Feng Huimin pushed the door open, adjusted her black-rimmed glasses, and said, "Master Wan, here is the latest financial report. Our current expansion scale has exceeded the financial department's budget. Should we take some action to scale back?"
Wan Huanyu had established the Huan Yu Studio, and among the 8,888 servers across 33 major regions, half of them had his people stationed.
Even if a single server had only 200 people, with a monthly salary of 10,000 each, the total payroll would be 30 million per month.
This was all liquid capital.
Not to mention purchases of equipment, acquisition of dungeon guides, and the living expenses of team members—money flowed like water.
For a newly established studio, it was practically a bottomless pit.
But Wan Huanyu was betting everything on it.
"No, we must not scale back. On the contrary, we must increase the intensity and recruit directly from society!"
"Liquidate my real estate, antiques, and collectibles."
"Oh, and the Wangxi Estate—sell it as soon as possible. You can reduce the price to offload it. Just make it quick!"
That property was a money pit, difficult to sell.
With the current shifts in the global landscape, the downstream industries of his own group likely wouldn't want to fork over the cash.
If he lowered the price, some people of a lower tier who hadn't caught wind of the news might still think Primordial Gate was the product of advanced technology and cling to the hope of continuing their own business.
Then they'd have to rely on him and spend their money at Wantu Real Estate.
He had to make sure they took over the burden before they realized what was happening.
"Understood. I'll handle it right away!"
Feng Huimin furrowed her brow slightly. This task was not going to be easy.
...
At the internet addiction treatment center.
Chu Feng finally arrived by helicopter.
"Brother, I'm here!" Chu Fu waved.
She had already tended to her wounds, a band-aid still on her face. Her long black hair was brushed as neatly as possible, and her smiling face radiated sunshine.
Chu Feng felt a momentary trance.
It was as if this wasn't his sister.
She had gained weight—her once tiny face was now fuller, and her arms were no longer as thin as sticks.
Only her skin, pale and glowing, remained the same. Her eyes were dark as grapes with thick, curled lashes, the corners tilted slightly upward like a fox's gaze.
He hadn't seen Chu Fu with her eyes open in three years.
At this moment, Chu Feng—having been reborn and survived the apocalypse—couldn't hold back his tears.
"Fu Fu!"
He strode forward and pulled her into a tight embrace.
He wanted to hold her firmly but was afraid of hurting this fragile girl.
"Brother, don't worry. I'm fine!"
"It's my fault for being careless. I'm sorry for what you went through, Fu Fu."
He had to make it up to her.
Right now, Chu Fu was in a different game server than he was, so he couldn't send her equipment.
That meant he'd just send her some property instead.
The kind that could still count as assets even after the game's arrival.
Then, Chu Feng introduced the middle-aged man standing beside him.
Li Weizheng.
"Hello, hello, Miss Chu Fu. After receiving your brother's distress call, we immediately conducted a search, but the culprit was very cunning and left few clues.
"Fortunately, you were brave and resourceful, and managed to escape on your own.
"As soon as we learned of your whereabouts, I alerted the nearest armed forces in Shanhai City and Cangsong City to come to your rescue."
"However, I heard that by the time they arrived, you had already escaped."
"That puts my mind at ease. Miss Chu has been through quite an ordeal, so let’s head back now! We’ll discuss the rest later."
Chu Fu heard these words and felt a flash of familiarity—like when she had listened to her boss speak during her previous life working a job.
There was a hidden meaning behind his words!
[Immediate investigation] "We’ve done our best."
[Immediate notification] "We’ve put in serious effort."
[By the time they arrived, you had already escaped] "These people didn’t really do anything—no need to mind them."
[Let’s head back now; we’ll talk later] "Lure them back first to reduce the competition."
Impressive—truly impressive.
Still, Chu Fu had never planned to join another city anyway. After all, her roots were in Linjiang City.
Not only that, but most of the events in the storyline occurred in Linjiang City. Why would Chu Fu leave the stage of the plot to open blind boxes elsewhere?
So she agreed.
In fact, during the hour it took Chu Feng to arrive, he had already communicated with Chu Fu.
Huaxia had long been aware of the crisis of the Primeval Gate’s impending invasion into reality.
But the threat didn’t come solely from external forces—there were internal dangers as well.
"Resorting to martial arts, unbound, is the road to chaos."
When ordinary people gained extraordinary powers, private conflicts would spiral out of control, even shaking the nation’s foundations.
But the ancestors had long known how to handle such matters.
Take in the best among the gifted.
The rest wouldn’t dare to cause trouble.
And so, the Special Preparedness Bureau was born, specifically tasked with recruiting S-class talent.
For now, to avoid widespread panic, the news hadn’t been publicly announced.
Still, the country had already taken targeted measures.
They established a nationwide chain of universities.
The Primeval Competitive Science Academy—
the only publicly funded e-sports college run by the state.
Tuition was free, the faculty was outstanding, and students could receive financial aid.
Moreover, this college was particularly aimed at young students who were addicted to gaming and didn’t want to go to school.
These people needed education to build a more solid worldview—rather than heading down a path of crime.
"Miss Chu Fu, if you join the academy, I can arrange a grant of 5 million as a start!"
"Though it might seem a bit modest given your current achievements, you know state subsidies have never been high."
"But I can promise you this: when the day comes, you’ll be among the first graduates of the Primeval Competitive Science Academy. Upon graduation, you’ll receive the rank of second lieutenant and serve as a vanguard!"
Chu Fu thought: He wants me to become cannon fodder.
Instead of agreeing, she asked, "Has the person who tried to capture me been found? And what about that doctor, Zhao Deyu? Was he caught?"
Li Weizheng’s expression stiffened.
"We’re actively pursuing him. The latest information is that Zhao Deyu has gone out to sea."
Linjiang City had a great river running through it that connected to the ocean’s estuary. Once past the estuary, one quickly reached international waters.
Shanhai City was right by the sea.
Once someone got out on the water, tracking them became extremely difficult.
Li Weizheng continued, "Miss Chu Fu, do you have any other evidence? Besides Zhao Deyu, have you seen anyone else?"
Chu Fu replied, "I haven’t seen anyone else face-to-face, but earlier when I fought with those instructors, they said they were going to sell me to Master Guan's Sagely Group.
I believe they’ve been unlawfully detaining players and testing illegal drugs."
They still wanted to send me to be dissected.
You bite whoever you can.
Chu Fu would never let her enemies off the hook.
First, she gave the butler a taste of trouble.
Little did she know, she had hit the nail on the head.
...
On the high seas.
Zhao Deyu had changed into floral shorts and a white shirt, letting his potbelly show as he enjoyed the sea breeze, the ocean, and the sun.
A luxury yacht cruised toward him in the distance.
“Master Guan! What brings you here too? Heading abroad with me?”
Zhao Deyu greeted him warmly.
“Yeah,”
Guan Youlong replied, a hint of a well-concealed sneer at the corner of his mouth. “Come on, hop on my boat and have a drink!”
