Three Prices

Three Prices

The Central Group Leader was a mature woman dressed in a crisp wool coat over a gray women's suit. She wasn't wearing the group leader's uniform, which he assumed was just Luo Shan's personal preference.

She wasn't tall, standing at about 1.6 meters.

Her features were delicate, and she looked soft and fragile, yet she possessed a sharp, decisive aura. She led a large group of people through the portal, took one look around, and walked straight toward Luo Shan.

"Group Leader Tong, thank you for your hard work. I didn't expect intelligence on a small matter within the hundredth floor to warrant your personal arrival." As a fellow group leader, Luo Shan reached out from a distance and even took a small step forward to welcome her.

The Central Group Leader shook his hand lightly. She didn't speak, just nodded, then turned her gaze toward Wang Wen.

Everyone present belonged to the consortium; the only outsider was easy to identify.

She took the initiative to introduce herself to Wang Wen: "Tong Xiaolei, Central Group Leader of the First Consortium's Intelligence Department. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Before Wang Wen could speak, Luo Shan chimed in from the side, smiling obsequiously at Tong Xiaolei: "Group Leader Tong, he's the one providing the intel. His name is... uh."

He turned his head to ask his two subordinates: "What's his name?"

The taller of the two answered honestly: "The gentleman calls himself a seller of intelligence."

Luo Shan picked up the thread: "Right, right. Group Leader Tong, his name is Seller... Grass?"

The surrounding Central Group members let out soft chuckles.

The Lower Group members looked somewhat embarrassed.

Tong Xiaolei pursed her lips and smiled, generously giving Luo Shan a way out: "It doesn't matter. For the First Consortium, a name isn't important; it only depends on whether the group wants to know."

Hearing this, Wang Wen raised his left eyebrow slightly.

With a simple sentence, she had both eased her colleague's embarrassment and understatedly displayed the power of the First Consortium.

It was quite a balanced display of neither arrogance nor servility.

This woman was no simple character.

Wang Wen thought for a moment. He didn't follow her rhythm and instead cut straight to the chase: "Hello, Group Leader Tong. Since the Central Group Leader has come in person, I assume you already have an answer. Can you tell me now how much this intelligence is worth?"

Tong Xiaolei stared at him closely, smiling: "How much do you want to sell it for?"

After all this, she was still playing the same game of obfuscation and bargaining to bully a rookie. Wang Wen felt a bit annoyed.

He figured the First Consortium hadn't fully found its footing during this period, so they were indeed a bit petty when it came to handling certain issues.

Sigh, if only I weren't short on cash...

Wang Wen shook his head, let out a deep sigh, and laid his cards on the table: "I have three prices."

He reached out and pointed at Luo Shan: "If it's him, I want one hundred thousand."

Before Luo Shan could twist his mouth to argue, Wang Wen pulled his hand back and gestured toward Tong Xiaolei: "If it's you, I want one million."

Luo Shan was so shocked his nostrils flared, but Tong Xiaolei's eyes simply lit up. She asked with a playful smile: "And the last price?"

Wang Wen smiled, withdrew his hand, and gestured as if to bid everyone farewell: "If the Department Head of the First Consortium's Intelligence Department comes in person, it's free."

The words fell.

The surroundings went silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Luo Shan felt his hair stand on end, as if an electric current had shot from his tailbone to the top of his head, making his scalp tingle.

No one had ever done business like this.

At least, in all his time running these grounds, he had never seen it.

No matter how precious a piece of intelligence was, it had a set price.

How could there be such a massive span from one hundred thousand to one million, and then to free?

Was this even a business negotiation?

It was more like playing house!

Luo Shan felt as if he had suffered a massive mental attack; he felt a bit dizzy.

"Clap, clap, clap." Tong Xiaolei was applauding.

"If there's nothing else, I'll be taking my leave." Wang Wen lowered his hand and turned to walk away.

He hadn't expected to be delayed for so long. It was almost dark, and he needed to get back to the Academy for dinner.

It looked like he would have to mooch a few more meals off that guy. There wasn't much else to it, except that the guy was so stingy he wouldn't even buy meat.

Wang Wen shook his head, muttering to himself as he walked toward the portal leading to the World Tower.

Tong Xiaolei chased after him for a few steps and raised her voice: "The Department Head is advanced in years, so let's not disturb him. I accept your price."

Wang Wen stopped and looked back, feigning ignorance: "Which price?"

The crowd of people swarmed back around them. Tong Xiaolei approached, her heels clicking rhythmically, and smiled gracefully: "Of course, 'my' price. One million."

She emphasized the word "my," her tone meaningful.

Wang Wen mimicked her earlier applause: "As expected of the First Consortium. You have guts."

Tong Xiaolei asked with some curiosity: "Can you tell me the reason for these three prices?"

Wang Wen shook his head: "The Central Group excels at analysis; the first two prices surely won't stump you. I'll only explain the third. The reason it's free is, on one hand, I have a good impression of the First Consortium, and I think it's worth trading a piece of intelligence for some goodwill. On the other hand, I'm just an obscure nobody. If the dignified Department Head of the First Consortium's Intelligence Department is willing to lower himself to come and talk to me, free is fine. If others respect me, I have to give them some face, don't I?"

"I understand." Tong Xiaolei suddenly looked a bit sheepish. She pursed her lips and said nothing more.

She raised both hands, touched her wrists together, and a white light connected the centers of the two uniquely designed, high-tech bracelets she wore.

As she pulled her hands apart, the white light extended into a notebook-style holographic projection. The screen showed it was booting up.

Wang Wen's eyes lit up: So they had Light-Brain Bracelets in this era? A man's dream—I have to find a way to get one!

Tong Xiaolei didn't notice his expression.

She kept her wrists steady to act as a keyboard and tapped her fingers nimbly. The light flickered, and a transfer interface appeared on the screen.

She looked up at Wang Wen: "Come on, give me your personal code. I'll pay a deposit of five hundred thousand first. Later, colleagues from our Upper Group will come to coordinate with you. They'll arrange for at least three experts above the 150th floor to accompany you into the tower. Once the intelligence is confirmed to be correct, the remaining five hundred thousand will be transferred to you immediately."

Wang Wen frowned, deep in thought, and remained silent.

Tong Xiaolei asked suspiciously: "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

Wang Wen tried saying: "I'm not going into the tower. You can go test it yourselves, and once you're done, just transfer the balance to me."

"You're not going into the tower?" It was the first time Tong Xiaolei had heard such a thing, and she furrowed her delicate brows in difficulty: "If that's the case, the deposit can't be this high. Can you tell me why?"

"I just don't want to go in." Wang Wen asked: "How much of a deposit can you offer?"

Tong Xiaolei glanced at the people around her, especially the shell-shocked Luo Shan.

She thought for a while.

She stated a number: "One hundred thousand, and that's only if there are no obvious problems on the surface after hearing your complete intelligence."

"No problem." Wang Wen took out a piece of paper and handed it to her: "The specific route and my personal code are on there. See for yourself."

Tong Xiaolei took the crumpled paper and unfolded it. She seemed to find it hard to accept that such valuable intelligence was written so carelessly on such a cheap piece of paper.

Judging by the jagged edge, it had been torn out of some notebook.

As she read, her expression gradually stiffened: "I don't quite understand. This doesn't look like a specific solution; it looks more like preparatory work. I can understand the first few points, but this last one..."

Tong Xiaolei looked up at Wang Wen, suspicious: "May I ask, why do I need to wear iron pants?"