Yang Jian handed the choice over to Wang Xiaoming.
Since Professor Bruce Pi is so wise and selfless, he surely knew what had to be done.
If he killed Wu Yue, Yang Jian would be convinced that the tampering with the archives was done for the greater good, without any personal selfish desire involved. In such a case, he could begrudgingly forgive.
It would just be empty words meant to appease others, and Yang Jian would not hesitate to use the power of the vengeful spirits to personally take care of Wang Xiaoming.
Now, with the gun in Wang Xiaoming's hands, what would he do?
Yang Jian was looking forward to it.
Zhao Jianguo remained silent, and the special forces team leader, Li Jun, did not speak either.
Life of an ordinary man for that of a ghost tamer.
Wang Xiaoming looked at the gun in front of him and then at Wu Yue next to him.
"Professor Wang, don't listen to Yang Jian's ghost talk. He's using you to kill me. Even if you kill me, he might not join. And I've made significant contributions to the company, whether in maintaining the lab's financial operations or in acquiring Ghost Coffins..."
At this moment, Wu Yue panicked.
Others might not know Wang Xiaoming's character, but he was very clear about it.
He was capable of anything, including... killing him.
"Wu Yue, there's no need to say more. Yang Jian's value is indeed greater than yours. The company can replace a general manager like you, but without Yang Jian, we'd be missing a responsible figure. And you're very clear about the average loss behind each incident," Wang Xiaoming said as he picked up the gun and stood up. "That's why your value doesn't compare to his.
Now, I hope you can make a sacrifice."
"I will take care of your wife and children. You don't have to worry."
Wang Xiaoming fired the gun at Wu Yue without hesitation.
But Wu Yue dodged the bullet by quickly ducking, lucky to avoid the shot.
At that moment, Wu Yue was close to breaking down. He scrambled to his feet, desperately trying to escape.
"Death is light as a feather, or heavy as Mount Tai. Everyone has their time to sacrifice. Now it's your turn; you shouldn't run, as it will only bring you more pain."
A scream rang out as Wu Yue stumbled to the ground, not knowing where he was hit.
Wang Xiaoming walked over with the gun and aimed it at his head. There was no mercy on his face, only a realization.
A realization that taking a life was justifiable for the greater good.
"Wait, wait a moment, Professor Wang, do you remember I treated you to the 'big health care'? And it was me who introduced you to your wife..." Wu Yue's face was covered in sweat, shaking all over, pleading as he propped himself up.
Before he could finish speaking, the third shot rang out.
Wu Yue fell into a pool of blood, his body still twitching, his eyes wide open as the life quickly drained from them.
There was an increasingly cold corpse on the ground.
From the beginning to the end, Captain Li Jun and Zhao Jianguo watched the whole affair unfold.
Even though both had the power to do so.
This was different from Yang Jian taking matters into his own hands at the start. It was Wang Xiaoming who pulled the trigger, and the outcome seemed best for everyone involved.
Yang Jian needed Wu Yue's death to prove there was no saboteur within, and to confirm that Wang Xiaoming was truly selfless and trustworthy.
Li Jun needed Wu Yue dead to fulfill his duty to protect Wang Xiaoming. If Wu Yue lived, Yang Jian might have acted, putting Wang Xiaoming's life at risk.
Zhao Jianguo needed Wu Yue dead to provide an explanation to headquarters.
Wang Xiaoming also needed Wu Yue dead to ensure Yang Jian's recruitment into headquarters, contributing to the company and smoothing the way for upcoming deals.
Perhaps Wu Yue didn't deserve to die; after all, he was working for the company.
But the situation demanded his death, and he had to die.
His value wasn't enough to spare his life.
"Are you satisfied now?"
Wang Xiaoming walked back, placed the gun on the table, and pushed it towards Yang Jian.
Yang Jian said, "After some time, I'll undergo an assessment. Once I pass, I will join, but I hope in the future that there won't be any case of file tampering. If there is, I reserve the right to know."
Wang Xiaoming said, "As long as you contribute significantly, there won't be any secrets kept from you about certain confidential matters."
