In Room 308 on the third floor, Liu Sen knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
Liu Sen pushed the door open and entered.
A middle-aged man in his forties sat in the office, dressed in a sharp suit with his hair meticulously combed, wearing a standard businessman’s smile on his face.
This was the head of the Panshi Company’s Outer City branch, Zhao Mingyuan.
“Lieutenant Liu, what a rare guest.” Zhao Mingyuan stood up and extended his hand. “Please, have a seat.”
Liu Sen sat across from him, a polite smile on his face.
Zhao Mingyuan sat back behind his desk, his smile remaining, though his gaze held a certain depth.
“Has Lieutenant Liu come today to share some good news with me?”
Liu Sen gave a sheepish smile. “Manager Zhao, I’m truly sorry. I’m here today to clarify a few things.”
He went through the explanation he had prepared beforehand—
The building was still standing because it happened to be on the edge of the artillery coverage, resulting in minor damage.
As for the vagrants who killed the exploration team members, an investigation confirmed they were no longer in the building and had likely perished in the shelling.
Zhao Mingyuan listened quietly, the smile on his face gradually fading.
After Liu Sen finished, Zhao remained silent for a few seconds before his voice turned cold. “Lieutenant Liu…”
“Things have reached this point, and you’re still trying to fool me? Do you really think our Panshi Company is incompetent?”
Liu Sen’s heart tightened.
Zhao Mingyuan stared at him with a sharp gaze.
He picked up the communicator on his desk and pressed a number right in front of Liu Sen.
“Hello, it’s me. How is the investigation going?”
The communicator connected, and a low voice came from the other end.
“We found out! The building is in excellent condition with no visible damage.”
“The vagrants call the building ‘Terminal Station.’ It’s a shelter for vagrants, supposedly run by a mysterious woman.”
“Also, regarding the exploration team members who died in Area A—the person who killed them is very likely that mysterious woman.”
Zhao Mingyuan looked at Liu Sen and said flatly, “Understood.”
The communicator hung up, and cold sweat broke out on Liu Sen’s back.
The Panshi Company already knew everything!
Zhao Mingyuan leaned back in his chair, his gaze cold.
“Lieutenant Liu, you accepted three hundred thousand Star Coins from us, along with a batch of military equipment, promising to handle that building and those vagrants for us.”
“But now, the building is still there, and the vagrants are still there…”
“Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?”
Liu Sen took a deep breath, pulled the credit card from his pocket, and placed it on the desk.
“Manager Zhao, I am very sorry. I know I messed this up.”
“I will return double the amount—six hundred thousand Star Coins. As for the military equipment, I will compensate you for double their value as well. Would that be acceptable?”
Zhao Mingyuan looked at the card and then at Liu Sen, the coldness in his eyes softening slightly.
“Double?” He gave a half-smile. “Lieutenant Liu, have you… come into a fortune?”
Liu Sen smiled bitterly. “What fortune? I scraped this money together from various sources just to give your company an account.”
Zhao Mingyuan picked up the card and swiped it on a nearby terminal.
【Account Balance: 600,000 Star Coins】
He nodded and put the card into a drawer.
“Lieutenant Liu, I’ve accepted the money. Regarding the equipment, I’ll have someone send you a list later. You can compensate us with double the market value.”
Liu Sen felt a sense of relief, but his expression remained bitter. “Thank you for your understanding, Manager Zhao.”
Zhao Mingyuan looked at him, and his tone suddenly shifted.
“Lieutenant Liu, what I’m curious about is… what exactly is the situation inside that building?”
Liu Sen’s heart skipped a beat.
However, he kept his face neutral and simply shook his head.
“Manager Zhao, to be honest, I don’t know.”
“I only caught a distant glimpse of it when I was out of the city capturing the Shadow-Stalker Beast…”
“I can only confirm the building is still there and wasn't destroyed by the purge artillery, but I know nothing about what’s inside…”
Zhao Mingyuan stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding.
“Fine. We’ll leave it at that.”
“Lieutenant Liu, if there’s an opportunity in the future, let’s cooperate again.”
Liu Sen stood up and forced a smile. “Thank you, Manager Zhao.”
He turned and left.
Once Liu Sen’s figure disappeared outside the door, a cold sneer slowly curled on Zhao Mingyuan’s lips.
A building that could survive artillery fire.
A mysterious woman who could kill exploration team members.
Interesting.
Zhao Mingyuan sat behind his desk, picked up the communicator, and pressed another number.
“Have Zhou Hu come here.”
Ten minutes later, the office door was pushed open.
A tall figure walked in.
The man was roughly in his early thirties, over a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and thick, knotted muscles.
He wore a dark grey combat suit, and a menacingly shaped alloy battle blade hung at his waist.
A pair of emotionless eyes looked at people as if they were objects.
He stopped in front of Zhao Mingyuan’s desk, remaining silent.
Zhao Mingyuan looked up at the tall man and spoke unhurriedly, “Liu Sen, that useless fool, messed things up.”
“A few pariahs in the Ruin Zone killed our people from the Panshi Company. I thought it would be a simple cleanup, but I didn't expect this building that appeared out of nowhere to ruin our plans!”
“If we don't show those pariahs what’s what, I’m afraid our Panshi Company will have to change its name…”
Zhou Hu listened silently.
Zhao Mingyuan smiled and continued, “Our people have already found out that the vagrants call that building ‘Terminal Station.’”
“The owner of Terminal Station is a mysterious woman. The person who killed our exploration team members is very likely her.”
Zhou Hu’s brow twitched slightly.
This was his only reaction since entering the room.
Zhao Mingyuan watched him, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.
Zhou Hu was the strongest combatant under his command, a Level 3 Late Stage Ability User who had been with the Panshi Company’s Outer City branch for five years, handling countless shady dealings for him.
This man spoke very little and never asked why, only how.
The tasks assigned to him were never left unfinished.
Zhao Mingyuan stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the grey sky. “The Inner City just issued a warning. The weekly Death Tide is arriving tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Zhou Hu remained expressionless.
The Death Tide had never been a problem for him.
His innate ability could isolate all harmful energy.
Radiation, pollution, and the Death Tide mist had no effect on him.
He could even move freely within the Death Tide as if he were in normal air.
This was the primary reason Zhao Mingyuan had called him.
“I heard that building can completely withstand the Death Tide.” Zhao Mingyuan turned around to face Zhou Hu.
“I want to know if that’s true.”
“If it’s false, then there’s nothing more to say. The Death Tide will handle the building and those pariahs for us.”
“If it’s true—”
He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
“Then the value of that building is simply too great.”
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