Only four hours left until the crossing, which is also the agreed payment time between Zhang Tianzhen, Hu Xiaoniu, and Zhang Chengze.
The final agreed amount was 1 million cash per week, 500,000 before the crossing, and another 500,000 upon safe return.
Before Liu Dezhu set off to collect the cash, Qing Chen had some instructions to give.
In the Daybreak group chat.
Boss:"Liu Dezhu, be careful when collecting the money. Once you have it, keep it at your house."
"Okay, thank you for your concern, Boss," Liu Dezhu replied. "I'll be fine."
Qing Chen paused. Actually, what he meant was to be careful with the "money', not his own safety...
However, he didn't correct him. After all, Liu Dezhu was loyal, and he didn't want to hurt his feelings. Besides, he had to maintain his Boss persona.
The precautions were essentially three rules. Qing Chen couldn't risk the entire Daybreak for this money.
Therefore, after entering the Inner World, Zhang Chengze had to follow Daybreak's instructions.
First, Zhang Chengze couldn't act rashly. He had to get Liu Dezhu's approval before doing anything, and any place he went to had to be checked by Liu Dezhu.
Second, after crossing over, Zhang Chengze couldn't make friends casually or talk to strangers, lest he reveal his "Time Traveler' identity and attract the Conglomerate's attention.
Finally, for the first week, Zhang Chengze couldn't enter District 4 or the Lower Three Zones, as these were high-risk areas. Even with Liu Dezhu's protection, a stray bullet could take anyone down.
After giving these instructions, Liu Dezhu set off to meet at the designated location.
Qing Chen sat on the sofa at home, closing his eyes and silently waiting for the results.
"Chen, are you worried?" Nangeng Chen asked.
"Yeah, I don't know why, but after going through so many setbacks, things going too smoothly feels wrong," Qing Chen said. "Zhang Chengze is a businessman. He wouldn't bet his life on us."
Nangeng Chen looked at him: "Chen, even if this deal falls through, Xiao Tongyun and I can continue bringing back gold bars. We'll always be able to save enough money to buy a house."
"It's not the same," Qing Chen shook his head. "Daybreak needs legitimate business, it needs goals. The pursuit of those goals is also the process of Daybreak working together, uniting together. Otherwise, even if we are together, we are still loose."
Like yesterday's threat from the Demon Stamp holder, Hu Xiaoniu and Zhang Tianzhen spontaneously uniting was a pleasant surprise. Liu Dezhu proving he had courage was also a surprise.
Every member of Daybreak is imperfect and needs to grow.
But at this moment, Liu Dezhu suddenly sent a message in the group: "Boss, I've met up with Zhang Tianzhen and Hu Xiaoniu, but there's a problem."
Boss: "Did Zhang Chengze find other Time Travelers? And is he cooperating with them now?"
Liu Dezhu was shocked: "Boss, you're amazing!"
Nangeng Chen also looked at Qing Chen. So the other person was closing his eyes, thinking about the potential problems?
Fearless explained: "Zhang Chengze now lives permanently at the Huayang Hotel in Luo City. We just arrived here, and after we told him the precautions, he felt that our demands were too many, even questioning whether we could handle the protection job..."
Qing Chen frowned, surprised. The other party thinks Daybreak is too cautious, so they think Daybreak might not be strong enough?
Or, this big boss is used to freedom and has full confidence no matter who he faces.
Now that he's in the Inner World, he has to listen to Daybreak. He can't do this, he can't do that, so he developed resistance.
Fearless: "We just found out that Zhang Chengze wasn't just in contact with our organization. He also found others locally in Luo City. He said that the other party promised him that he could freely enter and exit any place except the Upper Three Zones, that he could watch black boxing, experience the life of the poor in the Lower Three Zones, and play with guns...They described the Inner World too well, and said they knew people in the Security Management Committee, so compared to us, Zhang Chengze naturally chose the other side."
Qing Chen found it strange: "Didn't Zhang Chengze know that you and Liu Dezhu are from the same organization? And he's a smart guy, he should know the Inner World isn't that good. He's not naive."
Besides, from the outside world's perspective, Liu Dezhu is connected to Knight, so he should be more trustworthy.
Fearless: "...Boss, the other party said that Knight leader Li Shutong is dead, and Eternal Society is being besieged by other gangs. Following us is not safe. They said we are losing power in the Inner World and can barely protect ourselves."
Qing Chen was speechless. Where did this country bumpkin come from? He didn't even have complete information.
So, this Time Traveler who stole the business was one of those who were deceived by Li Shutong's faked death. They didn't even know that Eternal Society had solved all its problems and had become the largest gang in City 18's underworld, a monopoly.
This kind of person...really dares to take on any job.
