Jiangnan Base City

"This..." Chu Tianxiong pondered for a moment. "I've been cultivating all month, so I left everything to the newly hired general manager. I'm not very clear on the current situation."

"However, two months ago, development was going quite well. At the very least, we had established roots in all six Great Base Cities. Restaurants, wineries, medicinal herb farms, and orchards—basically, every Base City has supporting facilities."

"Are you... planning something new?"

"Yes." Chu He nodded. "I want to open a toy factory to produce a small item for me."

"A toy factory?" Chu Tianxiong looked at Chu He, then at Chu Xi. "Chu Xi doesn't even like toys. Why are you opening a toy factory?"

After explaining part of the reason to Old Chu, Chu Tianxiong nodded and said, "Fine. In a while, I'll give you the contact information for the general managers of the six Great Base Cities. You can talk to them yourself."

"I've been planning to make a trip to the Greater Khingan Mountains for the past two days, so I won't be able to help you with this."

"The Greater Khingan Mountains?" Chu He looked up. "Are you planning to 'channel your inner youth' and experience the thrill of the wilderness once more?"

"Haha, you could say that." Chu Tianxiong felt the strength of his current War God Level and took a deep breath. "I just figured... I might as well kill a couple of Lords..."

"Of course, no problem!" Chu He immediately expressed his support.

He certainly knew that this had almost become an obsession in Old Chu's heart. Regardless of the reasons, supporting him was the right thing to do.

The affairs of the Jiuzhou Group were nowhere near as important as his father's state of mind.

In any case, there were only a little over two months left until the Extreme Martial Arts Gym announced the news of Luo Feng's death. Chu He was just about ready to begin his plan of trading favors.

If Old Chu wanted to go to the Greater Khingan Mountains, then he should go and relax.

Jiangnan Base City.

In Mingyue Residential Quarter, the elderly couple Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan were still waiting in agony.

Although Luo Hua had already bought a detached villa in the residential area where Zhen Nan's parents lived, he had been staying at home for the past few months, comforting his parents from time to time.

Back in January of this year, after President Zhou paid a personal visit, Luo Hongguo and Gong Xinlan learned the news that Luo Feng was suspected to be dead.

However, this news had not yet been officially confirmed by the Extreme Martial Arts Gym.

In March, Xu Xin also learned of the news. Even though she was still in school, she had almost no heart left for her studies.

Today, July 19th, Chu He stepped into this city once again.

In the city center, at the Jiuzhou Group Jiangnan Base City Headquarters Building.

"Young President Chu, leave this matter to our Jiangnan Base City branch. It will absolutely be no problem."

Ye Likang, the general manager of the Jiuzhou Group in Jiangnan Base City, patted his chest and gave his assurance.

"Perhaps the Jiangnan Region truly can't compare to the Northeast Region when it comes to heavy industry, but as for light industry, I'm not boasting—our Jiangnan Base City is ranked number one in the entire world!"

"Long before the Great Nirvana, our Jiangnan Region was already the national center for light industry, and it remains the same today."

"Don't worry, President Chu, I will definitely handle this Toy Factory for you perfectly!"

"Of course I believe in Jiangnan Base City's strength in light industry, otherwise I wouldn't have come here in person."

Chu He blew the foam off the surface of the tea in his cup, took a light sip, and added, "Regarding the personnel list and the candidate for general manager of this Toy Factory, Manager Ye, do you have any good suggestions?"

Ye Likang glanced at the gentle smile on Chu He's face. Failing to glean any useful information, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask, "I wonder, President Chu..."

"Drop the 'President' prefix," Chu He frowned.

"Right, right, right! President Chu! President Chu!" Ye Likang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Heaven knows, when this President Chu frowned just now, the aura he exuded was far more intense than that of Old Chu!

Ye Likang felt as if the entire office had turned into an ocean in the middle of a storm, and he was nothing more than a cruise ship drifting with the waves, liable to sink at any moment.

