Director Dongfang's Shock

A long silence followed.

No one in the room dared to speak.

As if recalling something, Director Dongfang hurriedly raised his hand to check his messages.

He found an internally starred message sent sometime after ten that morning.

The brief information on the screen read as follows: the sender's name, Fang Yun, was displayed in large letters in the upper left corner, while a star in the upper right indicated it was content he had marked for attention.

The brief preview below read: Director, Ning Ze came to the Limitless Martial Arts School this morning to sell a large amount of materials. When I was transferring the funds, I noticed that he was under your attention...

That was all...

Director Dongfang had even shaken his head and smiled at the time. Being under his attention did not mean that much attention. Why send him a message just because someone sold materials? He had not opened it then, but now, with mixed feelings, he tapped it open.

: Director, Ning Ze came to the Limitless Martial Arts School this morning to sell a large amount of materials. When I was transferring the funds, I noticed that he was under your attention. Because the payment was extraordinarily large, reaching 20 billion Huaxia Coins, I inferred that this handsome young man possesses strength comparable to a War God. Only someone with War God-level strength but without the life aura of a War God could hunt so many monsters. Furthermore, this is only part of it. He chose to sell even more monster materials through the Underground Alliance, worth roughly 30 billion more. Outside, they might be worth 50 billion. With such an astonishing record, I believe you should take a look. His strength must have undergone a tremendous leap.

--Fang Yun

At a glance, Director Dongfang's pupils contracted sharply. He looked up, his face full of conflict, and asked, "You sold 20 billion worth of materials at the martial arts school this morning?"

Ning Ze answered seriously, "Yes. That was only part of it. I needed contribution points to buy Secret Manuals."

Director Dongfang was a little dazed. What a matter-of-fact answer: I need contribution points to buy Secret Manuals. His voice dry, he asked, "How... did you kill them?"

He could not understand it. He had never heard of anything so outrageous in his life.

Materials worth 50 billion—weighed alone, they had to total more than twenty tons! Even packed neatly, a truck could not carry it all!

If everyone hunted monsters like that, the monsters would practically be extinct already!

Ning Ze thought back for a moment, then answered, "We killed our way along the Huangpu River, passed through the Core Area, and made it all the way downstream. The monsters never seemed to decrease much. There are fewer monsters upstream now, but after they recover for a while, we should be able to kill another batch."

Director Dongfang was immediately speechless. Kill another batch? He made it sound easy. Who could do that? Hunting monsters along the Huangpu River— even War Gods would be drowned by monsters. That was suicide!

He looked suspiciously at Zuo Xingyuan and the others. "You killed them?"

Zuo Xingyuan, Yang Chao, and the others exchanged looks before answering awkwardly, "No. We only handled the monster materials."

Director Dongfang nodded silently. That made sense. None of these people looked particularly strong.

He looked at Ning Ze with complicated eyes, then glanced at Ning Hua before turning back and staring into Ning Ze's eyes. He asked with difficulty, "Are you still hiding your strength?"

His younger brother was a War God, and he knew many War Gods. He understood War God-level strength very well.

Ning Ze had twenty thousand kilograms of strength. With the third level of Force Generation from "Gale Sword Master," a multiplier of 2.8, his power could at best reach the War God level. As a Mental Master, he was relatively weak and could not provide much support. There was no way he could have achieved such a terrifying record.

Ning Ze frowned slightly and cautiously asked in a low voice, "Does Perfect Level Movement Technique count? It isn't as straightforward as Force Generation, but it's still quite useful."

Director Dongfang gaped. He truly did not know what to say.

Just "quite useful"!

How little did he think of Perfect Level Movement Technique?

Did he know that even some War Gods could not master it!?

He should have told him about something like that!

If he had told him, Director Dongfang would have sent him to the Elite Training Camp long ago. How could things have turned out like this today?

"Ha!"

"Hahaha!"

Director Dongfang did not know whether to laugh or cry. His heart ached terribly.

