"Since you already understand everything in your heart, I have nothing to deny—let alone a friendly hospital, there probably isn't a single vial of antivenom serum in all of Degulamo City. I was thinking of dragging you back to Degulamo, but aside from the possibility of leaking the gold mine secret to others, it wouldn't actually save you. I was really surprised you survived, but at the time you were indeed on the verge of death. I can swear to the heavens that I absolutely didn't lie to you. I figured whether you died in Yibogu Village or in the hospital, it made no difference. If I could get rich by contracting the gold mine, I would definitely help your family in the future."

John Foster didn't dare provoke Edward Baker, afraid that if he got agitated, he'd pull the trigger. His face pale, he desperately tried to calm Edward Baker's emotions.

"Since you survived, we can still contract the gold mine together. You know as well as I do that Yibogu Village clearly has a gold mine that lays golden eggs, yet it's still so poor—not for any other reason, but simply because the mining is too primitive and backward. If we work together and go to Chief Felician to contract the whole gold mine, all we need is to buy a diesel generator and add some gravel crushing and sand making equipment, and the efficiency will increase ten or twenty times. There's definitely money to be made. Even if a full set of equipment doesn't cost two or three million, it'll still be over a million. If you can't come up with that much money to invest, besides me, you won't find anyone else to get rich with you—when you first brought me to see the gold mine, you must have wanted to work with me, right? Think about it calmly. If you really kill me now, there's no benefit at all. Other than venting your anger, do you really think you can go back to Yibogu Village and find Chief Felician to contract the gold mine?"

Edward Baker raised his hand and smashed the gun butt hard against John Foster's nose, watching as a stream of blood poured out. Feeling satisfied, he said:

"You really think I won't shoot? When I came back from the hospital, I was still thinking of pretending nothing had happened, but you had already decided to toss me aside and go find David Sullivan to work together on mining the gold. Do you really think I'm so young and naive, never been burned by society, and that I'm that easy to fool?"

Edward Baker raised the gun, aimed it at John Foster's brow, and pulled the trigger...

Chapter 7 The Cause

"Ah!"

The moment Edward Baker pulled the trigger, both John Foster and Emily Carter screamed in terror.

"Pop!"

A wisp of flame shot from the muzzle. Edward Baker pursed his lips and blew on the flame of the gun-shaped lighter, watching the flickering fire. Thinking he looked domineering and a bit wild, he said with a smirk:

"Manager Foster, I'm such an honest, model socialist youth—how could I possibly have a real gun? Besides, I just turned twenty. How could I want to spend the rest of my life in prison? Of course, if you really piss me off, I could poke out both your eyes. At most, I'd get seven or eight years in prison back home, and if I behave well, I'd be out by twenty-four or twenty-five. Honestly, that's not a bad deal..."

"You're insane!"

Even though it was a false alarm, Emily Carter's heart was still pounding with fear. Now, even angrier, her face turned pale as she clutched her chest and scolded furiously.

Seeing how badly Emily Carter was frightened, Edward Baker dragged a chair over, sat down at the dining table, and said:

"Yuqing-jie, you heard what Manager Foster just said. For over a year, I've worked under him without ever letting him down. I heard from Walter Baker that there were locals mining gold in Yibogu, and thought it might be an opportunity, so he was the first person I thought to bring along. Look at him—just because he was worried I might make it back to Degulamo alive and possibly reveal the secret to you all, he left me in Yibogu Village. Doesn't that make you angry? If I didn't mess with him a bit, wouldn't I have to swallow this bitter pill for the rest of my life, never able to speak of the grievance in my heart? Honestly, if he wasn't still trying to completely ditch me at this point and turn around to talk to President Sullivan about mining the gold, I wouldn't have thought about tearing things up..."

Emily Carter had never been to the Yibogu Village gold mine site and didn't know the specifics, but no matter what, John Foster leaving the life-or-death Edward Baker in Yibogu Village was definitely malicious. She couldn't blame Edward Baker for being so ruthless at such a young age.

Besides, although she was badly frightened, at least no one had been killed, so she figured the less said, the better, and didn't want to pursue it further.

Once Emily Carter was calmed down, Edward Baker placed the gun-shaped lighter on the table, looked at John Foster, and said:

"Now we're even. If you want to call the police, Manager Foster, go ahead. I can hand over all the evidence. This lighter cost me ten dollars, and I felt the pinch at the time. Honestly, it really does look like a real gun—otherwise, it wouldn't have scared you so badly, Manager Foster..."

Only then did Emily Carter notice that John Foster's crotch was wet, and she didn't know how to comfort him.

"You, you..." John Foster trembled with rage, forced himself to stand despite the pain, and asked bitterly, "Can I go upstairs now?"

"Your legs are on your own body, Manager Foster, what can I do to you?" Edward Baker asked with a smile.

John Foster gritted his teeth in fury, his eyes burning with the urge to tear Edward Baker apart. In the end, he kicked over the trash can, glared hatefully at Lucy Clark and Walter Baker, and finally went upstairs.