In Monster Town, Zhuge Tao anxiously waited for Liu Yun's response. But before Liu Yun could say a word, a burly man strode over with a loud laugh. Seeing their boss laugh, his subordinates joined in, laughing wildly and leaving everyone around them baffled.
"Old Zhuge! You've got quite a plan. When my brother Liu Yun came down with a terrible illness, you didn't even bother to look at him! And now you're suddenly so eager to help?"
After taunting Zhuge Tao, the burly man stepped forward and clasped Liu Yun's hand. Zhuge Tao naturally wanted to curse him out, but—
"Brother Liu Yun! I'm Wang Heng, from Thor Dojo! Our dojo is famous for valuing our bonds and sparing no expense to compensate the injured. We're far more reliable than those other dojos.
"If you join us, we'll give you five billion and one yuan! Besides, the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade you practice was created by Lord Thunder God of our dojo. If you're willing to join, we'll not only provide you with the later training manuals—Lord Thunder God himself will come teach you a few moves. You'll benefit immensely!"
Though Wang Heng was burly and rugged-looking, he was extremely shrewd, addressing Liu Yun as "brother" at every turn.
He had outbid Limit Dojo by a single yuan, deliberately needling Zhuge Tao. At the same time, he'd appealed to Liu Yun through his younger sister, then brought up the Thunder God Blade Technique and promised that Liu Yun could receive personal instruction from Thunder God himself.
Even Liu Yun took a moment to consider the offer. He did need to join an organization. If he could get guidance from the creator of the Nine-Fold Thunder Blade, that would certainly be a good thing. Only its creator would know what the true Nine-Fold Thunder Blade was.
Zhuge Tao's face changed dramatically at those words. He'd been so focused on making the deal a done thing that he'd neglected to do his research! Wang Heng had made a far more precise move and found the perfect way to appeal to Liu Yun.
"We'll raise our offer. Five billion and two yuan."
He hurriedly made the counteroffer, adding another yuan to edge out Thor Dojo.
At that point, the Military representatives stopped testing the new Martial Artists and hurriedly sent an aide to make an offer.
The new Martial Artists knew that one high-level War General was worth more than all of them put together. They moved aside to wait for the dispute to end, not daring to say a word.
"We'll double the offers made by both dojos!"
The Military's offer sent a shock through the crowd. They'd planned to follow the usual procedure and wait until the evaluations were over before making their move—that was the Military's way, methodical and by the book. But now they realized they'd fallen behind and could only make up for their slow reaction with a higher offer.
"They're doubling it? Is this what a true genius is worth?"
Many people stared in disbelief. It was beyond anything they could have imagined. And even this was a low offer—if Liu Yun really became a War God Level powerhouse, he'd earn that much back in no time.
Soon, representatives from the HR Alliance arrived as well. A blonde woman asked to speak with Liu Yun privately. He learned that she was Glynda Goodwitch. She offered double the price too, but added that Liu Yun's freedom wouldn't be restricted: he could choose whether or not to take on the HR Alliance's missions.
"We've always valued our members' freedom. If you join our organization, Liu Yun, you'll have the best opportunities to develop."
Glynda Goodwitch was strikingly beautiful. With a professional smile, she tried to recruit Liu Yun, but his expression remained completely calm, giving no hint of which faction he might choose.
Faced with everyone's attempts to win him over, Liu Yun seemed rather detached, as if he'd seen the world and become indifferent to it all.
"Thank you all for your kind offers. I'm just an ordinary man, and all of your terms are generous. This isn't a decision I can make lightly, so I'll need some time to think it over."
He looked at the representatives of the four factions as he spoke, calm and composed, showing no sign of fear or nervousness.
Wang Heng and Zhuge Tao, who'd been trying to outbid each other, fell silent. The Military was requesting additional funds, while Glynda Goodwitch of the HR Alliance said they had terms of their own to offer.
"We have bases in Europe and North America. If you choose us, you'll get to see a much wider world, which is rare in this day and age."
