The Great Demon Lord of the American Comics World

Chapter 87, American Double Standards, Game of Thrones
midnight.

In a poorly managed theater that has gone bankrupt.

One of the founding members of the Punishment Group, the over-seventy-year-old Teller Beasley, wakes up from his coma to find himself bound by restraints and sitting in the front row of the theater, facing a pitch-black stage.

"What happened? Have you been kidnapped?"

The old man was slightly startled, but having fought countless business battles and seen many storms, he quickly regained his composure:

"Since it's a kidnapping, the other party must have something to ask for, and where there's a request, there's an opportunity!"

As he pondered this, he looked around and noticed that there were three other people in the seats on either side.

Under the dim light shining from who-knows-where, Teller Beasley stared at the three men for a long time before he could vaguely make out that they were his old partners who had co-founded the Punishment Corporation with him and were now known as the "Punishment Corporation Trio," Robert Horton and Tom Grantz, as well as the current CEO of the corporation, Damon Hellinger.

They were all wiped out in one fell swoop?
Beasley's heart sank; he sensed that the situation might be much worse than he had anticipated.

"This isn't a kidnapping targeting me personally, but a conspiracy against the entire corporation! Who is it? That young guy from MASA?"

His first thought was MASA Corporation, because MASA Corporation was the only business rival of the Punishment Group recently.

"If it were MASA Corporation, then today's matter would probably not be resolved so easily..."

The old man, his face grim, quickly racked his brains, devising a plan to survive.

Just then, several low groans were heard, and Rothbert Horton, Tom Grantz, and Damon Hellinger woke up one after another.

"Where am I? Damn it, how did I get into this godforsaken place?"

"Teller? Robert? What are you doing here?"

"Three bosses, I think we might have been kidnapped..."

"Who's so bold as to kidnap us?"

"It's probably MASA Corporation..."

"How dare he? A young man who hasn't even graduated from university yet, and a newly opened company—how dare he target us? That guy is breaking the rules!"

The so-called "rules of the game" that the old guys refer to means that they can suppress their competitors with impunity and by any means necessary, while their competitors cannot use the same methods against them—unless the competitors are on the same level as them.

Of course, if the opponent is at the same level as them, then the rules of the game will change. At least they will not simply and crudely hire assassins to kill the other party, but will first try to make contact, negotiate and trade.

This is American double standards, and every successful person in America must master this system.

"Leonardo Victor, I know you're listening..."

Teller Beasley suddenly shouted:
“I admit we had some disagreements before, but that’s not insurmountable… We’re not street thugs, we’re respectable people with status. You can’t treat us like this! Listen, we can talk this over…”

Just as we were saying this, a beam of light suddenly shone down from the stage ahead, illuminating a piano placed in the center of the stage.

Then, a tall young man in a shirt walked onto the stage with a smile.

He first nodded slightly to the four members of the disciplinary group, then sat down at the piano, rolled up his sleeves, and placed his hands on the keys.

"Leonardo Victor, what do you want to do?"

Dimon Hellinger, CEO of the disciplinary group, instinctively sensed something was amiss and said in a deep voice:
"Business matters should be resolved businesswise. Sending someone to kidnap you is hardly a respectable practice. We're not ordinary people. Do you know how serious the consequences would be if we disappeared? Of course, we can forget about this minor unpleasantness, as long as you release us..."

Robert Horton also shouted:

“We acknowledge your abilities and the potential of MASA Corporation! If you release us, we can accept you as a member of the Punishment Group…”

Li Xingzhou turned a deaf ear to what the members of the punitive group said—yes, it's undignified for me to kidnap you, but it's perfectly reasonable and normal business warfare for you to send people to assassinate me and hire private investigators to cause trouble. You're quite adept at playing the American double standard!
Unfortunately, I am also basking in the light of the lighthouse!
I'm quite adept at playing your game, so what's the point of your clamoring?

Let's enjoy listening to me play a piece together!

Li Xingzhou pressed down hard on the piano keys with both hands, producing a resounding boom like a great bell.

Amidst the roar, the four members of the disciplinary group felt their hearts leap, their heads spin, and they were speechless.

