The Power of Capital

The Power of Capital

For the following week, Wang Wen remained at the Regional Security Department.

The Chief publicly claimed it was a "loan," euphemistically calling it "assisting with security duties."

In reality, it was detention.

As long as the [Earth-Shattering Talisman] remained unseen, he was not being released.

As for Tiansheng, once they learned that Wang Wen had used a [Earth-Shattering Talisman] left behind by his parents to take down fifteen men, they immediately lost interest.

While the [Earth-Shattering Talisman] was decent, it was nothing extraordinary to Tiansheng; their own treasury was filled with such small-scale area-of-effect items for the two-to-three-hundred-floor range.

For tower climbers, items that could be used inside the World Tower were essentially standard equipment. The difference between them and an elite team simply came down to whether one was stingy and frugal or spent them recklessly.

Tiansheng was the kind of major capitalist that allowed its elite teams to squander items like the [Earth-Shattering Talisman] without a second thought.

Wang Wen's behavior, however, was baffling; he was in no rush to leave the Regional Security Department at all.

The lead guard spent every day waiting in front of the World Tower for his sworn brothers to return, leaving him no time to "bully" Wang Wen.

This allowed Wang Wen to thrive in the Regional Security Department, growing more comfortable by the day.

After two hot pot deliveries costing over seven hundred points each, he was even released from the detention room and allowed to roam the public areas of the Regional Security Department at will.

The Deputy Chief was quite interested in him and often invited him into his office for tea and conversation.

The topics were mundane, mostly consisting of various boasts being debunked.

For instance:

"My men are all elites! They can clear anything below the two-hundredth floor with their eyes closed!"

"Well, you certainly have to close your eyes on the 69th floor, otherwise, you won't die with much dignity."

"Hey, hey, that's no fun! It's not like we run into a gas chamber every time!"

"The probability isn't exactly low, though."

"Ugh... then my men can still clear it! It's just holding your breath for eight minutes! Several of my sturdy lads can do that!"

"Why did your voice suddenly get so quiet?"

Whenever the conversation reached this point, Wang Wen would be kicked out of the office, followed by teacups, folders, pen holders, and other such items.

The Regional Security Department's small headcount was a fatal flaw.

No matter how excellent the guards were, they couldn't withstand the constant attrition.

If five died in the line of duty in a short period, the captain would be reprimanded; if more than ten died, even the Regional Chief would be summoned to headquarters to answer for it.

Lacking the funds to buy intelligence and unable to afford the casualties, the Regional Security Department's World Tower floor limit hovered around three hundred. Most of those who could reach the three-hundredth floor were elite instructor-level figures from headquarters.

In the Regional Security Department where Wang Wen was held, only Deputy Chief Jiang had been to headquarters for advanced training, and even after returning, he could barely manage the two-hundred-and-fiftieth floor.

That alone was considered top-tier strength within the Regional Security Department.

Dinner was hot pot again.

Wang Wen used the Deputy Chief's phone to order a delivery worth over seven hundred points using his own personal account.

A few minutes later, the delivery robot rolled into the Regional Security Department with blinking eyes, pulling items from its belly as soon as Wang Wen verified the order.

There were six soup bases in total.

Four were placed in the main hall for all the guards to eat.

One was placed in the Deputy Chief's office, to be enjoyed by Wang Wen, Deputy Chief Jiang, and the four "sturdy lads" who claimed they could "clear two hundred floors with their eyes closed."

One was sent to the Chief's office.

The ingredients were plentiful: pork belly, chicken slices, dried vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, and finally, the main event: a plate of thinly sliced, tender white fish.

All ingredients were ordered in six portions, each costing one hundred points, which, combined with the six soup bases, came to exactly seven hundred and fifty.

Distributed just like the soup bases, four portions went to the hall, one for their own group, and one sent to the Chief for his exclusive enjoyment.

It was precisely because of this daily exclusive treat that the Chief allowed Wang Wen to wander around the Regional Security Department, turning a blind eye as long as he didn't leave.

