Manhattan Reborn 1978

a new day.

West of New York City, New Jersey.

The training base of the security company.

The person in charge, Lawrence, faced the cool morning light, wore a neat training uniform, walked to a temporary wooden high platform, looked down at the more than 400 soldiers neatly lined up in front of him, and said loudly.

"The holiday is over!"

"The results of the second interview investigation we conducted on everyone yesterday have come out."

"It's much beyond my expectation!"

"Is there anyone among us who is a professional in forging cold weapons passed down from our ancestors?"

"For those of you who like to play with knives and daggers, you can ask him to customize your favorite toy!"

"Hahaha~" The soldiers standing neatly laughed and looked around them, joking casually.

. . .

"ok~"

Lawrence gave the soldiers half a minute to relax, raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, put away his smile, and raised his voice again.

"On New Year's Eve, do you still remember what Old Cui En taught you?"

"In 41, when the attack on Pearl Harbor broke out, most young people of the same age as Old Cui En had experienced the Great Depression in their childhood~"

"So the young people who went to the battlefield had various reasons for joining the army~"

"Some people are filled with justice and patriotism. It is not a surprise to learn that they committed suicide in shame and anger because they failed the medical examination."

"Some people just want to earn a living or escape from the hometown where they grew up."

"But they all have one thing in common!"

"They have no idea what a real battlefield is!"

Lawrence took a deep breath, put his hands behind his back, tensed his body and raised his voice again, and said.

"What does the real battlefield look like?!"

"Are you in awe or fear of it?"

"When I was on the battlefield in Vietnam, a new recruit once asked me a similar question..."

"He asked me: Sir, were you ever afraid when you first stepped onto the battlefield?"

"I said: Of course!"

"Before we wore this uniform on the ship, we were just ordinary people! We would all be scared!"

"The vast majority of recruits who have never experienced the baptism of war will have more or less fear and fear."

"I also said: When you were hiding in the trench and shaking all over during the battle... Nash, because you still felt that you had hope of living!"

"But~!"

"You are already... on the battlefield where soldiers are losing their lives all the time!"

"So, the only thing you should be thinking about is... treating yourself as a dead person!"

"The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can play the role a soldier should have on the battlefield!"

"Throw away fear and fear, without pity, without sympathy, without regret, without fear of life and death..."

"In all wars in history, the party with this kind of belief and consciousness has won the final victory!"

Lawrence looked serious, scanning the silent soldiers, slowly raised his head, and continued.

"Eliminate all the meaning imposed on war, justice and evil are not important~"

"War itself is a life-and-death struggle between people!"

"Those who want to win, those who want to survive, must first regard themselves as beasts with some sense, so as not to be led into hell by various distracting thoughts."

"Later, the recruit regarded these words as his own way of survival on the battlefield~"

"That recruit's name is Mike Israel."

Lawrence turned to look at Black Mike standing below, with an inexplicable and complicated meaning in his eyes.

Black Mike looked at Lawrence for a while with a calm expression, and the taste in his heart surged up as if a five-flavor bottle had been knocked over.

Lawrence took two deep breaths again, slowly glanced at the silent soldiers, and said loudly.

"Many people know that the reason why I and we are standing here is not because of how good we are~"

"But we all became victims of fighting for our country!"

"Arguing with others about who is right and who is wrong is a nightmare that we repeat over and over again..."

"The continuous sound of gunfire + the thick smell of gunpowder smoke + the dazzling blood + the flying soil + every comrade who fought alongside me..."

"The nightmare composed of all this continues to torture our group of soldiers who have returned home!"

"Abuse, insult, slander, ridicule, indifference, isolation, contempt, fear..."

"This is what I experienced after returning home!"

"It became my nightmare and almost made me give up the courage to live..."

"But I'm lucky!"

"When I was about to be tortured and on the verge of collapse, I received a call from Mike..."

"He said: Come to New York, you won't be disappointed here!"

"So, here I come!"

Lawrence retracted his arms, stood in a very standard military posture, and shouted to all the soldiers.

"what about you?"

"Coming here...does it disappoint you?"

"..no!"

"no!"

"No, sir!" Although the soldiers had different answers, their meanings were surprisingly the same.

Lawrence narrowed his eyes slightly, facing a gust of cold north wind, and shouted again: "Then what the hell are you waiting for?"

