Su Yi's Plan, Aolong's Gratitude

Rick was quite pleased to see Su Yi agree so readily.

"Miss isn't someone who takes people's help for granted. I can offer you some assistance."

"Money? Weapons? What do you need?"

Su Yi shook his head slightly and voiced his most pressing need.

"I don't expect Miss to reward me for what I did today."

"What I'd rather see is my superior, Olon Ford, receive a promotion."

Rick was surprised. He hadn't expected Su Yi to think of his superior first, even now.

The request greatly improved Rick's opinion of Su Yi.

When powerful people judged someone, ability often wasn't the first thing they looked for. They wanted to know whether that person understood gratitude and loyalty.

No one wanted to raise a pack of ingrates.

Rick nodded slightly. "Anything else?"

Su Yi continued, "I'd like to change Strongarm Company from a debt collection agency into a legitimate trading and investment company."

A faint smile appeared on Rick's face the moment he heard the request. "Kid, if your background weren't a problem, I'd take you with me right now!"

Rick had never expected Su Yi to notice the company's intentions—or the fate awaiting these debt collection agencies.

It showed that the kid not only understood how to deal with people, but also knew a thing or two about politics and could read between the lines.

Su Yi smiled. "Once the hare is caught, the hunting dog gets cooked. And these dogs are rabid."

Rick narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you afraid you'll end up like them?"

Su Yi took a deep breath, his gaze steady and confident.

"I'll prove to Miss that I'm no dog! I'm a blade that can cut through anything!"

Seeing Su Yi's resolve, Rick couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh. "I look forward to it."

Nothing else of note happened. The charity event continued until the afternoon and ended without a hitch.

That evening, Su Yi and the others returned to the company ahead of everyone else.

On the way, Mota was beside himself with excitement. "My god, Boss, back there you were... you were like a saint!"

Rijia looked at him with reverence. "I even saw the Goddess's Hand stroking the top of your head."

Alton smacked Rijia on the head. "If you don't know what to say, keep your mouth shut!"

Then he turned to Su Yi. "Boss, what do we do next? Are we famous now?"

Su Yi shook his head. "Information up top is completely cut off from those of us down here. We won't see any of those reports."

"But we do need to get busy."

After a pause, Su Yi looked at the three of them. "You're the people I trust most, and you all have talent. Keeping you on as cargo handlers would be a waste."

"I've just seized an opportunity for us. Now I'm going to give you important assignments. Are you ready?!"

Their eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.

Alton said, "Boss, I've been waiting for you to say that!"

Mota thumped his chest. "Through fire and hell—just say the word."

Rijia spread his arms. "Tell me to become a star slave, and I'll... work tirelessly until I drop!"

Su Yi nodded in satisfaction and began assigning tasks.

"First, we need fighters to fill the gap left by the Wolf Fang Gang's collapse."

"Alton, find your old friends and comrades from the militia. We need at least ten fit men around twenty-five."

"Pay won't be a problem. Go all out!"

Alton snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes, Boss!"

Su Yi turned to Mota. "The old witch doctor should have contacts too, and he has a decent reputation."

"I want you to find the barefoot doctors on the border and the unlicensed doctors working at the bottom, then invite them to join us."

"We're going to open a hospital on the border."

"That hospital will be important later!"

Thrilled that he could finally return to his old line of work, Mota rubbed his hands together. "Got it! Got it! I won't let you down, Boss!"

Su Yi turned to Rijia.

Rijia blinked. "Boss, do you want me to rescue those star slaves from the Wolf Fang Gang?"

Su Yi glared at him. Rijia immediately shrank back. "Just kidding."

Su Yi said, "You know people at the Church of the Goddess of White Frost over in the Alliance, right?"

Rijia nodded at once. "Of course. I grew up there. I know all the priests and sisters around there."

Su Yi nodded. "I'll introduce you to a missionary named Tentacles Aren't Evil God. You'll work with him on the church-related matters."

"We'll be smuggling large quantities of weapons over there in the future, so we'll need the church to provide cover."

Rijia said happily, "Don't worry, Boss. That's what I'm best at!"

As they discussed their plans, they arrived back at the company. Waiting at the entrance was an ordinary-looking middle-aged woman in plain clothes: Sefni.

She had clearly been waiting a long time.

"Thank goodness, you're finally back!" Sefni said with a sigh of relief.

She had planned to start work today, only to find the company closed!

She had thought Su Yi might have lied to her, but a monthly salary of 100 Void Abyss Coins was too tempting. So she had waited there for nearly half the day.

Su Yi introduced her. "This is Ms. Sefni, a professional skilled in combat."

"She'll help me train our new recruits."

Su Yi then introduced Alton and the other two, along with their responsibilities.

Though the three knew nothing about Sefni, they trusted Su Yi's judgment completely.

Sefni, meanwhile, had already looked into the three of them.

After a brief exchange of greetings, they went inside.

Fired up, Alton and the other two quickly began organizing information and getting started on their new assignments.

Sefni asked, a little reserved, "When do I start work?"

"I don't see any children here!"

Su Yi said, "I'm going to look for the children tomorrow. You'll need to come with me. I have a plan."

Sefni nodded at once. "No problem."

While Su Yi and Sefni discussed their plans for the next day, Aolong finally got off work after an exhausting day.

After the event, they had been kept behind to clean up the venue, pose for group photos, hand out flyers, and handle other tasks.

Su Yi had made sure he got plenty of attention during the day, but that didn't make him any less physically exhausted.

"Come on! Let's get a drink. My treat," said two coworkers as they walked over and threw their arms around him.

Aolong was a little surprised. Until now, those two had barely given him the time of day.

Before Aolong could answer, a middle-aged woman in a suit approached. "Olon Ford, come with me for a moment."

Aolong turned and saw that she was the L11 evaluation supervisor who had come for the event.

"You go ahead. I've got something to take care of!"

Feeling uneasy, Aolong walked over to her.

When an evaluation supervisor came looking for someone, it usually meant a transfer or a pay cut.

Did Su Yi's performance today anger the company's higher-ups?

The thought made Aolong's heart lurch.

As his mind raced, he followed the supervisor into an office.

The supervisor handed him a stack of documents and said with a smile,

"Congratulations. You have a good subordinate."

Aolong, still lost in his worries, froze. "Huh!?"

With a trace of envy, the supervisor said, "Miss was very pleased with your subordinate's performance."

"When they discussed his reward, the first thing that good subordinate of yours asked for was a promotion for you."

What?!

Aolong was utterly stunned. He even wondered if he had misheard.

The first reward Su Yi had asked for after earning his merit was a promotion for him?!

The supervisor continued, "So congratulations, Olon Ford."

"The evaluation committee has decided to raise your grade from L4 to L7."

"Your base salary will rise to 55 Void Abyss Coins a month, and your share of periodic performance bonuses will increase to five percent."

"You'll also receive an external assignment benefit: a housing allowance of 10 Void Abyss Coins a month."

What?!

After a brief silence, Aolong couldn't hold back his tears.

He was excited, but more than that, he was moved.

He had never dreamed that Su Yi's loyalty to him was genuine.

Even at a time like this, Su Yi hadn't forgotten him!

"Su Yi! From today on, you're my brother!"