Yuzuki Hanmaru's crew had been trying to hustle us out of the crowd, but the workers weren't having it. They circled back, their frustration spiking by the second.
"Stay calm, everyone! Getting physical won't pay the bills," a balding middle-aged guy standing next to Yuzuki yelled into a megaphone. "Just clear a path and let our guests through. We'll hash this out in a minute."
"No way! We aren't moving until we get paid!"
"Exactly! You've been dodging us for months. Give us an answer!"
Yuzuki looked mortified, but he grabbed the megaphone. "I know the arrears are wrong, but you've seen the state of the factory. We're in a tight spot, but we're fighting to fix it. This is Nick, the head of Militech Technology. I invited him here to negotiate a deal. If we lock this in, your checks clear. Simple as that."
"Him?"
The crowd turned to stare at me, their faces twisted with skepticism.
"This kid? He's here to buy the plant? Is this some kind of sick joke?"
"Look at him—he's barely out of diapers. Calling him a CEO? Give me a fucking break."
"I don't care who he is. We want our money, and nobody's leaving this lot until we get it!"
I waved Yuzuki off, took the megaphone, and stepped up. "Listen up! Everyone, quiet down for a second!"
The shouting died down, replaced by a wall of intense, cynical stares. They wanted to see if the "kid" had anything to say.
"I'm Nick, the founder of Militech Technology. If you don't believe me, pull out your phones and search the name. It'll take five seconds."
A ripple of movement went through the crowd. Phones were whipped out, thumbs swiped across screens, and suddenly, the expressions changed from pure hostility to genuine shock.
I smiled. "Good. Now that you've done your research, you know I'm not some actor Yuzuki hired to string you along. I'm here because I want to buy this factory. If the deal goes through, Yuzuki has the cash to pay every single one of you."
I let that sink in. The murmurs turned into actual conversation. I caught Yuzuki's eye, then turned back to the crowd. "Now, please, make some space. Let us inside so we can finish this deal and get you your money."
The wall of people parted. Yuzuki quickly ushered us toward the office building.
"I can't thank you enough, Nick," Yuzuki said, walking fast. "You saved me from a real nightmare."
"Don't worry about it," I said. "I just wanted to get to the table. What's the real story with the funds? How did it get this bad?"
Yuzuki winced. "When the split with Weili Technology happened, they pulled every cent out of the accounts. The capital chain snapped overnight. That's why we're in this hole."
"I heard the gist from Tyler, but I need to know—are you fully authorized to settle this? I don't want to sign a deal and then find out I'm dealing with a lawsuit from Weili."
"You have my word," Yuzuki said firmly. "We have a settlement agreement. Once we sign with you, we own the full rights to the assets. Weili is gone, and they don't have a claim to anything here."
"Good." If they'd already cut the cord, it meant Weili was desperate to dump the asset and run, which gave me the leverage I needed.
We reached the office building. Usually, Yuzuki being a generation older, the protocol would be for me to come to him, but the chaos had forced his hand. He'd had to beg for the meeting, and now he was doing damage control.
He led us into a lounge, ordered coffee, and then looked at his sweat-soaked shirt. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I need a minute to clean up. I'll be right back."
"Take your time," I said.
He slipped out, leaving a few department heads to play host. I knew exactly what he was doing—buying time to huddle with his team and reset their strategy. They wanted to kill our momentum and get their heads straight before the real haggling started.
I just smiled and took a sip of the coffee. Let them regroup. It wouldn't change the outcome.