Hank and the cabal were completely deflated at that point.With Charlie having controlled their wealth, reputation, and their goddamn phallus, they would lose all three if they so much as slipped up.At this point, what good was stubborn resistance?Since their hedonistic pursuits were now denied, they could redirect their enthusiasm to more mundane pursuits. If they had excess energy, they could invest or manage their business, perhaps rising to the next level.It was far better than screwing with Julien, getting exposed, or being kept impotent.As they finally caved in, Hank asked, "Mr. Wade… will our troubles end if we transfer the money in two days?"Charlie spread his hands. "The agreement is for you to prepare the money, and then I'll have the right man to manage it. What you did at that island won't be exposed for now, and I won't press the issue of putting a bounty on Tanya as well… As for your virility, it will be restored after you pay up."Curious, Julien asked just t

While absolutely reluctant, the cabal understood the simple idea that they just had to pay up when they met Charlie again.After all, it was just money to spare themselves the horror of impotence.Everyone was very agreeable with it, especially Hank, who forced himself to smile as he said, "Yes, you're right, Mr. Wade… Nothing comes for free, and you gotta pay for your meals…"Charlie smiled, satisfied with the man's response. "Wow, Hank! You've improved quickly!""You flatter me…" Hank chuckled awkwardly.Naturally, Charlie was well aware that Hank's gratitude came out of pressure and not sincerity.Still, he had tormented and extorted the cabal enough, and it was now time for the carrot after the stick."Hank," he said, "I can see that you're a smart man. Therefore, you can be your friends' representative. Now, I offer a piece of advice for free and as a reward for your good behavior."Hank quickly nodded. "Do tell, Mr. Wade."Charlie began, "When you boys return stateside,

Greg, however, thought that Hank was overdoing it, rushing back Stateside and getting examined first thing.Still, he didn't argue as he was making money from both the hospital and Hank by simply doing his job, regulating resources, and providing the standard health service.He did everything by the book, liaising with the other doctors who worked at the hospital to examine Hank and then draw blood samples.As that meant multiple standard medical examinations and inspection for cancerous growth, the doctors extracted at least four syringes worth of blood.Hank then remembered a certain issue and told the nurse before she took out the syringe, "Oh, and draw more blood for examinations of toxins. I'd like to see if I was poisoned… whether it was toxins, heavy metals, or radioactive elements."The nurse was confused, but she still did as told, taking three syringes worth of blood samples to test for toxins, heavy metals, and radioactive elements.Every blood sample was rushed to the

Hank quickly stopped Andrew, "No, just calm down for the moment—we don't have much of a hand to play against Julien anyway, so just let sleeping dogs lie for now. If you make a sudden move, we might even get punished worse.""Well, what should we do?" Andrew asked.Hank thought about it and sighed. "We wait. Let's just calm down and wait for my medical report for now. If we were poisoned, let's uncover what poison was used and whether we can treat it Stateside. If we can, then everyone will be happy, and we won't be at their mercy."If they still decide to push us, we can just publicize each other's dirty secrets. They would tell everyone about the stuff that went on that island, while we exposed that he and Tanya are actually dating and tried to blackmail us!""Alright, I guess we'll wait, then," Anderson replied. "Just remember to tell us right away how your blood test goes."Hank said, "The nurse said all the test results will be out consecutively in twentyish minutes, so that

Other results were soon brought to Hank in his room, but strangely, nothing was found, whether it was for toxins, heavy metals, or even radioactive substances.Any normal person would be smiling with such a clean bill of health, but Hank wasn't.If anything, he wasn't as calm as he was at first.Bemused, Greg asked, "Sir, there's nothing, and you're clearly fine… so can I just ask, why the long face?"Hank remained seething—he couldn't just say that he was hoping for an anomaly that could be linked to his impotence, could he?As such, he instead said, "I visited Oskia recently, and they seem to think that people live a little longer if they have little things that ail the body. It's those who didn't and always seemed perfectly healthy that would die instantly… don't you think so?""Well…" Greg hesitated for a while, and then smiled as he said, "I can't say I fully agree with that? If anything, it looks like survivorship bias to me. It's never the little ailments that keep the p