"Disband!!"

"Take them back each and start today's morning training!"

"Sir! yessir!"

. . .

ten minutes later.

Edward B. Tryon and Cohen Plock sat in the office and stared at the "calm" Lawrence without speaking.

Lawrence seemed to know what they were thinking, so he took out a book from the drawer, threw it in front of them, and said.

“The last time I went to New York to meet David, he recommended this book to me.”

"He said: If you want the soldiers to get rid of...the nightmare more quickly, the best way is to prevent them from having too much personal time to think wildly!"

"Then, we will classify them according to their different situations and carry out targeted psychological intervention rehabilitation treatment + re-establish their beliefs."

"Stay alive...faith!"

Old Cui En bit the cigarette filter vigorously, picked up the small book on the table, frowned and muttered in a low voice: ""God of War"?!"

"Yeah!" Lawrence smiled inexplicably and nodded.

Cohen stared at the book for a while, sighed and asked, "Did he say anything else?"

Lawrence looked down at the book put down by Old Cui En, put it back into the drawer, and said.

"He said: The feeling of comrades who have experienced war together can be incredibly strong..."

"We don't care what the soldiers say. I just need them to think of this place as their home. That's enough!"

"Home can also give people incredible courage and strength!"

"..." Cohen and Old Cui En looked at each other, feeling a little speechless~

Lawrence turned and walked to the window, listened to the neat footsteps coming from the distance, was silent for a long time, and said.

"I want to go home and have a look!"

"..when?"

"The day after tomorrow~"

"Okay!" Cohen agreed very simply and asked Old Cui En.

"Aren't you... not with him?"

"Hush~huh~"

"Let's get together!" Lawrence turned around and looked at Old Cui En and said.

"I still don't..." Old Cui En shook his legs quickly with some uneasiness, pursed his lips tightly, and just spoke half a sentence through his teeth when he was interrupted by Lawrence.

"Stop talking! Let's go back together!"

"I've booked the air tickets for you."

"...??" Old Cui En's widened eyes were full of question marks.

Cohen raised his eyebrows in surprise and said with a smile, "The day after tomorrow, right?"

"I'm going to buy you some gifts and take them back~"

"Uh... no need..."

"need!"

"I definitely can't let you go home empty-handed!"

"Hahaha~" Cohen laughed and ran away. .

Old Cui En lowered his head and looked at his hands, with a sense of anticipation and timidity in his heart, which made his breathing become much heavier unconsciously. .

----

On the Pacific Ocean, Hawaii.

early morning.

Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Honolulu.

Klein and his family had breakfast in the lawn restaurant, took the keys to all the vacation homes, and knocked on the door of David's room.

David, who had just taken a shower, enthusiastically let him into the room and asked with a smile, "What plans do you have with your family today?"

Klein found a seat with his back to the bedroom and sat down, smiling: "My wife is going to take the children to learn surfing. I don't like this..."

"Hahaha~ That's because you can't keep up with the sports trends of today's young people!"

"Aren't you a young man too? Don't you like surfing?"

"I like it too, but I can't swim..."

"Hahaha~"

Klein was amused by David's "unexpected" reason.

. . .

After a few minutes.

David put on a floral shirt + big shorts + slippers, poured a glass of water for Klein, looked at the pile of keys curiously, and asked.

"What are you...?"

"Hehe~"

Klein put down the water glass, pointed at the key chain and smiled: "I have hired someone to clean these holiday houses today~ You can move in tonight."

"But we haven't completed the deal yet~ My lawyer George won't arrive until this afternoon..."

"It's okay~"

"I see your family and friends..."

"Living in a vacation home, the privacy is definitely much higher than that in a hotel."

"Okay~" David understood what Klein was saying, smiled and turned to the bedroom and shouted.

"Remember to bring the key with you later, we won't stay in the hotel tonight!"

"Ah~ OK." A woman's voice responded in the bedroom.

Klein took a sip from the cup, stood up and said with a smile, "I also arranged a second-hand car and a map of the island in each holiday house."

"You can go anywhere you want at any time~"

"Oh~ that's right."

"The big island east of Honolulu is also a great tourist destination. You should find time to visit the active volcano park on the island."

"OK, thanks!"

"Let's go down together."

"you do not need.."