He had spent ten years searching for geniuses for the Limitless Martial Arts School and had found two promising seedlings. Never had he imagined that one day, he would be repeatedly shocked because someone he encountered was too talented. Even his calm temperament, cultivated over so many years, was hard to maintain.

Of course he was happy to discover such a genius. Across the six Base Cities, one appeared every five years. Each Base City had three directors and one president, yet he had never discovered a genius of this caliber. He was practically ecstatic!

But what this family had done left him unable to laugh freely. Instead, it felt as though a breath of air was lodged in his throat.

Director Dongfang wanted to scold them for wasting such talent. With such gifts, Ning Ze could have told him. There was no need to keep it hidden.

But when the words reached his lips, he gave up. He thought of how this kid would not remain here much longer. What was the point of saying all that now? Even if he had known, what could he have done? A genius like this should go compete against other geniuses.

Director Dongfang sighed listlessly. "Prepare to head to the Elite Training Camp. Bring Wang Xing'an. We'll go find your materials." With that, he turned and left.

Since the director had spoken, no one said anything further. The martial arts school personnel hauled Wang Xing'an up, while Ning Ze silently followed behind them.

Only after stepping outside did he realize how much the director valued him. Along the hundred-meter stretch from the VIP room to the lobby, armed Warriors lined both sides. The entire HR Mall Building had been placed under lockdown!

There were also many Warlord-level experts waiting nearby. The display could not have been more imposing. They had come down on them with overwhelming force!

If they could not find the people, they would simply take them by force!

Gratitude welled up in Ning Ze's heart again.

"Did you find anything?" Director Dongfang asked loudly.

"Director, we found them processing high-value monster materials in the interrogation room on the third underground level. Many bear the marks of our Limitless Martial Arts School. They were using equipment to erase them, then transferring them onto counterfeit materials with similar appearances. No abnormalities were found elsewhere." A Warrior saluted and reported truthfully.

Director Dongfang sneered. "What an Underground Alliance! So this is how they plundered half the global economy. They've really grown bold!"

Director Dongfang immediately issued his orders with imposing authority. "Deploy more personnel. From this moment on, completely seal off the entire HR Mall Building!"

"Immediately detain the staff at the materials sales counter!..."

"Audit every business transaction in Jiangnan Base City connected to the Underground Alliance..."

"Notify the other Base Cities to be on alert regarding this matter!..."

"I will personally report this to martial arts school headquarters. They must be severely punished!"

As one order after another was issued, everyone sprang into action. At that moment, the might of the Limitless Martial Arts School was displayed in full.

Once Director Dongfang stopped issuing orders, Ning Ze quietly asked, "Director, how will Wang Xing'an be dealt with?"

Director Dongfang frowned slightly. "They tried to seize your materials and frame you. They will receive the punishment they deserve, and the Underground Alliance must also compensate you handsomely!"

Ning Ze nodded, understanding inwardly. The Wang Family was not so easy to deal with.

Since no one had been killed or injured, what Wang Xing'an had dared to do did not amount to any major crime and would not result in an especially severe punishment. Even if he bore serious responsibility, the matter would likely be quietly settled once the Wang Family put in some effort.

There was also no evidence from the previous incidents that could convict Wang Xing'an. Hong Quan's video did not count for much.

"Thank you for upholding justice for us, Director. Can I sell those materials to the martial arts school?"

Director Dongfang laughed heartily. "In such a hurry to buy Secret Manuals? Don't worry. You'll make a fortune this time, kid. The entire building has been sealed off, and the Underground Alliance is not just one Wang Family. Someone will soon offer you enormous compensation!" As he spoke, he looked toward the elevators.

An elderly man with a head of white hair was emerging from the elevator, followed by a middle-aged man and a young man.

He wore somewhat old-fashioned white formal robes. When he turned and saw this side, his expression became ashamed and anxious, and he hurried over.

"Director Dongfang, I am truly sorry. I never expected such a serious lapse to occur in my HR Alliance Mall."

