Why Don't You Take It? Why Don't I Take It? How Is the Commissioner Supposed to Take It?

The people in the Technical Department erupted the instant they saw the construction schedule Gantt chart Su Yuan had thrown out.

"Director Su! Isn't this schedule wrong?"

"Exactly!"

Someone beside them immediately chimed in.

"This has been compressed way too hard! Even if we were immortals, we couldn't finish it!"

Another, more seasoned man kept shaking his head.

"The design drawings haven't even been fully reviewed yet!"

"And if we follow Heavenly Court standards, just testing the formations will take two months."

Questions and objections rose one after another.

Su Yuan wore an encouraging smile, rapped his fingers against the table, and began to fire everyone up.

"Gentlemen! Man can conquer heaven! And we're immortals, aren't we? Show some immortal spirit!"

"If there are no drawings, then we'll build while designing!"

"If formation testing takes too long, then we'll stagger the procedures properly—set up one section, test one section!"

Liu Yaoqing beside him immediately caught on.

With a swish, he unfurled a red banner with yellow lettering and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Director Su is right! Our slogan is: Treat the moonlit night as daytime! Treat one day as two! Work! Work! Work!"

The technicians and foremen seated below exchanged looks, their faces uniformly numb and disdainful.

They were all old hands who had spent years on construction sites. Some rolled their eyes, while others muttered under their breath.

"Tch, this again."

"The slogans are loud enough to shake the heavens. How many months of spirit stones are they behind on?"

"So immortals don't need sleep?"

Su Yuan took in everyone's expressions and knew it was time to use his trump card.

Then he swept his sleeve sharply.

Crash—!

A mountain-like pile of spirit stones instantly appeared before everyone, gleaming with spiritual light.

"Two hundred thousand spirit stones!"

Su Yuan's voice carried unquestionable force.

"The wages this project owes you, I, Su, got them back for you! Now! Immediately! Pay them out!"

The meeting room, noisy just moments ago, fell instantly silent.

"But,"

Su Yuan shifted the topic, his gaze sweeping across the room.

"Your year-end bonus! And the performance pay from the last project! Whether you can get it, and how much you can get, will depend on how you perform over the next hundred days!"

"I don't care what methods you use! In a hundred days, all I want is the Southern Heavenly Gate!"

He paused, then cast out an even more tempting bait.

"Whichever crew finishes its assigned section first—"

He raised one finger.

"Will get another hundred thousand spirit stones!"

"Ninety days!"

A foreman abruptly stood up, his face flushed red as he pounded his chest and roared.

"Director Su! My first section! Ninety days! I guarantee we'll take it down!"

"Seventy-five days!" Another foreman refused to be outdone and leaped up to shout.

"Seventy-five days! We'll finish the second section!"

In a corner, an elderly technician with graying hair frowned and muttered softly.

"But there simply isn't enough downtime between construction stages. Just melting, forging, and processing that Nine Heavens Mysterious Iron will take no less than thirty days."

"Unless Lord Su can borrow Supreme Lord Lao's pill furnace."

Everyone immediately raised their heads to look at Su Yuan.

Su Yuan shook his head.

The old technician froze.

"Then... shall we use the mortal iron from last time—"

Su Yuan hurriedly cut him off.

"Rest assured, everyone. Liu Yaoqing and I will provide proper technical support for the project. When the time comes, just follow the arrangements. After the meeting, first mobilize personnel, machinery, formations, and materials to enter the site as quickly as possible."

"Next, I'll briefly go over three more points..."

Two hours later,

"Meeting adjourned!"

Once the meeting ended and the voices faded away, only Su Yuan and Liu Yaoqing remained.

Liu Yaoqing leaned closer, his brows tightly furrowed as he lowered his voice.

"Director Su, there were too many people at the meeting just now, so I didn't dare say too much."

"With these schedule and technical requirements, even if we really make do with mortal iron, the timeline is still far too tight. The risk is too great."

Su Yuan did not even raise his eyelids. He casually tapped the table with his fingers, his tone light.

"Why use mortal iron? Just prop it up with some sturdy wood."

"Huh?"

Liu Yaoqing blanked out, thinking he had misheard.

