The Old Fox and the Little Fox

The fortress exit gate opened, letting in the eternal night wind of the Hive World.

Yuri Razumov greedily took a deep breath of the murky air.

"The taste of freedom isn't all that great, heh heh."

Despite his words of disdain, as Yuri glanced back at the slowly closing gate behind him, he still spat heavily: "Damn it, I never want to go back to that hellhole in my life!"

Fu Haoran handed over a can, a model Yuri had never seen before.

"This is the goods you'll be selling next. Try it."

"Just a can. I've eaten all kinds of delicacies back in the day!" Yuri took the can and opened it expertly.

He scooped up a large chunk of meat with one finger, shoved it into his mouth, and swallowed almost without chewing.

Then he licked his finger clean and wiped his mouth.

"Not bad, but the meat flavor's a bit weak, no chew, and the portion's small."

Yuri complained verbally but finished the can in no time.

"Five hundred Throne Coins a week, or the equivalent in cans." Yuri looked up, his voice regaining the arrogance of his heyday. "If not, send me back now."

"Deal." Fu Haoran nodded. "I need you to sell a hundred tons of cans within a week."

"Only a hundred tons?" Yuri's voice instinctively rose. "Are you looking down on me? I was the Finance Minister of the underworld back then. The goods I handled..."

"Oh? Sorry, I underestimated you. How about a thousand tons then?" Fu Haoran's attitude was sincere, with no trace of mockery on his face, instead wearing an innocent expression that screamed "Did I say something wrong?"

That threw Yuri off.

[Wait, this kid can't tell I was just bragging?]

Yuri opened his mouth but couldn't continue, feeling like he'd trapped himself.

[A thousand tons?! Does this kid think I'm selling Corpse Starch?!]

[These cans use pure meat, no additives, ten thousand times better than Corpse Starch. The mid-hive commoners will fight for them, and the upper-hive nobles will flock to them. In a Hive World, that's hard currency.]

[But the problem is, I've been in prison for over a decade. My old subordinates are dead or have betrayed me. My connections are mostly cut off. The black market channels have long been carved up by the nobles. A thousand tons—how easy is that to move?]

[Wait! How much stock does he even have? Planet Si-Sai Four is half an industrial world, not even a decent patch of green land. It's totally unfit for agriculture.]

[I figure at most three months, and his stock will run dry. By then, I'll have made enough money and can just bolt.]

[But before I bolt, I'll set a high price for the cans and squeeze out more escape funds, the more the better.]

[Right, I have to get the goods first and pay later!]

[That way, with the goods in my hands, the pricing power and payment timeline are all mine to decide, right?]

[After selling, I'll just vanish with the cash. I don't believe a governor who came up through the backwoods can catch me!]

The more Yuri thought, the more emboldened he became, his spine straightening.

He put on a stern face: "Fine, a thousand tons it is. But my reputation, Yuri Razumov's, is on the line. I won't accept any shoddy goods."

"If you pass off inferior stuff as quality, you're smashing my brand. Don't blame me for turning hostile."

"Also, goods first, payment later. If you can agree to that, I'm in!"

Fu Haoran nodded: "Alright, I've got plenty of goods. You just sell. Sell as much as you want, and I'll supply it."

"Hah, you're putting on a good act." Yuri sneered inwardly, but his voice was tough: "Fine! As much as you have, I'll sell it all!"

Fu Haoran didn't say more. He pulled up a data slate and pushed it over: "Given the current state of the Hive World, any suggestions?"

Yuri glanced down, and the confidence on his face cracked.

He read further and nearly wanted to smash the data slate.

"When I went in, this planet was still one of the top five industrial Hive Worlds in the sector. In just over a decade, it's fallen apart this badly?"

Fu Haoran nodded, equally helpless: "So only by moving goods quickly can we catch our breath."

Yuri stared at the last line—"Currency Credit: Collapsed"—and fell silent for three seconds.

