Chapter 1 Digging People

The scale of this personnel raid was no longer a secret within the studio circle, and Yun Teng's identity couldn't be hidden forever either; it had already been exposed. It was quite astonishing to many studios that a not-so-top-tier studio had such ambition. Naturally, colleagues who weren't affected by Ying Qi's misfortune were gloating, but Yun Teng's methods were unpopular, and everyone began to pay attention to this studio, guarding against being targeted themselves. The bosses of the larger studios were more at ease, because they knew the limits of current studio development. Yun Teng had swallowed almost all of Ying Qi's people in one go, offering even more generous treatment than Ying Qi. With their studio's scale, how they would digest it all was a problem. Some even doubted the truth of this personnel storm.

However, many people had directly confirmed the news from Gaishi Yingxiong's (Unparalleled Hero's) own mouth. Gaishi Yingxiong wasn't the type to dump everything on Wu Ye and not care. He was working hard offline! He already knew that Yun Teng Studio was behind it. This studio didn't have much experience, and Gaishi Yingxiong hoped to use his years of contacts and influence in the circle to put some pressure on Yun Teng. But the result wasn't optimistic. Everyone was in competition with each other, and even if they were called friends, they were only superficially so. Moreover, Gaishi Yingxiong hadn't put much effort into maintaining good relations with his colleagues. When this happened, the studios he approached all made excuses to decline. They all knew that Yun Teng Studio needed to be taken seriously, but right now Gaishi Yingxiong was just trying to use their power to recover lost ground. No one wanted to restrain Yun Teng only to help Ying Qi rise again. A lose-lose situation was what they were happiest to see. Naturally, they were happy to sit back and watch the fight, without rushing to get involved.

Gaishi Yingxiong's efforts weren't going smoothly, and then he received news from Wu Ye, who had temporarily left the game: the troublemaking players hadn't given up and were becoming more excessive. Their claws had even reached for their warehouses.

Gaishi Yingxiong was furious. He felt that this was beyond what ordinary game players could do. He believed that a studio was instigating it from behind. Who could it be? Wasn't it obvious?

"These guys, they really ignore the rules of the industry!" Gaishi Yingxiong was extremely angry, and he used this as a new argument, trying to persuade his colleagues, telling them how despicable Yun Teng's actions were and warning them that allowing such a despicable studio to grow would be a disaster for everyone.

Obviously, controlling resources in the game was more terrifying than poaching people. Sure enough, with this argument, many studios became nervous and began to feel that Yun Teng couldn't be allowed to continue unchecked.

But while Yun Teng Studio was a late-starting new studio, it wasn't operating in isolation. They weren't completely without a voice in the industry. They had to clarify Gaishi Yingxiong's accusations, because everyone knew the stakes involved.

The despicability Gaishi Yingxiong described was naturally translated by Yun Teng as slander. Insiders in the circle were even happier to watch the two companies go head-to-head. Yun Teng shouldn't have been qualified to challenge Ying Qi Studio, but this move made everyone look at them in a new light.

Gaishi Yingxiong couldn't organize any offensive against Yun Teng within the industry for a while. He sighed and returned to the game with Wu Ye, where he learned the details of Wu Ye's situation.

"Have you contacted the others?" Gaishi Yingxiong was referring to the other directors.

"Not yet. I think these guys are basically Yun Teng's people now. They're probably deliberately cooperating with the trouble, and I don't think they can be trusted," Wu Ye said.

"You're right, we have to be careful with this," Gaishi Yingxiong nodded. He had long suspected that Yun Teng was behind everything, so how could he trust the people who had already been poached by Yun Teng?

"Boss, that Ying Zhi Tuan (Eagle Squad)..." Although Gaishi Yingxiong hadn't told Wu Ye about the Eagle Squad, Wu Ye was a thoughtful person. The boss obviously wanted revenge, so he paid attention to the situation in Yueye (Moon Night) City. This was his territory, and even the forums had organized guns-for-hire. Wu Ye could see that the Eagle Squad was the boss's way of dealing with the Shi Hui (Ten Associations) Alliance.

"They're our people, there's no problem," Gaishi Yingxiong nodded. "It seems we can only ask them to help transfer the supplies for now. I'll go check out the new warehouse, and you contact the other directors and test the waters." Gaishi Yingxiong's feelings towards Wu Ye were complicated. He was one of the few people he could still use, but this trouble had started because of him. Although Gaishi Yingxiong was accusing Yun Teng of acting despicably in the industry, he didn't believe that Yun Teng had mindlessly ordered them to guard the warehouse. This kind of thing was probably thought of by ordinary players first. Frankly speaking, it had nothing to do with Yun Teng. Even if they provided some information, it wouldn't be enough to make a case. But why would ordinary players hate them, Ying Qi, so much and try to wipe them out? Wasn't it all because of Wu Ye's failed plan?