"Good. Now that this matter is settled, let's discuss the acquisition," Yang Jian narrowed his eyes as he picked up the body bag next to him and placed it on the table.
A cold, corpse-like smell emanated from the bag.
"Two ghosts, plus the Ghost Coffin I brought from the village behind me, how much are they worth? By the way, each of these items is very precious, so you'll need to offer a high price."
Now that the conflict had been resolved, it was time to start discussing benefits.
"I'm not very knowledgeable about business, so you can set a price, as long as you're satisfied, of course, provided the company can afford what you're asking for." Wang Xiaoming said, "Today, I only need to take the Ghost Coffin back."
Did that mean he should ask for a sky-high price?
Yang Jian began to calculate in his mind.
This Ghost Coffin was a ticking time bomb, definitely not something to keep. It would be best to sell it off, and seeing as Wang Xiaoming was incredibly eager to get it, not fetching a good price would be doing a disservice to all his hard work.
Let me think it over.
If the market price for one ghost was one billion,
the Ghost Coffin plus the ghost inside means two ghosts, which equates to two billion.
Then, adding the 50% premium that Wu Yue mentioned before, that's three billion.
Just thinking about it felt exhilarating.
He was about to become a billionaire, something he could never have dreamed of back when he was in school.
After contemplating for a while, Yang Jian soon spoke up, "The Ghost Coffin is very special, it's not just about the ghost, it has unique abilities as well, I think it should be worth...at least five billion."
"Fine, five billion it is. Who's the financial manager? Transfer the money," Wang Xiaoming called out over his shoulder.
Immediately, Sun Lihong walked over nervously and fearfully, "Okay, okay, Professor Wang."
Such swift agreement, transferring the money without argument, could it be that I quoted too low a price?
I wonder if it's still possible to amend the figure now.
But looking at Zhao Jianguo, Li Jun, and feeling this serious atmosphere,
Yang Jian felt it would be quite a blow to his dignity to change his asking price now.
It's embarrassingly awkward.
But what can't be set aside in the face of money?
"The five billion is just for the Ghost Coffin. I had a tough time getting it out of the village, and I even disassembled a sports car. These costs should be accounted for...add another fifty million," Yang Jian said brazenly, finding an excuse to increase the price.
"Okay, then add another fifty million," Wang Xiaoming said.
I still quoted too low.
Indeed, poverty has limited my imagination.
If only I had studied more, then I wouldn't feel so embarrassed to ask for more money.
Yang Jian wanted to raise the price further, but he really couldn't lower his pride.
To continue asking for more would leave him with no dignity at all.
"Forget it, let's consider it charity. But I need to get a good price for Feng Quan." Yang Jian thought he should make a substantial amount from Feng Quan.
This guy certainly took advantage of him in Huanggang Village.
My fortune depends on you.
Yang Jian touched the body bag in front of him.
It felt like he was not touching a corpse, but a bag full of money.
"Then, it's a pleasure doing business with you."
Seeing the price agreed upon, Wang Xiaoming got a bit excited, and then he said, "Captain Li, would you mind transporting that Ghost Coffin back to the lab?"
Li Jun stood up immediately, leading a group of lab security to prepare for transporting the Ghost Coffin.
Yang Jian said, "Just a friendly reminder, there's a ghost inside the Ghost Coffin, and once you open it, the ghost will come out. You should be careful... I'm not responsible for any after-sales issues."
Li Jun glanced back at Yang Jian,
"I'll let the company's people talk to you about the rest of the transaction. I have things to do back at the lab, so I won't stay any longer."
Watching the Ghost Coffin being carried away, Wang Xiaoming couldn't wait to get up, ready to leave at once.
You're leaving just like that?
Aren't you taking Feng Quan? I was planning on charging a hefty sum for him.
At that moment, Yang Jian felt he had made a big mistake.
This Feng Quan... doesn't seem to be worth much.
"Mister Yang, please enlighten me further, I will be in charge of the subsequent transactions, do you have any objections?"
Sun Lihong took a deep breath, starting to speak somewhat nervously.