Director Dongfang sneered. "There, the person in charge has arrived. He is the head of the Xu Family from the Underground Alliance. This place was originally managed by them. Perhaps management was temporarily handed to the Wang Family because of an exchange of interests."

Ning Ze's gaze turned cold. An exchange of interests. He had asked around about Wang Xing'an before. The man was a pervert! He spent his days bullying women for amusement. Rather than staying in Kyoto Base City, he had come here to wreak havoc.

Ning Ze only regretted that he could not kill him right now. Otherwise, he would never allow Wang Xing'an to live for even one more second.

The Xu Family head jogged over. Director Dongfang ignored him, so he could only turn to Ning Ze with an apologetic expression. "Little brother, I am truly sorry. I only just received word of this. Rest assured, I will compensate you for your losses!"

Director Dongfang gave a cold laugh. "Compensate him? Of course you must compensate him! But I'm afraid your Xu Family cannot afford it. Fifty billion Huaxia Coins—and that is only the value of the materials. By HR Alliance rules, counterfeit goods require tenfold compensation. That makes five hundred billion! Does your Xu Family have that much liquid capital? More than half your family's assets amount to only that much, let alone the fact that you used your position as a major business to bully customers and tried to swallow those materials. Your nine great families should hurry and hold a meeting! If you don't want to do business anymore, then let someone else do it!"

The Xu Family head's expression changed drastically, cold sweat streaming down his forehead. The Wang Family had planned to make a move in the dark and had sealed off all news. He had only learned afterward that the materials were worth over ten billion, but he had never expected them to be worth fifty billion!

If they truly had to pay five hundred billion in compensation, how could the Xu Family possibly afford it?

The Underground Alliance did indeed control half the world's economy, but its assets were nowhere near that terrifying—or rather, that was not how things were calculated.

Most ordinary people earned only two or three thousand a month. Essential goods such as grain and vegetables were controlled by the state, and the profit margins on ordinary goods were extremely low. The lower classes were already struggling; there was no further room to exploit them.

Then there were martial artists. The most expensive things were Secret Manuals and equipment, but Secret Manuals were controlled by the martial arts schools and the state. The martial arts schools held the strongest and greatest number of them. Equipment required Kro Alloy and monster materials to forge, and the profit margin was not even fifty percent. Every major power produced Combat Suits.

Martial artists killed many monsters, but only powerful ones. The military undoubtedly killed the most monsters of all. The truly wealthy forces were the martial arts schools and the state. The Underground Alliance only controlled some of the scraps left over. Their influence might be broad enough to count as half the economy, but their assets did not amount to half of all wealth.

Strength reigned supreme. To possess half the wealth, one needed half the strength.

The Underground Alliance clearly did not possess that kind of strength. How could the martial artists produced by several families compare to the entire Earth? They merely supported a few War Gods to protect their businesses.

The Xu Family's total assets amounted to only one or two trillion. Their businesses covered every aspect of the five major nations' Base Cities, mostly infrastructure work. They were essentially working for the state in the form of companies. Once liquidated, they would amount to only one trillion.

Just then, Director Dongfang sneered and said casually, "I forgot to introduce him. The young man beside me is Ning Ze. These materials belong to him. Next, he will immediately head to the Elite Training Camp, and he is in a hurry to purchase a full set of Secret Manuals and equipment. You'd best hurry."

The Xu Family head's eyes bulged. He could already hunt fifty billion worth of materials, and he was about to enter the War God Reserve Team. Such a genius was unheard of, terrifying beyond measure!

In a panic, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeatedly bowed in apology.

The middle-aged man and young man beside the Xu Family head lowered their heads and did not dare utter a word. The Xu Family had the smallest population among the nine great families. As the Xu Family's heirs, father and son had always been imposing figures, but their eyes were now filled with terror. Compared to money, offending a person was far more frightening!

Especially peerless geniuses. Who knew whether they would become experts in a few years? Experts even among War Gods! How powerful could the War Gods they hired be? Their Xu Family could not afford to provoke him!