Gaishi Yingxiong really wanted to beat Wu Ye, but he had to endure it for now. If he drove this guy away, he would really have no one left. Although there were still some second-tier city managers, they were far less capable and trustworthy than the directors. And the people in the Eagle Squad were just hired thugs. Gaishi Yingxiong had never let them get involved in business, and they were probably not interested in being merchants in the game.

Gaishi Yingxiong was full of worries and went to find a new warehouse location. This time, he decided to centralize the warehouse in one place, so that trustworthy people could manage it together. The location would be kept secret, even from the directors. This place would become the foundation of Ying Qi Studio. As for the directors, they could develop their own temporary warehouses, but at least fifty percent, no, sixty percent, of the studio's supplies had to be in this main warehouse... Gaishi Yingxiong was indeed a leading figure in the industry, learning from his mistakes.

Wu Ye continued to contact the other directors. Because Ya Xiaosuan Gen (Nitrite Root) couldn't directly participate in this matter without being criticized, he couldn't order the directors to cause trouble. It all depended on their understanding. This time, Wu Ye didn't stupidly run over there, but directly told people to make teleportation scrolls and send them to him.

The newly contacted director wasn't happy with Wu Ye's demanding request, but he reluctantly complied. However, the Shi Hui Alliance players guarding the warehouses had received new instructions: killing Wu Ye was fine, but they had to make sure that no one entered the warehouse.

When the director arrived at the warehouse, he was met by four unreasonable guys who questioned his purpose and wouldn't let him in. The director was dumbfounded. He definitely couldn't win in a fight, and they wouldn't listen to reason. In the end, he had to truthfully report back to Wu Ye. This director was an honest person, and didn't have as many thoughts and assumptions as the previous one or Sheng Ru Xia (Summer Born)...

Wu Ye had no choice but to try the next one, but all the directors encountered the same obstacles. Wu Ye, who had already established his own business in Yun Teng, was definitely on Yun Teng's side and simply made an excuse to refuse. Most of the other directors were very perceptive, understood the spirit of the struggle, and went along with Wu Ye. Of course, there were a few who were more straightforward, like the third one, but these were all non-combatant merchants who couldn't do anything about the Shi Hui Alliance's forceful obstruction.

Wu Ye thought to himself that he was doing useless work, but he had to do as the boss ordered. The only enjoyment he got from this was judging the other person's reaction based on his understanding of them...

The directors weren't just waiting for Wu Ye to contact them. After a few of them encountered this unusual situation, they discussed it with their close director friends. The news spread quickly. Even those who were more straightforward understood that this wasn't simple after hearing the analysis of others. Everyone obviously understood that they needed to stand on the side of the new owner, but they still had to go through the motions. So, everyone Wu Ye contacted would run to the warehouse, predictably encounter the roadblock, seriously argue with them for a few words, and then reluctantly leave and report back to Wu Ye.

Wu Ye numbly repeated the process of contacting people and hearing almost the same answers. He had already given up hope, but then he got a surprise. He wasn't the only one who was surprised. Zongjian Yi Fen Ban Miao (Director One and a Half Seconds), the director of the five main cities in the southeast, went to the warehouse in Caomang (Grassland) City after Wu Ye contacted him, just to be formal.

But what he saw wasn't what the other directors had described. Outside his warehouse, there weren't four meticulous, fierce, and towering men. There was only a black-robed mage player, seemingly bored, squatting on the roof above the door, holding his chin and looking absent-minded.

"Is this the person?" Yi Fen Ban Miao didn't understand. He could only continue walking forward, paying attention to the person's movements. The person obviously saw him and was watching him, but didn't say a word, watching him walk closer and closer, to the warehouse door. The person still didn't say a word.

With a "clang," the warehouse door opened. The person still didn't react. Yi Fen Ban Miao entered the warehouse, and for a moment, he couldn't come back to his senses.

But soon, Yi Fen Ban Miao saw several figures in the warehouse, which startled him. He cried out, "Who's there?"

"Manager Yi Fen, it's us!" One person stood up from a corner and smiled at Yi Fen Ban Miao. The warehouse was filled with things everywhere, so some places were poorly lit. Yi Fen Ban Miao frowned and recognized him after a while: "Yongyuan (Forever)? Is that you?"

As the director of the southeast region, Yi Fen Ban Miao knew about the Eagle Squad, knew Yongyuan, and knew that the Eagle Squad had some connection with their boss. The boss hadn't told him the specifics, and Yi Fen Ban Miao knew better than to ask too much or say anything outside. But even after recognizing these guys, Yi Fen Ban Miao was still surprised. Gaishi Yingxiong had given them access to such an important place as the warehouse, showing that they were trusted no less than the directors.

"Yi Fen, are you here to take inventory?" Yongyuan asked. After Gaishi Yingxiong went online, he immediately told them to temporarily put aside dealing with the Shi Hui Alliance and be ready to clear obstacles at the warehouses in the main cities. Of course, Gaishi Yingxiong didn't know that Yongyuan and the others were facing a new situation.