"Wood? This... Director Su, isn't that a little too much? This is the Southern Heavenly Gate!"

Su Yuan knew perfectly well that this newly rebuilt Southern Heavenly Gate—

would sooner or later be smashed up by that monkey again. It would have to be rebuilt anyway.

Why use such good materials this time? That would simply be wasteful—criminal!

Every spirit stone saved was pure profit safely pocketed!

Seeing Liu Yaoqing still acting timid and hesitant, Su Yuan leaned forward slightly. An invisible pressure radiated from him as his tone turned cold.

"Old Liu, let me ask you one thing. Can you do it or not?"

Crushed by that imposing aura, Liu Yaoqing's heart trembled.

Su Yuan's voice grew colder, carrying an unquestionable threat.

"If you can't, say so now! I'll replace you immediately! If you won't do it, plenty of people are waiting to!"

"I can! I can, I can, I can!"

Cold sweat appeared on Liu Yaoqing's forehead as he nodded frantically.

"I can do it! Director Su, don't worry, I guarantee I can do it!"

Seeing him like this, Su Yuan's expression eased slightly.

He leaned back against his chair, his tone soothing yet condescending, as though offering guidance.

"Isn't that settled, then? You're just too honest, Old Liu! Put your mind completely at ease. I've taken care of everything above and below. Nothing can go wrong."

"A project this huge, rebuilding the Southern Heavenly Gate! Tell me, how many pairs of eyes are watching it? How many hands are waiting to reach in?"

"If you don't take anything, and I don't take anything—"

"How is Growth Heavenly King supposed to take his share?"

"If the Heavenly King doesn't take anything—"

"How are the spirit officials under him supposed to take theirs?"

"If the spirit officials don't take anything, how is Heavenly King Li supposed to take his?"

"Do you think all those treasures hanging from Heavenly King Li's pagoda grew out of the ground?"

Liu Yaoqing listened, his expression changing repeatedly. In the end, he gave a quiet response.

"I understand, Director Su."

Su Yuan nodded, as if he had merely assigned some trivial task.

"Good that you understand. By the way, how many spirit stones are left in the project department's little treasury?"

Liu Yaoqing silently counted on his fingers, then answered after a moment.

"About a million or so."

"Take all of it out."

Su Yuan gave the order decisively.

"Before tomorrow afternoon, prepare two jugs of top-quality immortal brew—not the common stuff from the Heavenly Court. I want something newly released in the lower realm, something distinctive."

"Also prepare three sets of top-grade rouge and cosmetics. Again, they must be fresh novelties purchased from the lower realm, something with a bit of originality."

"These prohibited goods from the lower realm will probably cost around eight hundred thousand. With the remaining two hundred thousand, prepare two portions and put them in two thick envelopes."

He paused, then added.

"Oh, right. Get an exotic beast as well. The meat needs to be tender."

A trace of confusion flashed across Chief Engineer Liu's face, but he asked nothing. He turned and immediately went to activate his black-market connections to hunt down the goods.

The following afternoon, Su Yuan and Liu Yaoqing knocked on the door of an inconspicuous little courtyard.

The door opened a crack, revealing an utterly ordinary face.

Su Yuan immediately piled on a beaming smile and repeatedly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Director Cao, sorry to disturb you, sorry to disturb you."

Once the owner behind the door saw that it was Su Yuan, his expression did not change. He merely nodded slightly and stepped aside to invite them in.

But Su Yuan repeatedly waved his hands, his smile growing even broader.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. I'll stay outside. How could I disturb Director Cao's quiet cultivation?"

He gave Liu Yaoqing behind him a look, and Liu Yaoqing personally carried the prepared items into the courtyard one by one.

Su Yuan pointed at the items and introduced them.

"This is a small token of regard for the True Lord: two jugs of fine new wine from the lower realm. I don't know whether it will suit the True Lord's tastes. There are also some little trinkets for the three ladies—rouge and cosmetics currently popular in the lower realm, just for something fresh. Oh, and a little blood meal for old brother Black Tiger, an exotic beast found in the lower realm. Its meat is tender, just something for him to snack on. They're all local products from the lower realm, not worth much money. Just a small token of appreciation, nothing more."