Blackstone Code

At night, in the hunting lodge, the fire crackled in the fireplace. The cabin was made entirely of pine wood.

As the temperature rose, the walls released that distinct pine scent—something wallpapered or painted city houses could never offer.

Everything felt natural. Primitive, even. But that was part of the charm.

The dining table was a massive slab of solid wood, thick and wide enough to require four or five people to wrap their arms around it. It had only been lightly treated, so the tree rings on the surface were still clearly visible.

Outside the door, cooks and servants brought in dish after dish—each made from parts of the animals they had hunted.

Roast rabbit, venison leg, minced deer neck—this was their spring hunting bounty.

Wooden bowls, plates, even soup tureens—everything added to the rustic atmosphere. The only pity was that the table had just two men sitting at it.

“Most people think the leg is the best part of a deer. And for roasting or pan-searing, maybe that’s true,” said Mr. Wadrick as he worked on the freshly served minced deer neck meat.

The raw meat had a deep red hue, darker than beef—almost like the flesh of certain deep-sea fish.

It hadn’t been cooked. Just finely prepared, turned into a rich, smooth mince.

Wadrick took a perfectly toasted piece of bread, spread a bit of butter, added a pinch of herb shreds, then scooped up a spoonful of the meat and smeared it on.

He smoothed it out with a dining knife, covering the edges precisely, then sprinkled some seasoning on top and finished it with a mist of strong liquor.

“Want to try?” Wadrick asked, looking a bit too eager. Lynch clearly saw him swallow—something rare for a man like him.

Seeing Lynch’s hesitant look, Wadrick chuckled and popped the bread into his mouth, chewing with a look of satisfaction.

After swallowing the rest, he smiled and said, “Actually, the two strips of meat behind a fawn’s neck are the tastiest. Roasting ruins their unique texture and flavor. Eating them raw is best.”

“You should try it. It’s a special experience. Life is full of new things. Every step forward reveals something unfamiliar.”

“It’d be a shame not to try. You might not like it—but at least we’ll have tried.”

Encouraged by Wadrick, Lynch hesitated but followed his lead, spreading the mince on a piece of bread.

“There’s no gamey smell. I expected it to be,” Lynch commented, inspecting the small creation before taking a bite.

The taste… wasn’t nearly as hard to accept as he’d imagined.

The liquor spray helped mellow the flavor, followed by the tenderness of the meat stimulating his palate.

All the sinew had been carefully removed to preserve the softness.

Simple herbs and salt did their job quickly. He could feel the salt grains burst on his tongue, adding flavor to everything, and with the butter soaking through, the rich meaty aroma spread across his mouth.

Fresh meat—intensely fragrant—even raw.

It wasn’t just venison. Many meats carried that aroma. Anyone who had been in a slaughterhouse would know it.

The scent clings to the freshly butchered animals hanging from hooks, just out of the processing line. Beneath the blood and iron is something primal—triggering a predator’s buried instinct to kill and feast.

That scent—was made for a predator’s tongue.

Lynch suddenly thought of many things. He ate the other half of the bread and genuinely praised it. “Better than I expected. The bread adds texture and contrast, but the real magic is in the meat.”

Wadrick wore an I knew it expression. “Quite the surprise, isn’t it? Every time we push our understanding of the world, we’re changed by it.”

The venison leg had been roasted—about medium, not fully done.

The outside was slightly charred, the inside still juicy.

A unique dinner. Every single thing on the table came from that day’s hunt—even the mushrooms in the soup.

Even if they hadn’t picked them themselves, they’d watched the knights gather them.

After talking about the food, they moved to more serious matters. “Splitting up your company will upset later investors. I’m not here to judge, but…”

Wadrick tore at some smoked rabbit and shook his head. “You might be targeted. The military-industrial groups are already wary of outsiders. If you don’t give up some control, they’ll come after you.”

“Congress’s annual military budget never falls below a billion. This year hit a historic high—2.2 billion.”

“We know where some of it goes. But much of it isn’t made public—it’s tied to military secrecy.”

“It’s a huge market. If you rush in without sharing the pie, they’ll see you as an enemy.”

Lynch thoroughly enjoyed the dinner. It was unlike any he’d had before—because everything on the table had come from their own efforts that day.

That gave a rare sense of satisfaction. Self-sufficiency and independence. Even if it didn’t impress anyone else, it moved him.

He took Wadrick’s words seriously—but only to a point.

“I’m not afraid of competition. And to be blunt, Mr. Wadrick—from the day I set out to build something, no one has ever beaten me. At least, not yet.”

“Plenty of people have childish thoughts…”

“Look at Lynch—just a lucky kid. Taking him down should be easy. Do this, do that—he’ll fall.”

His tone was exaggerated, almost mocking—but that really was what many believed. They didn’t think much of Lynch. Some didn’t even see him as part of the elite in this so-called free society.

He set down the picked-clean rabbit bone and looked seriously at Wadrick. “It’s not surprising they think that way. It’s because they’ve never faced me. They’ve never experienced Lynch-level despair.”

“To be brutally honest, if I wanted to, I could overturn any industry—and those who rule it—at any time.”

He grabbed a strip of rabbit meat, sandwiched it in a piece of bread, dipped it in sauce, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing forcefully.

And still chewing, he added, “If someone wants to swallow me whole, they’re welcome to try. Let’s see who devours who.”

“This smoked rabbit is excellent!” Lynch remarked as he tore into another piece.

Mr. Wadrick looked at Lynch, puzzled by the thoughts swirling in his own mind.

Lynch’s confidence didn’t feel fake. In fact, every word he spoke radiated a conviction that was contagious—it sounded entirely genuine.

It was like an adult telling a child he could lift a ten-pound dumbbell with one hand.

He could actually do it, which made his confidence real. No one is that certain about something they can’t do.

But… how was he doing it?

He said he could overturn entire industries at will. How was that even possible?

If even the military-industrial groups couldn’t threaten him and were vulnerable to being reshuffled by him, what about the industries Wadrick himself was involved in? Were there hidden weaknesses he hadn’t seen—ones Lynch could exploit at any moment?

Of course, such thoughts didn’t distract him from socializing. That, too, was a skill every member of high society had to master.

You couldn’t ignore others just because you were deep in thought—it might offend someone petty enough to hold a grudge.

“Before winter, they pick certain types of wood to turn into firewood. The food smoked with it has a unique aroma—much better than regular charcoal or wood,” he said casually.

Lynch nodded. “I’ve never turned down an investor. I don’t mind everyone making money together.”

“I can take them along to profit. But after they’ve earned what I’ve given them, they shouldn’t still be eyeing the power in my hands.”

“That’s not right, don’t you think, Mr. Wadrick?”

Wadrick nodded. “If that’s your stance, I have nothing more to say.”

“As for the investment, I’m fine with holding non-voting shares.”

He brushed his brow. “Like you said, my goal is profit and influence. Anything beyond that isn’t my responsibility.”

Lynch smiled with genuine warmth. “Of course, of course. I’ll do everything I can to ensure the security and return of every investor’s capital. Believe me—this will be the most successful investment you’ve made in the last… twenty-three years!”

“No exceptions!”

The wealthy tend to act swiftly and decisively. After ironing out a few details, the two returned to Eminence the next day and had lawyers draft the contracts.

Mr. Wadrick’s investment immediately drew attention from others. A major player stepping in meant there were indeed enormous profits to be made.

All eyes quickly turned to Lynch and the few new companies he had just founded.