The Sea Monster's Deal (Part 1)

Manhattan Island, Gu Tower.

It was a rare clear day in winter, with golden sunlight generously bathing Gu Tower. The black dragon atop the building had eyes that sparkled in the sun, overlooking all the people coming and going.

Inside Gu Tower, however, dark clouds loomed, and the atmosphere was extremely tense.

The corridors on every floor were filled with bodyguards in black suits, ninjas in tight-fitting outfits, and individuals in gray robes of unknown origin. Everyone had a stern expression. Employees from various departments of the Gu Group tiptoed around these figures within the building, not daring to utter a word.

In the top-floor conference room, a beam of light descended from the ceiling, displaying an image of Gu Xiechen as he was in Zurich.

Gu Juechen sat with a grim expression on a large black jade chair in the center of the conference room. On either side of the conference table before him sat dozens of Gu Group executives. The atmosphere in the conference room was even more somber than that of the building; everyone squinted at Gu Xiechen on the light screen.

The gaunt, three-eyed elder coughed lightly and said to Gu Juechen in a gentle voice, "Patriarch Gu."

Gu Juechen glanced at the elder and nodded. "Elder Wu." As Elder Wu forced a smile and was about to speak, Gu Juechen slammed his palm onto the conference table. "I gave you three days, and you let that little brat escape Zurich. Now, a month has passed, and you haven't even found out where he is. Have you been eating dung?"

Elder Wu's face turned ashen, and the Dizang Temple members behind him looked displeased.

Taking a breath, Gu Juechen pounded the table, berating the Gu Group executives thoroughly. He didn't direct any insults at Elder Wu, but Elder Wu's face grew increasingly pale, almost turning black. Gu Juechen's reprimands of the Gu Group executives' incompetence struck a chord with Elder Wu—he and his men had also participated in the pursuit of Gu Xiechen, and they hadn't gained anything either.

As Gu Juechen paused to catch his breath, a majestic-looking middle-aged man stood up and said in a deep voice, "Father, we can consider hiring a mercenary group."

"I'll f*** your mother!" Gu Juechen grabbed the teacup in front of him and hurled it at the middle-aged man's face. The force sent the man flying, and the porcelain teacup shattered against his face. The man who was hit didn't dare to make a sound and obediently returned to his seat. Several Gu family members beside him simultaneously displayed schadenfreude smiles.

Gu Juechen pointed at the Gu Group executives and yelled, "A bunch of idiots, hiring mercenaries? Damn it, are you afraid the Gu family isn't embarrassed enough? If this gets out, it'll be said that I, Gu Juechen, murdered my own brother to monopolize the family fortune. If people knew this, how could I, Gu Juechen, still have any face in the federal business world?"

The conference room door was suddenly pushed open, and a man rushed in, looking panicked.

Gu Juechen's expression turned cold again. He was about to order the man dragged out and beaten to death when the man cried out in panic, "Patriarch, Patriarch, look outside the building, something's happening."

"Hmm?" Gu Juechen and Elder Wu exchanged glances. The light screen in the conference room flickered, and the surveillance footage outside Gu Tower was displayed clearly.

"What... what is this?" Gu Juechen and Elder Wu were stunned as they looked at the footage on the screen.

A large group of beautiful girls in three-piece bikinis were cheering and marching in neat formation towards Gu Tower. They sang joyfully, their voices melodious and pleasant. At a rough estimate, there were at least twenty to thirty thousand of these beautiful bikini-clad girls. They surged towards Gu Tower like a flood and entered the building.

The security guards inside the building, the family warriors trained by the Gu family, Elder Wu's disciples in gray robes, and the ninjas controlled by Dizang Temple—none could stop this group.

Tens of thousands of beautiful girls in bikinis, nearly naked, rubbed and groped against each other with fiery passion. Even the most heroic men would turn into boneless worms. These girls, without any martial arts cultivation or special abilities, and unable to conceal even a needle on their bodies, stormed into Gu Tower like a torrent. They easily occupied the first, second, and third floors of the building... resolutely advancing towards the top floor.

Gu Juechen and Elder Wu's jaws nearly dislocated. Gu Juechen looked at Elder Wu strangely, and Elder Wu looked back at him equally strangely, asking in a low voice, "You, Gu Group, do you have employee benefits?"

"Nonsense!" Gu Juechen was so angry he almost spat blood. He pointed at the image on the screen and roared, "Is this how employee benefits are distributed? I give each employee five or six beauties?"

Slamming the conference table forcefully, Gu Juechen finally issued what might have been the most humiliating order of his life: "Damn it, call the police! Call the police! New York's public order, damn it!"

The middle-aged man who had been beaten earlier said cautiously, "Father, why don't we order these women to be driven out?"