"Yes... Are you too?" Yi Fen Ban Miao was a little confused.

"Of course not, continue doing what you need to do," Yongyuan said with a smile.

Yi Fen Ban Miao continued to be confused, but he still took out the teleportation scroll and started making coordinates.

"When you came, did you see anyone outside?" Yongyuan asked.

"Yes, there was a guy squatting on the roof," Yi Fen Ban Miao said.

"Black robe? Mage?" Yongyuan asked.

Yi Fen Ban Miao nodded.

"This guy is really patient," Yongyuan couldn't help but marvel.

"Is there a problem?" Yi Fen Ban Miao asked.

"He didn't give you trouble?" Yongyuan asked.

Yi Fen Ban Miao shook his head.

"How could this be? Aren't they blocking people from entering the warehouse?" Someone nearby asked in confusion.

"Because there's no need to! With us here, we can use teleportation scrolls to bring people in at any time, so what's the point of blocking this warehouse?" Yongyuan said.

"Oh..." Everyone realized, and Yi Fen Ban Miao finally understood why he hadn't encountered the same situation as the other directors. He didn't know if it was good or bad. It seemed that his inventory was going to go smoothly, but would the new owner have any objections?

Yi Fen Ban Miao was depressed! He didn't like this special treatment, but what could he do? Could he lie to Wu Ye? That was impossible. With these guys already in the warehouse, he could enter at any time, and he still had to take inventory. It seemed that unless he died, he couldn't avoid this special treatment.

Helpless, Yi Fen Ban Miao made the coordinates and left after a perfunctory greeting to Yongyuan and the others, feeling very uneasy. After leaving the door, he looked back and saw that the guy on the roof was still watching him, but this time he was smiling.

"Hi!" The guy even waved at him.

"Hi..." Yi Fen Ban Miao responded blankly.

"How many people are inside now?" The guy suddenly asked.

"There are... seven or eight? Let me think, uh, seven..." Yi Fen Ban Miao tried his best to provide Gu Fei with information. He realized that his inventory couldn't be stopped, so he might as well contribute in other areas.

"Oh? Do you know them all?" Gu Fei asked.

"I only know one person, Yongyuan," Yi Fen Ban Miao said.

"Oh..." Gu Fei nodded. "Thank you!"

"Is there anything else?" Yi Fen Ban Miao really didn't want to leave.

"There's nothing else, you can go!" Gu Fei said.

Yi Fen Ban Miao continued to leave uneasily, while Gu Fei opened the taskbar and counted. He still had six Eagle Squad targets in his task, and the coordinates were indeed inside this warehouse. Now that he had asked about Yongyuan, it seemed that everyone else knew that Gu Fei couldn't catch them without PK points and had left the place.

Gu Fei tried to receive the task again with the list, but he didn't have any PK points.

"There are only seven members of the Eagle Squad left here, and thirteen others have disappeared... Also, there aren't just twenty of them online anymore, all thirty of them are online..." Gu Fei sent a message to Han Jia Gongzi (Young Master Han). His wanted search would give him a notification when the target was offline. This was considered a humane feature of the system. It didn't matter if a player had PK points or not if they were online. In the wanted task list, the task number for an offline target would be automatically temporarily hidden. But Gu Fei directly received the task, so the system would give this notification to prevent players from receiving offline targets.

"It seems they're really going to take action," Han Jia Gongzi had been staying at the tavern, receiving news from various sources. He knew all about Wu Ye's visits to different places. He hadn't let Gu Fei stop them in Caomang City, precisely because of Yongyuan's judgment: blocking them was useless.

Yun Zhong Mu (Cloud at Dusk) had also been staying at the tavern, continuing to discuss with Han Jia Gongzi how to proceed. Hearing Han Jia Gongzi say this, he perked up and immediately asked, "Have they inventoried here?"

Han Jia Gongzi nodded.

"Good!" Yun Zhong Mu stood up with fighting spirit. Since Caomang City had become a place where they couldn't prevent entry into the warehouse, it would be a great opportunity to create a blow to the other side.

Unless the other side wanted to use teleportation scrolls for such a luxurious way of transporting goods, they would definitely need the Eagle Squad to escort them during the transfer. Han Jia Gongzi's interest in the Eagle Squad was obviously greater than in Ying Qi now.

"However, the Eagle Squad has only left seven people there. In addition, twenty-three of them are all online, but their whereabouts are unknown for the time being. We need to be vigilant," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Are you saying that those people might be scattered to solve the guards in each warehouse?" Yun Zhong Mu said.

Han Jia Gongzi nodded. "That's certainly possible."

"Wouldn't that be even better?" Yun Zhong Mu smiled.

"Of course," Han Jia Gongzi rarely smiled with Yun Zhong Mu.

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I need to make up for the missed updates... but I don't have much time today, and I'm not in a good mood, so it's a problem whether I can make it up... I'll try my best! Everyone also give me some monthly tickets to support me.