Her words stirred something in Liu Yun. In truth, he didn't care much about joining any particular faction. In four years, the Golden Horned Beast would turn Earth upside down, and with four years to prepare, he'd have long since made it off the planet. Any faction could only hinder him for the first couple of years. After that, he'd be free to do as he pleased.
For now, he was simply weighing his options from the perspective of his own development. He thought it through carefully. The Military would impose too many restrictions, making it hard for him to focus on advancing his technology tree and developing his base. He was only on so-so terms with his old acquaintances at Limit Dojo, and he didn't want to go back and risk them noticing how much he'd changed and becoming suspicious. That left Thor Dojo and the HR Alliance.
I want to travel the world. That's the only way I'll find all kinds of rare materials. I don't mind joining the "bad guys'" alliance. As long as I have the right to refuse their missions, I can make the most of my freedom.
After thinking it over, Liu Yun made his choice: the HR Alliance. Thor Dojo and Limit Dojo actually had a very good relationship. They might look like bitter rivals, but behind the scenes, they were practically sharing the same pants. So Thor Dojo was out, too.
"I think I'm too unruly. I'm used to doing as I please, and I wasn't particularly happy at Limit Dojo before. If I joined a strict organization, I'd only cause trouble for myself and others. All of you have treated me very generously, but I'd like to join the HR Alliance."
At last, he gave them his answer. Zhuge Tao's heart sank, and Wang Heng was disappointed too. The two of them had made such a fuss, only for neither to come away with a win.
Only then did the Military representative wave a hand, signaling those behind him to resume testing the new Quasi-Martial Artists. Everything returned to normal.
Glynda of the HR Alliance stepped forward and offered her slender hand with a smile. "Mr. Liu Yun, a very wise choice. The HR Alliance urgently needs talents like you."
She was thrilled. Someone as powerful as Liu Yun—and a rare Psychic, to boot—would surely play an important role in the HR Alliance in the future.
Liu Yun took Glynda's hand and nodded, exchanging a few words about working more closely together in the future. In truth, he was drawn to the HR Alliance because it imposed fewer restrictions and was an underground corporate alliance where he could easily acquire all kinds of rare resources.
At the same time, he wouldn't be working for foreigners. He'd refuse most missions, only accepting those he had no choice but to take and that didn't violate his principles. That was the most important condition of all.
To prevent Liu Yun from changing his mind—or Limit Dojo or Thor Dojo from trying to recruit him again and complicating things—Glynda moved swiftly. She called for a helicopter and took Liu Yun to the HR Alliance's base in Yangzhou City.
As the helicopter's roar faded into the distance, it finally touched down in front of a discreet, state-of-the-art HR Alliance base in Yangzhou City. They entered a simply decorated yet tasteful office. Glynda gestured for Liu Yun to sit, then turned gracefully and walked over to a seemingly ordinary but highly integrated smart terminal. She pressed a few buttons, and the screen lit up at once, displaying the HR Alliance's complex membership management system.
"Mr. Liu, we'll now officially register you as a member of the HR Alliance." Glynda's voice was gentle and alluring as she spoke, her slender fingers flying across the touch screen. The display cycled through various information screens before settling on a page with a flashing "Register" button.
Liu Yun nodded and quickly scanned the screen. After confirming everything was in order, he gave a slight nod of assent, officially joining the HR Alliance.
She gently placed an HR Alliance badge in Liu Yun's hand. Their fingertips touched for an instant, as if an electric current passed between them. Glynda smiled at him, her expression conveying both professional confidence and a hint of flirtation.
"Take a good look around! There's plenty of good stuff on the HR Alliance's intranet."
Glynda smiled as she spoke. She really was beautiful: the hem of her black gauzy dress fell just to her knees, accentuating her graceful figure, and a thin silver chain belt around her waist added a touch of sharpness and confidence. After finishing her business, she left without giving him another look. He was now a member of the HR Alliance, with a bright future ahead of him, and Glynda didn't mind getting to know Liu Yun better.
Liu Yun thought she didn't seem like a very proper woman, but he couldn't be bothered with her deliberately flirtatious airs. She was too much of a flirt; getting close to someone like her would only bring him trouble later.
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