Gu Juechen was so angry he almost cried. "Drive them out? Tomorrow, our Gu Group will become the laughingstock of the Federation! Mobilize family warriors to beat up a group of inexplicable women? Oh my god!" Gu Juechen felt his head swell by three times. Why did such bizarre things keep happening?

The Gu Group executives exchanged wry glances. Looking at the current scene, it seemed the Gu Group would soon be on the front page of the newspapers.

Just as they were at a loss for what to do, all the charming girls simultaneously disappeared. Their bodies disintegrated in the air, and faint silver streams of light shot out from where their bodies had vanished. On every floor of the building, these streams of light drifted through the ceilings, directly towards the top floor, eventually merging into a silver-haired man who had appeared at the conference room door at some unknown time.

Elder Wu's pupils contracted to pinpricks. He said in a deep voice, "Realm Master? You are... who?"

The effeminate Siren slowly walked into the conference room. He bowed to the twitching Gu Juechen, his mouth contorted. "The Gu Group's defenses are too strong, so I could only use this small trick to get in. I hope it didn't cause too much trouble for Patriarch Gu." Straightening up, Siren chuckled, "Allow me to introduce myself, Siren, 'Sea Monster' Siren. I was officially registered with the Earth Federation Special Administrative Committee fifteen days ago."

Gu Juechen nodded slowly. "A new Realm Master? No wonder, your ability is very interesting. And very terrifying."

Siren pursed his lips and smiled. "Yes, the Federation's power is held by men, and all men are controlled by women. My domain energy controls many beautiful and lovely women, so I can control more things than many people imagine."

Elder Wu looked at Siren coldly. "You are that newly emerged Realm Master? Heh heh, I heard about you a while ago. An old zombie is looking for you to settle a score."

Siren shrugged and chuckled dismissively. "Lord Corpse Emperor, the First Dao Master of Nine Nether Dao? This little misunderstanding can be easily resolved."

The flesh lump on Elder Wu's brow faintly rotated with blood-red light, and a soul-stirring evil energy slowly emanated from it. Elder Wu, with unfriendly eyes, stared intently at Siren, his gaze flickering as he pondered something. Siren's heart sank slightly. He nodded and smiled at Elder Wu. "I hold the Three Witch Sect in great reverence. We should be friends, not enemies." Siren's gaze fixed on the flesh lump on Elder Wu's brow, and a cold light flashed in his beautiful silver eyes.

Elder Wu pondered for a moment, then forced a smile and slowly nodded.

Gu Juechen asked dryly, "So, Mr. Siren, you didn't come to our Gu Group to play a joke on us, did you?"

Siren took out a document from his large robe pocket and smiled. "No, it's not a joke. I just need Patriarch Gu's help with a few things. This is some military hardware and equipment that our Sacred Unicorn Mercenary Group wishes to order from the Gu Group. As the new First Deputy Commander of the Sacred Unicorn, I had to come in person."

"The Sacred Unicorn is a major client. You don't need to visit us using such methods," Gu Juechen frowned.

With a light flick of his finger, the twenty-page document, as thick as a book, seemed to be held by invisible hands and steadily slid to Gu Juechen. Siren smiled. "It's just a small demonstration of my personal strength, to give Patriarch Gu some confidence in my abilities. Well, please take a look at our requirements first."

Gu Juechen silently picked up the document and began to read. Siren stood at the conference room door, smiling as he surveyed the room's layout. After a while, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the conference room and gazed at the sea view outside through the thick bulletproof glass. After about ten minutes, Siren estimated that Gu Juechen had finished reading the document. He then sighed softly, "The scenery here is beautiful, but it's too convenient for certain people to jump off the building and escape into the sea."

Elder Wu's gaunt, dark face flushed slightly, and he glared at Siren in exasperation.

Gu Juechen's face was as still as a deep well. He indifferently put down the document. "Mr. Siren, the Sacred Unicorn's requirements are too outrageous. The transport planes and small escort ships you are ordering barely meet the control limits of the Federal Military Department in terms of specifications. However, the armor, radar-jamming coatings, fire control systems, energy systems, ship engines, and various other facilities are all military-grade! And they are strictly controlled A+ class military products. This is an illegal transaction."

Siren shrugged and said calmly, "Anything else?"

Gu Juechen's right hand's ten fingers tapped incessantly on the document. He sneered, "There are also various small armored vehicles, prospecting vehicles, individual combat suits, and individual high-energy weapons. Many of their specifications exceed the scope of civilian products, which is also an illegal transaction." He paused and added, "Of course, I'm not saying that our Gu Group cannot provide these goods to the Sacred Unicorn, but you are asking for too much!"

Gu Juechen slammed the conference table forcefully and shouted, "The quantity you are requesting is enough to arm two Federal A-class reinforced divisions! And the price you are offering is even 30% lower than our cost. We cannot do this deal!"

With a wave of his hand, the document on the table shot towards Siren's neck with a piercing sound. (To be continued)