Then, Li Xingzhou became fully immersed in the music and focused on playing "Game of Thrones"...

As the deep, majestic yet stirring melody entered their ears, the four members of the Punishment Group felt as if they were witnessing firsthand the turbulent and unpredictable power struggles, seeing powerful figures vying for the throne amidst deceit and intrigue, and witnessing the rise and fall of families and kings.

Finally, they vaguely saw a young king with fiery wings, wielding a blood-stained sword, stepping on an endless sea of ​​blood, sweeping away and devouring all his opponents. Amidst the hymns of worship and adoration from the masses, he sat on the supreme throne forged from the swords of countless enemies...

I don’t know how much time passed.

When the four members of the Punishment Group, who were immersed in the illusion of the piano music, came back to their senses, the stage returned to darkness. Leonardo Victor, the young president of MASA Company, had disappeared without a trace, and even the piano had vanished.

Their restraints were removed, and the four of them inexplicably regained their freedom of movement.

"what happened?"

Teller and the others looked at each other, completely baffled.

"You tied us up just so you could play us a piano piece?"

"Is that guy crazy?"

"He has some mental issues..."

The four men whispered amongst themselves, their words laced with sarcasm, but they dared not linger. They quickly pulled out their phones, calling their bodyguards as they headed out of the theater.

In a private box on the second floor of the theater.

Watching the four members of the disciplinary group walk out, Emma asked Li Xingzhou in confusion:
"Boss, are we just going to let them go so easily?"

Li Xingzhou, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, took a light puff and smiled slightly:
“My piano recitals aren’t free for just anyone. They’ll naturally pay a ticket price…”

In the cultivation world, sonic techniques are considered a relatively niche supernatural power, but both the righteous and demonic paths have their own methods. Li Xingzhou's proficiency in so many musical instruments wasn't just for flirting with fairies and enchantresses; it was also for cultivating sonic techniques.

The four members of the Punishment Group listened to him play a tune from Game of Thrones and appeared unharmed, but their brains and hearts were already damaged.

Within a month, these four people either died of heart disease, cerebral hemorrhage, or developed Alzheimer's disease.

And we guarantee that no medical intervention will detect any clues.

Although the three giants and the CEO all ran into trouble within a month, and it was obvious to everyone that something was wrong, it wasn't a shooting or assassination. As a newly emerging force, Li Xingzhou did not use any brutal methods against the established conglomerates or break the so-called "rules of the game," and no problems could be found. Even if someone suspected MASA Company, what could they do to him?
This is America, a free, democratic, and law-abiding society where no one can accuse a legitimate young entrepreneur who operates legally and pays taxes without any basis.

Not to mention that this young entrepreneur has the State Supreme Court Justice standing behind him...

"With the three giants dead, the power struggle within the Punishment Group will be in chaos, and they shouldn't have time to bother us."

Li Xingzhou hugged Emma and said with a smile:

“We could even find the right opportunity to take over a few more privately owned prisons controlled by juvenile detention groups…”

Emma sat on Li Xingzhou's lap, tucking his large hands inside her clothes, and reminded him:
"Although the company's financial situation is good, the orders from the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. have not yet been completed, and the funds have not yet been received. We do not have enough funds at the moment..."

"It's alright. Kingpin will support us. Besides, Selena has plenty of funds."

Li Xingzhou gently kneaded Emma's soft, jade-like breasts, which could be grasped in one hand, and said leisurely:
“One Rex prison isn’t enough. America is so wonderful; we must work even harder to make America even more wonderful…”

……

Two days later, at 7 p.m.

Li Xingzhou was driving a brand new Lincoln Navigator on his way to the Dream Bar.

His current business focus has shifted to MASA Company and private prisons, but he hasn't given up on the Dream Bar, which is doing well and can support many of his underlings. He still has Harry in charge of its management and operation, and he himself goes there occasionally.

This is what is meant by "Mount Tai does not reject small grains of soil, therefore it can become so high; rivers do not discriminate against small streams, therefore they can become so deep."

In addition, because the store has a more abundant and complete selection of alcoholic beverages than Li Xingzhou's home, Iliana often goes there to drink, and the liquor cabinet in Li Xingzhou's office has been almost half emptied by her.

