Upon hearing that Min Ziqiong's father was so confident, and given that the two Baojie representatives had indeed checked the relevant news, it was confirmed that such a reversal had occurred in the Mirage Realm.
Thus, they chose to believe Min Ziqiong's father.
"Brother Min, what are you saying! Since we've chosen to cooperate with you, we naturally trust you. How could we possibly need you to compensate us eighty billion?"
"That's enough, let's not mention this again. We will proceed with the cell culture experiment immediately. Once the experiment is complete, we will head to your home to sign the formal contract!"
"Great. Then I will prepare a lavish meal and await your esteemed arrival!"
Min Ziqiong's father happily hung up the phone.
Meanwhile, the Baojie representatives quickly relayed the relevant news and the inspection captain's previous explanation to the inspection expert invited by headquarters.
After carefully reading the news, the inspection expert's eyes showed deep confusion.
"Bathwater is bathwater! How could it suddenly transform into life essence like magic?"
"While I firmly believe my inspection was not mistaken, since you insist, let's conduct the cell culture experiment!"
With that, the expert began the cell culture experiment.
When the Mirage Realm essence was poured into the cell culture dish, both the Baojie representatives and the inspection expert held their breath.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes passed.
Twelve minutes passed…
The cells, which originally had a lifespan of only ten minutes, were still alive!
"Yes!"
Seeing this, the two Baojie representatives couldn't help but jump up in excitement.
They high-fived each other.
"We've really accomplished something significant this time! Upon returning to headquarters, not only will we get a promotion, but we'll at least receive a substantial bonus!"
"Hahaha, naturally. A project that even the Sun Moon Company couldn't secure, and we've successfully obtained it! Such merit is beyond ordinary. I estimate we will definitely secure a position in the newly established life company!"
The two of them laughed heartily.
Their faces were filled with anticipation and longing for the future.
However, in the next moment, they heard the inspection expert beside them suddenly say, "No! The cells are starting to show signs of death!"
The two representatives instantly felt a jolt and hurried to look at the monitoring instrument.
Indeed, some cells in the culture dish had already died!
The faces of the two representatives turned pale, and cold sweat trickled down their brows!
"What's going on?"
"How could this happen? Could it be that some cells were already on the verge of death, and the Mirage Realm essence merely extended their lives, causing them to die now?"
Faced with the amateur speculation of the representatives, the inspection expert sneered, "Rather than saying the Mirage Realm essence extended the cells' lives, it's more accurate to say these cells performed exceptionally well, surviving for an extra two minutes in the bathwater!"
After speaking, the inspection expert pointed to the instrument.
"Look! More than half of the cells have died now, and they will all die within another minute or so."
"Even if some cells were already close to death, it's impossible for all of them to be like that."
"And there is only one reason for this phenomenon, and that is—what you brought back is not life essence at all, but just bathwater!"
Thump!
The two representatives collapsed onto the ground, as if their parents had died.
It took them a good half of the day to recover from their despair.
They exchanged a glance, then without a word, directly called Min Ziqiong's father and launched into a rap performance of Chinese culture!
The two foreigners, having mastered the essence of Chinese culture, surprisingly sang with rhythm!
Min Ziqiong's father, on the other end of the line, was dumbfounded.
When the two representatives finally finished their tirade and took a breather, Min Ziqiong's father quickly asked, "What happened? Didn't the cell culture experiment pass?"
"Heh, you still have the audacity to ask! If it had passed, do you think we would be greeting your entire family like this?"
"Impossible!" Min Ziqiong's father immediately jumped up.
"I understand! You are deliberately playing tricks! You clearly detected the essence as genuine, yet you insist it's fake. This way, you can take my essence without spending a single cent!"
"Heh, you foreigners are indeed all demons who devour people without spitting out bones! But if you think you've succeeded this way, you're gravely mistaken!"
"Knowing your wicked ways, I've long since made preparations! You think I gave you all the essence? My apologies, I've kept a small half-bottle!"
"All I need to do is test the remaining essence, expose your scam, and make you pay double the liquidated damages!"
"So, prepare 16 billion and await my triumphant return!"
With that, Min Ziqiong's father hung up the phone.
On the other end, the Baojie representatives were dumbfounded.
Holy crap, it can be played like this?
They had always heard that Chinese merchants were full of tricks, but this time they truly witnessed it!
The two looked at each other without speaking.
Claiming 16 billion was clearly impossible, but if the small half-bottle of essence in Min Ziqiong's father's hand was confirmed to be genuine, they wouldn't mind returning with a smile to negotiate cooperation.
The two waited quietly for Min Ziqiong's father to arrive.
Half an hour later, the door to their corporate office was slammed open.
Then, Min Ziqiong's father, accompanied by a lawyer, strode into the office with an imposing air.
"Hmph, from this moment on, you have the right to remain silent! If you choose not to remain silent, then everything you say will be used as evidence in court!"
As soon as he entered, Min Ziqiong's father arrogantly addressed the two Baojie representatives.
The two Baojie representatives looked bewildered.
The lawyer following Min Ziqiong's father whispered awkwardly to him, "Mr. Min, our country's legal system is different from foreign countries. This Miranda warning does not apply in our country…"
"Ah? Is that so? Alright!" Min Ziqiong's father's imposing demeanor instantly vanished.
"Well, let's cut to the chase. I have already handed over the relevant evidence to my lawyer, and my lawyer can prove that this bottle of essence in my hand and the one I gave you are from the same source."
"Therefore, I will now proceed with the cell culture experiment. If the essence in my hand successfully passes the experiment, then please prepare 16 billion in liquidated damages!"
"Otherwise, we'll see you in court!"
With that, Min Ziqiong's father produced a bottle of essence and handed it to the inspection expert.
The inspection expert first examined the essence, then shrugged, "On the surface, at least, there's no difference between this bottle and the other one."
"However, since you request it, I will do another test."
The inspection expert skillfully poured the essence into a brand-new culture dish.
Then, everyone once again fell into a state of bated breath.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
The time for the cells' lifespan to end arrived, and everyone instantly became tense.
The entire room was filled only with the sound of heartbeats; no other sound could be heard.
"Once we get past this period, you can expect my claim!" Min Ziqiong's father said, either to hide his nervousness or to encourage himself.
However, before the two Baojie representatives could respond, the cells in the culture dish underwent a drastic change!