All the world bustles for profit

Soon, the young woman in the white suit brought over the printed contract and handed it to Zhuge Tao. Zhuge Tao took the contract and a pen, flipped through it casually, and signed it quickly.

Next, the young woman in the white suit handed the contract and pen to Luo Zhe: "The contract is in duplicate. Just sign here, here, and here."

After taking the contract, Luo Zhe mimicked Zhuge Tao's actions and flipped through it casually. He found that the terms were very clear and straightforward, with several clauses written in plain language, completely free of any headache-inducing technical jargon.

Among them, the clause Zhuge Tao had mentioned—"within a total value of 100 million, you may choose any Guidance Technique, movement technique, or attack technique manual from the Home of Extremes"—was even specifically highlighted in bold black font.

By Luo Zhe's standards, this contract was absolutely fair. Without further hesitation, he signed the document immediately.

Suddenly, a young man in a white suit received a phone call. He walked to the side, muttered a few "uh-huhs" and "ohs," and hung up. He then walked over and whispered a few words into Zhuge Tao's ear.

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Tao's expression became strange, his face turning as sour as if he had stepped in excrement while walking down the street.

After signing the contract, Luo Zhe noticed Zhuge Tao's odd expression and couldn't help but ask, "Supervisor, is there a problem?"

"Nothing, just a small matter." Zhuge Tao forced a smile and reached out to Luo Zhe, "Welcome, Luo Zhe, to the big family of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall!"

Luo Zhe was a bit confused, but seeing Zhuge Tao's outstretched hand, he quickly reached out and shook it.

"Starting today, you can move directly into the Warrior Villa District."

Zhuge Tao smiled, "As for your startup capital and the selection of manuals, you will only be eligible to enter the internal network of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall to make purchases once you officially become a warrior and possess warrior-level access. The startup capital will also be deposited directly into your warrior account."

Perhaps worried that Luo Zhe wouldn't understand, Zhuge Tao specifically explained, "All warriors under our hall must wait until they become official warriors before they can formally purchase manuals."

Luo Zhe nodded.

"I have some urgent matters to attend to immediately, so I won't be able to keep you company." Saying this, Zhuge Tao turned to Uncle Bai, who was standing to the side, "Old Bai, you are fully responsible for Luo Zhe's subsequent arrangements. Put all expenses on my tab."

"Understood," Uncle Bai replied with a bow.

"Tong Yang, come with me; I have something to discuss with you." Following this, Zhuge Tao led Tong Yang away, with the four young men and women in white suits trailing behind them, leaving the villa.

In the blink of an eye, the second floor of the villa was empty, leaving only Uncle Bai and Luo Zhe staring at each other.

"So, would you like to go and get comfortable?"

Luo Zhe: "???"

What kind of suggestive nonsense was that!?

In the headquarters compound of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in Jiangnan Base City, the sidewalks were sparsely populated.

Zhuge Tao walked hurriedly in the lead, with Tong Yang by his side, while the four young men and women in white suits followed a few paces behind.

"Calling me out in such a rush—what's the emergency? Don't tell me you're taking me out for drinks. I still have to take that kid Luo Zhe back later." Striding forward, Tong Yang pursed his lips and teased Zhuge Tao.

It was clear that Tong Yang was in a good mood.

Suddenly, Zhuge Tao stopped in his tracks. Tong Yang, caught off guard, walked a few more steps before stopping and turning his head, looking at Zhuge Tao with confusion.

"I just received news that the Chairman knows about our plan, and now he wants to see you!" Zhuge Tao said, enunciating every word.

As soon as these words were spoken, the expression on Tong Yang's face froze instantly.

"How could he know about our arrangements!? Did someone on your side leak the news?"

Hearing this, Zhuge Tao immediately became annoyed.

"What do you mean by that?" Zhuge Tao pointed his index finger at Tong Yang and said angrily, "Don't forget, if it weren't for me, those two would never have agreed to get involved!"

"We are grasshoppers on the same blade now, and you're actually suspecting me!?"

Seeing Zhuge Tao's reaction, Tong Yang realized he had spoken out of turn. He understood that it couldn't possibly have been the other party who leaked it, so he quickly tried to appease him: "Don't be angry, that's not what I meant. It's just that I can't figure out how the Chairman could possibly know about our arrangements. After all, our actions have always been discreet; logically, it shouldn't have leaked."

"How would I know!"

Zhuge Tao snorted coldly, clearly still angry, but he knew this wasn't the time to dwell on it.

"No matter how carefully an operation is planned, there will always be loopholes. Besides, with his network, it wouldn't be hard to find a few clues." Even with Zhuge Tao's usually good temperament, he couldn't help but clench his fists in anger: "Hmph, that old guy Zhou Zhengyong—he doesn't come early or late, but chooses this exact moment to see you. It's obvious he wants to swoop in and reap the rewards."

"We've planned so hard for so long, and now this—he's just going to pick up the spoils for free!"

Glancing at Tong Yang beside him, Zhuge Tao gritted his teeth in frustration. "In any case, I'm giving up half a percent at most; not a fraction more! If that Zhou Zhengyong dares to open his mouth wide, then screw it, I'm out, and we can all just walk away!"

Hearing this, Tong Yang's face darkened. He understood that Zhuge Tao was saying this specifically for his benefit.

Walk away!?

That was completely impossible!

After years of planning, having finally reached this stage with the meat almost in their mouths, there was no way they could give up! Besides, even if they wanted to quit now, the other hungry wolves who had caught the scent of the meat would force them to continue.

However, Chairman Zhou Zhengyong was coming on strong, targeting the two of them directly, clearly intending to take advantage of their predicament to take a massive cut.

How to concede, and how much each person should give up, were things that needed to be negotiated.

And with Zhuge Tao playing this "pulling the firewood from under the cauldron" move, laying his cards on the table, the meaning was simple: he didn't want to lose too much of his own profit. In other words, the meat would have to be cut from Tong Yang's share.

Giving Zhuge Tao a deep look, the other man's expressionless face made Tong Yang feel a chill, but since things had reached this point, Tong Yang gritted his teeth and said, "I can give up another one percent of the profits, but I need him to handle the official channels. He cannot let the Chinese government intervene and affect our plan!"

"Otherwise, we all just walk away!"

Zhuge Tao pondered for a moment. One percent of the profits—this was already Tong Yang's biggest concession. Added to the half-percent he himself was giving up, that was a full one-and-a-half percent of the profits.

Putting himself in the other's shoes, if it were him, he would have no reason to refuse if he could easily secure one-and-a-half percent of the profits just by ensuring stability on the official side.

As long as Zhou Zhengyong's appetite wasn't too large, this one-and-a-half percent should satisfy him!

"Then it's settled. We'll offer him this one-and-a-half percent. Let's just hope his teeth are strong enough to swallow it!"