Chapter 319 - Chapter 319: 250, Organization Name: Daylight
Chapter 319: 250, Organization Name: Daylight
Had Liu Dezhu ever seen what was inside the Black Box? Indeed, he had not.
When he left Prison No. 10, the Mechanical Prison Guard, while returning the items confiscated before his incarceration, included the Black Box.
The Black Box looked ordinary, with a note stuck on it: “Do not open, hand it over to your boss.”
The box wasn’t locked, it didn’t even have a simple combination lock, but Liu Dezhu truly never opened it to look inside.
From the moment he was released, he clung tightly to the Black Box, gripping it securely whether eating, sleeping, or dozing off.
This was confirmed by Yi.
In fact, it was a very simple test, if Liu Dezhu couldn’t even do this, then his previously declared loyalty was certainly false.
Qing Chen needed a very small deed to verify whether Liu Dezhu had indeed become obedient.
At this moment, Liu Dezhu, with red-rimmed eyes, said, “Boss, I am sincerely grateful for that rainy night in Los Angeles City, when you came forward to save my mother. I knew then that you were a good person, a good boss…this time I also understand, it must not have been easy for you to clear my name, I consulted many bigwigs in Prison No. 10, they all said it’s easy to get into prison but hard to get out, especially from Prison No. 10…”
As he spoke, Liu Dezhu began to sob uncontrollably, his face stricken with tears, looking very pitiful.
Beside him, Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen exchanged a glance, only then realizing how much their boss had done.
That rainy night in Los Angeles City, when Liu Dezhu’s neighborhood caught fire, Wang Yun’s parents hired Time Travelers and Assassins for revenge, they were aware of this.
They knew about the girl who appeared miraculously and stemmed the tide, and they also knew about the two mysterious people who collaborated with the girl to carve out a lifeline for Liu Dezhu.
However, Hu Xiaoniu and others did not know who these mysterious people were or why they helped Liu Dezhu.
Liu Dezhu himself kept silent about what happened that night, never mentioning it to anyone.
Now, Hu Xiaoniu and others finally knew that it was the boss who had helped.
No wonder Liu Dezhu had changed so much, being so loyal to this boss.
Moreover, Hu Xiaoniu had been somewhat puzzled before; given that Liu Dezhu had been sentenced to so many years, he should have spent his life in prison—how could he get out?
If he couldn’t get out, no matter how powerful, he could only throw his weight around inside the prison.
But before they could figure it out, Liu Dezhu had already been exonerated!
This ability, in the eyes of Hu Xiaoniu and others, could be described as having divine skills.
Which other Time Traveler could have fished Liu Dezhu out of prison? Although they had not engaged in time travel for long, they had heard that the prison’s management system was absolutely just.
Thinking this, Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen looked at Qing Chen with eager eyes, uncertain what kind of surprise this boss would bring them.
After all, their future lives were still unsettled.
Who wouldn’t want more protection in this unfamiliar world?
At that moment, Qing Chen took the Black Box from Liu Dezhu’s hand, set it aside, and then asked, “On the way here from City No. 10, did you encounter any danger?”
“No, no,” Liu Dezhu shook his head: “As soon as I left the prison, there was an unmanned hover car waiting at the door. I simply slept in the car and by the time I woke up, I had already entered City No. 18.”
The Yun Liu Tower between other cities had been deserted, so most travels were done by diesel off-road vehicles.
But City No. 10 and City No. 18 were adjacent, both being the Gemini Stars of the Federation, naturally allowing unhindered passage between them.
Qing Chen nodded, “What are your plans for the future?”
Liu Dezhu wiped his tears: “I don’t have any plans. The boss’s plans are my plans! From now on, Liu Dezhu will work diligently for you, without any complaints. By the way, Hu Xiaoniu and the others brought two gold bars this time.”
As he spoke, he pulled the gold bars out of his pocket and handed them to Qing Chen.
This time, looking at the golden-yellow bars, Qing Chen did not take them, instead he casually said, “Keep these two bars for yourself, one for use in the Inner World, one for the Outer World, to get you started.”
“Thank you, boss, you’re so generous!” Liu Dezhu was moved again. His family was not very wealthy; mailing blood for the Devil’s Stamp holders had added to the already strained finances. Now he could finally make a profit on his own, maybe even afford a better house for his parents.
Suddenly, Hu Xiaoniu realized the important message in Qing Chen’s words: the boss was no longer so short of money! The value of two gold bars was already unable to impress him!
Hu Xiaoniu was somewhat thankful to his father.
Originally, Hu Dacheng had told him that a person like ‘Qing Chen’ was very capable and might be short of money now, but would soon not be.
Therefore, what Hu Xiaoniu needed to do was to establish a connection before the other party was no longer short of money, so as to gain an early advantage in the future.
Hu Xiaoniu thought that his father could grow the family business because he truly had foresight.
At that moment, Zhang Tianzhen wanted to say something, but was held back by Hu Xiaoniu: “Let the boss and Brother Liu talk first, then it will be our turn.”
Qing Chen glanced at him, already having made a decision.
He first looked at Liu Dezhu: “You need to stay hidden for a while longer, now that City No. 18 is teeming with mixed forces, all Shadow Candidates have already arrived, and the power transition within Li’s is also complicated, so what we need to do most is remain dormant.”
“Understood, understood, I will keep a low profile,” Liu Dezhu quickly promised: “Without your call, boss, I’ll stay right here in the apartment.”
Qing Chen then turned to Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen: “How did you two get to City No. 18?”
