Chapter 78

Before long, a layer of golden light appeared on the Yellow paper talisman in his hand. As the light grew brighter, it seemed to lift the talisman into the air, almost solidifying it. Finally, it circled around the Lee's body, like a satellite.

Next is the second talisman, which, like the others, floats in mid-air after scattering golden light, flying around me. As long as I master the release of this energy, I can do many things.

Shi Lei was completely focused, not even blinking. But gradually, he frowned.

I couldn't make out the Originium Arts energy circuit that Lee mentioned at all. It was just that the talisman glowed, rose into the air, and circled around. And then... nothing more.

This is enough to prove that the energy system of the Genshin Impact world is different from the energy system of Terra.

Although the Jade Shield and Planet Befall appear to be Originium Arts, they are fundamentally different.

This meant that no matter how many instructional books Shi Lei read about Terra, he couldn't grasp the mysteries of immortal techniques. He couldn't go from zero to one, and thus he hit a bottleneck.

This system is a real pain; you never disappoint.

Upon closer examination, the abilities one possesses are different from the current world system, which can be seen as both an advantage and a disadvantage.

For example, methods that restrict, weaken, or even block Originium Arts are completely ineffective against him. His drawback is the difficulty in developing Sage Mode; he has to figure everything out on his own.

This is equivalent to raising the lower limit and lowering the upper limit.

Shi Lei comforted himself, thinking that perhaps his current level was not high enough. Maybe when he advanced to the Archon Realm, he would find the opportunity to break through and create his own immortal techniques.

"So, did you understand? If you still don't understand, I can demonstrate it again."

Since he has already determined that the two abilities belong to different systems, watching them again and again will not help.

"Thank you, I think I understand now. I want to go back and process it all, and think about it carefully."

Seeing him about to leave, Lee threw his cigarette, which he had only taken two puffs of, on the ground and stomped it out, then grinned.

"You're too kind. I'm glad I could help. If you want to learn more about Originium Arts, I suggest you apply to the Celestial Masters' Manor. They have a rich collection of books there and can answer all your questions more systematically and comprehensively."

In order to secure his minimum Roleplay Value, Shi Lei has been reading all sorts of books lately. One of them, a book about inland culture, even included a description of the Celestial Masters' Manor.

The school had a strong faculty and guaranteed job placement after graduation, making it feel like a vocational college.

Unfortunately, the Rex Lapis's abilities are different from the world's system, so reading more local books won't help.

"The Celestial Masters' Manor? I'll remember that, thank you. I've bothered you for so long, it's time for me to go."

Seeing that he was determined to leave, Lee did not try to stop him:

"You're too kind. Let me see you off."

Waai Fu looked surprised to see that Shi Lei was leaving just a few minutes after the meal.

"Hey, are you leaving so soon?"

"Yes, I have other things to do, so I'll have to go now. I'll visit again when I have time. Bye-bye."

Wait until she and Lee

After seeing the people downstairs, Shi Lei waved goodbye to the two men and turned to leave.

It's not too far from the warehouse. Since I'm off today, I'll just stroll back at my leisure and treat it as a walk.

It's a pity, but he accepts the outcome.

After walking three blocks, Shi Lei saw workers holding banners demanding a wage increase from the Schwayer Group. The sight of several hundred workers drew the attention of many onlookers.

He offered a cigarette to a middle-aged worker, hoping to find out what was going on, just to join in the fun.

It turns out that Schwayer Group introduced a new performance appraisal model last year, splitting the original fixed salary plus bonus into a base salary and performance-based rewards. They then added a whole host of stringent conditions, resulting in workers receiving less money after working thirty days straight.

Everyone was complaining, but no one stood up to publicly refute it. The conflict finally erupted when this year's year-end bonus amounted to only one month's salary. If the performance evaluation system cannot be changed, the only solution is to raise the base salary.

In the following days, the workers' activities became increasingly frequent. It is said that members of the Lungmen Union were campaigning for their rights and trying to escalate the situation.

However, there were no related reports on television, in newspapers, or online. Even if someone posted about it on a forum, the post would be quickly deleted and blocked.

