The Power of Capital

Over the next week, Wang Wen stayed at the Guard Department.

The chief publicly claimed he was "borrowing" him, supposedly to "assist with security duties."

In reality, he was holding him prisoner.

They wouldn't let him go until they saw the Earth-Shaking Talisman.

Meanwhile, at Tiansheng,

the moment they learned Wang Wen had used the Earth-Shaking Talisman left behind by his parents to take down fifteen people, they lost interest.

The Earth-Shaking Talisman was nice, but it wasn't anything special to Tiansheng. Their own treasury was full of small-area attack items like that, designed for floors two hundred to three hundred.

For Tower Climbers, items that could be used inside the World Tower were practically standard equipment. The only difference between an elite team and the rest was whether they used them sparingly or threw them around without a care.

Tiansheng was a wealthy corporation that could let its elite teams use items like the Earth-Shaking Talisman as freely as they pleased.

What puzzled them was Wang Wen's behavior. He didn't seem in any hurry to leave the Guard Department.

The lead guard spent every day waiting outside the World Tower for his brother-in-arms to emerge, too busy to "bully" Wang Wen.

As a result, Wang Wen thrived at the Guard Department, growing more influential by the day.

After two hotpot deliveries costing over seven hundred Points each, they even let him out of the holding cell. He could wander around the department's public areas as he pleased.

The vice chief was very interested in him and often invited him to the office for tea and a chat.

Their conversations were usually trivial, mostly about the vice chief bragging until Wang Wen called him out.

For example:

"My men are all elite! They can clear anything below floor two hundred with their eyes closed!"

"Mm. You really do need to close your eyes on the 69th Floor, or you won't die with any dignity."

"Hey, come on, that's no way to talk! It's not like we run into a Toxic Gas Chamber every time!"

"The odds aren't that low."

"Uh... My men can clear it too! All they have to do is hold their breath for eight minutes! Several of my young lads can do that!"

"Why did your voice suddenly get so much quieter?"

Whenever their conversation reached this point, Wang Wen would be kicked out of the office. Teacups, folders, pen holders, and other items would follow him out the door.

The Guard Department's small staff was a serious weakness.

No matter how capable the guards were, they couldn't withstand repeated losses.

If five died in quick succession, their commanding officer would be reprimanded. If the number exceeded ten, even the regional chief would be summoned to headquarters to answer for it.

They couldn't afford intelligence, and they couldn't afford to lose people.

As a result, the Guard Department's World Tower floor limit had hovered around three hundred for years. Those who could reach floor three hundred were mostly elite instructors from headquarters.

At Wang Wen's Regional Security Department, only Vice Chief Jiang had received advanced training at headquarters. Even then, he could barely make it to floor two hundred and fifty.

That already made him one of the top fighters in the Regional Security Department.

Dinner was hotpot again.

Using the vice chief's phone, Wang Wen ordered more than seven hundred Points' worth of delivery with his own account.

A few minutes later, the delivery robot rolled into the Guard Department, blinking its eyes. Once Wang Wen verified the order, it began pulling food out of its belly.

There were six hotpot bases in all.

Four went to the lobby for all the guards to share.

One went to the vice chief's office, where Wang Wen, Vice Chief Jiang, and four of his men—the young lads who supposedly could "clear floor two hundred with their eyes closed"—would enjoy it together.

One was delivered to the chief's office.

There was a generous selection of ingredients: pork belly, sliced chicken, dried vegetables, mushrooms, tofu, and, as the highlight, a plate of thinly sliced, tender white fish.

They ordered six portions of every ingredient, each costing one hundred Points. Add in the six hotpot bases, and the total came to exactly seven hundred and fifty.

The food was divided the same way as the hotpot bases: four portions for the lobby, one for Wang Wen and his group, and one for the chief to enjoy on his own.

It was this daily private feast that led the chief to let Wang Wen wander all over the Guard Department, turning a blind eye as long as he didn't leave.

Seven hundred and fifty Points a meal.

Wang Wen had enough money in his account to treat this bunch of Poor Ghosts to two months of meals without repeating a dish.

It was called hotpot, but in reality it was just vegetables and meat simmered in broth.

Everyone held a bowl of rice and dipped the ingredients into the pot.

Even so, it was better than what most people ate at home.

Lately, attendance at the Guard Department had been unusually regular. Most day-shift personnel didn't go home until after dinner, while those on the night shift clocked in before dinner.

Never underestimate the power of food.

In an age of scarce resources, even the chief of the Guard Department couldn't afford to eat lavish meals every day.

That was why Tiansheng's casual allocation of tens of thousands of Points to improve the guards' meals had made the chief so eager to cooperate.

Besides Tiansheng's standing, the funds had proved genuinely useful. They not only provided extra meals for the staff, but also covered long-overdue bonuses.

Wang Wen, meanwhile, had made good on his "big talk," treating everyone at the Guard Department to meals for an entire week.

As far as the guards were concerned, even all this food wasn't enough to make them follow his every command. Still, even the two guards—a man and a woman—who had originally arrested him now greeted him with smiles whenever they saw him.

Their earlier hostility had completely vanished.

When they learned he still needed to "stay" in the holding cell for a while, the entire cell was quietly scrubbed clean. Before long, someone had laid a thick, soft mat on the floor where he slept. It was more comfortable than most beds.

Seeing how well everyone was treating him, Wang Wen stopped holding grudges. He could chat amiably with anyone and learned about their personalities and Tower-climbing experience.

By the weekend, the lead guard returned.

The moment he stepped through the Guard Department's front door, he sensed something was off.

Everything had changed!

Almost every guard was looking at him strangely.

Those who were on good terms with him pretended not to see him, lowering their heads to work. They busied themselves revising half-finished reports, tapping away so frantically that they had no time to greet him.

A week of free meals wasn't enough to make the guards turn against him, but everyone could see that Wang Wen and Vice Chief Jiang were growing closer by the day.

Especially after the chief had politely invited Wang Wen into his office to eat together one day. Everyone understood what that meant.

So naturally, they chose to wait and see how things played out.

Unfortunately, the lead guard ignored all the obvious signs that something was wrong. He returned with an aura of murderous rage.

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

He seized Wang Wen by the collar and roared, "You son of a bitch! You gave me fake intel and nearly made me fall out with my brother! I'll fucking kill you!"

Wang Wen didn't struggle at all, letting him hold him by the collar. There was an indescribable look in his eyes.

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

The guards, who felt indebted after eating his food, had already crowded around. On the surface they were trying to calm things down, but in reality they were pulling the lead guard away and shielding Wang Wen behind them.

Hearing the commotion, the chief and vice chief both appeared in the lobby.

"Stop!" they shouted in unison.

They glanced at each other. Vice Chief Jiang lowered his head slightly, and the chief said to the lead guard, "If there's a problem, talk it out. What's the point of throwing punches?"

"Chief!" The lead guard, his clothes in disarray after a crowd of people had "tried to calm him down," reported with bloodshot eyes, "That damn intel was fake!"

The Guard Department had already circulated an internal memo explaining the purpose of the lead guard's mission.

It concerned an enormous fortune. If he could bring it back safely, the guards would at least stop having their bonuses withheld every time.

Now, hearing those unexpected words,

everyone's expression grew complicated.

"What do you mean?" The chief didn't return to his office. He asked right there in front of everyone.

The lead guard glared at Wang Wen and shouted, "My brother risked his life to reach floor two hundred. He followed every step in the intel exactly, but there was no Earth-Shaking Talisman!"