When it was time for the shift change, a soldier knocked on Yang Yu’s door.
“It’s time for your shift. Don’t forget what I taught you. Following the rules here is the best way to serve Lady Asuna!”
“We’ve memorized all the rules by heart. Everything is for Lady Asuna!”
Yang Yu and Bai Jin opened the door and simultaneously raised their hands, swearing allegiance to Asuna. Taking advantage of this moment, a small blue blob slipped through the crack in the door and quickly squirmed its way up to the ventilation duct.
The soldier finishing the shift change seemed to notice something, but when he turned around, he saw nothing.
“Is something wrong?” Yang Yu asked.
“Nothing, maybe I just imagined it.”
Muttering a few more words, the soldier led Yang Yu and Bai Jin to their workstations, leaving Hemeng to move swiftly through the ventilation ducts.
To make Hemeng even faster, Yang Yu had put all the attribute points gained from leveling up into speed. Now, Hemeng had no weaknesses—it could take hits, fight, and run, although it preferred not to fight and often slacked off.
As Hemeng moved further away from Yang Yu, it pondered something perplexing.
Before leaving, Yang Yu had simply placed his hand on its head, and suddenly, it felt stronger, especially faster.
What did that man do to me? How could I get stronger just by being with him? It took me a year to reach this level, but with him, I achieved unprecedented growth in just a few weeks…
Could this be the benefit of the blood contract?
The blood contract was an ancient and mysterious pact, simple and stable despite its age. As a royal slime, Hemeng knew how to form a blood contract, but apart from “it cannot be broken unless one party dies” and “if the contracted attacks the contractor, they receive double damage,” it knew little else.
After much thought, Hemeng concluded that this newfound strength was due to the blood contract.
It believed that as Yang Yu grew stronger, it received feedback, making it stronger too. It never considered that following Yang Yu around and gaining experience was what actually made it stronger.
In essence, Hemeng had the misconception because, during battles, it often stayed back, observing rather than participating.
“Forming a contract with him isn’t all bad. If he were a bit nicer and less arrogant, we might even become friends.”
No matter how narrow or bumpy the ducts were, Hemeng could move through them effortlessly thanks to its semi-liquid body. Descending layer by layer, it quickly reached a section of the second underground level, but just a glance inside made it shiver.
Meanwhile…
Yang Yu and Bai Jin arrived at their workstation, a small storage room filled with various odds and ends. Their task was to patrol the area and maintain security.
Black-market workers were only used in emergencies and, being mere expendables, were often assigned to non-technical and relatively unimportant positions as backups.
Being a guard was a golden opportunity for Yang Yu.
Next, he had to figure out how to infiltrate the first underground level and become part of that team. But first, there was another issue to address.
Seeing the rapidly flashing heart in Bai Jin’s status bar, indicating the charm effect, Yang Yu was deeply concerned.
The worst-case scenario had occurred. Giving Bai Jin the pill didn’t provide a permanent solution.
The woman was continuously charming them with some device, and what was more terrifying was that this device might be the entire research facility itself, making it nearly impossible to destroy.
Initially, the charm effect was weak, and Bai Jin could resist with her willpower. But as they spent more time in the facility, she became increasingly distracted, murmuring Asuna’s name, showing signs of being re-charmed.
Yang Yu gave Bai Jin a few more pills, instructing her to take one if she couldn’t hold on, ensuring she wasn’t re-charmed. This allowed Bai Jin to stay by his side.
With this invisible magic influencing them, even creating chaos might only be effective for a short period. There was more to consider now. Speaking of which…
Suddenly, Yang Yu realized a very serious problem.
Sending Hemeng out to scout was all well and good, but could a slime accurately describe what it saw?
…
Under the night sky, an elderly man, escorted by several guards, arrived at a spacious villa.
Waiting for them was a middle-aged man with a face as round as a plate. He was so fat his neck was barely visible, and each of his ten fingers was adorned with brightly colored gemstones. He wore the finest silk and had slick, glossy hair. He gazed calmly towards the research facility, exuding confidence.
As the president of the Silver Orchid Trading Company, Bigface Licorice was already aware of the Giant Umbrella Trading Company’s infiltration plan.
He had previously warned Asuna not to let any pests into the facility, but that was no longer necessary.
“I have some matters to confirm with you, President of the Silver Orchid Trading Company.”
The speaker was Joey Carlo of the Giant Umbrella Trading Company. After sending off Yang Yu and Bai Jin, he returned to his company to handle business. Not long after, he received a letter from Bigface Licorice. After reading half of it, he immediately called for a carriage and rushed to Bigface Licorice’s villa.
A servant brought tea, inviting Joey Carlo to sit down. Bigface Licorice’s face bore the smile of a victor.
“Haha. Everything I needed to say was in the letter.”
Even now, President Carlo couldn’t believe what the letter said, but seeing Bigface Licorice’s confident smile, he had no choice but to believe it.
“I have leverage on several families. They’ve already chosen to stand by and transfer their shares.”
Hearing this, Carlo gritted his teeth.
Those cowards, turning into company pests for profit. I kept them because they were still useful and had powerful families backing them. I didn’t expect a thousand-mile dyke to collapse because of an ant hole.
Carlo quickly regained his composure, seeing through Bigface Licorice’s intentions. “Although you’ve obtained some of our shares, it’s not enough to acquire or merge with the Giant Umbrella Trading Company, right?”
“Impressive as always, President. That’s exactly why I called you here,” Bigface Licorice said with a sinister smile. “Some people cling to their interests, not shedding tears until they see the coffin. I’ve told them their hero game is over, and they’ve become cowards, yet they still hold onto a faint hope.”
“What did you say?” Carlo was shocked, then gave a resigned smile. “I see… so that’s it…”
President Carlo understood. He knew why his company members quickly surrendered after being blackmailed. The Silver Orchid Trading Company must have known their plan from the start.
“President Carlo, you know what I want. Think it over,” Bigface Licorice said with a greedy smile. “I’ve given the information to the congress. Tomorrow is your judgment day. The fate of your entire company is in your hands—whether it’s a grand burial or a disgraceful collapse.”