Basically, Luo Qiu was following behind You Ye. There should have been plenty of workers at a factory like this, and naturally there should have been plenty of people moving around, yet they had not encountered anyone or been discovered along the way.
You Ye seemed completely accustomed to barging straight into other people's territory.
How had she become so skilled at it?
It was probably because You Ye had done this sort of thing many, many times, until it had become second nature. Besides, with the club's strange abilities, getting used to such things probably wasn't too difficult.
All one needed was a heart strong enough to endure it.
"This is the General Manager's Office?"
You Ye stopped, and Luo Qiu looked at the nameplate on the door of the room where she had stopped: General Manager's Office, Cao Ziqian.
Cao Ziqian... If he remembered correctly, Jin Zifu had mentioned that his son-in-law was named Zi Qian.
"If you want to understand this factory's situation, the simplest and most convenient method is right here." You Ye smiled faintly, then directly opened the door to the General Manager's Office and stood respectfully to one side. "Master, please enter."
Luo Qiu had no time to marvel at You Ye's respectful manner. The moment the door opened, he saw a young man with a startled expression staring at him.
"Who are you?" the other party asked immediately.
Adults who had entered society seemed able to radiate a maturity, composure, and sense of oppression that students lacked. Luo Qiu was slightly taken aback. Since he had already come this far, he could only brace himself and walk in.
After he entered, You Ye slowly followed him inside.
Cao Ziqian, who had been sitting behind the desk, frowned and stood up. In his eyes, one of the two looked like a clueless student, while the other was an exceptionally beautiful woman. That was his initial impression. He was certain that he did not know either of these two people who had suddenly barged in.
"Who are you two? If you had an appointment, I should remember it." He placed his palm on the desk, near the landline. Neither impulsive nor flustered, he calmly said, "Please explain your purpose."
"Mr. Cao, my master has come to inspect the operating condition of your factory." You Ye smiled as she stepped forward. "Please cooperate."
Cao Ziqian was clearly stunned. He frowned. "If you two are here to joke around, then please leave. I won't allow the security guards to do anything harmful to you."
"Mr. Cao, please cooperate. Don't make things difficult for me, all right?" You Ye said.
You Ye's voice was as gentle as the night breeze. Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled brilliantly. Under her gaze, Cao Ziqian's expression suddenly became vacant, and he slowly said, "Okay... all right..."
"Hypnosis?" Luo Qiu suddenly asked.
You Ye nodded. "Just a small trick. It only works on ordinary people with weak Mental Power."
Once again marveling at You Ye's capabilities, Luo Qiu examined Cao Ziqian with even greater curiosity. He walked up to Cao Ziqian and waved his hand in front of the man's eyes. Only after seeing that he still showed no reaction did he relax slightly.
"Will he tell the truth?" Luo Qiu asked.
You Ye nodded. "Unless the question is too objectionable, he should generally answer truthfully."
Luo Qiu pondered for a while before looking at Cao Ziqian. "Jin Zifu said that you secretly had him sign some documents and took possession of this factory. Now you plan to cooperate with a developer and demolish the factory. Is that true?"
"Yes." Cao Ziqian answered woodenly.
Luo Qiu frowned. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Tell me about this factory's operating condition."
"The factory will go bankrupt within three months."
Luo Qiu was even more startled. "Go bankrupt? Are you sure?"
Cao Ziqian said, "I'm sure. The factory has already accumulated a huge debt with the bank. It has less than three months left to repay it. The factory has had almost no orders for the past two years. So once the deadline arrives, the factory can only declare bankruptcy. At that point, the factory's land will also belong to the bank."
"So that's why you secretly took possession of the factory, planning to make a huge profit before the repayment deadline, right?"
"I had no choice. I couldn't just watch everything disappear." Cao Ziqian's expression suddenly became anguished. "I have to protect..."
He seemed to be struggling.
Perhaps, just as You Ye had said, if the questions were too objectionable, he could regain consciousness at any time.
"What did you do to me?!"
Cao Ziqian's furious shout suddenly rang out. He looked alert and nervous as he grabbed the telephone on the desk. "Xia Li, get some security guards over here right now!"
