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For Zhou Cheng, Wesley's matter was a triviality.
After snatching the remaining $800,000 payment from him, Zhou Cheng firmly pushed that guy out of his mind.
In the following days, he ate and drank as usual, and continued writing his journal as if nothing had happened.
Only on the fourth day, Wade Wilson knocked on Zhou Cheng's door with a face full of aggrieved sorrow.
"Zhou, why did you kill the employer?"
"How am I supposed to get work in this business now?"
"Who will dare entrust me with a commission?"
"You've irreparably damaged my reputation!"
Wade Wilson was filled with righteous indignation, furiously accusing Zhou Cheng.
Ah, this was awkward.
Zhou Cheng felt drenched in a downpour of shame from Wade's scolding, but couldn't utter a single word in response.
It seemed that he had indeed acted a bit dishonorably in this affair.
Just as he was about to offer an apology and perhaps propose some form of compensation to Wade Wilson, the voice of the mercenary continued to ring out.
"I need a raise!"
"Add five percent on top of my original commission!"
Wade's mournful expression vanished in the blink of an eye.
He switched to a shrewd businessman's demeanor as he started to haggle with Zhou Cheng.
You couldn't deny there was a touch of 'Extra Money Bro' in his manner.
Zhou Cheng: "..."
Alright, it looked like he was overthinking it.
The mercenary was shameless about many things, but reputation wasn't one of them, apparently.
All that drama, just to get a raise?
However, Zhou Cheng didn't reject the idea. To some extent, he had indeed taken advantage of him.
Zhou Cheng wasn't one to back out of giving well-deserved compensation.
He promptly and generously gave Wade Wilson the additional commission, in cash no less.
This made the mercenary's face light up with a beaming smile.
"Zhou, I think we are the perfect team!"
Wade Wilson hooked his arm around Zhou Cheng's neck with enthusiasm, acting as though they were long-time comrades.
"I think we can do this from now on – I can be your agent, and we could consider taking on more high-profile commissions."
"Of course, the prerequisite is that you can't kill the employers anymore. That could be deadly if word gets out."
Wade Wilson might have been caught up in the moment, but Zhou Cheng truly began to ponder the proposal.
Being a mercenary like Wade Wilson? It didn't seem too bad an idea.
After all, he needed to tackle criminals to fuel his journal.
Working for free or not, he needed to do it anyway.
If he could earn some money on the side by temporarily stepping into the role of a mercenary, it wasn't such a bad idea.
"Buddy, what are you hesitating for? Your skills are wasted if you don't use them!"
"And you had me look into Tony Stark because of that one billion bounty, right?"
Seeing Zhou Cheng seemed tempted but had yet to agree, Wade Wilson urged him again.
A billion bounty on someone like Stark?
That was news to Zhou Cheng.
He had asked Wade Wilson to investigate purely due to the original blueprints of the Mark armor.
However, the fact that someone like Tony Stark had a billion-dollar bounty out for his rescue wasn't all that surprising.
"So~ did you find anything?"
Zhou Cheng casually inquired of Wade Wilson."You're giving me too much credit."
Wade Wilson's head shook like a bobblehead. "If all those official intelligence agencies can't find it, how could I?"
"Then what the hell are you talking about!"
Zhou Cheng shot him a sharp glance.
"Although we can't take on Stark's request, there are other commissions we can accept."
"I've been in the mercenary business for many years, I'm not short on commissions, trust me!"
---
"We make the perfect partnership!"
Wade Wilson started to excitedly pitch to Zhou Cheng once again.
"Why don't you take it yourself?"
Zhou Cheng gave Wade Wilson a meaningful look.
This guy used to be a top-tier special forces soldier.
Actually, he was capable of completing those higher-level commissions alone.
No problem at all.
However, Wade Wilson didn't dwell on this but brushed it off with a laugh.
He was tired of that kind of life.
Now, he found it quite nice to take on some low-level commissions and work as a broker for others.
There was no need for him to rush to the front lines and fight personally anymore.
After Wade left, Zhou Cheng's life returned to its peaceful routine, which basically revolved around three things:
Keeping a diary, selling houses, and waiting for Tony Stark's triumphant return.
It was simple and dull.
But just after twenty-six days, Zhou Cheng's simple life was interrupted.
He received a very special reward.
[Item: Captain Jack's Compass]
[Property: Magical Item]
[Origin: Pirates of the Caribbean Universe]
[Detailed Description: Captain Jack's Compass cannot point you in a direction, but it can guide you towards your heart's deepest desires.]
"Not bad."
"A truly magical compass."
Observing the old-fashioned compass in front of him, Zhou Cheng nodded in appreciation.
He had seen the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movies and was deeply impressed by Captain Jack's compass.
He never imagined that one day, he would actually hold it in his hands.
Fate really worked in mysterious ways.
However, if it was this compass...
Zhou Cheng's eyes lit up with excitement. Could the compass guide him to where Tony Stark was being held?
He immediately took the compass in his hands and pondered over the possible location of Stark.
Swish!
The compass actually moved and clearly pointed out a direction for Zhou Cheng.
Awesome!
And if that was the case...
"Wade, I can take on Stark's commission, but I want to raise the commission to ten billion!"
Zhou Cheng contacted Wade Wilson.
"Taking Stark's commission? Zhou, I haven't been able to find where Stark is... Wait a minute!"
"You found it?"
Wade Wilson was actually impressed.
He was starting to understand just how unfathomable Zhou Cheng was.
It had been over a month since the kidnapping, and it seemed that all leads had gone cold, yet Zhou Cheng had found a clue.
Impressive.
Nevertheless, Zhou Cheng had found a lead, and that was good news.
"Ten billion? That's a bit high."
"But considering the current situation, it's not impossible to work something out."
"Wait for my news."
Wade Wilson quickly went to work on arranging the deal.
"Zhou, it's a go!"
"I've managed to talk them down to a ten billion commission!"
"Now it's all up to you!"
The very next afternoon, Wade Wilson sent word of his success.