Boban was confident in his threat. In this close range, he could shoot Caesar dead in the eye without any problem. He wouldn't even be able to try and escape as there were multiple guards hanging around the only exit in the room.
Any rational person would relent to the proposition under the threat of death. There were only two scenarios in this case, either Caesar dies and the recipe with him, or Caesar gives up the recipe while gaining 1 million Parou.
This was a sweet offer now that the only other option was death. But of course, Caesar wasn't afraid of death.
"If you kill me, you'll lose the riches you could have. I will never give you the recipe," Caesar said straight.
Boban smiled and stood up as he looked at Caesar. He knew a lot of people who had astounding calmness under the threat of death. But it was rare to see someone that was not bluffing on their fearlessness of death. Boban was sure Caesar was bluffing.
"I have no trouble letting go of theoretical money," Boban said as he walked up to Caesar and pointed his gun at Caesar's head.
Caesar felt the cold touch of the barrel and the slight smell of gunpowder.
"I have enough money to live fashionably for the rest of my life. However, you…you have nothing but your life. You fear death just like everyone. You cannot fool me," Boban stated.
Caesar looked up at Boban's huge face filled with fats. "I know people like you. You will definitely regret this opportunity. You will wake up late at night regretting the money you could have earned. You need me. Do you want to see which one of us is bluffing?"
Boban's face didn't change with Caesar's words. He moved his finger and cocked the gun, meaning that it was only one trigger away from drilling a hole into Caesar's head.
"Last chance. Give me the recipe or die…"
Boban waited for a few seconds, but saw no change in Caesar's face. The kid wasn't even sweating nor was his fingers shaking. He was as calm as a tree. Boban didn't know if he saw it right, but there was even a hint of excitement in Caesar's face as he faced death.
"3…2…1…"
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the room, almost deafening the guards in close range. Their ears rang as they looked at what happened to the kid.
Caesar was still standing with no entry nor exit wound on his head. He was still alive. Boban had moved his gun away from Caesar's head at the last second and aimed at the floor.
Caesar called Boban's bluff. Boban wanted to take part in this lucrative business, so he cannot risk the death of Caesar. With the kid being the only person who knew the recipe, he was the only one who could produce it.
Boban looked at Caesar's smiling face and reciprocated the smile. "I'll give you this kid, you've got guts. You've convinced me, I'll be your supplier. Tell me the ingredients and I'll give it to you at a fair price."
Boban took a seat at his desk and pulled out a pen and paper. With a few lines and scribbles, he created a temporary contract between the two of them.
In Boban's fairness, he wrote a fairly equal offer with Caesar. The contract stated that Boban would give Caesar 100,000 coins worth of ingredients to create as many kilograms of Joy that he could.
Then, once Caesar sells the Joy powder, he could have the money to pay off the loan that he got from Boban with 5% interest. In all honesty, it was a good contract.
"You can read, right?" Boban asked, almost as if making fun of Caesar.
Boban gave the contract to Caesar and let him read it. As Caesar was busy, Boban gestured to one of the guards with a subtle eye contact. It was clear that they were communicating without words.
The guard that saw the wink almost flinched as he understood the order that Boban gave him. He immediately saluted and went out of the room to prepare the torture chamber.
That's right. Boban was planning to torture Caesar for the recipe. Now, all he had to do was to wait and capture Caesar while he was busy with the contract. Boban wondered what kind of face Caesar would make once he knew he wouldn't be able to leave this mansion without giving up the recipe.
'Hahahaha, that's right. Smile as much as you can now, Caesar. You'll be my golden goose that produces golden Joy!' Boban thought in his mind.
Caesar finished reading the contract and smiled. He looked at Boban and said, "you know what? I think I'll ask for other suppliers. I just remembered that I can go to the farmers and get the supplies directly from them."
What Caesar said was right. Boban's main business was to purchase the ingredients from the farmers and sell it at a higher price to the Joy manufacturers. He was a third party that was grossly overpaid without having to do anything.
"What are you saying, kid?" Boban's frustration at Caesar's words almost made him crush the armchair he was leaning in.
"I'm saying, I don't need you." Caesar tore the contract right in front of Boban's face.
As a businessman, seeing a contract falling apart just before being completed was so annoying that he wanted to pull his hair out. If it wasn't for his balding lineage, he would have done so.
Add the fact that he was dealing with a teenage kid that was 1/4th his age. Some teenager who hadn't even grown a strand of beard had the audacity to refuse his offer for the second time!
Just as the shredded contract hit the ground, Boban's anger had risen to the top of his head. "Get him! I'll skin you alive myself!" he screamed.
The guard who had left had just returned at the right time. In his hands were handcuffs with steel balls that would tie both the hands and the legs.
Caesar was surrounded by the guards, all of whom were trying to capture him and drag him to the underground where he would be tortured beyond belief until he gave up the recipe.
The guards knew first-hand how much pain and anguish that Boban could give Caesar. The underground was filled with weapons and chains that was really creative in trying to break a person's spirit.
Despite all the pressure, Caesar only took one small action. He took out a small bag that was the size of the top section of a finger. The guards and Boban thought that it was another Joy, but the color was dark green.
"It's too late to show another one of your recipes! Guards, tie him up!"
Boban smiled and said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I have a bomb."
The guards continued to surround Caesar, but Boban's body jolted awake as if a bucket of cold water hit his whole body. He immediately shouted towards his guards.
"Stop! Don't move!"
The guards immediately stopped. They looked at Boban and saw that his face was ghastly white with his arms shaking. The only thing he could do to stop the shaking was bite his fingernails.
This was the first time they saw their boss deathly afraid. Of course he would. He knew that Caesar's threat was real because he saw first-hand how fearless Caesar was in the face of death. Caesar wouldn't hesitate to bomb himself and the entire room.
There was a chance that Caesar was bluffing, and that he didn't have a bomb. But was Boban willing to risk that? No. That was because there were millions upon millions of money inside this room.
The walls of this room were fitted with a safe that fit most of his earnings. If a bomb destroyed every single cash here, his entire business would be destroyed. And Caesar knew that.
This was the recipe that he had gained when he leveled up. As soon as he saw the words, [Time Bomb recipe learned], he immediately knew this was the plan he would execute.
Caesar brought up the time bomb and explained it. "This is a chemical bomb that has an explosive power which can destroy a whole room. I'm sure you know what will happen to your money if it explodes."
Boban didn't recklessly move and kept listening to Caesar's words. The only thing he could do was grit his teeth and listen.
"The best thing about this is that I don't know when it will explode. It can explode now, tomorrow, or maybe next month at the latest."
Caesar smiled and walked up to Boban. He could see the nervousness in Boban's eyes—a complete turnaround of the situation earlier. Back then, Boban was threatening Caesar, now Caesar was the one with the metaphorical gun.
"And if I were to drop it in the ground or you move it too much, it would go boom!"