Starting Sign-In from a Billionaire God Chapter 1382 - 1381

When Allen regained consciousness again, he found himself seated in a small black room, sitting on a stool. His head ached as if splitting, due to being elbowed earlier. At least there were no ropes on him—his hands and feet were free. It seemed the captors didn’t bother tying him up, certain he wouldn’t escape.

Indeed, the two burly men who had brought him here were glaring at him nearby. Would Allen dare make any rash moves? Another elbow strike, and he wouldn’t be able to take it.

In front of Allen was another stool, and now, sitting on it was a young white man in a suit with slicked-back hair. Though young, he exuded an English gentleman’s aura—though it was clearly forced.

"Mr. Allen, you’re awake," the young white man smiled.

Allen said, "Are you people from the late-night auction house? What’s the meaning of this?"

The young white man said, "I apologize; this is just a precautionary measure we take to protect ourselves. I hope Mr. Allen understands—we have no intention of harming you."

Allen said, "Did you bring the Snake Head that I won at the auction?"

The young white man smiled and said, "Don’t rush; I have a few questions for Mr. Allen first. After the questions, we can proceed with the transaction."

Allen said, "So what do you want to ask? What happened? Are we not here for a deal? I don’t think I’m your prisoner, right?"

The young white man said, "Mr. Allen, please remain calm. Everything we do is for our protection. Your understanding is appreciated."

Allen said, "Go ahead and ask."

The young white man said, "First question: as a gentleman from the United Kingdom, why are you interested in a Huaxia antique?"

Allen said, "What’s so strange about that? You’re an auction platform—shouldn’t you be used to this sort of thing? Who wouldn’t appreciate antiques?"

The young white man said, "I’d like to hear Mr. Allen’s reasons."

Allen said, "It’s simple: I have a hobby of collecting and enjoy gathering items from around the world. This antique is extraordinarily valuable, so I decided to bid on it."

The young white man said, "You claimed during the auction that you want to return the Snake Head to Huaxia—why is that? From what I know, Mr. Allen doesn’t have any relations with Huaxia, does he?"

Allen inwardly grimaced; the Snake Head wasn’t even his purchase—it was Lin Fan’s. Returning it to Huaxia was Lin Fan’s idea.

He had to say, "This Snake Head originally belongs to Huaxia, so it’s only right to return it. I do this not because I have ties to Huaxia, but because I hope the treasure goes back to where it belongs."

The young white man stared at Allen, shaking his head, "You’re lying."

Allen said, "Why do you say I’m lying? I’m telling the truth!"

The young white man said, "We’re talking about a 10 million Euro treasure here. Not 1600, not 160,000, but 10 million Euros. Converted to Huaxia Coin, that’s 100 million. You’re donating 100 million to Huaxia out of nowhere? What kind of selfless spirit is that? I don’t think Mr. Allen is that generous. As far as I know, you don’t even attend charity galas and are only interested in making money."

Allen said, "What’s your name, young man?"

The young white man said, "Please call me Howard."

Allen said, "Howard, let me tell you this: I bought the Snake Head, what I do with it is my business. Even if I buy it to smash it, outsiders can’t say otherwise. Returning it to Huaxia might be out of goodwill or for my reasons, none of which concerns you. Anyway, since I’ve successfully bid for it, hand it over to me—I won’t bother you for a penny."

Howard paused for a bit, then nodded, "Mr. Allen makes a valid point, indeed. However, as I mentioned, we do this to protect ourselves. Asking a few questions does no harm, and if Mr. Allen didn’t propose special terms, this wouldn’t have happened."

Allen said, "I was clear with you online; I need to inspect the goods personally to ensure they’re legitimate."

Howard said, "Our platform has always maintained integrity, and Mr. Allen should trust us; we won’t cheat you."

Allen said, "You’ve asked your questions; can we proceed with the transaction now?"

Howard said, "Of course, I’ve prepared a computer for Mr. Allen, and you can make the money transfer at any time."

Allen said, "And the Snake Head? Didn’t we agree I’d inspect it first?"

Howard said, "Sorry, as I mentioned just now, Mr. Allen should trust us. According to our platform’s rules, once payment is made, we’ll naturally deliver to Mr. Allen."

Sweat broke on Allen; apparently, they hadn’t brought the Snake Head at all!

Though he didn’t care much for the Snake Head, since per Lin Fan’s plan, it wouldn’t be his, but belong to Huaxia, he couldn’t appear indifferent. Therefore, he immediately stood up in feigned agitation.

"Then what are we here for? Since you agreed to meet, you should’ve brought the goods..."

Allen hadn’t even finished speaking.

Howard interrupted him, "Mr. Allen, please sit down."

Now in Howard’s hand was a gun, resting nonchalantly on his knee, its ominous muzzle pointing at Allen. It waved slightly to signal Allen to sit down.

Allen was terrified, sweat pouring down as he quickly complied, sitting back down.

Seeing Allen seated, Howard slowly said, "We agreed to meet not for anything else but to ensure Mr. Allen understands our platform’s rules are not to be challenged. Does Mr. Allen understand now?"

In essence, they didn’t come to complete the transaction with Allen but to teach him a lesson for breaking the rules. Indeed, even a platform on the Deep Web has the old English style.

Allen nodded nervously, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Howard smiled satisfyingly, instructing the nearby strong-man, "Hand the computer to Mr. Allen."

The strong-man walked over, picked up a laptop, and gave it to Allen.

Allen nervously received the laptop, internally conflicted. He didn’t want to transfer the money. First, because he hadn’t seen the Snake Head, and second, without Lin Fan present, if he paid now and they disappeared, he’d have no chance to find them again.

"I need my phone," Allen said.

Howard chuckled, "Apologies, your phone is already gone; Mr. Allen, being an IT company CEO and a computing wizard himself, I’m sure you can manage without a phone—unless Mr. Allen has other motives. I’d hope not, and I doubt Mr. Allen would want to end up with a bullet in his head, right? So I suggest Mr. Allen hurry it up."

Though Howard maintained a gentlemanly demeanor, it was clear he was losing patience. If Allen didn’t pay up soon, he might pull the trigger.

Sweat cascaded down Allen as he wiped it away; he had no choice but to pay. But where was Lin Fan right now? Why hasn’t he arrived?