"I wonder what instructions President Chu has? I will absolutely follow in your footsteps."

"Since there are no candidates yet, there's no rush. I need to pay a visit to the Inspectors of the Extreme Martial Arts Gym and the Thunder Dojo here in Jiangnan Base City first." Chu He placed his teacup on the table.

"President Chu, this..." Ye Likang hesitated for a long moment before speaking up, "President Chu, I'm just an ordinary person; I have no way of making contact with those big shots!"

"What are you thinking?" Chu He shook his head with a smile. "I mean, we'll put the Toy Factory matter on hold for a few days. I need to meet the two Inspectors before I can discuss the management personnel with you."

"As for visiting the two Inspectors, that is naturally something I will do myself."

"Especially Inspector Lei Meng of the Thunder Dojo. Come to think of it, I still hold a status within the Thunder Dojo."

"Oh, oh! So that's how it is!" Ye Likang nodded vigorously and began to heap praise, "President Chu is truly young and promising, so meticulous..."

A string of compliments tumbled out of his mouth, making even Chu He feel a bit embarrassed.

"Stop, stop!" Chu He quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Manager Ye, if there's nothing else, how about you show me around our building?"

"Come to think of it, the last time I came to Jiangnan Base City, our Jiuzhou Group didn't have such an impressive building yet."

"Hahaha, small matter!" Seeing that the conversation had shifted to his area of expertise, Ye Likang finally let out a long sigh of relief and laughed, "I will personally accompany you and give you a tour, President Chu."

"President Chu, technology is highly advanced nowadays. The speed at which those construction teams build a skyscraper is incredibly fast. From the start of construction to the building being put into use, it only took a month or two in total..."

As they spoke, the two left the office and began to inspect the building from top to bottom.

The next morning, Jiangnan Base City, Thunder Dojo Main Hall.

As an Inspector of Jiangnan Base City, Lei Meng was a figure of considerable renown among Advanced War Gods.

With his affiliation with the Thunder Dojo, and given that Chu He was now also an Advanced War God, Lei Meng—who was not the reckless brute his name suggested—found himself enjoying a pleasant conversation with Chu He, provided there were no conflicts of interest.

Upon learning that Jiuzhou Group was a family enterprise of Chu He, he repeatedly gave his word that the company would remain absolutely safe within Jiangnan Base City from here on out.

Chu He did not truly expect the man to protect the development of Jiuzhou Group; he would be more than satisfied if the man simply sent him a message before other major factions decided to target the company.

"Heh!" A look of schadenfreude appeared on Lei Meng's face. "There's no need for you to visit the Inspector of the Extreme Martial Arts Gym, Brother Chu."

"Last year, their Inspector was suspected to have been lost in the Ancient Civilization Ruins. For the past six months or so, I've been suppressing them quite heavily."

Regarding this, Chu He offered no comment.

Who in the world didn't know that the Thunder Dojo and the Extreme Martial Arts Gym had always been at loggerheads, locked in constant competition?

Hong and Thunder God were on good terms, but they maintained an attitude of tacit approval regarding the competition between their subordinates.

"Lost? In that case, I really should pay a visit to Inspector Luo's family." Chu He frowned, looking exactly like a War God deeply devoted to his family business.

"If you're interested, Brother Chu, going to take a look is fine. The affairs between our Thunder Dojo and the Extreme Martial Arts Gym don't need to involve our families."

Lei Meng's suppression of the Extreme Martial Arts Gym was a matter of duty; he held no personal grudge against Luo Feng.

Therefore, while he did not support Chu He's plan to visit Luo Feng's family, he did not oppose it either.

"Once that's done, Brother Chu, your Jiuzhou Group will be as secure as a fortress here in Jiangnan Base City!"

"Hahahaha, then I shall take your kind words to heart, Brother Lei."

On the morning of the third day, Chu He arrived at Mingyue Residential Quarter as promised.

Tomorrow is New Year's Day. I wish everyone a happy evening on this last day of 2024.