Seven hundred and fifty points per meal.

Wang Wen had enough money in his account to feed this bunch of paupers for two months without ever repeating a dish.

Though called hot pot, it was essentially just vegetables stewed in a rich broth.

Everyone held their bowls of rice, scalding the vegetables before eating.

Yet, even this fare was better than what most people ate when they went home.

So much so that the Regional Security Department's attendance had been remarkably consistent lately; most day-shift personnel didn't leave for home until after dinner, while the night-shift staff would arrive to clock in just before the meal.

One dared not underestimate the power of food.

In this era of scarce resources, even the Chief of the Regional Security Department couldn't afford to eat meat and fish every single day.

This was also why the Chief was so attentive and cooperative when Tiansheng casually allocated tens of thousands of points to the Security Department to improve their meals.

Beyond Tiansheng's own status, this batch of funds was genuinely useful; it not only provided extra meals for everyone in the Security Department but also covered long-overdue bonuses.

Wang Wen also fulfilled his "wild boast," treating everyone to meals within the Security Department for a full week.

Given his identity, while these few meals weren't enough to make the guards follow his every command, even the two male and female guards who had originally dragged him back now greeted him with smiles whenever they met.

All of their previous ferocity had vanished into thin air.

When they learned he still needed to "stay" in the detention room for a while, the entire room was cleaned until it sparkled without anyone saying a word, and the floor where he slept was covered with thick padding, softer and more comfortable than most beds.

Seeing that everyone was so sensible, Wang Wen stopped holding a grudge and chatted happily with anyone, learning about everyone's temperament and tower-climbing experience.

By the weekend, the Lead Guard returned.

The moment he stepped through the gates of the Security Department, he sensed that the atmosphere was wrong.

The world had changed!

Almost every guard was sweeping him with strange gazes.

Those who were on good terms with him pretended not to see him, burying their heads in their work, their reports clattering as they revised them frantically, too busy to even offer a greeting.

A week of treating people to meals wasn't enough to make the guards defect, but the fact that Wang Wen's relationship with Deputy Chief Jiang was growing by the day was plain for all to see.

Especially after the Chief politely invited Wang Wen into his office to dine together one day, everyone understood the situation in their hearts.

Thus, waiting to see how things played out became the logical choice.

Unfortunately, these obvious signs of trouble were ignored; the Lead Guard returned from this trip as if radiating killing intent.

The moment he saw Wang Wen chatting in the lobby, he charged forward.

He grabbed Wang Wen by the collar and roared, "You dog, you gave me false intelligence that almost made me fall out with my brothers! I'm going to kill you!"

Wang Wen didn't struggle at all, letting him hold his collar, his eyes filled with an indescribable meaning.

In fact, there was no need for him to struggle.

The surrounding guards, having eaten his food and feeling indebted, swarmed over; on the surface, they were "persuading" him, but privately, they pulled the Lead Guard away and shielded Wang Wen behind them.

Hearing the commotion, both the Chief and the Deputy Chief appeared in the lobby.

Two shouts of "Stop!" rang out in unison.

The two exchanged a glance; Deputy Chief Jiang lowered his head, and the Chief spoke to the Lead Guard, "Speak properly if you have something to say. What kind of behavior is this, laying hands on people?"

"Sir!" The Lead Guard, his uniform disheveled from being "persuaded" by the crowd, reported to the Chief with red eyes, "That damn intelligence was fake!"

The Security Department already had internal documents explaining what the Lead Guard's mission was this time.

It was a massive fortune; if they could bring it back successfully, the guards wouldn't just be well-off—at the very least, their bonuses would never be delayed again.

Hearing this sudden outburst, everyone's expression turned complex.

"What do you mean?" The Chief didn't return to his office, asking directly in the lobby in front of everyone.

The Lead Guard glared fiercely at Wang Wen and raised his voice, "My brothers risked their lives to reach the two-hundredth floor and followed the intelligence steps without a single error, but there was no such thing as a [Earth-Shaking Talisman] at all!"