Amanda was not a good person; in fact, she was a villain, rotten to the core and festering from head to toe.
She was an absolute human supremacist, detesting all non-human life forms, including aliens, mutants, super-powered individuals, robots, and so on.
She was a person who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals, possessing her own independent way of thinking, which she executed rigorously and stubbornly, never touching anything beyond her established bottom line.
It was precisely because of this series of traits that Dick Cheney took a liking to her and made her the head of the A.R.G.U.S. The returns she provided were also substantial; in just a few short years, she transformed a small organization of only three people into a privileged agency spanning the east and west coasts of the United States.
It could be said that every brick and tile of A.R.G.U.S. contained Amanda's sweat, like her own child.
Now, someone wanted to take this child away, and how could a mother possibly agree?
An unusual guest arrived at the Xiao Manor, leaning on two canes, her head in a brace, looking like a critically ill patient, yet her eyes were as cold as ice.
An'an and Beibei disliked this sudden stranger and barked furiously.
Luke turned and glanced at her, saying indifferently, "My dogs don't welcome you."
"It doesn't matter if the dogs don't welcome me, as long as the master does."
Amanda put down her canes and said in a deep voice, "Luke Xiao, I need to talk to you."
Luke took out two sausages and threw them into the dog bowl. An'an immediately opened its gaping maw and bit down hard. Luke kicked it, and An'an whimpered twice, reluctantly spitting out one sausage. Beibei quickly snatched it, devouring it in two or three bites, then looked at its owner with pitiful eyes.
Luke also kicked it, then poured the sausages into the dog bowl, letting them fight over them.
"Mr. Xiao is very fond of dogs."
"They like me far more than I like them."
After washing his hands, Luke walked with Amanda in the backyard.
"Three hours ago, a guy named Floyd came to see me, with a similar purpose to yours—to talk. I'm curious, are the contents of your discussions the same?"
"No, they're not."
Luke smiled and asked, "How are they different?"
Amanda scoffed, "He's a dog, just like your An'an and Beibei, only obeying his master's commands. I'm different; I'm a person, the master of A.R.G.U.S."
"But Floyd told me that the head of A.R.G.U.S. is Floyd Russell, and you are just the former head." He paused, then added, "Or rather, a pawn."
"A discarded pawn, a useless pawn. Why should I risk offending the Vice President to talk to a pawn?"
"Give me a reason, Ms. Waller, otherwise, I'll have to ask you to leave."
At this point, the meaning was clear. Luke didn't beat around the bush, giving Amanda a chance. Whether she succeeded or not depended on her own abilities.
The two walked and stopped, arriving at a long bench in the backyard.
Amanda's injuries hadn't healed yet, so she couldn't walk much. She slowly sat down, holding onto the armrest, and after a long silence, she slowly said, "The power of A.R.G.U.S. is in my hands."
"I'm not surprised by that."
Luke shrugged. How could that idiot Floyd be a match for Amanda?
"I'm curious about what you plan to do next. Regain Dick Cheney's support? Or find another backer and go against him?"
"I won't look for another backer. It's better to rely on oneself than on others. I want to change A.R.G.U.S. from its roots."
Amanda said word by word, "Aliens, urban vigilantes, and super-powered criminals have become problems that the nation must face, but the White House has no good solutions. Neither the police, nor the FBI, nor even the military, can handle them. Their power is too singular, and they lack the ability to cope. The mummy case is the best example."
"The White House needs a special department capable of handling supernatural cases, and A.R.G.U.S. is the best choice. I want to turn it into a powerful department like the CIA, FBI, police, and Department of Justice, not commanded by anyone, with independent operational and decision-making power, affiliated with the government, yet not belonging to the government."
"Only such an A.R.G.U.S. is the true A.R.G.U.S."
Her words were powerful and revealed great ambition, but Luke shook his head.
"The idea is good, but unfortunately, there are no conditions for its realization. Your master, Dick Cheney, and other military elders will never allow the dog they raised to sit in the same position as them. You can't get past them."
Amanda sneered, "If they don't agree, then let someone who agrees take their place."
Luke was startled and looked at her deeply.
"Your thinking is very dangerous, like a gambler who has only one dollar left."
Amanda said firmly, "What if I can win?"
Luke said helplessly, "Betting on the future is a very foolish act. With just this, you can't convince me."
Amanda took out a stack of crumpled documents from her arms and placed them on the table.
"Read this, then give me your answer."
Luke took the documents and flipped through them with a skeptical gaze. After reading only half a page, the smile on his face disappeared, replaced by an extremely solemn expression.
"Amanda, you really are a lunatic!"
The documents recorded the unknown ugly side of Dick Cheney and some high-ranking military officials: corruption, bribery, sex scandals, and illicit arms trade, and so on.
Each revelation would cause a major upheaval.
"It's too crazy. You're even crazier than I imagined."
"They forced me to. I didn't want this either."
Amanda took a deep breath and said, "How do you feel now?"
Luke frowned in silence. After a moment, he extended two fingers.
"Twenty percent chance of winning."
"If you help me, the chances of winning will exceed fifty percent."
Luke put down the documents and slowly shook his head.
"I won't put my money on a gambler. That's foolish, and unnecessary."
"You're right, it is foolish. If it were me, I wouldn't do that either, but..." Changing her tone, Amanda suddenly smiled and tapped the documents twice with her finger.
"A billionaire encounters a high-risk, high-reward investment product. If he invests one dollar, he might get a thousand dollars back. Do you think he would be willing to put in a hundred dollars to try it?"
Luke leaned back in his chair and said expressionlessly, "From an investment perspective, there's no problem, of course. But from a politician's perspective, the problem is much bigger. It's easy to get on the boat, but hard to get off. I understand that principle very well."
Amanda gritted her teeth, feeling inexplicably anxious. She had said so much, and the other party still wouldn't budge. This guy was too difficult to deal with.
"Tell me your conditions. What will it take for you to invest that hundred dollars?"
"It's both hard and easy."
Luke straightened up and said suggestively, "You are an excellent entrepreneur—strong, cunning, smart enough, and cautious enough. Investing in you is a very correct choice. However, an investor's money doesn't grow on trees. To get it, words alone aren't enough; a guarantee is needed."
Amanda smiled helplessly.
"Luke Xiao, I finally understand why you became the gang leader of Seaboard City at the age of 12. People like you are not suitable as opponents."
After speaking, she took out a ballpoint pen and wrote a series of names, addresses, and phone numbers on a piece of paper.
"These people are my bottom line, and they are my guarantee to you."
Luke picked up the paper, glanced at it, and smiled.
"Ms. Waller, now we can talk about that hundred dollars."
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