His resolve to bolt only hardened.

[Pfft, this Messy Situation—even a god couldn't save it. Not grabbing a haul and running would be pure insanity.]

[I'll play nice first, sell the cans, rake in the cash, and once they let their guard down, I'll slip away.]

[No one can stop me this time. Even if they find out, they won't catch me.]

Yuri calculated his plan in his head, cleared his throat, and said: "Alright, I've got a handle on it. You don't need to worry. Just keep supplying the goods, and leave the rest to me."

[Successfully recruited legendary Finance Minister: Yuri Razumov]

[Loyalty: -99 (Status: Ready to abscond with funds at any moment)]

Fu Haoran looked at the system prompt, twitched his mouth, and muttered under his breath: "My new Finance Minister sure has a strong sense of belonging."

"Looks like I'll need to go back to the 2K World and set up an audit system, so a certain minister with negative loyalty doesn't run off with my can money."

Yuri, completely unaware that his escape plan had been half-crushed before it even sprouted, was still gleefully scheming in his head about how to rake in cash.

[Unlocked Lord Development Tech Tree]

Fu Haoran opened the panel, and four options were clearly displayed: [Forge General] [Solar Lord] [Rogue Trader Dynasty] [Warlord].

Fu Haoran directly tapped the fourth one.

[Five Hundred Worlds Warlord (Space Marine Line)]

[Objective 1: Control 13 Hive Worlds, unlock Space Marine modification permissions, possess at least 1 Forge World, 1 complete naval fleet (including at least 1 Battle Barge as flagship)]

[Objective 2: Crush 3 heretical factions, subdue 1 Machine Cult division]

[Ultimate Reward: Adeptus Custodes-level gene modification, base attributes overwhelming ordinary Space Marines, gain high-level Warp resistance]

Fu Haoran dismissed the system prompt only he could see, feeling a bit helpless.

The future was bright, but his wallet was bone-dry.

That was his current reality in a nutshell.

"Still, I have to take it step by step. The most urgent thing now is to let Yuri sell those cans and turn them into much-needed supplies, just to prop up this mess in the Hive World first."

"But this finance minister of mine might cut and run at any moment—that's a real headache."

"Huh? Wait, I remember the cooperation model is goods first, payment later. If my goods never run out, does that mean his money can never leave?"

Having spotted this loophole, the governor hatched an evil plan to squeeze his own finance minister.

So, in the time that followed, Fu Haoran returned to the 2K World and officially kicked off a shopping spree.

In Kansas, USA, a chicken farm owner stared at the check, then at his nearly falling-apart equipment and the listless, sickly chickens, and couldn't help but double-check: "Mr. Fu, you really want these...?"

"Yes." Fu Haoran answered without a hint of hesitation. "The equipment, the chickens, and even this shed—package deal. Name your price."

The owner quoted double the price, and Fu Haoran signed the check on the spot.

Watching Fu Haoran walk away, the owner muttered to his partner: "This Asian guy is either an idiot or a lunatic."

"Who cares? The money's real."

And this was just the beginning.

In Australia, trucks loaded with kangaroo and rabbit carcasses lined up in a long queue, so many that an official shook Fu Haoran's hand with excitement: "Mr. Fu, you're too generous. Trust us, we'll keep supplying you steadily!"

At a European port, mountains of crayfish and oysters were packed and shipped to the same coordinates. A customs officer stamped the documents while shaking his head: "This Asian guy's tastes are really hard to figure out."

Similar scenes played out repeatedly across the globe.

People quickly discovered that if you had unsellable crops or unwanted waste, someone would come knocking to buy it—and at a very fair price!

Of course, every seller secretly sneered behind his back: "Rich but dumb, he'll go bankrupt sooner or later~"

Meanwhile, warehouses everywhere were piled high with raw materials waiting to be processed, canning production lines ran 24/7 without stopping, and stockpiles snowballed into a mountain.