Richard was knocked dizzy, stars dancing before his eyes. He shouldn't have been able to hear anything.
But Zhong Ziyan had thoughtfully applied a little magic on him—a mental shockwave, delivered straight to the brain. You're worth it.
The effect was remarkably potent on someone with no magical resistance. Richard let out a shriek: "Security!!"
Several burly men who had already closed in on Sheng Jiayan and Anna immediately turned and rushed toward Richard to rescue him.
Zhong Ziyan stole a glance out the door.
She had run over; Wei Hanyun hadn't arrived yet.
Zhong Ziyan calculated the timing, stepped right over Richard's back, sidestepped the massive hand of the lead bodyguard, grabbed his arm, twisted it behind him, and with seemingly effortless ease—despite weighing only around a hundred pounds—flipped the man, who weighed more than twice her size, onto his back like a chicken.
The unexpected impact of his back and the back of his head hitting the floor instantly incapacitated the first bodyguard. Seizing the moment, Zhong Ziyan dashed forward and struck the second man's throat, carefully controlling her strength to avoid actually killing him, only rendering him temporarily breathless as he clutched his neck and collapsed.
In those mere two seconds, Wei Hanyun's footsteps were already audible not far away.
Just as Zhong Ziyan scissor-legged the last bodyguard, making his eyes roll back as he passed out, Wei Hanyun came into view.
Zhong Ziyan glanced at the gun in the bodyguard's suit pocket, guiltily tugged his oversized jacket to cover the weapon, then gave Sheng Jiayan and Anna a "play along" look.
Sheng Jiayan, who had grabbed his laptop ready to fight but never got the chance: "..."
Anna, who had picked up the nearest compass for self-defense, equally unused: "..."
"Ziyan," Wei Hanyun's voice came.
Zhong Ziyan immediately turned to report to him, her tone full of confidence: "They're all paper tigers."
Sheng Jiayan nodded silently, waving his silver laptop at Wei Hanyun.
Anna also went against her conscience: "...Y-yes, indeed. I think I might have helped a little too."
The three giant men lying on the floor, each weighing at least two hundred pounds, remained silent as corpses.
...
The situation this time was rather severe. Once Anna calmed down, she immediately called the police, tied up Richard's three bodyguards, and prepared to hand them over when the officers arrived.
As for Richard, who had zero combat ability and was now covered in blood, he was dragged into a dark room for a "chat."
"I have rights! You can't lock me up and interrogate me like this! When the police get here, I'll call my lawyer and sue you all!" Richard was still yelling.
Anna stepped forward and slapped Richard: "You'll be waiting for the court summons I'm sending you first!"
Richard was stunned for a moment, then erupted into even more violent curses. Unfortunately, his body remained limp in the chair, useless, writhing like a caterpillar.
Zhong Ziyan withdrew her hand: Magic is so useful. I love life magic.
Wei Hanyun glanced at Richard's strange posture: "What's wrong with him?"
"This could be a symptom of concussion—hysteria, confusion, loss of motor control," Anna immediately explained professionally, trying to cover for Zhong Ziyan. "He just, um... got overly emotional, took a fall, and hit his head on the ground."
Sheng Jiayan nodded silently.
Zhong Ziyan thanked her teammates for sparing her life: "His luck is just really terrible."
"..." Wei Hanyun looked at Zhong Ziyan, handed her the signature banana-avocado milkshake she had left behind earlier, and then asked Anna, "What's the whole story?"
Anna hung her head slightly in shame: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wei. I should have reported to you earlier and in more detail. But when he knelt and begged me, I couldn't help but soften..."
The story was quite simple.
A husband and wife, both scientists, built a research institute from the ground up. But the good times didn't last. The wife's talent clearly outshone the husband's. Feeling overshadowed and resentful, the husband grew increasingly twisted and conceived a plan to sell the institute's confidential data.
But Anna discovered it early, and Richard's scheme fell through.
As Richard's superior, Anna promptly fired him from the institute, which immediately escalated their personal marital conflict.
Not long after, Anna found out Richard had been cheating on her for a long time. Once again, she cleanly and decisively chose divorce.
She should have cut all ties with Richard, but somehow he managed to sneak in today.
After hearing it all, Zhong Ziyan had only one thought: "You need more security."
Anna sighed: "Actually, our security team has been working well together for many years. But after this, I'm afraid I'll have to make changes too..."
Zhong Ziyan smiled: "I have a good idea."
—The good idea was, spend money to hire people.
Unlike in China, the number of private security companies in the U.S. is quite substantial, having grown into a massive industry.
A quick online search was all Zhong Ziyan needed to find the most famous companies.
What followed was dead simple.
First, call a security consulting firm. After Anna stated her identity and purpose, they promptly promised to send personnel within hours to assess risks and configure security.
Then, hand Richard and his three bodyguards over to the arriving police, along with the name of a lawyer.
—The lawyer's name was provided by Wei Hanyun. Zhong Ziyan hadn't heard of him, but judging by the tense expressions on the officers' faces, he was presumably a formidable legal heavyweight not to be trifled with.
After that, the group went to eat at the number one ranked employee cafeteria in Silicon Valley as if nothing had happened.
Of course, during this, Anna had no mind for food. She was mentally screening a list of untrustworthy employees, preparing for a major overhaul.
If Zhong Ziyan hadn't been there today and Richard had succeeded in his actions—if he had taken the data away—no matter the consequences, it would have been a devastating blow to Anna's institute.
As for Zhong Ziyan, she had only one thought: Not bad, it's really quite tasty. Can understand why it's ranked number one.
Finally, when the security consultants' Black Hawk helicopter landed on the rooftop, Zhong Ziyan, wearing sunglasses, went to meet them.