Seeing that their protests were ineffective, the workers opted for a collective strike, escalating the situation further. Upon learning of this, some members of the public voiced their support for the vulnerable working class.

Shi Lei's sense of justice hadn't gone so far as to interfere in every single matter. After all, he wasn't a judge and had no right to intervene in salary disputes.

On March 2nd, the sixth day after the workers began their strike, Shi Lei, who was at work, suddenly received a chat message from Miss. Beatrix Suiya.

One address location and two simple words.

"Help me."

126. Never enter the tiger's den.

Half an hour ago, at the Commercial Union Building.

Schwayer Group internal meeting scheduled for mid-February at the Victoria Royal Hotel was cancelled due to the bombing. The meeting was rescheduled two weeks later.

However, this time no powerful or wealthy people were invited; only members of the Schwayer family were eligible to participate.

The Lungmen Commercial Union, often simply referred to as the Commercial Union, is a business alliance composed of top companies from various sectors in Lungmen. Due to their accumulated substantial funds, they often have priority in establishing partnerships with government entities.

The Commercial Union Building is located in a prime location in the Upper City Lungmen, less than a kilometer from the Lungmen Guard Department Building. As Schwayer family with a pivotal position in the Commercial Union, requisitioning a few floors of their building would be no problem at all.

The group has gathered here today not only to report and summarize the Schwayer Group's performance last year, but also to address the recent strike that has caused quite a stir.

If this delays the delivery date of the property, the group will have to pay a large amount of liquidated damages.

Blake Suiya sat in the head seat, surrounded by eighteen bodyguards, his personal security team.

There was nothing he could do; the car bomb had left him traumatized. They secretly sent people to investigate for over half a month, but still couldn't find out who wanted to harm him.

Not only Beatrix's father, but several other family members are suspects. Until concrete evidence is obtained, everyone is a suspect.

Schwayer Group's annual report has been completed, and each member of the management team has been assigned this year's targets.

The next major task was dealing with the issue of the workers' collective strike. Some supported a wage increase, while others opposed it, and a consensus could not be reached.

With the old man absent, Blake, as the decision-maker, wouldn't do anything foolish like trying to smooth things over. This issue must be resolved in today's meeting; it can't be left for later.

According to the rules of procedure, both sides will submit their proposals, and the final vote will be held anonymously. In the event of a tie, Blake will make the final decision.

The first to stand up was Beatrix, the representative of the pay rise faction, also known as the 'compromise faction' by others.

This is mainly because she works for the Lungmen Guard Department and holds the position of Senior Superintendent, giving her a certain degree of influence.

"Hello everyone, my position is that I agree with the salary increase. According to data feedback provided by the business team, the performance appraisal standards launched last year are more suitable for sales positions, rather than matching all positions."

My proposed solution is to restore non-sales positions to their original salaries in the form of subsidies. At the very least, workers shouldn't be doing the same work for less money. On top of that, we'll add incentive bonuses—the more they do, the more they earn—to fully motivate employees.

"Hehe."

Sitting opposite Beatrix was her cousin, Richard Suiya, who scoffed at the remark.

"Cousin, have you been in the Lungmen Guard Department for too long and been assimilated by them? How could you even bring up such a terrible idea?"

Richard stood up and continued:

"Since the workers have the support of the Lungmen Union, we can spend money to hire anti-trade union organizations and punish their illegal acts through legal means."

I've already bribed a few workers out of my own pocket to act as informants. All we need to do is fire the troublemakers, and the others will naturally behave. I can't guarantee what will happen elsewhere, but at least I'll ensure these guys never have a place in Lungmen again.

Finally, a one-time compensation payment was issued in the form of a New Year's bonus, to be distributed over three months. These workers couldn't be treated too well. If they were all rolling in money...

"Oil? Who's going to work hard for our family now?"

Beatrix couldn't stand it anymore and retorted:

"This is just treating the symptoms, not the root cause. It won't work for long. What if another strike breaks out later?"

Richard grinned, his expression full of disdain:

"What's so difficult about that? Just keep firing people. Our Schwayer Group has such a prestigious reputation, there are plenty of people eager to take our jobs. Don't think I don't know that you secretly facilitated negotiations between the union representatives and the Commercial Union yesterday. Beatrix, what are you trying to do? Make decisions for us? Are you siding with outsiders?"

