58 Even Absurd Conditions
The atmosphere in the cabin house changed as a light tension hung in the air.
Mr Andrés closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh when he heard Silas' question. He felt like his worst fear finally came true.
During his first meeting with Silas, he tried his best to gain an advantage -no matter how small- in the conversation, but it seems like he failed.
Mr Andrés' fear is that he is in one of those situations where he would be asked to give the impossible as compensation.
Quickly, he thought of ways he could use to regain the advantage but unfortunately for him, there was none, and to add to his troubles, he also doesn't want to lose the chance of securing Silas' help.
Some seconds have passed since Silas asked Mr Andrés the question. Mr Andrés opened his eyes and looked at Silas intently, with a determined expression on his face.
Even though he has lost the advantage, he will make sure to secure Silas' help without selling out his country.
"Mr Silas. My group and I can offer you anything you want as long as it's not excessive and won't cause harm to the country in any way," Mr Andrés said after a few moments of deep contemplation.
He felt that with what he said, Silas would be able to get the idea of what he meant, and won't ask for too much.
Silas saw Mr Andrés action and smiled. Of course he understands what's going on but unfortunately for Mr Andrés, he has an entirely different plan.
"Mr Andrés, my request might be a little bit absurd but your response will determine whether I will be assisting you in your grand plan or not," Silas replied with a smile.
"Mr Silas, please, do let me hear your request."
"I want full control of the country's economy and military," Silas said, and a stifling silence descended in the cabin house, worsening the already tense atmosphere.
Mr Andrés' eyes widened in shock when he heard this, as different complicated emotions flashed in his eyes.
'Full control over the country's economy and military?! Is he asking to enslave us or what?'
"M-Mr Silas–" Mr Andrés was about to talk but was interrupted.
"Mr Andrés, I can already guess what you're thinking but I assure you that what I actually have in mind is actually far from it. I have my reasons for making such absurd requests.
The current economic situation of your country is far from favorable and it's getting worse by the day. It's estimated that the country's debt profile is more than $1 trillion, nearing $2 trillion. Correct me if I'm wrong," Silas said and looked at Mr Andrés to give him a response, but he saw a quiet Mr Andrés who now had a defeated expression on his face.
"And with the country's current economic situation, what can you and your group possibly offer as compensation for the assistance that I will render?," Silas asked with a knowing smile on his face.
Mr Andrés heard this and sighed in disappointment. It was just as Silas said, what could they possibly give him in return for his help?
The country has nothing. It's riddled in debt of more than $2 trillion and its current situation is so bad that it's being declared as a national emergency by the UN.
After hearing what Silas said, Mr Andrés knew that there was no way for him to regain the advantage. He knew that the only thing he can do now, if he still needs Silas' assistance is to try to secure a favorable future for his country.
He doesn't want to lose the chance to strike a deal with Silas, because he and his group have already delayed their plans for so long. If things continue as they are, they will definitely be caught by the President and if that happens, their future won't be pleasant.
Silas saw Mr Andrés' silence and he knew that he had already gotten the effect he wanted. Although Silas wants to help the country and change its current situation, he still has to consider himself and his own situation which won't be so favorable in the near future.
"Mr Andrés, let me explain more on what I intend to do."
…..
….
Few hours later, Mr Andrés stood up from his seat with a forced smile on his face.
"Mr Silas, I still have to talk to others before getting back to you," He said, as he made his way out of the cabin house.
He initially brought the laptop so that they could have a conference call with Silas but they were unable to, after Silas took the wind out of their sale.
"Sure, I will be waiting for your response, then," Silas said, as he stood up to see Mr Andrés out.
"That was intense," Silas said with a sigh, after Mr Andrés left.
{If you don't mind me asking, why did you ask for such conditions? Full control over the country's economy and military?,} LUNAR asked, after being unable to keep her curiosity in check.
The conversation between Silas and Mr Andrés left her surprised. Especially the conditions Silas asked for and even more surprising is the fact that Mr Andrés is actually considering them.
No, it's not actually surprising. She knew that Mr Andrés and his group has no choice but to do so.
Silas smiled when he heard LUNAR's question.
"Why did I ask for such conditions? Many reasons actually. First being that the country's economy is already in shambles and I want to fix it."
{And how do you intend to do that? Do you have a plan that will help revive the country's economy?}
"A plan? No, I don't, but I have you, right?," Silas replied as he scratched his head lightly.
{You don't have a plan and you ask for such a condition? Do you understand the gravity of what you're asking for? You're asking for full control over the economic lives of millions of people and you don't even have a plan on how to go about it!}
Silas closed his eyes briefly and let out a deep sigh when he heard what LUNAR said.
Yes, he never really had a plan to begin with. Everything he has done since getting the system till today has been based on instinct without planning. It can be said that he has been somewhat passive and stupid,if not very passive and stupid.
Worse is that everything has been working out perfectly for him, from easily getting into university through the backdoor to easily getting the island he wanted without even paying for it.
Yes, he finally got the island from Mr Andrés, and for free.
Thinking of this, Silas understood that he has changed, he has gotten more confident even to the point of arrogance.
'Money really does change people and no one can be trusted, not even oneself.'
"Just like I said, it was an absurd condition but what else can I do about it? Besides, how hard will it be to change the country's economy?"
{It's extremely hard! It's not something that can be made possible by just clearing the country's debt profile, nor can it be done by hacking into the system of some financial organizations.}
"But you can come with a plan, right?"
{Yes, but please don't make a decision again without thinking it through properly. At least, keep me informed.}
Silas only smiled in response.
{What about the military? What do you plan to do with it?}
"Phenomenals and enhanced soldiers to be used as my private military. You know that money isn't actually everything. Sometimes, you need actual power to do things."
{How do you intend to achieve this?}
"I have my ways," Silas said with a smile.
LUNAR could only keep quiet when she heard Silas' response as she decided to focus on the task that Silas assigned to her.
'Now that I'm alone on the island, I can do what I want to without fear of anyone seeing me. Now, let's do some superpower testing.'
With that thought in mind, Silas left the cabin house and walked deeper into the island's greenery
"This place should be good enough," Silas said, after he finally found a good spot.
He closed his eyes and did a short breathing exercise to calm himself.
Few seconds later, Silas opened his eyes and stretched out his hand as he tried to control the air current around him.
At first, he felt nothing but as time passed slowly, he felt the air current respond and started rushing towards him, in response to his action.
Slowly, the air current gathered around him and Silas felt it starting to encircle him, reacting to his thoughts and the stimulus he provided.
As time passed, the air current slowly turned into a small whirlwind around him, with its strength rising continuously.
As the strength of the whirlwind continued to build up, Silas felt himself slowly losing control of it and he was forced to disperse it, so as not to create an artificial natural disaster and destroy the island.
"Wow!"
"That was intense! Hahahaha." Silas laughed loudly in happiness and excitement.