However, on further thought, she realized the truth of the situation. With a figure like Xu Que, a true god of wealth, at her side, not only twice the resources—perhaps even five times—could easily be within reach. After all, his initial offer was already at 80%, a figure that surpassed their wildest expectations threefold…
Yet, this matter was not one to be discussed; it was a secret shared only between her and Xu Que.
"Sis, what's with that smile?" Xiaohao's voice interrupted Liang Jinyu's thoughts.
"Oh, nothing. Meeting adjourned." With a slight smile, Liang Jinyu left the room.
Everyone exchanged puzzled glances, turning to Xiaohao with questioning looks.
"Don't look at me; I'm as clueless as you!" Xiaohao replied, shrugging helplessly.
In the Precon International Tower, levels forty-nine through fifty-two belonged to the Honor Company, while floors two through seven served as communal areas for all companies. The ground floor would later be converted into a public zone for recruitment, bounty listings, and mission announcements.
On the forty-ninth floor, in the Honor Company's reception room, Liang Jinyu entered with a welcoming smile. At her appearance, the rough-and-tumble men with Yu Xiaochuan were momentarily stunned—they had never seen such a beautiful and captivating woman.
"President Liang, I'm sure you're aware of why we've come," Yu Xiaochuan began.
"Yes, please take a seat, and let's discuss the matter in depth," Liang Jinyu replied, setting down a few documents with a smile.
Yu Xiaochuan's heart skipped a beat when he glimpsed the contents of the paperwork.
"Ah, President Liang, right? I'm Xiaochuan's cousin—pleased to meet you." Yu Dahai stood to greet her, but just as he was about to step forward, Xiaochuan held him back.
"Good to meet you," Liang Jinyu replied with a gentle smile, gesturing for them to be seated. Yu Dahai scratched his head awkwardly and sat down, casting a reproachful look at Xiaochuan.
Xiaochuan regretted bringing these men, fully aware of their brash nature.
"I assume you're all somewhat familiar with Honor Company. I'll get straight to the point. If you're willing to join us, take a look at this contract. If you find it agreeable, sign at the bottom right corner. Once that's done, I'll assign you to a suitable team."
When Yu Xiaochuan saw the details regarding resource distribution and exploration incentives, his expression froze in astonishment.
"Whoa, Xiaochuan, this is even more than you mentioned! Were you holding out on us?" Yu Wanqiang muttered, eyes wide as he looked at the resources outlined.
"Are you dumb? He doesn't even work here—how could he skim off anything?" Qianpeng chided.
"Ah, true," Wanqiang laughed sheepishly, signing his name in his signature, nearly illegible scrawl.
Once all five had signed, Liang Jinyu spoke. "Xiaochuan, you'll remain as the assault team leader. Though there were past misunderstandings with the company, let's move forward. I hope you won't disappoint us."
The words seemed simple, but Xiaochuan sensed the implied warning.
"Understood, I know what's expected," Xiaochuan replied earnestly.
"Good. Here are two rift assignments. Take these and report to Supervisor Tian—he'll handle your team's assignments from now on."
After Xiaochuan led his men out, Liang Jinyu took out her phone and quickly dialed a number.
"I'll send over a dossier soon. Help me look into Guo Qing."
"Sure thing, beautiful."
Ending the call, Liang Jinyu placed Guo Qing's file aside, took a photo of it, and sent it to Shen Mengchu. Her message received an instant response.
"Hey, I'm in the office. Come up for a chat if you have time."
Seeing this message, Liang Jinyu quickly understood and sent Supervisor Tian the temporary assignments for the recruits. She would not gamble on unknowns; caution was her creed—far more so than Xu Que.
Inside the alternate dimension, Xu Que and Ye Gou continued digging into the hive.
"Boss, do you think the predatory wasps searching for a new queen will be accepted?"
"That's none of our concern," Xu Que replied, swinging his serrated blade. "How's your digging going?"
"Haven't found what you mentioned," Ye Gou answered.
"Keep going. There should be something in each hive."
No sooner had Xu Que spoken than his blade struck something solid, and a fine, trickling flow appeared before him.
"Over here!" Xu Que shouted.
Ye Gou quickly jumped down, scrambling to Xu Que's side. Gazing at the golden honey, he could barely contain his excitement.
"Man, don't drool all over the honey!" Xu Que gave him a light kick and set about widening the opening with his blade.
"I never thought interdimensional wasps could produce honey," Ye Gou muttered, wiping his mouth.
"You keep collecting. I'll dig in the back." Leaving Ye Gou to his task, Xu Que crawled to the hive's rear.
The predatory wasp honey was valuable, but it was the object beneath the honey layer that he truly sought—a treasure from his past life, once nearly costing him his life in a chase from Tang Xue and the others.
"Damn it, when I get back, I'll sever the tendons in that woman's hands and feet!"
Just then, a roar echoed from the forest, followed by the sound of trees crashing.
"Boss, something's coming our way," Ye Gou said, nervous.
"You keep at the honey; I'll check it out."
Before Xu Que finished speaking, a colossal black bear, at least seven meters tall, emerged from the trees.
Faced with such a monstrous bear, Ye Gou's legs began to shake uncontrollably.
"Dear mother of mercy, am I supposed to fast or something?"
Xu Que had never seen such a massive black bear—at least not of this non-mutated variety. Even the largest he'd encountered in the alternate realms had only been four or five meters tall. This bear's size exceeded all his previous experiences.
"Boss, should we play dead?"
"Do you think it's that foolish? Or that I am? This is no ordinary black bear!"
"Then, should we… run?"
But before Ye Gou could finish, the bear let out a thunderous roar and charged at Xu Que.
The massive claws slashed forward, stirring up a powerful vortex that tore through the air. Xu Que narrowly dodged to the side just as the bear's strike cleaved a thick tree in two.
Ye Gou's face went pale. Despite his C-rank abilities, he knew he'd be flattened with a single blow like that tree.
The black bear snarled, its fierce gaze fixed on Ye Gou.
"Boss, it's looking at me!" Ye Gou yelled.
Unfazed by Ye Gou's panic, Xu Que took his chance, unleashing a strike toward the bear.
Sensing danger, the bear swatted at the incoming energy wave, causing it to explode with a deafening blast, leaving it wounded and roaring in agony.
"Boss, its paw's hurt!" Ye Gou shouted.
Xu Que didn't celebrate, instead growing more cautious. He had confidence in his current abilities, capable of even taking down some bosses. Yet, this bear had only suffered a minor injury.
The bear, undeterred by its injury, lunged toward Xu Que. At a mere ten meters' distance, Xu Que took a faint sidestep, daring to attempt a risky move.