"It's okay~ I was just going to call that boy Kanes and have breakfast together."

"Hahaha~Okay."

. . .

The hotel's lawn restaurant.

Karnes, who still had tears in his eyes, curled his lips, glanced at David with a "sinful" look, and complained.

"Why did you wake me up so early in the morning?"

"Eat breakfast!"

"are you not hungry?"

"..." Kanes tilted his head as if he was angry and stopped talking.

David smiled and shrugged, took a sip of juice, and asked Klein.

"You told me so many things about the venture capital industry, and you sold the vacation home on the island. Are you planning to continue with your promising investment projects?"

"Yes~"

"Then do you think... these projects that you are optimistic about can survive?"

Klein was speechless for a few seconds, then shook his head with a wry smile: "I don't know~"

"Hehe~"

"If I say something, you may think it's harsh~"

"But it is a truth that many young people are unwilling to say, but they agree with it in their hearts."

"Oh? What is it?" Klein asked with interest, crossing his legs.

David glanced at the "angry" Karnes and said loudly on purpose: "When reality conflicts with dreams, people often make what they think is a very difficult choice~"

"But one thing they all have to admit is... dreams can't fill their stomachs!"

"Reality is a problem faced by short-term survival."

"A dream is a plan to be realized for long-term development~"

"There will be bread, and there will be milk...it's all a dream!"

"Bowing to reality is the fact they have to face after they leave campus."

"Hahaha~" Klein smiled and nodded, making a gesture for David to continue.

David glanced at Carnes, who had tacky ears, and continued with a smile.

"You also once opened a company and did business as a middleman~"

“In your opinion, when running a company, what should be most important is short-term benefits or long-term benefits?”

After hearing this question, Klein felt that he really hadn't thought about it seriously.

He raised his head slightly and thought for a while, then said: "In the past, I thought that long-term development and profit should be the first priority in management."

"But later, after my brother took over the company, I felt that both the long-term and the short-term... were both important!"

"That's right~" David affirmed Klein's "clear" mind.

He then asked: "Then what do you think is the biggest competitiveness in the venture capital industry from your personal perspective?"

"In other words, why can you attract entrepreneurs to come to you for investment?"

"Forehead..??"

Klein raised his eyebrows in confusion: "Because... I have the entrepreneurial funds and resources they desperately need!"

"No!"

David directly rejected Klein's answer and explained: "Since Intel, Atari, Tenten, Genentech and other companies have achieved success, the venture capital companies on Sand Mountain Road in Silicon Valley will definitely attract more funds + Wider resources!”

"At that time, will the funds and resources in your hands still be attractive to them?"

"...No!" Klein quickly thought of the point of the question and replied.

"Yes!"

David turned the juice cup and inadvertently saw Michelle Pfeiffer and her agent having breakfast on the table not far away, and said.

"The reason why venture capital is sought after by people is because of its inherent high risk and high return!"

"For example...for decades, Hollywood film companies have selected many actresses such as Marilyn Monroe as stars to focus on."

"Aside from Marilyn Monroe becoming a national icon, does anyone remember her sisters?"

"For another example... the three giants in the domestic automobile industry: General Motors, Chrysler and Ford, have become synonymous with American brand cars internationally~"

"But behind the success of these three super large companies, how many small and medium-sized car companies have been forgotten by people and are submerged in history?"

"Hehe~"

David looked at Michelle and their eyes were keenly sensed by her agent, who smiled and waved to David.

David also smiled politely at him and continued to ask Craven: "If our positions were reversed now, I would calm down first and do three things!"

"Would you like to hear it?"

Klein put down his legs, leaned forward, rested his elbows on the dining table, and said with a smile, "Of course I am willing!"

"ok~"

David wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, raised a finger to Klein, and whispered.

"First, I will conduct a relatively comprehensive and thorough industry survey on all companies in Silicon Valley, as well as those companies that want to start a business in Silicon Valley."

“Because every new thing that emerges will make many venture capital companies unable to understand it.”

"For example, before the emergence of Genentech, almost no one knew what the concept of a bioengineering company was, what products it could produce, what it relied on to make profits, etc."

“Only by seeing more, talking more, and understanding more can you avoid missing out on super potential stocks like Genentech!”

"Hmm~"

Klein's eyes showed a look of great approval and he nodded slowly.

