The Tycoon's Olive Branch

His consciousness was like a sunken ship, struggling to rise bit by bit from the cold, pitch-black seafloor.

The first sense to recover was his sense of smell. The strong, slightly bitter scent of disinfectant, mixed with the faint fragrance of some high-end synthetic medicine, replaced the bloody, charred stench of death from his final memories and seeped into his nostrils.

Next came his sense of touch. Beneath him was a soft yet highly supportive medical gel mattress, while a thin, breathable blanket with a silky texture covered him. Compared with the hard bed in a cheap motel and the cold, damp ground of the back alley, this place was practically heaven. Yet the excruciating pain in his body had not gone away. It had merely been temporarily suppressed by some potent medication, turning into a dull ache that permeated every part of him. The deepest pain was in his right leg, where the dark-green "Viper's Kiss" core was like an Ice Seal tumor, still radiating an unsettling, dormant chill.

Then came the boundless exhaustion, along with the emptiness and dull pain of having his soul hollowed out, brought on by the still-blinding -1.5 in his mind.

Lin Xiao struggled to open his heavy eyelids. The harsh white light made him squint at once. Only after taking quite some time to adjust did his vision gradually clear.

What came into view was an extremely minimalist room that nevertheless exuded luxury and advanced technology everywhere. The walls were a soft off-white, seemingly made of some special, seamless polymer that radiated a warm luster. There were no windows, but the ceiling simulated the gentle illumination of natural light, making it impossible to tell whether it was day or night. Various sophisticated medical instruments he could not understand quietly surrounded the bed. Complex vital-sign graphs danced across their screens, while the sensors connected to his body transmitted faint sensations.

The air was kept at a constant temperature and humidity. It was so quiet that he could hear his own faint heartbeat and the infusion pump's barely audible ticking.

This definitely was not a hospital, let alone his cheap doghouse. This was a private medical facility belonging to some powerful organization.

The Ye family.

Fragments of memory surged in like a tide—the deadly ambush in the back alley, Viper Scorpion's vicious grin, the sudden arrival of the black armored off-road vehicle, the cold and efficient bodyguards, and... the exquisitely beautiful yet utterly indifferent profile he had glimpsed behind the car window.

Ye Qingyan.

Had he been rescued? No. More accurately, he had been "reclaimed."

Lin Xiao tried moving a finger. A tearing pain shot through every part of his body, making him suck in a sharp breath. His throat was so dry it felt like sandpaper rubbing against it.

"You'd better not move around." A calm, even somewhat stiff, female voice sounded from beside him.

Lin Xiao laboriously turned his head and saw a professional caregiver standing before an instrument. She wore a white nurse's uniform, but her bearing was more like that of a female soldier. Her movements were meticulous, her eyes calm and emotionless. She looked at Lin Xiao as if he were a precision device requiring maintenance, without a trace of unnecessary emotion.

"Your injuries are severe. You have multiple fractures, internal organ trauma, massive blood loss, and remnants of some unusual neurotoxin. It cost us quite a lot to pull you back from the brink of death." The caregiver's voice was utterly flat, as though she were reading a report. "The toxin is troublesome. It has been suppressed, but removing it will require a specific serum, or... more advanced means."

Lin Xiao remained silent, understanding perfectly. More advanced means? Was she referring to his modifier? Unfortunately, it was currently only a seared negative number: (-1.5).

Just then, the only door in the room slid open without a sound.

A tall, graceful figure walked in.

She was still wearing that perfectly tailored skirt suit that accentuated her powerful presence, only this time it was a deep blue that appeared more dignified. Her jet-black hair was fastidiously tied behind her head, revealing a smooth forehead and a flawless face as cold as a jade carving.

Ye Qingyan.

She held an ultra-thin transparent tablet in her hand, her fingertip occasionally gliding across it. After entering the room, she did not even look at Lin Xiao first. Instead, she walked straight toward the caregiver and swept her gaze over the data on the instrument screens.

"Are his vital signs stable?" Her voice was cool and carried her accustomed tone of command.

"Yes, Miss. He's out of danger, but his body is extremely weak, and the toxin remains a hidden threat," the caregiver replied respectfully.

Only then did Ye Qingyan slowly turn around. Her beautiful eyes, deep as a frozen pool, finally settled on Lin Xiao in the hospital bed.

Her gaze was calm, scrutinizing, and sharp. It was like the highest-powered microscope, as though she intended to dissect him completely from the outside in without missing the slightest detail. There was no concern, pity, or even curiosity—only a purely value-based assessment.

Lin Xiao forced himself to meet her gaze. Though his entire body was wracked with pain and weakness, he still tried to keep a trace of his usual cynical swagger in his eyes, even if that swagger now looked pale and fragile.

"Miss Ye..." he said with difficulty, his voice terribly hoarse. "Looks like... this worthless life of mine is still worth something for now?"

The corner of Ye Qingyan's lips seemed to rise ever so slightly, but it was definitely not a smile. It was more like cold mockery.

"Worth?" She repeated the word, her voice steady and emotionless. "Lin Xiao, male, twenty years old. Dropped out of Yuncheng University's martial arts preparatory class. Parents deceased. Simple social connections. He's spent years in the lower echelons of society, earning a reputation in the streets for being 'ruthless' and 'lucky.'"

She recited the details of Lin Xiao's background with the precision of someone reading from a file.

