Michael cleared his throat before saying, "There's another important matter—the Weller Group has been making big moves lately." He added, "Harvey has somehow found the courage to aggressively expand into the pharmaceutical industry. Their first batch of products has already hit the market with excellent feedback." He paused before exploding in anger. "Meanwhile, our pharmaceutical department is full of deadweight! Rhodes Pharmaceuticals has decades of expertise and foundation. We've always dominated the Jayrodale market, but now Harvey, that incompetent fool, is stealing business from us. Can anyone explain this to me?" Marcus reluctantly spoke up. "Mr. Rhodes, I've been overseeing our pharmaceutical division, which is one of our flagship departments. Overall, our production volume and quality have remained solid, consistently outperforming the Weller Group. The only issue is their newly developed health supplement, which has been incredibly successful in the market. This single

Andrew and Lauren quickly drove toward Jayrodale's Northern District. Instead of taking his Mercedes G-Wagon, Andrew was driving Lauren's pink Maserati. It was a fantastic car, but he felt a bit self-conscious about the color. Along the way, businessmen on the street did double-takes when they saw a man driving the pink Maserati with the stunning Lauren in the passenger seat. Their envious and judgmental glares made Andrew certain he would be labeled as another trophy boyfriend. "Dr. Lloyd, why are you closing the windows?" Lauren asked, hiding her smile. "I'm trying to avoid any would-be heroes looking to start trouble," Andrew replied dryly. Lauren giggled. "I wouldn't mind witnessing something like that." "Ms. Rhodes, I really think my car would have been more suitable," Andrew suggested. "Your car is nice, but since this is a business trip, we should use a company car," Lauren explained. "That way, the company covers gas and depreciation. I couldn't let you help me an

Jake burst out laughing. "Another group looking for money? I've seen several people like you today. Go home and forget about the money—Mr. Giordano is dead, and the Northern District has been stripped clean. There's nothing left." Jake continued, "You've heard of Christina Stevens, the Ice Queen of Stevens Corporation, right? And another gorgeous woman named Aspen Stevens came by too. Do you know what happened? Aspen went ballistic, trashing the place and cursing Mr. Giordano, demanding her billion dollars back." He shook his head with a smirk. "Can you believe how crazy that woman was? That man is already dead—how's he supposed to pay her back? And cursing a dead man? Man, you should've seen her face—she looked like she was having a mental breakdown!" Andrew understood Aspen's reaction well. Anyone would lose their mind after losing a billion dollars to the Northern District. The loss would make anyone's heart bleed. Andrew replied with a knowing smile, "You're right about

Natasha chimed in and explained, "Dean Mayer was Atlas's senior apprentice from the same martial arts school and Northern District's second-in-command. He was known as 'Iron Palm'. However, his skills never matched Atlas', which is why Atlas always held the position of Northern District's leader." Andrew asked, "So you're saying most of Atlas' assets and personnel fell into Dean's hands?" Natasha shook her head. "In terms of manpower, Dean only took about seven elite fighters with him. However, he did make off with the majority of Northern District's wealth—Atlas' years of accumulated fortune." "Natasha, do you know where Dean is now?" Andrew frowned. "As my people previously informed Mr. Lloyd, some of Atlas' forces have regrouped," Natasha said gravely. "Dean is their leader, and they've aligned themselves with the Madblade Martial Academy." Andrew was shocked. "Madblade Martial Academy? You mean the place that calls itself Jayrodale's premier martial arts institution?"

Inside Madblade Martial Academy, hundreds of students were practicing martial arts with loud shouts. They barely glanced at Lauren and Andrew's group before turning away, displaying obvious arrogance and dismissal. Lauren was unfazed by their attitude. She explained, "The students here are all from Jayrodale's wealthy families. Most of them are spoiled rich kids who couldn't succeed academically, so their families sent them here to learn martial arts. Over time, they've developed quite a superiority complex." Andrew did not mind. After all, it was natural for martial artists to have some attitude. Whether it was looking down on others or being arrogant, this kind of temperament came with this lifestyle. As long as they were not all talk and had no skill, he could tolerate their pride. A young man in casual clothes approached them with a smile, his pale complexion suggesting a life of extravagance. He was flanked by about four clearly skilled martial artists. As he passed the