Even though Jiang Hai firmly stood on this side, he still needed to understand what was really going on.
"The story began a week ago." After hearing Jiang Hai's words, Mayor Wallis took a sip of his beer, then looked up at the stars and spoke quietly.
The whole matter involved three people: Faraday Kirk, Hutley Kirk, and Augustine Wilson.
Jiang Hai knew these names. Faraday Kirk was Mayor Wallis's brother and a high-ranking official in the Boston Tourism Bureau. When Winthrop applied to become a tourist attraction, Faraday hadn't made things difficult for Wallis.
Hutley Kirk was Faraday's son. Jiang Hai had only met him once—when Hutley tried to pursue Cindy Clive in town and ended up being taught a lesson by Jiang Hai. So Hutley hadn't left much of an impression.
The last person, Augustine Wilson, Jiang Hai remembered well—he had met him a year ago.
Augustine had a younger brother named Faraday Wilson. Apparently, there were quite a few troublemakers named Faraday.
Faraday Wilson had once come at Jiang Hai with Bunian Valen—the younger brother of Billy Valen, whom Jiang Hai had killed. This was Jiang Hai's first major crisis since arriving here. But in the end, Jiang Hai had sent them to prison.
Back then, Jiang Hai wasn't strong enough to eliminate them outright; otherwise, they wouldn't be behind bars but would have disappeared from this world entirely. He had no intention of letting anyone who threatened him off easily.
There's always a day someone gets out of prison, so Jiang Hai preferred to strangle danger in the cradle. Don't talk to him about law or justice—he only knew that if someone wanted to harm him, he would kill them.
Even so, those people wouldn't be free for at least ten years.
Augustine Wilson was Faraday Wilson's older brother. After Faraday's accident, Augustine couldn't stay in this small town and moved to Boston. But after the Boston folks caused trouble for Jiang Hai, Augustine fled.
Perhaps fearing Jiang Hai's pursuit, he ran far—ending up in central Texas.
His original plan was simple: find a job using his cowboy skills.
But once he arrived, he realized what Texas lacked most—real cowboys. Compared to Winthrop, where he ranked among the top 100, Augustine was near the bottom in any small Texan town.
Unable to find cowboy work, he was eventually hired by Celanese, a company headquartered in Texas.
Later, the company wanted to expand eastward and sought a port city. Though their annual turnover was about $5.9 billion—a decent sum—it wasn't enough to easily buy land along the valuable eastern coast. Their initial targets were New Jersey and Massachusetts.
New Jersey rejected the proposal outright; they wouldn't allow a chemical plant from outside their state. Massachusetts also refused because it was a chemical plant, but the refusal wasn't as strict.
Celanese turned to lobbying, with Hutley Kirk receiving money to influence the process. Hutley told his father, who wanted to retaliate against Winthrop, so he persuaded local authorities that Winthrop might accept the plant.
When Celanese's representatives arrived in Winthrop, they found it suitable and approached Mayor Wallis. Wallis naturally rejected them outright, but they persisted. They recruited Augustine Wilson—also from Winthrop—to lobby villagers, claiming the chemical plant was non-toxic and would benefit the local economy without any harmful effects.
Though many residents were skeptical, they saw potential profits. As Huang Yunfei thought, they preferred to let the factory be built first and deal with problems later—closing and re-managing it if necessary.
Because of this mindset, Mayor Wallis, who had initially rejected the idea firmly, found himself in a difficult position.
Some townspeople petitioned the government for the plant, hoping to increase income. Though Wallis was the local "emperor," his power came from elections, not federal authority. The people could elect or remove him.
That meant even if he opposed the plant, he had to meet with Celanese's delegation and negotiate. This was the scene Jiang Hai had witnessed today.
After listening, Jiang Hai drummed his fingers lightly on the chair.
"So... there's a traitor among us?" Jiang Hai looked up at the stars, unwilling to imagine this. Once the chemical plant opened, who knew what it would bring? One thing was certain—he would never agree to it.
"'Traitor' might be too harsh, but those people are certainly hateful." Mayor Wallis felt conflicted. The cultural gap between China and the U.S. was huge.
In China, being captured during war was an irreversible stain on one's life. But in the U.S., prisoners of war were accepted; for example, Andrew Jackson was captured once and later became the seventh president.
In China, people like this would be called traitors. In the U.S., they were just people with different ideas, and no one blamed them. That was reality.
"But when faced with absolute strength, words mean nothing. Tomorrow, you can spread the word that you absolutely oppose any chemical plant entering Winthrop. If it happens, you'll withdraw all funding for the town's construction, close the shooting range, block the passage for Chinese tourists, shut down the commercial street and beach villas—whatever the town supports will be up to them."
Jiang Hai wasn't a man to compromise. These things might be common in the U.S., where people are outwardly tough but gentle inside.
But Jiang Hai was different. He planned to be tough to the end. He just wouldn't agree.
Let the townspeople choose whom to support.
If things got bad, he could just move away. Even though he'd built Winthrop for a year and grown attached, his ability to make money came from the true dragon spirit within, not external factors. If he left, he could create a second or third Winthrop elsewhere. But if he left, Winthrop would decay—even with a chemical plant.
"It doesn't have to be this way. I admit some pollution is inevitable with a chemical plant, but it won't be that bad. Young people are sometimes too impulsive." Mayor Wallis was shocked by Jiang Hai's words. He truly didn't want the plant, but if he couldn't stop it, he would try to push the site further away.
He never expected Jiang Hai to say something so direct. The townspeople would now face a choice: support Jiang Hai and live comfortably, or accept the chemical plant.
"No. There are things I can't explain, but I can only say this—I want to live in a world with almost no pollution. If Winthrop no longer offers that, I'll sell everything and find another place." Jiang Hai couldn't say more. Pollution would slow the growth of his scales, which was unacceptable—especially now, after benefiting from scales and spiritual energy.
If this place didn't work out, he would move on. That was his bottom line.
"Well, I'll spread the word tomorrow." Mayor Wallis was speechless. He had only come to discuss things with Jiang Hai but had learned so much instead.
If the town insisted on building the chemical plant, Jiang Hai would leave. Looking at Jiang Hai's serious expression, Wallis believed him.
If he had to choose between the plant and Jiang Hai, Wallis would pick Jiang Hai every time.
And he trusted that the townspeople would choose Jiang Hai too. After all, everyone knew who was responsible for Winthrop's current success. If Jiang Hai left, what use was a chemical plant?
Working there might increase family income, but tourism was the true money-maker. No one was foolish enough to believe factory wages could surpass what they earned now.
After a few more words, Mayor Wallis drove away from Jiang Hai's manor and returned home. Jiang Hai kept staring at the stars, hoping things wouldn't get worse.
Meanwhile, in the last villa among the seaside homes Jiang Hai had built, Peter—whom Jiang Hai had met earlier—was discussing the situation with his team. Among the suited men, one was dressed more casually: Augustine Wilson, looking far more worn down than a year ago.
(To be continued.)