"Recently, 'luck' seems to have favored you exceptionally." She took two steps forward, her high heels striking the polished floor with crisp, oppressive sounds. "First, you crippled Zhao Hu in public—a mediocre martial artist whose backer was a minor leader of the Blood Wolf Gang."

"Then you made contact with the Su family's ice-cold beauty, Su Qingxue, and even 'helped' her break through a bottleneck that had troubled her for years, allowing her to make a spectacular showing in the family competition."

"After that, you single-handedly raided the hideout of Viper Scorpion, a minor leader of the Blood Wolf Gang, and killed Viper Scorpion himself."

"Finally, when caught in a meticulously arranged deadly ambush by Viper Scorpion's surviving forces, you held out until my people happened to pass by—or rather, until you waited for my people to pass by."

Her gaze was sharp as a blade, as if it could pierce through Lin Xiao's feigned composure. "Each of these incidents, one after another, can't be explained by 'good luck' alone, can they?"

Lin Xiao's heart tightened slightly, but the cynical grin on his face did not change. "Maybe... the god I've been worshipping lately is particularly effective?"

Ye Qingyan ignored his flippant remarks. She stopped beside the bed and looked down at him. At last, a faint glimmer passed through her cold eyes, like the light in a merchant's gaze upon seeing a rare raw material.

"I don't care whether you worship gods or devils, and I'm not interested in what secrets you're hiding." Her voice carried an undeniable calm. "I only look at results. I only care about value."

"The 'value' you've displayed is very interesting. The ability to stir up trouble, the tenacity to survive desperate situations, and... that inexplicable bit of 'luck.'" She leaned forward slightly. A faint, cold perfume mingled with the pressure of her powerful presence and bore down on him. "And now, you happen to owe me your life, as well as... potentially costly future antidote expenses."

Lin Xiao looked at her without speaking. The cynicism in the depths of his eyes slowly receded, replaced by an equally cold wariness and calculation.

"Let's get to the point, Miss Ye. What do you want me to do?" He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch, especially not when it came to lunch offered by a behemoth like the Ye family.

"It's simple." Ye Qingyan straightened, resuming her air of absolute control. "Work for me. Or rather, work for me for the time being."

"The Ye family, or I, occasionally encounter some... 'troubles' that it would be inconvenient for the group's public forces to handle. They might be martial artists hired by competitors who refuse to follow the rules, information that requires 'special' methods to obtain, or obstacles that need an 'accident' to resolve." Her tone was as casual as if she were discussing the weather, but the content sent a chill through the listener.

"And you, Lin Xiao, seem very good at creating 'accidents,' and at solving problems outside the rules." She looked at Lin Xiao. "This is an 'observational' offer of cooperation. I'll provide a certain degree of intelligence support, limited resources, and... 'after-sales service' like this time."

"In return, when I need you, you'll have to demonstrate your 'value' and solve my 'troubles.' If you do well, antidote serum, Energy Stones, and even more... won't be a problem." Her gaze swept over Lin Xiao's heavily injured body again, carrying an unspoken implication. "But if you don't, or if I feel you've lost your 'value'..."

She did not finish, but the coldness in her eyes had already said everything. Cooperation? No. This was more like an unequal transaction, a dangerous employment arrangement. She was the capitalist at the helm, while he was a dangerous tool she had just acquired—one that might prove useful.

Lin Xiao lay on the soft hospital bed, his entire body still in agony, his source energy depleted, deadly poison coursing through him, and multiple factions watching him. The "olive branch" Ye Qingyan had extended looked like a lifeline, but in reality, it might lead to an even deeper abyss.

But did he have a choice?

Refuse? He would immediately lose his value. The best outcome would be being thrown back onto the streets to fend for himself, while facing endless pursuit from the Blood Wolf Gang and even Su Zhenshan.

Accept? He would become the blade in Ye Qingyan's hand, licking blood from the edge of a knife amid the struggle between the tycoons and the dark forces. But at least... he would gain a temporary chance to catch his breath, obtain urgently needed resources, and perhaps... use the Ye family's intelligence network to investigate the Shadow Alliance and the World-Erosion Seed!

Within a few short seconds, the pros and cons were rapidly weighed in his mind.

In the end, Lin Xiao's pale face once again pulled out his trademark cynical grin, carrying a hint of weakness yet remaining as unrestrained as ever.

"Sounds like... I don't really have a choice?" He paused, then looked into Ye Qingyan's cold eyes and slowly said, "Pleasure doing business, boss. But... how about a little advance 'pay'? Maybe a few Energy Stones to tide me over?"

He licked his cracked lips, but the depths of his eyes were utterly cold and clear.

A new powerful backer? Perhaps. But it was also a... steel noose that might drag him into an even deeper whirlpool.

Ye Qingyan did not seem surprised by his direct demand for "pay." Her face remained expressionless as she simply instructed the caregiver beside her, "Inject him with nutrients and painkillers. Double the dosage. As for the Energy Stones... we'll discuss them after he can walk on his own."

With that, she did not spare Lin Xiao another glance. She turned and left the room, her footsteps ringing crisply.

The door closed without a sound.

Lin Xiao lay there, watching the gentle simulated daylight on the ceiling. He felt the medication injected into his body, bringing brief relief while also carrying the hidden potential for dependence, and slowly closed his eyes.

In his mind, the ghostly glow of -1.5 remained blinding.

Deep in his right leg, the dark-green Viper's Kiss core seemed to... throb ever so faintly when it heard the words "Energy Stones."