Chapter 393 Times Have Changed
Steven's tone made Sebastian—yeah, better call him that now, since big shots hate people bringing up their rags-to-riches days, even their old names—pause for a beat on the other end.
Sebastian let out a low chuckle. "Honestly, I've been meaning to reach out. Back in the day, I was barely scraping by in school. Not like you—good looks, girls all over you, and acing every class."
He sighed deeply, then added with a hint of swagger, "Who'd have thought I'd end up running the show, huh? Crazy, right, Steven?"
Steven smiled, not bothered by Sebastian's attitude.
Unsure of Sebastian's angle, Steven played it cool.
He cut to the chase. "We can do the whole reunion thing later. But you didn't track me down just to shoot the breeze, did you? I'm a curious guy—why not just lay it out for me? Okay?"
Sebastian on the other end of the phone raised an eyebrow.
Steven's attitude didn't give Sebastian the satisfaction he wanted.
He hoped to hear Steven's extremely shocked voice.
Something like, "Holy crap, you actually became the director of Frostwood Steel Plant?"
Or, "Back in our class, you didn't seem to have any abilities, how did you suddenly become so impressive?"
Steven didn't react as he had hoped, but he also didn't say anything to upset him.
Even so, Sebastian was still in a good mood showing off in front of Steven.
"Alright then, let's talk business!" Sebastian said, clearing his throat, his voice turning dead serious. "Steven, didn't you take out guys from Emberwick Base and Silverlake Base? Well, now they're gunning for you. And it's not just them. To play it safe, they've roped me and the Snowfall Cult into this. If the four of us come at you together, you're toast!"
A sharp glint flashed in Steven's eyes.
"Four?"
He had no grudges with Snowfall Cult or Frostwood Base.
It made sense that Emberwick and Silverlake would team up.
But he didn't see this coming—all the big players in Starlight City joining forces?
Steven had thought about this nightmare scenario.
If it went down, there'd be a 20% chance the shelter's surface would get wrecked!
They'd have to ditch the outer villas and the two surface buildings, falling back underground!
Exaggerated?
Not at all.
Even if the four forces joined hands, it didn't mean their siege capabilities would increase fourfold.
Even the West Mountain Base, with the largest ammunition depot, couldn't destroy the two surface buildings of the shelter back then.
The amount of explosives these four forces had, even combined, might not be as much as West Mountain Base.
Steven asked calmly, "So, are you here to declare war?"
Sebastian laughed. "Steven, what year do you think this is? Nobody declares war anymore. If I wanted to team up with them to take you down, you'd never see it coming. But this time, I'm here to catch up—and maybe talk things out. Call it a favor for old times' sake."
On the other end of the phone, a touch of warmth appeared on Sebastian's face.
He recalled that during school, his grades were poor, and he had no luck with the opposite sex.
Among many classmates, he was like a nobody.
But Steven didn't look down on him and helped him with his studies.
Now that he had become a big shot, he also wanted to help Steven to show his success!
Steven said, "Alright, let's hear it. What do you wanna talk?"
Sebastian snapped out of his thoughts. "Look, Frostwood Base has no beef with you. I can sit this one out, but it's gonna cost you. You've gotta make it worth my while."
Frostwood Base wasn't warlike; the workers at Frostwood Steel Plant preferred a stable life.
Their days weren't bad now.
And once a war started, people would die, which they didn't want to face.
The passionate workers weren't afraid of death, but they didn't want to die in vain.
So Sebastian contacted Steven.
If they could gain benefits without bloodshed and without losing a single worker, that would be the best choice.
As for whether there was any care for Steven in this, there might be a little, but not much.
Steven fell silent.
He couldn't judge whether what Sebastian said was true or false.
He couldn't even be sure if the person on the other end was really Sebastian.
However, he remembered that Francis did work at Frostwood Steel Plant, and since the other party was still alive, he was probably Sebastian.
Hearing silence, Sebastian chuckled, "Better decide fast, man. You're on the clock. They're coming for your shelter soon!"
Steven's eyes narrowed. "When?"
"Ha! Can't spill that. Not unless we've got a deal."
Steven paused, then asked, "What's your price?"
Sebastian smirked. "I want 10,000 pounds of food."
Steven raised an eyebrow. "10,000 pounds?"
"Yep. If you want Frostwood out of this fight, that's the price tag. Take it or leave it."
Steven fell silent.
He remembered that Sebastian's grades were never ideal, especially in math.
Could he think that 10,000 pounds was a lot?
It's not that Steven looked down on him, but his warehouse had more than 10,000 pounds of food on just a few shelves.
Steven said, "I need time to think. You're asking for a hell of a lot of food."
Sebastian nodded. "Fine, you've got till noon tomorrow. No more. And Steven, you'd better say yes. I'd hate to see us on opposite sides of this fight."
"Got it. We'll talk tomorrow."
Steven and Sebastian ended the call.
He leaned back on the soft sofa, the crystal chandelier above emitting a warm, soft yellow light that enveloped his body.
Steven rested his hands behind his head, thinking out loud, "10,000 pounds of food is no big deal. I've got those canned goods from West Mountain Base. Plus, there's still that stash from Brock Johnson's warehouse we haven't touched. Pulling it together would be a breeze. But… can I trust him?"
Supplies? Steven could handle that in his sleep. He didn't even need to dip into the good stuff in his warehouse. If it weren't for the risks outside, he and Earl could've hit up a few snowed-in supermarkets and hauled back whatever they needed.
But Steven wasn't about to hand over resources without getting what he wanted in return. It had been years since he'd seen Sebastian, and people change.
"I can agree to this," Steven muttered to himself. "But only a partial payment upfront. The rest comes after the war—if Frostwood Base delivers." He had it all figured out.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