Hu Xiaoniu explained, “City No. 7 and City No. 18 are far apart, so we hired seven Time Travelers from the Outer World for protection, got Wilderness Hunter licenses, and drove for 12 days to get here, passing through City No. 1, but we didn’t stay there.”
“Are the seven Time Travelers you hired reliable?” Qing Chen asked.
“Yes, they are free in the Inner World, but already under surveillance in the Outer World,” Hu Xiaoniu said: “Also, the hiring was only until they got us to City No. 18; we didn’t reveal any information on the way, didn’t say what we were doing or who we were meeting.”
Qing Chen pondered, the Hu family being large and established, handling matters in the Outer World was indeed much more secure.
“What are your plans for the future?” Qing Chen asked.
Hu Xiaoniu pondered for a second and said, “First of all, I want to thank you for allowing your subordinate to take action on Laojun Mountain to avenge the two friends of Kunlun.”
“You don’t need to thank me for that, it was his own decision, and I also admire Kunlun,” Qing Chen said. “Now talk about your own plans, I mean, what do you want to achieve through me?”
Hu Xiaoniu directly said, “Boss, Zhang Tianzhen and I don’t ask for much, we just want the Boss to open a path for us in the Inner World, a career that is extraordinary.”
“I understand,” Qing Chen nodded. “Do you know about the Heng Society?”
Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen looked at each other. “Yes, when I was in City Number 7 seeking revenge on Wang Yun, Li Dongze took action. He personally killed Wang Yun and had someone send us to the hospital.”
“Hmm,” Qing Chen said calmly. “The path I’m offering you is within the Heng Society. Go work under Li Dongze, and whether or not you can pave your own path there will depend on yourselves.”
The night before last, a message had been passed on behalf of Li Dongze.
Li Dongze himself did not wish to continue leading the Heng Society; he preferred to roam the world with Uncle Li Dong.
Now, having helped Qing Chen, it was time for Qing Chen to return the favor: if the young boss himself did not want to take over the Heng Society, then he would choose someone he could trust to slowly manage the transition of power within the Heng Society.
This process could take a long time or be quite brief, all depending on whether the person arranged by Qing Chen was up to the task.
So far, it seemed none of the people around Qing Chen were suitable, but Hu Xiaoniu, being steady and proper, might be able to handle it on his own.
He didn’t want Hu Xiaoniu to complete this transition but to send him to the Heng Society to observe for a while and see how he would manage.
At this moment, Hu Xiaoniu did not know Qing Chen’s thought, but hearing this arrangement was surprise enough for him.
He knew Heng Society was a direct organization of the Knights; being arranged in the Heng Society was naturally better than just getting by day by day.
“I have explained everything that needed to be mentioned, and the rest is up to you,” Qing Chen said.
“Wait a moment, Boss,” Liu Dezhu asked, “Qing Chen is your man, right? That rainy night, one of the people who took action was him, Kunlun’s Lu Yuan told me.”
Qing Chen thought for a moment and then asked, “What about it?”
“I just want to thank him,” Liu Dezhu said, “and also Li Guangguang and Lin Fan—are they your men too?”
Qing Chen, puzzled, replied, “Who are Li Guangguang and Lin Fan?”
“They claim online to also be ‘under Liu Dezhu’…”
Ever since Yang Yang said in a rainy night that she was under Liu Dezhu, ‘subordinates’ of Liu Dezhu sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.
Claiming to be a subordinate of Liu Dezhu seemed like a significant status symbol, akin to saying one was mixed up with Chen Haonan at Causeway Bay, just short of collecting protection fees at school gates.
It suddenly lowered the prestige of the Parents Concern Alliance.
And Liu Dezhu himself was also a puppet, not knowing whether these others were subordinates developed by the boss, so he dared not deny it for a while.
Qing Chen pondered, thinking his small group was too irregular—he didn’t even know who was in his group.
If someone were to misuse their name to commit wrongdoing, then they would not just be a small group, but a gang.
He calmly said, “I do not know these two, Li Guangguang and Lin Fan.”
Hu Xiaoniu suddenly asked, “Boss, what is the name of our organization?”
Qing Chen contemplated, and the other three in the room held their breath and watched, careful not to interrupt his thoughts.
Outside was the drifting Great Snow, and inside was the dim light.
In this cottage, Qing Chen recalled the words his master once told him: We cannot confront darkness with gentleness but with fire.
This is a world filled with crisis and darkness, like an endless night.
Qing Chen finally said, “Daylight, our organization will be called Daylight.”
Having said that, he picked up the Black Box and walked into the bedroom, leaving Liu Dezhu, Hu Xiaoniu, and Zhang Tianzhen looking at each other with eyes that could not hide their fervor.
Since the event of crossing through, they had always been busy, yet never knowing what they were busy with.
Now, they finally had a goal.
Hu Xiaoniu whispered to Liu Dezhu, “Brother Liu, once we get back, I’ll contribute another sum of money to the organization for daily expenses.”
It was odd, other organizations paid salaries or money to get people to work for them.
Daylight was different; here, members voluntarily paid membership fees and were willing to work without pay.
Liu Dezhu scratched his head and asked, “You’re again putting in money and effort, what are you aiming for?”
Hu Xiaoniu smiled, “For a future.”
The countdown hit zero.
Return.
…
Thankful to Tong Yuexiang for becoming a new ally of the book, thanks to the boss, the boss is generous; someone’s always ready with a pillow when the boss feels drowsy!
Group 3 is now open, welcome to join! Also, asking for monthly tickets! (Those who joined the first two groups, try not to switch between groups, don’t occupy three spots by yourself, as many others still can’t get in…)