After harvesting a wave from the stock market, Xie Litang's net worth had multiplied to at least a hundred million.
This fortune wasn't overly huge, nor was it small; the materials from certain powerful demon beasts could easily cost far more than this.
Xie Litang even had a bold plan—taking advantage of Jianghai City's stock market bucking the trend and rising, why not hit them for another round?
However, this idea was put to rest by Yang Yiyi. According to her, those finance people weren't fools; after taking a hit from her once, the market wouldn't crash again unless demon beasts literally marched up to the city walls.
Over the communicator, Xie Litang asked, "Is there really no other way?"
"It's almost certainly a no-go for now."
"What a shame."
"Nothing to feel sorry about. Perfect timing, actually—let me report my progress to you."
Yang Yiyi sent over a document. It mainly contained technical information on satellites, which Xie Litang could leave for Chen Linling to look over.
Half an hour later, a chime rang out.
"Miss Xie, I've already discussed it with your sister. For now, we've settled on a Military-Grade Type-2 Matrix Mini Satellite. As long as it isn't struck by space debris, its expected lifespan exceeds twenty years."
"How much?"
"The selling price is sixty million."
Twenty years meant three million per year. The price could only be described as fair, given how versatile a satellite was. Beyond surveillance and positioning, if their base expanded later, they could establish their own internal communication network. They wouldn't have to rely on anyone else's satellite, avoiding intelligence leaks and leaving no vulnerabilities behind.
Xie Litang typed back, "The price is reasonable."
Yang Yiyi replied, "Miss Xie, that's just the price of the satellite. I bought a company for you worth twenty million, which I'll temporarily manage on your behalf, depositing the earnings into your account regularly. On top of that, pulling strings and paying security deposits will likely run over forty million."
In the final calculation, spending over one hundred and twenty million for a single satellite was an extraordinarily lavish move.
Yet Xie Litang didn't mind. In the city, this money could buy luxury cars, mansions, and an extravagant life of indulgence. But out in the wilderness, it was nothing more than a pile of scrap paper. Forget one hundred million—even if someone gave her ten billion to fold into paper cranes, she would find it too much trouble.
On the other hand, investing it in Chen Linling yielded tangible increases in their strength. Just the intelligence provided by Chen Linling using drones and cameras had saved Xie Litang an immense amount of effort.
Xie Litang continued typing, "Then I'll be troubling you."
Yang Yiyi replied with a laughing emoji, her words brimming with ease: "You're welcome. After all, we're good friends—your business is my business."
Xie Litang smiled without replying. Flipped around, wouldn't that mean Yang Yiyi's business was Xie Litang's business too? This woman remained as shrewd as ever, but so far, their cooperation had been very pleasant.
With that, the base temporarily settled into peace. Every day, Xie Litang focused on building up her Health, casually hunting monsters, and farming gold coins.
Half a month later, a sudden shriek echoed from Chen Linling's workbench on the first floor, making Xie Litang flinch.
Tensing up, Xie Litang called out, "Sis, what's wrong? Are the demon beasts attacking?"
Delight was written all over Chen Linling's face as she pointed at her computer screen. "Sister, Sister Yang messaged me! She said the satellite has been sent into orbit! At most, within two days, she can hand over the satellite encryption key to me!"
Xie Litang breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought something terrible had happened."
She pulled up a chair and sat down. Chen Linling's workshop was somewhat messy, devoid of the pinkish decor typical of most young girls' rooms. On the workbench sat a pair of nearly completed cybernetic legs.
Noticing Xie Litang's gaze, Chen Linling's eyes darted away in panic. She quickly pulled a piece of cloth over the workbench to cover the almost finished mechanical limbs.
"Sister..."
"There's no need to hide it. I understand."
"Sister, you're not angry, are you?"
"I'd love to be angry, but would it do any good? This is your path, and I can't stop you."
"Thank you for supporting me, Sister."
"We're sisters, so drop the useless formalities. We're not short on cash right now, so get whatever you need. I only have one requirement for you."
"What requirement?"
"Don't let anything go wrong."
Chen Linling nodded solemnly.
Seeing this, Xie Litang said no more. She had previously taken Chen Linling to the hospital to examine her physical condition. The conclusion was that as long as Chen Linling continued using her Cyber Machinist ability, her body would irreversibly deteriorate, eventually forcing her to rely entirely on cybernetics.
Forbidding Chen Linling from using her ability would be no different from banning her from accessing the internet. Whether spending her whole life in a wheelchair or walking on cybernetic limbs, it was never really a difficult choice to make. Xie Litang could only offer her full support.
Two days later, a briefcase-sized alloy box was delivered to Xie Litang by a bodyguard.
Chen Linling pulled out a data cable from her hand and plugged it into the alloy box to inspect it. "Sister, it's genuine."
"This is the satellite encryption key. I've connected to the network. Once I check for backdoors and calibrate the parameters, it'll be ready for use."
Predictably, much of the Fumu City base's infrastructure would undergo a comprehensive upgrade thanks to this satellite.
Xie Litang put away the encryption key, then frowned slightly and glanced inside the car. "Where is Miss Yang?"
This was a satellite encryption key, an asset worth over a hundred million. Given Yang Yiyi's usual style, she would have certainly come to handle the handover in person. Yet the person who arrived this time was merely her bodyguard; no matter how one looked at it, something felt off.
The bodyguard hesitated.
Xie Litang keenly caught the shift in his expression, her face darkening. "Did something happen to her?"
The bodyguard hesitated once more before whispering, "The boss said it isn't anything major, just that someone seems to be investigating her recently."
"Who is investigating her?"
"I wouldn't know. I'm just here to earn a living, so how could I know all that?"
Xie Litang nodded. "Alright, I understand."
After the bodyguard drove off into the distance, Xie Litang pulled out her satellite phone to send a message.
A moment later, Yang Yiyi replied.
"It's nothing major. I should be able to handle it."
"Top Salesperson Yang, you at least have to tell me what actually happened, right?"
"Just that stupid stuff with the stock market."
"At most, we reaped a few hundred million. It shouldn't be serious enough to cause this much trouble."
"Uh, hehe..."
Yang Yiyi sent an awkward laughing emoji.
Xie Litang typed: "?"
Yang Yiyi sent a sigh emoji and typed: "With just our capital, how could we possibly leverage Jianghai City's stock market? I gathered some funds from other people."
"How much is 'some'?"
"Just, you know, pocket change from various Rich Bros and rich young mistresses... you get what I mean, right?"
Rich Bros and rich young mistresses?
Then that explained it. A single meal for those people might cost what someone at the bottom earned in an entire lifetime.
Xie Litang continued typing to ask: "Alright. Is there anything I can help with?"
"Not at the moment. However..."
"However what?"
"Someone is investigating that drop of Flood Dragon essence blood and the origin of your equipment. They might trace it back to me. If things go south, you need to leave—get out of Fumu City immediately."
This was practically putting all cards on the table.
Investigating the equipment's origin was just a cover.
Investigating Xie Litang was their true goal.
Rate on N.U.