His uncles and elders, standing beside him, chimed in:

"Exactly! We're a family, not a family you can just do whatever you want with. That's utterly outrageous!"

"Sixth Brother has a very bad opinion of her. If we continue to let things go, she will definitely ruin important things for the company in the future."

"If you don't want to be the bad guy, I will. I propose that she be removed from her position in the group."

Beatrix kept a straight face the whole time, giving the impression that these old guys had come prepared.

"I agree. She's a senior superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department, so she should focus on being a good superintendent. How can a woman who can't even stand up straight protect the family's interests?"

As more and more people began to condemn her, Beatrix turned to look at her second uncle, who sat at the head of the table. Blake, however, remained silent throughout, offering no comment.

"I agree. We can't let everyone's hard work be ruined by this little girl."

The atmosphere at the scene no longer resembled an internal meeting; it was more like a trial against her.

Beatrix thought these uncles and elders were completely obsessed, willing to lose all sense of shame for a little bit of money.

Her weapons and cell phone were confiscated by the bodyguards before she entered, but she smuggled a spare flip phone into the scene by clipping it to her pants.

Beatrix wasn't going to sit idly by and wait to be killed; she had to do something. If her second uncle didn't give a statement, she would have no choice but to interrupt the meeting.

There are two people who can help him get out of trouble right now, but the man is more reliable because he saved his second uncle.

She quietly curled up her spare phone with her tail and unlocked it under the table. Since there wasn't a suitable opportunity to call, she blindly opened the chat app.

Beatrix leaned back slightly, using her angled view to open Shi Lei's chat window. After a few simple steps, she sent a location address.

Richard quickly noticed something amiss and raised his hand, saying:

What are you doing down there with that hand?

Upon hearing this, the bodyguards standing against the wall quickly moved closer.

Beatrix had no desire to be judged, so she quickly typed "Save me" on the keyboard with her right hand.

Sensing that the bodyguard was approaching, she immediately clicked send and locked the screen using the function key.

"Miss, please hand over the items."

Beatrix no resistance and pulled out her phone.

Seeing this, Richard smiled sinisterly:

"Oh, cousin, who are you tipping off? I knew you were always siding with outsiders, so you were trying to team up with them to bring us down?"

He was directly labeled a traitor.

March 2nd, 11:30 AM

Shi Lei arrived at the Commercial Union building in a Texas car. The magnificent revolving door resembled a predatory tiger's jaws.

No tiger picture, here's a lion picture instead. jpg

127 I really want him

Penguin Logistics is not far from the Lungmen Guard Department, which in the Lungmen Guard Department is very close to the Commercial Union Building.

After receiving the message, Shi Lei called Texas downstairs, and they drove there, which took less than ten minutes.

He thought Miss Beatrix was usually very composed and didn't seem like the type to joke about something like this. Her sudden SOS message meant she was definitely in trouble.

She's a senior superintendent from Lungmen; she's most likely here to discuss business. Based on this, Shi Lei's thinking branched out, and he considered two possibilities.

Either Beatrix is here on behalf of the Schwayer Group to negotiate with the striking workers, or she's here to attend an internal Schwayer Group meeting.

Negotiating with the workers shouldn't lead to a hostage situation, right? The Commercial Union Building is very close to the Lungmen Guard Department building; they don't even need to use police cars to respond to emergencies.

If you don't see Lungmen Guard Department officers downstairs at the Commercial Union Building, you can rule out this option.

In comparison, she is more likely to attend internal meetings. This is because the Schwayer family is a member of the Commercial Union, and holding meetings here is safer than at the Royal Hotel.

As long as there are no police cars or officers downstairs, external factors can be ignored. Therefore, the danger Miss Beatrix faces comes from within her family, that is, from her relatives.

Killing her outright is impractical; she's a high-ranking superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department, and her death would be a major disaster.

In other words, her sending herself a distress message likely indicates that she encountered some kind of non-fatal danger.

Imprisonment? Threat of violence?

He needed to get to Miss Beatrix's side as soon as possible to help her out of her current predicament, no matter what.

"Arrive."