Martin certainly wanted to say he was Mr. Negative.
But he hadn’t acted under that identity in the New York underground for at least two years, and he had scarcely appeared in public.
Even back then, Kingpin only knew of a gang of masked n called the Heart Demon Gang. They had few numbers but exaggerated combat capability. In a firefight, no one was afraid; they’d either fight to the death or cover each other and retreat completely.
Head-to-head, they were like hard rocks. Corruption didn’t work on them either: money and drugs couldn’t tempt them, and without information, there was no way to threaten their families.
In summary, they fought like a group of professional militias—if they had enough firepower and tactical training, they might have been considered a regular army.
The Heart Demon Gang had disappeared two years ago after Lille took down Osborne, replaced by the well-trained Xin’an Security Company, which later rged into Atlas Group’s urban defense departnt.
Lille knew Martin controlled the Heart Demon Gang, but Mr. Negative?
Hmm... It was like the na Kingpin; just when it was about to gain so recognition, it disappeared into the underground world—
mainly because the entire New York underground world had vanished.
So this self-introduction was stuck: Did Lille know about Mr. Negative?
Lille calmly set the tea on the table and pretended to ask, "What kind of magic power is this?"
"I..."
Martin paused.
Honestly, Lille felt that Martin’s change was more in appearance; internally...
it couldn’t be said there was no change, just not as much as he imagined.
According to the original setting, the Negative energy had essentially split Martin into two personas, with a significant schism between their moral views.
In his normal state, he genuinely tried to do good things—helping the holess, organizing companies for his Chinatown compatriots, providing them jobs.
But under the Negative mode, he genuinely believed using violence and cri to extract resources from people to maintain his company and order was necessary. Sacrificing people for his goals mattered not at all.
However, his mory wouldn’t break, and the split in personalities only showed in moral views. When he returned to normal, he would rember what he did in the other mode, grudgingly accepting it as necessary while disdaining the other moral view.
In summary, he was tornted by his contradictions.
The more tornted, the stronger and more extre he beca, but now...
he wasn’t as tornted or extre.
Martin wanted to make a statent, directly gripping the couch armrest and squeezing—
magical black, gray, and white flas began to erge from his arm, the colors flickering and changing as his strength increased.
Crack—
The purple sandalwood armrest, as thick as his arm, shattered on the spot, a grip impossible for any human.
Even for prosthetics, it would take special hydraulic prosthetics to provide such trendous power.
Martin frowned slightly: after this demonstration, all the flas on his body disappeared. He had used all his strength, showing his power was waning.
"I’ve gotten weaker," Martin said. "This is my power. Osborne’s experint killed my parents but left this power in my body.
I used this power to intimidate the underworld, establishing the Heart Demon Gang and Lee’s Financial Group."
Lille was a bit surprised and continued, "Why only say this now?"
"..." Martin stared at Lille for a mont. "You’re not surprised. Stop pretending."
Lille sipped his tea, unfazed by being called out.
Seeing this, Martin continued, "My mind is more chaotic than it appears. What you saw earlier was a man wanting to do good but forced to accept the evils he had done.
Now I am a thug who despises that man’s so-called ’beautiful vision,’ but I know it’s part of Martin Lee, and I need a legitimate facade to disguise myself.
Two different moral views, two different personalities, but with continuous mory and actions. The more extre the split, the stronger my power.
And... I can turn black to white, and white to black. I can make good people bad and bad people good.
I can see the good and evil in people’s hearts, so I can ’control’ my subordinates psychologically..."
At this point, he suddenly realized why Lille had let him fully legitimize the Heart Demon Gang and made them responsible for company security without any doubt.
The good part of him saw it as Lille’s willing trust and kindness, being good to allies.
But today, today was when his Mr. Negative side fully acknowledged Lille. Why?
Because Lille didn’t just follow the law like a conflicted man but would also exceed the law’s bounds to attack—no gang would think to go to poor Africa and support a group of black people to sink an aircraft carrier.