With a flash, Ning Ze silently appeared to one side, avoiding the bow. He said calmly, "There is no need for this, sir. I had never heard of the Underground Alliance doing such things before. This time, I have a grudge against the Wang Family. They deliberately plotted against and framed me. I want the Wang Family to pay this compensation!"

In his impression, the Underground Alliance had deeply ingrained itself in people's lives. Even after becoming martial artists, people could join the Underground Alliance. The supermarket beside his residential complex was also run by the Underground Alliance, and they had come to the Underground Alliance to sell their materials...

Controlling such an economy was frightening, but it was also an immense contribution.

He judged matters on their merits, not on the people involved. There were good people and bad people everywhere. If someone did wrong, the real culprit had to be held accountable!

As for the compensation, he wanted the Wang Family to pay it!

They could repay the money now. Later, they would repay blood!

The Xu Family head froze. He had not expected Ning Ze to treat him this way. Not only did Ning Ze not blame him, he was even somewhat friendly.

As long as he had not offended him, it was fine. The Xu Family head breathed a sigh of relief and quickly promised, "Rest assured. I will immediately negotiate with the other families and make sure the Wang Family gives you satisfactory compensation!"

Ning Ze nodded slightly and said nothing more.

The Xu Family head tugged the young man beside him and said sincerely, "This is my grandson, Xu Gang. I will have him handle the compensation matters afterward. I will now go discuss this with the other families."

Ning Ze turned and calmly glanced at the handsome young man. He understood perfectly well. The Xu Family head was taking advantage of the situation to build a relationship with him. The old man was clever indeed—just as expected of a businessman.

Xu Gang felt as though that gaze could see straight through him. He could only smile awkwardly and nod, quickly greeting him. "Hello."

Ning Ze nodded and replied blandly, "Hello." He turned away. "I will await your news."

"Fine! I will handle it immediately." The Xu Family head cupped his hands. "Director Dongfang, if headquarters has any demands, we will certainly fulfill them."

"Wait for it." Director Dongfang's attitude was not very good. This matter had already been reported, and headquarters would definitely deal with it strictly.

"Farewell, everyone."

The Xu Family head left with the middle-aged man, leaving Xu Gang standing there with a smile. After adapting to the atmosphere, this young master no longer seemed uncomfortable.

"Director, how will they compensate me?" Ning Ze turned and asked. He also knew that five hundred billion in compensation was impossible, but the Wang Family had to bleed.

Director Dongfang waved a hand and smiled kindly. "You don't need to call me Director in the future. You're about to enter the Elite Training Camp. When you come out, I might have to call you sir. If you want to call me something, call me Uncle Dongfang from now on."

"Uncle Dongfang."

Ning Ze addressed him warmly. Director Dongfang had resolved the Shu Family matter last time, and he was resolving Ning Ze's problem this time as well. He was even recommending him to the Elite Training Camp. From beginning to end, he had taken great care of Ning Ze.

"Haha."

Director Dongfang laughed happily. "Since you call me uncle, then I must do my best to get you more compensation this time. Five hundred billion is definitely impossible, and you understand that. But doubling it should not be a problem. After causing such a major incident, they cannot be let off easily."

Ning Ze smiled faintly. "I'll listen to you."

He did not mind in the slightest whether Director Dongfang's claim that he would only help wholeheartedly after being called uncle was a joke or the truth. Why would someone with no relation to him keep helping him? Resolving this trouble alone was already an enormous favor.

Now that Director Dongfang was showing closeness and even goodwill by trying to build ties with him, Ning Ze was more than willing.

Director Dongfang felt extremely pleased upon hearing that. "All right. You just returned from the Wilderness Area, so get some rest. I will submit your information. The compensation issue should be resolved within the next couple of days, and the timing of your entry into the Elite Training Camp should also be settled. Just wait."

"Thank you for your trouble, Uncle Dongfang."