Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
In fact, this was exactly the case. Before Lucas came to the Elite Business Exchange, he never thought that he would actually unify all of California and become its hegemon.
If not for the ambitions of the Kingstons, the Walkers, the Smiths, and the Peerless Martial Association, who kept forcing Lucas at every turn, Lucas probably wouldn’t have made an aggressive move and shocked everyone.
But since things had already come to this, Lucas wouldn’t shirk responsibility and do nothing.
Therefore, he had to prepare for the future crisis that California might face so that he wouldn’t be caught off guard.
The Coles were initially a top family in San Francisco, and now, they were the only powerful one. They undoubtedly had the greatest impact on the other families of California. Edmund had rich experience, so Lucas wanted to ask him for advice on this issue.
Edmund pondered for a while before saying cautiously, “Mr. Gray, I think the Smiths probably won’t make any trouble for the time being, but we have to keep our guards up against the Peerless Martial Association!”
Lucas said with raised brows, “I’d like to hear more.”
Edmund explained in detail, “Here’s how it is. Let’s talk about the Smiths first. Today, you forced Vince to kneel down and apologize in public. Not only has he been humiliated, but the Smiths have also been disgraced. If the Smiths hear about this, Vince will probably lose his position as one of the successors.
“As far as I know, there are five people within the Smiths competing with Vince for the position of the next helmsman. Once they find out about this, they will definitely attack Vince with all their might until he loses his competitiveness!
“That’s why I think Vince will definitely try his best to hide what happened today from the Smiths!”
“At the same time, California is not the only option for the Smiths. Vince can go to another state to carry out his plans. So I think his most important goal at the moment is to find ways to obtain results to stabilize his position among the Smiths. Coming to California to take revenge is not his first choice, so we can ignore the threat posed by the Smiths for now.”
Lucas nodded, thinking that Edmund’s analysis was reasonable.
Given Vince’s character, he would indeed choose the solution that was more beneficial to him. He would likely postpone the matter of taking revenge until he became the helmsman of the Smiths.
Seeing Lucas nodding and agreeing to his point of view, Edmund was overjoyed. His following analysis became even more earnest.
“Next, let’s talk about the Peerless Martial Association. The California branch of the Peerless Martial Association has established itself in California for years, and they have a lot of intelligence in their hands. Although I’m still not sure why the Peerless Martial Association suddenly wants to take charge of California, which has been peaceful for years, our families and the Peerless Martial Associate have always stayed in our own lanes. We don’t want to be controlled by them.
“Today, Axel also suffered losses at the exchange, so he’s definitely upset. But since he could be the head of the California branch for so many years, he’s definitely not a dimwit. He can’t beat you, Mr. Gray, so he’ll definitely get help from external sources.
“Moreover, I reckon that in all likelihood, he’ll find some experts from the Peerless Martial Association Headquarters to deal with you. The Peerless Martial Association is full of powerhouses, and those with the best martial arts skills are almost all at the headquarters. Therefore, the people who come out of the Peerless Martial Association Headquarters will absolutely be extremely difficult to deal with!”
Toward the end, Edmund’s expression became solemn.
He knew better than anyone else how lethal a peerless powerhouse could be.
For example, at the Elite Business Exchange that just ended, the Walkers, the Kingstons, and Axel would have probably long killed Lucas if not for his extraordinary martial arts skills that deterred them from acting rashly.
Lucas nodded. “If the Peerless Martial Association comes after me, I won’t be afraid regardless of what experts they send. But I’m worried about whether they will attack you or not.”
“After all, at the exchange just now, it was because the Coles, the Parkers, the Hales, and the others supported me and took the lead in pledging allegiance to me that the rest of the families followed suit, making matters reach the current situation.
“If the Peerless Martial Association holds a grudge against you because of this and wants to kill you, the matter will become very troublesome.”
With Lucas’s martial arts skills, he wasn’t afraid of any top expert of the Peerless Martial Association, but he was only one person and couldn’t protect all these families.
If these people who followed him wholeheartedly were instead implicated by him, Lucas would feel guilty and upset.
This was the issue he was the most worried about now.
Edmund smiled graciously. “Mr. Gray, don’t worry! Although the Coles don’t have top-level experts like the Peerless Martial Association does, we are no pushovers, and we won’t let them bully us. We have many bodyguards and some firearms. I don’t think everyone can dodge bullets like you, right, Mr. Gray?”
Lucas’s worries eased slightly.
Indeed, how could a top family like the Coles not have some self-protection skills?
For example, the Hales and the Brookes of LA all had their own gunmen squads, and even top experts might not be able to escape a bullet barrage.
After all, there were very few people who could do this.
“Okay, as long as you know. Just be careful!” Lucas said.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Gray. I definitely will!” Edmund agreed smilingly.
The two of them chatted casually for a while before Lucas left the Walton Hotel.
Just as he walked out of the hotel, a crisp and familiar voice came from the side.
“Lucas!” Charlotte was standing playfully at the entrance of the hotel. As soon as she saw Lucas, she immediately walked to him.
“Charlotte, it’s so late. Didn’t you go back to Orange County?” Lucas was a little surprised to see Charlotte here.
Reason being, Charlotte was the Stardust Corporation’s Orange County branch representative, so she should have attended the ordinary business exchange in the gymnasium opposite the hotel.
The ordinary business exchange meeting started at 5:30 p.m., and it should have ended long ago.
Moreover, Lucas had instructed Charlotte not to wait for him and to return to Orange County first.
Charlotte pursed her lips. “The exchange just ended, so I came here to wait for you.”
The bright light at the hotel entrance shone on Charlotte’s face, and Lucas surprisingly discovered that Charlotte’s eyes were red. Her expression was rather unnatural too, as if something had happened.
Lucas’s expression immediately became solemn. “Charlotte, did something happen to you?”