Luo Qiu instinctively glanced at You Ye.
The maid puppet, who seemed to exist solely to resolve the club owner's troubles, quickly walked up to Cao Ziqian and waved her arm in front of his eyes.
Cao Ziqian closed his eyes and collapsed to the floor, apparently unconscious.
"He won't wake up for half an hour. Please rest assured, Master." You Ye spoke softly. "Master, have you made a decision?"
Luo Qiu quickly glanced at Cao Ziqian's desk and the state of the office. Then he suddenly shook his head. "No. There's another place I want to visit."
Clutching the Black Card tightly against his chest, Jin Zifu nervously pushed open the club's ancient wooden door once again.
As the pleasant, crisp sound of the bell rang out, You Ye, with her pale, morbid beauty, smiled and said, "Welcome, esteemed guest."
Jin Zifu nodded instinctively. He saw that the owner of the club was sitting at the same round table where he had sat before.
The clear water filled less than a third of the cup. It seemed that Luo Qiu had been sitting there for some time.
Jin Zifu hurried over to Luo Qiu and sat down, asking directly, "Boss, about my factory..."
Luo Qiu smiled faintly. "No problem, Mr. Jin. You can completely reclaim your factory with the lifespan you wish to use as the payment for the transaction."
Jin Zifu's face lit up with joy. "Really?"
Luo Qiu clapped his hands. You Ye stepped forward, carrying a tray in both hands. A pile of documents sat on it.
Luo Qiu looked at Jin Zifu. "These are all the documents you once signed, transferring the factory bit by bit to Cao Ziqian. Of course, they are all the original documents."
Jin Zifu quickly took the documents in front of him and opened them one by one. His expression grew agitated and ecstatic. "That's right! That's right! These are all of them! All of them! Now that I've found them, the factory is still mine... It's still mine!"
He hugged the pile of documents tightly, treating them like treasures.
At that moment, Jin Zifu suddenly stood up. "Thank you for helping me find these! If I get the chance, I'll definitely repay you properly!"
Luo Qiu smiled. "There's no need. This was a willing transaction between us. Now, regarding Mr. Jin's payment..."
"Bang!!!"
"The factory is mine! My life is mine too! No one can take it away! Thank you for finding these documents for me! I'll send you on your way!"
A savage smile appeared on Jin Zifu's face. At the same time, he held a pitch-black USP45 in his hand.
A .45 ACP round was powerful enough to inflict lethal damage on an ordinary person's body.
And at that moment, such damage had clearly appeared on Luo Qiu's body... a conspicuous wound had opened in the center of his forehead.
Luo Qiu, who had been sitting, collapsed straight to the floor. The seemingly deranged Jin Zifu then pointed the USP45 in his hand at You Ye. "You can die too!"
"Bang, bang!!"
Two loud shots rang out, striking You Ye twice in the chest.
Seeing You Ye collapse as well, Jin Zifu hurriedly shoved the pistol into his clothes, clutched the pile of documents in his arms, and frantically crashed through the club's wooden door.
Not long after Jin Zifu left, Luo Qiu, who had been lying on the floor, suddenly stood up.
Strangely, his body seemed to be supported by something. At the same time, the wound on his forehead began healing bit by bit... until it completely vanished.
Only then did he open his eyes. He instinctively touched his forehead and muttered, "I see... Before the hourglass has completely run out, I can't die no matter what."
He looked at You Ye, who had likewise fallen to the floor.
He found that You Ye's arm was moving slightly. Not long afterward, she slowly stood up as well. However, the bullet wounds on her body had not healed.
It was probably because she was a puppet.
"Master, would you like me to refill the water?" You Ye asked softly.
The water cup had also been knocked over when Luo Qiu fell.
Luo Qiu shook his head and reached out to pick up the Black Card on the tabletop, which Jin Zifu had not taken before leaving.
"...Club Trading Rule Seven: Guests are absolutely forbidden from taking merchandise away on their own."
The Black Card in his hand suddenly ignited. Under the burning black flames, it was quickly reduced to ashes.
Before you continue