This alone made his Mr. Negative personality acknowledge Lille: he was ruthless and lawless, yet they were still pressed under seemingly law-abiding people.
Moreover, Lille ensured secrecy where it was necessary, not purely trusting his people.
So why trust Xin’an Security? Just because he had no other choice? Even if he had no choice, why take no precautionary asures?
Mr. Negative’s suspicious nature imdiately realized: "...You knew all along, but..."
"But that’s impossible; it’s pointless to dwell on. We’ve co this far."
Lille put down his teacup, skillfully changing the subject and doing it well.
Mr. Negative Martin wasn’t one for dithering, so he got to the point: "Fine, let’s continue—why now? Because I must admit, you’re too crucial.
If you die, get crippled, or beco a vegetable due to brain cancer, we’re all dood.
I’ve seen your treatnt plan. Conners said full-body prosthetics might extend life and reduce cancer types.
But one thing is unavoidable: brain cancer.
But I can. This energy can flip the physiological state of degenerating cells...turn cancer cells into normal cells, fully restore mutated genes."
"How do you know that?"
"Osborne’s experint." Martin’s face was calm; he had little emotion left for Osborne now. "Osborne experinted on to cure his son, but early in the experint, when this energy was still limited, we discovered it could reverse cancer progression.
So I can cure cancer—that’s a certainty."
Lille sat up a bit straighter. His earlier nonchalance was a facade to distract Martin from questioning how he might know that Negative energy could cure cancer.
He wasn’t uninterested; in fact, he had been waiting for this mont for a long ti.
"But..." Martin’s expression also grew serious, "But there’s a cost. My energy cos from the conflict between the two personas, from the extre emotions of mutual acknowledgnt and denial. The more I split and beco extre, the stronger this energy.
You might not feel it, but I’m actually weaker now.
The good part of understands the necessity of violence and conspiracy. The bad part sees the power of order and kindness.
If I treat you, I may exhaust all my energy, leaving with nothing."
Lille was about to say it wasn’t necessary to force himself.
But Martin looked at him intently and continued, "By explaining everything today, I’m showing I’ve made this decision.
You, Lille Lee, chairman and CEO of Atlas Group, creator of Zhu Ya City, spiritual leader of the New Future District, half the world hopes you live to fulfill your promises to them.
So do I. You’re worth it. Now the crucial question is, can you handle it?"
"Handle what?"
"The reversal." Martin pointed to the Atlas Group logo on the table, a white A with a red arrow beneath it, filling it like red supporting white up to the sky.
"It’s hard to define good and evil specifically, but undoubtedly, you’re restrained.
The opposite of restraint is release—releasing your killer instinct, your core nature of not seeing people as people,
releasing the demon in you who could erase billions of nas without a second thought, the tyrant who would set the world ablaze...
I trust you now, but I fear this future, so Lille—
let’s be honest, who are you? What have you done?
When I give you all my energy to extend your life, will you keep things like now, improving them,
or will you disregard people’s wishes and purely want the world to yield to your will?
I’ve seen your savagery; it couldn’t be just a fantasy."
The logo Martin indicated turned purely black and white. Under his control, Negative energy spread from the logo, dyeing everything around in its colors.
The purple sandalwood no longer looked like purple sandalwood, showcased in unnatural colors under the Negative energy, and soon would burn away.
Was Martin referring to the people Lille killed in the Cyberpunk World?
Lille didn’t think so; eliminating a few in street skirmishes...even killing a few hundred thugs wouldn’t surpass the ultimate killer title.
A missile striking a residential area could easily cause several tis the casualties of the ultimate killer.
And battling a few companies in a life-or-death fight wasn’t much either. A cornered rabbit still bites, and capable people on the brink do unimaginable things, but it’s understandable in survival mode.
Compared to soone driving into a traffic light in desperation, people fear a drugged-up maniac more, one who’d rampage for hallucinations.
This maniac could kill them anyti, leaving their corpses for reasons beyond comprehension.
In a sense, Martin’s fears matched Lille’s own. So...
It was ti to face the past.
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