Today, Li Xingzhou had arranged to meet Iriana at the bar to discuss talismans and spells.

During the journey, a news report on the car radio caught his attention:
"The space research program of renowned scientist Dr. Reed Richards has been forced to a halt. It is reported that the space station where the doctor's team was located suffered unexpected cosmic ray radiation, resulting in extensive damage to equipment. The doctor and his team members have also experienced unexpected health problems. The doctor's team has now returned to Earth and is undergoing medical examinations..."

Upon hearing this, Li Xingzhou's lips curled up into a smile, thinking to himself that New York would soon have four more superheroes.

I just don't know how Dr. Doom is doing.

Is it the buffoonish Doctor Doom from the movie, or the god-king Doom who led his country step by step to become a world superpower?
Just then, my phone vibrated again. When I took it out, I saw a set of photos sent by the Death Walkers team.

He slowed down, found a place to park, and pulled over before starting to look at the photos.

In the first photo, a car has crashed into a roadside barrier, with the front of the car almost completely destroyed and the windshield shattered.

The second photo shows a bald, muscular man hunched over a steering wheel.

In the third photo, the bald, muscular man stares wide-eyed at his dull, lifeless eyes, leaning back in the driver's seat. There is a horrific wound on his neck that has torn an artery, which looks like it was ripped off by a piece of debris from the hood that flew in.

"Family Hero ultimately died in the car; it's like a skilled swimmer drowning..."

Li Xingzhou sighed, silently mourned for his family for a few seconds, then transferred the set of photos to the hotel's dedicated mobile phone in mainland China and sent them to the hotel.

A moment later, the Mainland Hotel sent a confirmation message that the bounty had been completed. After the Mainland Hotel took its cut, the remaining nine million in bounty money was transferred to his secret account.

In addition to the bonus for the knife, there are also internal gold coins that only formal members can obtain, but they have to go to a hotel in mainland China to collect the gold coins themselves.

Li Xingzhou plans to stop by the Mainland Hotel to collect the gold coins on his way to the company headquarters tomorrow.

He then made some more moves on his phone, transferring a bounty of $4.5 million to the Death Walkers team, before putting down his phone and focusing on driving.

Not long after we started driving, we heard a siren behind us, and a police car with flashing lights appeared in our rearview mirror.

Li Xingzhou slowed down and pulled over to make way for the police car, but to his surprise, the police car overtook him and then stopped in front of him.

Seeing the police car's clear intention to intercept him, Li Xingzhou sighed helplessly, stopped the car, and turned off the engine.

Two police officers got out of the police car ahead: one was a tall, strong black male officer whose muscles seemed to burst out of his uniform, and the other was a black female officer of medium build.

The policewoman, her right hand touching her holster and her left hand flashing her badge, called out to Li Xingzhou:

"NYPD, we suspect you are carrying prohibited items. Please get out of the car immediately for inspection!"

Li Xingzhou glanced at the black male police officer and saw that the man was not in his holster and looked very nonchalant. He immediately knew that this guy was an imposter. When a big, nice police car stops a vehicle to check for contraband, who would dare to be so careless?
Keeping your hand on the holster, ready to draw your gun and empty the magazine at any time, is a basic operation.

Furthermore, the black male police officer did not hide his hostility.

He stared intently at the driver's seat, his eyes filled with intense hostility and anger, which could be felt even without spiritual perception.

Li Xingzhou opened the car door and got out, raising his hand to touch his chest.

The policewoman immediately drew her gun, gripped it with both hands, aimed it at Li Xingzhou, and shouted sternly:
"Hands down!"

Li Xingzhou ignored her, reached into his pocket, pulled out a silver cigarette case, took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and then looked at the policewoman with a smile, asking:
"Why didn't you empty the magazine? You dare to impersonate a policeman but don't dare to fire a shot?"

The policewoman was taken aback, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes—she was a genuine police officer, but her partner was a complete imposter.

At this moment, the black male police officer said in a deep voice:
“Misty, stop wasting time talking to this guy, grab him and use him to exchange for Jessica.”

Li Xingzhou suddenly realized:
"You're here for Jessica Jones? So, you're Luke Cage?"

(End of this chapter)