The office door was suddenly pushed open as he was about to leave.
"Brother Li?"
Zhou Tong exclaimed, for he saw Ma San behind Li Zhonglou, and the old man on Ma San's back.
When Hu Han and the others returned, they had mentioned that Li Zhonglou had left for Second Master's matter, but how long had it been?
His exclamation also drew Hu Han's attention. Upon turning and seeing Second Master on Ma San's back, he couldn't help but cry out.
With a genuine "Second Master," Hu Han rushed behind Ma San and helped Second Master down.
Li Zhonglou looked at his worried expression and reassured him, "Don't worry, he only sustained minor injuries. I brought him back first to avoid you worrying."
Hu Han was immediately moved to tears, kowtowing to Li Zhonglou, "Brother Li, thank you, thank you!"
This scene stunned Zhou Tong beside him. He knew Hu Han cherished this Second Master of the Hu family but never expected him to value him to such an extent.
Li Zhonglou, however, was not surprised. He had already noticed Hu Han's affection for Second Master earlier, so he shook his head, "Get up quickly, let's get him treated first."
Hu Han then rose and hurried away with Second Master.
Zhou Tong stepped forward, looking worried, "Brother Li, is Hu Han really alright? I always feel he..."
"Isn't very reliable, right?"
Zhou Tong did not hide anything and nodded directly, glancing at Ma San beside him.
Li Zhonglou smiled faintly, "It's fine, he's one of us."
A ripple flashed in Ma San's eyes, but he remained silent.
Li Zhonglou continued, "As for Hu Han, I had the same thought at first, but after considering his experiences, it's understandable."
"His experiences?"
Li Zhonglou first returned to his seat, sat down, and poured tea, then slowly recounted Hu Han's background.
As someone from a poor background, he had become an orphan early on, with very little in terms of familial affection. Second Master's appearance not only gave him the opportunity to soar to success but also compensated for his lack of familial love.
Perhaps he had kept all his emotions bottled up before. After all, he was an adult and wouldn't easily reveal his emotions to others.
Hearing this, Hu Han understood. He also came from a poor background, and his experiences were very similar to Hu Han's. Zhou Tong had been living alone since he was very young, enduring many hardships, and had achieved what he had today through his own efforts.
So when Li Zhonglou reached this point, he understood.
"I didn't expect him to be such an unfortunate person, but it's better than me, at least he has the status of a wealthy man."
Zhou Tong's words were tinged with a bit of self-mockery. Li Zhonglou smiled faintly, "Let the past be the past. Living well in the present and future is true life."
"That's true. Although I was poor and had a tough life, I have no regrets about my present."
Zhou Tong's face also lit up with a smile, but he quickly remembered something.
"By the way, what about the money? Our factory hasn't been operating for two days."
Li Zhonglou finally remembered that his company was being targeted. However, for some reason, Luo Feng hadn't sent the money either.
"How much money is still needed?"
Zhou Tong thought for a moment, "The opponent is engaging in a price war with us. To win back customers, we'll need at least three million first."
Three million. One Black Tiger mission was a million. Two more missions and this matter could be resolved.
It didn't seem very difficult.
However, Li Zhonglou noticed the implication in Zhou Tong's words, "You said 'need first'? How much is needed in total?"
Zhou Tong shook his head directly.
"The exact amount cannot be calculated yet. The opponent is the second-in-command in our industry. In terms of financial strength, they are many times ours. However, they won't be an immovable object."
Speaking of this, Zhou Tong sighed, "I don't know why they're targeting us. I just hope they're not too persistent."
Li Zhonglou understood. From Zhou Tong's words, it meant that it depended on the extent of the opponent's suppression. This was putting his life in others' hands.
Such a situation might force others to endure silently, but for him, it was absolutely unacceptable!
With this thought, Li Zhonglou stated directly, "First, have someone investigate their financial strength. I don't want them to be able to retreat if they want to!"
A domineering aura instantly enveloped the entire room. Zhou Tong's expression froze. Seeing that Li Zhonglou wasn't joking, he reminded him.
"Although I think so too, this requires a massive amount of financial support. It's estimated to be no less than a billion."
Such a large sum of money, let alone earning it, he had never even seen it, let alone using it for a price war!
What is a price war? It means if an item that costs ten yuan is sold for fifteen, you sell it for fourteen. If they sell it for ten, you sell it for nine!
Everyone says business is like war, and Zhou Tong now understood this was absolutely true! This was a war without smoke. Selling an item that costs ten yuan for nine or even less was bound to be a loss.
Now it was about who could last longer!
Simply put, it was about spending money to retain market share. Once the battle began, whoever withdrew first would lose their position in Shangjing!
Although Li Zhonglou was not a professional businessman, he understood this point and directly addressed Zhou Tong's concerns, "Don't worry, leave the money matters to me. You just focus on doing your job. Wait for me for a moment. I'll give you a million first."
After speaking, Li Zhonglou hurried away. Zhou Tong, however, still had a worried expression. A million yuan would have been a significant amount in normal times, but now it was like a drop in the bucket.
However, since Li Zhonglou had spoken, Zhou Tong could only choose to believe him and began making various calls to upstream and downstream partners.
Although a million yuan was far from enough, it could still be used for some things.
As for Hu Han's situation, Li Zhonglou did not intend to interfere further. He had helped as much as he should and shouldn't have. Interfering again would truly attract the attention of the General Bureau.
Therefore, after leaving the company, Li Zhonglou called Lao San and together they headed to Black Tiger's location.
Most of the General Bureau's silver-level missions were located in Shangjing. Li Zhonglou heard from Zhang Zhong that only diamond-level and above missions were commonly found outside Shangjing.
On the other side, after Ye Ziying and the others handed over the case to the Enforcement Department and Intelligence Department, they wanted to inquire about who had killed those grey-clothed individuals. Unexpectedly, the Third Master who was summoned back was also a tough nut to crack.
It was as if he would not reveal what was in the secret room even if he were to die, stubbornly insisting it was a famous painting he had obtained years ago.
Such talk might fool the police, but who would believe them?