Blackwater is also a common backdrop in various movies, and Zhong Ziyan had, of course... had dealings with them a few times.
But there's a gap between movies and reality. Zhong Ziyan felt a personal inspection was still necessary.
With her discerning eye, standing not far from the helicopter and watching the mercenaries in professional gear jump out one by one, a single glance at each was enough to roughly assess their combat capability.
After evaluating them all, Zhong Ziyan thought they were competent enough to guard a research institute.
But Blackwater didn't seem to think so.
The team leader who arrived, after conducting an environmental assessment, tactfully suggested: "I'm afraid only one or two Class C squads would be sufficient to handle the security tasks here."
The implication being, assigning more elite personnel to a mere research institute would be overkill.
Zhong Ziyan: "No, my investment projects and key personnel are here. What just happened cannot be allowed to occur again."
The squad leader stood at attention. He glanced at Wei Hanyun, who was sitting on the sofa, clearly not planning to join the discussion and letting things take their course, then looked back at Zhong Ziyan, who was leading the conversation. A hint of impatience flickered in his eyes. "According to our company's standards, a standard squad has six members. They are well-trained and have good teamwork, forming an armed force sufficient to handle small-scale terrorist attacks. Even if you, ma'am, wanted to travel to Chechnya or Syria, I believe a C-class squad would be adequate to protect your personal safety and property."
"I'm not convinced," Zhong Ziyan said gravely. "If we're going to use them, we should use the best. Since there's a C-class, there should be higher levels, right?"
"A C-class squad costs one hundred dollars per person per hour, ma'am."
Calculated that way, hiring a C-class squad for 24-hour close protection would cost nearly one hundred thousand RMB per day, and that was just for one day.
Zhong Ziyan was growing increasingly interested in the industry she might be involved in later: "Then tell me about the highest level."
The squad leader: "..." He shot another look at Wei Hanyun. Zhong Ziyan felt the look was somewhat familiar, like Fang Nan's.
Fang Nan's usual next line in such situations was, "Aren't you going to rein her in?"
Wei Hanyun, of course, did no such thing. He was sipping a concentrated coffee meant for researchers, observing from the sidelines.
"A-class squads typically only cooperate with the Department of Defense. They are the most elite teams globally, with a six-person formation, costing three hundred dollars per person per hour, ma'am," the squad leader had no choice but to quote the price, then emphasized, "I looked up information on the way here. I believe this research institute, which has never faced any threats or armed attacks, does not require such a high level of security."
Zhong Ziyan lowered her head and calculated seriously.
Six people per hour amounted to eighteen hundred dollars, exactly three times the price of a C-class squad. Twenty-four hours would cost nearly three hundred thousand RMB.
That was still acceptable, roughly the price of staying in that villa suite in Las Vegas for a day.
However, since this was an employer-employee relationship, it wouldn't be good to always make them work overtime like corporate slaves. Proper shift rotations and rest were necessary to ensure the best working condition.
Zhong Ziyan spent one minute on the math, then looked up and stated decisively, "I want an A-class squad."
The squad leader frowned and sighed, as if encountering an unreasonable and stubborn superior.
"But how many A-class squads do you have in total?" Zhong Ziyan immediately followed up. "I'll hire two A-class squads for rotating shifts, plus an additional four C-class squads for patrol duty."
With six squads combined, just the security expenses would burn through approximately one million RMB per day.
But with this configuration, unless an army was mobilized, it would probably be impossible to breach Blackwater's defenses.
Zhong Ziyan felt somewhat reassured about her future assets and cash cows.
The United States was not like China; all sorts of troublesome incidents could happen. A single shooting or explosion would be enough to destroy this research institute. Of course, it was best to be cautious in all matters.
The squad leader's expression looked somewhat speechless. With his hands clasped behind his back, he asked Zhong Ziyan, "...Ma'am, do you know how much that would cost?"
"One hundred forty-four thousand dollars per day, excluding other fees," Zhong Ziyan, who had seriously done the math, answered him. "Do you know how much this research institute and—his mind is worth?" She pointed at Sheng Jiayan, sitting upright at the end of the sofa, then suddenly remembered something and added, "Right, we're still missing a team of personal bodyguards for Sheng Jiayan..."
Sheng Jiayan waved his hands vigorously in refusal, signaling with unprecedented speed that he would eat and live within the confines of the research institute.
—The research institute's benefits were truly good, with not only a staff cafeteria but also staff dormitories.
"Alright," Zhong Ziyan said, a bit regretfully. "I'd like to go personally to see and select the teams, is that okay?"
Even if they were all A-class teams, there were differences in suitability for mission types. Zhong Ziyan felt she needed to see them to decide.
Some teams were suited for charging onto battlefields, while others were better for infiltration missions. What Zhong Ziyan needed now were armed squads capable of being cautious and dedicated to protection duties.
Being able to spend money freely was one thing; spending money to prevent losses to what had now become her own industry was another.
A research institute capable of producing raw materials worth hundreds of millions, how could its monthly security measures be lacking!
...
The next day, when a line of helicopters and armored vehicles drove into Silicon Valley, and a group of seemingly ferocious, well-equipped mercenaries all entered that three-story research institute, the neighboring tech giants were shocked.
The mercenaries, paid to do a job, conducted reconnaissance and set up defenses for every nook and cranny of the research lab, both inside and out, then quickly established a patrol system.
Instantly, a research institute previously filled only with lab coats became a military stronghold.
Sheng Jiayan, who had stayed behind in Silicon Valley for study and research, looked down from upstairs with his laptop: "..."
He couldn't help but recall Zhong Ziyan's parting instructions.
"One million a day, thirty million a month," she had said earnestly. "The small goal I gave Shen Beibei is to earn three hundred million first. My expectations for you are even greater."
Sheng Jiayan: "..." Time to get to work.
