Although Li Chonglou didn't feel the depth of Eagle Eye's internal energy, nor was he aware of his thoughts, this guy was a freelancer. Meeting him suddenly opened up Li Chonglou's mind.
If he lacked manpower, he had to recruit. Before this, Li Chonglou's idea was similar to finding people like the Wolf brothers, but the difficulty was immense, almost impossible to find.
Cullinan's appearance had only made them contemplate using their skills to recruit some experts. It was Eagle Eye's appearance that made him realize he could also look for freelancers.
However, everything has its circles. In the vast sea of people, he didn't know where to start. Thus, Eagle Eye was undoubtedly a good opportunity.
As long as he could recruit him, he could naturally open up the circles he could access. Moreover, even though he was unaware of Eagle Eye's strength, anyone who could appear here at this time definitely wouldn't be ordinary.
As the saying goes, even a rotten boat has three catties of nails. Eagle Eye could accept missions and still be alive proves something.
Of course, if Eagle Eye knew that Li Chonglou only saw him as a rotten boat, the outcome would likely be very different.
Li Chonglou's sudden recruitment clearly startled Eagle Eye.
"No way, did I sell myself just by chatting?"
Eagle Eye was somewhat surprised, and a hint of vigilance rose in his gaze towards Li Chonglou.
It was like someone strolling down the street, and suddenly someone jumped out and asked him to follow them. If he were any younger, Eagle Eye would already be worried about his internal organs.
Seeing this, Li Chonglou explained, "Don't worry, I have no other intentions towards you. It's just that I'm short of people lately and want to recruit some help."
When Eagle Eye heard this, he became even more unwilling.
"I say, brother, saying it like that makes me even more scared. How do I know you don't want to recruit me as cannon fodder?"
This wasn't just his concern; it was a concern for all freelancers, and it wasn't unfounded, but rather based on bloody lessons.
Although the benefits for freelancers were not as good as those of the exclusive thugs of the major gangs, their rewards for each mission were incomparable to those of the thugs. In the early days, many experts jumped out to become freelancers because of this. After all, compared to benefits, people preferred the real money in their hands.
However, it was precisely because of this that the "Freelancer Incident," which later became famous throughout Shangjing, occurred.
Li Chonglou didn't understand the circle very well, so he was unaware of this incident. After seeing Eagle Eye's reaction, he realized he might have said something wrong.
So he said directly, "I apologize. This is my first time interacting with people from your circle. Is the cannon fodder you mentioned related to something that happened before?"
Although he didn't understand, Li Chonglou could see something from Eagle Eye's reaction. The best way to bridge the gap between two people was undoubtedly communication and understanding, so Li Chonglou didn't hide his thoughts.
Eagle Eye also said directly, "You haven't heard of the Freelancer Incident?"
Li Chonglou shook his head.
Eagle Eye gave him a strange look and explained, "About twenty years ago, there was a gang called 'Datong' that specialized in the arms business and was targeted by the Shangjing General Bureau. However, to catch them all at once, the Shangjing General Bureau didn't leak any information. The leader of Datong somehow received this news and began to recruit freelancers in large numbers."
"The price offered at the time was extremely tempting even to some high-ranking members of the underworld, and the mission content was very simple: just hold on at a designated location at a specific time."
"At that time, everyone in the underworld thought Datong had gone mad and wanted to stir up trouble. However, the result was that Datong used these freelancers as bait to attract the attention of the Shangjing General Bureau and everyone else, while its high-ranking members secretly absconded with the money and fled abroad."
"The result was that when the Shangjing General Bureau took action, only a group of innocent freelancers were captured and killed. The real members of Datong had already disappeared completely. This incident was not only a disgrace to us freelancers but also a disgrace to the Shangjing General Bureau."
Li Chonglou asked curiously, "Then why isn't it called the Shangjing Incident, but the Freelancer Incident?"
It was clear that this incident involved both parties, and it happened in Shangjing, so calling it the Shangjing Incident would be more fitting.
"Are you stupid? How could the Shangjing General Bureau define their own disgrace? Let me tell you, ever since then, the relationship between us freelancers and the General Bureau has been at freezing point. When we encounter people from the General Bureau outside, we never say we are freelancers."
Li Chonglou suddenly understood, and at the same time, he understood why Eagle Eye had reacted that way when he spoke earlier.
Understanding this, Li Chonglou also smiled and said, "Don't worry, I still have things to do in Shangjing, so I won't run away with the money."
Eagle Eye was dumbfounded, thinking, 'Is that what I'm worried about? I'm worried you'll treat me as cannon fodder!'
There are more lucrative professions in this world than freelancers: international mercenaries. But why don't they choose to be mercenaries and instead become freelancers? Because of safety!
Having money and living to spend it—this is the belief of all freelancers.
However, Eagle Eye also knew that this issue was complex. It was difficult to determine beforehand whether the other party was treating you as cannon fodder. Just like the airport incident today, they arrived fine, and he was even here to slack off and earn some commission. Who knew they wouldn't be able to go back now.
Such matters were generally not within their scope of consideration because they had already chosen their employers before that.
This meant that no matter what Li Chonglou said, he couldn't dispel his concerns.
Li Chonglou also understood Eagle Eye's meaning and skipped the topic directly.
"Alright, enough nonsense. One sentence: yes or no."
Eagle Eye's face turned bitter again: "Well, big brother, what happens if I say no?"
Li Chonglou gave him a look that said, "Figure it out yourself."
Fine, he understood immediately. Eagle Eye said helplessly, "Then, aren't you asking the obvious? Do I still have a choice?"
Li Chonglou's face was no less thick than his. He nodded directly, "Good that you know. From now on, I am your only employer. We'll finalize the contract later."
Eagle Eye's eyes immediately lit up: "Are we leaving now?"
Li Chonglou looked at him and smiled, "I'm sorry, you guessed wrong."
After speaking, Li Chonglou turned and pointed at the bodies at the north exit.