court death, you won't die. Norman won't have you eliminated!"
For anyone else, she might have been in danger, but Norman Osborn was an exception. Peter Parker had survived so far — Osborn might not be a good man, but he wasn't a villain either.
"That's good."
Reassured, April exhaled and let her nerves settle.
"By the way, boss, what's your true identity?"
After three minutes of quiet, now feeling safe, April began risking her curiosity again.
'If you want to buy it, pay the price — no bargaining!' came the cold, emotionless reply, repeating like a broken record.
"Forget it, I'll check myself."
Seeing Li Qingyuan seemingly ignoring her, April let it go and began carefully examining the shop.
At first, she thought the store's items were just quirky collectibles, meant to impress and scare customers. But seeing Norman Osborn spend ten billion on a single box, April realized there had to be a huge secret here.
Perhaps the owner was an alien, and these items were advanced alien tech? Or maybe the owner was a hidden assassin chief, and the box contained top-secret intelligence from a rival company?
As a journalist, she knew imagination was key — you had to connect seemingly unrelated events and make it convincing.
After careful observation, April finally discerned a pattern.
The fake antiques on the lower shelves were displayed openly, priced uniformly at a hundred thousand each — as if to scream, "These are worthless!"
But the top shelves contained items with prices starting in the eight-figure range, with only a few pieces available. No way this was ordinary.
"Boss, why are these two wine cups so expensive?"
Pointing to the two cups on the top shelf, April asked cautiously. After the earlier incident, she didn't dare touch anything. A single scratch could cost her a fortune.
"They're the Immortality Cups. With these, one can catch the Fountain of Eternal Life and gain immortality."
Li Qingyuan shrugged. Since he was bored, entertaining the curious girl seemed harmless.
He hadn't wanted to deal with Norman earlier anyway — he was resting and avoiding missions. Who knew whether shaking hands with Norman might teleport him to some mission world?
Watching the shop alone was boring, so chatting with her was a welcome diversion.
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)