Forget about ensuring Zhang Chengze's safety; Qing Chen thought their own safety was questionable...
There must be something wrong.
"Have you seen the Time Traveler who stole this job?" Qing Chen asked.
"No, Zhang Chengze intentionally avoided meeting us," Brave Little Ox said. "I called my father to try to persuade Zhang Chengze, but my father said that Zhang Chengze is a very confident person, he believes in his own judgment, and we can't interfere."
Qing Chen knew very well that Zhang Chengze's wrong decision wasn't because he was stupid, but because most people believed that Li Shutong was dead.
After all, ordinary people, seeing the power of the Divine Scepter, would naturally assume that Li Shutong must be dead.
After Li Shutong's death, everyone associated with him should be targeted by the Conglomerate, a settlement of accounts. Power struggles are always , siding with the wrong person is fatal.
In the Daybreak group chat, Qing Chen, as the Boss, calmly said: "Fearless, what do you think?"
Zhang Tianzhen suddenly had an epiphany. The Boss knew he had a poisonous mind, but he deliberately asked his opinion, clearly wanting him to do the dirty work.
In this way, whatever happens, it's Zhang Tianzhen's responsibility, and the Boss just listened to his advice.
However, being the Boss's pawn wasn't shameful. Zhang Tianzhen decisively said: "Boss, I think Zhang Chengze is particularly interested in District 4's nightlife, so he will definitely go there. I'll send Zhang Chengze's photo to the group, and you can arrange for Liu Dezhu and Glacial Eyes to set up an ambush, giving them some "social experience'."
Boss: "Okay, do as you say."
Zhang Tianzhen was delighted. He finally had a chance to show his worth!
Glacial Eyes: "Boss, I'm enough this time. Liu Dezhu shouldn't show up. After all, we still want this job. If Zhang Chengze finds out that Liu Dezhu is intentionally trying to steal the business and drive away his protector, he might develop resistance. So, I'll give those Time Travelers who took the job some social experience. Liu Dezhu, give Zhang Chengze your Inner World contact information, and wait for him to contact you."
Boss: "Okay, your thinking is thorough. That's settled. Liu Dezhu, keep your phone on."
"Okay, Boss," Liu Dezhu replied.
At this point, everything was basically arranged.
Everyone in the group knew that Glacial Eyes was Qing Chen and knew about Qing Chen's glorious achievements on Laojun Mountain.
So when everyone found out that Qing Chen would be the one to solve the problem, they began to mourn for those Time Travelers who stole Daybreak's business.
Qing Chen looked at Nangeng Chen beside him: "After crossing over, I'll deal with Zhang Chengze first, and then I'll go back to Ban Shan Mountain Estate."
Nangeng Chen curiously asked: "Chen, we planned to ask Li Yino to arrange a vehicle to pick up Zhang Chengze. Now that this happened, should I still prepare the vehicle?"
"Prepare it," Qing Chen said calmly. "He'll change his mind soon, but when he does, it won't be the same price."
As the world went from dark to light, it was still snowing heavily in the Inner World.
Qing Chen was still in the small apartment where Liu Dezhu and the others were.
Before returning, the black box he was carrying was still in his arms.
Qing Chen got up, and as he walked out of the room, the Cat mask appeared on his Face[-].
At this time, Liu Dezhu saw the black box he was carrying on his back...
Wait, the size of this black box...isn't it the size of a huge anti-materiel rifle?
Liu Dezhu had been wondering where the Boss got the sniper rifle, but now it seemed that the black box clearly contained a sniper rifle!
But how did a sniper rifle get into the Outer World?
"Forbidden Artifact," Liu Dezhu whispered in his heart.
Qing Chen calmly looked at Liu Dezhu: "You guessed it?"
"Yeah," Liu Dezhu didn't hide it. "Congratulations, Boss, on getting a Forbidden Artifact. I saw someone online say that after a Forbidden Artifact recognizes its master, it can be brought to the Outer World. Now, among all the Time Travelers, the number of people who own a Forbidden Artifact can be counted on one hand."
Qing Chen didn't say anything more. After all, he already had three Forbidden Artifacts. If he compared himself to others, it would be unfair to others...
"Remember, when Zhang Chengze calls you, pretend you don't know anything. Whatever happened to him, whatever happened to the Time Traveler around him, it was all done by Glacial Eyes, it has nothing to do with you," Qing Chen said. "You just need to continue the protection mission, but the price increases to 3 million per week. If he agrees, there will be a car to pick you up."
"Yes, yes," Liu Dezhu quickly nodded. "Boss, what if he doesn't agree to the price?"
"Glacial Eyes will make him agree."
Qing Chen sighed inwardly. He swore that from the beginning, he really just wanted to do business properly...