David smiled and raised a second finger to him: "Second!"

“Never think that you can understand the future of a start-up company, so you rashly put all your chips on it!”

“Silicon Valley, where innovative technology start-ups are constantly emerging, has now become the mecca of venture capital that many people on Wall Street in New York are paying attention to!”

"However, the first Silicon Valley miracles like Intel, Atari, Tenten, Genentech, and Apple are just examples!"

"When countless funds and resources pour into Silicon Valley, it will also be the most tragic period of elimination for startups!"

“Only when enough technological innovation companies in Silicon Valley die can those companies that survive the competition receive sufficient nutrients and become stronger and stronger~”

"Under their dazzling light, no one will care about those who once shined but died in the shadows... nutrients~"

“In the future, the Silicon Valley venture capital industry will only become more competitive, more professional, and less lucky!”

"So, if you want to reduce your investment risk and increase your probability of profit, you only need to find more partners and make additional investments in startups that have passed the initial and most difficult period!"

"In this regard, we can also communicate frequently and share each other's recent gains and opinions~"

"Okay!" Klein replied cheerfully, his eyes getting brighter and brighter.

David smiled and put down two of his fingers, clenched them into fists and said.

"The most important thing is...if you can do the above two points perfectly, wait until 20 years later, we will look back~"

"Half of the well-known large companies in Silicon Valley have received your investment and help~"

"The well-known large companies in Silicon Valley on the other side have also received very valuable experience and guidance from you~"

"You are qualified to be called the father of Silicon Valley venture capital!"

"Because you are the most respected investor in the Silicon Valley venture capital community!"

"You are Professor Georges Doriot of Harvard University, the best practitioner of venture capital theory in Silicon Valley!"

"You are an investment guru that countless investors want to make friends with!"

"You are an entrepreneurial mentor who answers questions and provides assistance to entrepreneurs in start-up companies!"

"You are the life mentor that countless young people who have entered Silicon Valley with dreams are most eager to meet!"

"..." Klein was a little speechless after being hit by the big pie that David drew~

David asked with a hint of "temptation" in his voice: "Klein, this is the short-term and long-term profit plan I made for you."

"Are you satisfied?"

"...Satisfied!" Klein showed a not-so-"satisfied" smile and nodded.

"but I.."

"You can do it!"

"You can definitely do it!"

"I'm very optimistic about you!"

"..." Klein was completely speechless.

"...Haha~" Kanes, who was sitting aside and listening to everything, turned to look at the clear sky and gritted his teeth hard to prevent himself from laughing. .

But in his heart, he was shouting this sentence: David, this kid, "successfully" deceived another "victim"!

----

afternoon.

Honolulu International Airport.

A private plane flying from Boston landed slowly on the runway.

ten minutes later.

Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, who had been waiting for a long time, was wearing a very ordinary dress and waved to her old friend Neria with a smile.

"Hi~ We're here!"

Nariya, who was only carrying a small bag in her hand and was very well-dressed, hugged her old friend Deborah with a smile and said with a smile.

"How are you enjoying your time here?"

"Oh~ this place is so great!"

"I don't even want to see London anymore..."

"Hahaha~" Neria laughed out loud at Deborah's slightly exaggerated exclamation.

. . .

outside the airport.

Cai Bola pulled Neryiya into the car and whispered mysteriously: "By the way, we have also prepared a welcome party for you!"

"You can't... wear these very formal clothes to participate again!"

"Clothes? Party?"

Neriya looked down at the skirt she was wearing and asked with a smile.

"Whose idea was this?"

"David?"

"What do you say?"

"...Okay~"

"The party must be at night, right?"

"Then we can have a nice chat this afternoon?"

"Yeah~" Deborah nodded slowly as if she had some understanding, and said with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

"Because of what happened in your family, I became...a victim..."

"How are you going to compensate me?"

"Victim?" Neriya shrugged somewhat dumbfounded.

"Tell me! How do you want to compensate?"

"Hehe~"

"You'll find out tonight!"

"Um...will it be a surprise? Or a shock?"

"Hahaha~" Deborah shook her head simply, without revealing anything to Neriya~

Neriya looked at her old friend's "childish" appearance and could only smile helplessly in response to her "abnormal" change~

Deborah, have you changed?

Yes!