Chapter 400: Also a Puppet
The man didn't want to pay the one million. His only option was to go after Xiao Ye's companion!
He immediately looked toward Zhu Chen and lunged.
Before Xiao Ye could even help, a well-prepared Zhu Chen took a step back, dodging out of his attack range.
Not only that, but he also produced an exquisite little crossbow and fired a short bolt into the man's knee.
THUMP.
The man collapsed to the ground again. This time, he couldn't hold back, clutching his leg and wailing in agony.
"My leg! You injured my leg! You're done for! I won't let you get away with this!"
Xiao Ye walked up to him. "A bet's a bet. You lost. One million. Don't forget."
The employee was scared stiff. He stared blankly at Xiao Ye, not daring to say a single word.
Xiao Ye raised his hand and slapped him across the face. "And you. Before you start trouble with someone, take a good look at yourself and see if you're even qualified!"
"Here's my account number. The one million has to be in my account within three days. If not, don't blame me for what happens next."
With that, he and Zhu Chen turned and walked over to the security checkpoint.
The two of them took out their keycards and swiped them.
BEEP!
The security gate opened.
The two of them walked into the area that truly belonged to the United Group and headed straight for the elevator.
The employee had assumed they were there looking for work; he never imagined they'd actually have keycards!
Even though the main players were gone, the scene was still buzzing with activity.
The man clutched his knee, waiting for an ambulance.
Everyone dreamed of coming to Country A, but few knew that its medical response was incredibly slow. Many illnesses became fatal simply due to such delays.
"Someone like you has the nerve to call yourself the national boxing champion? You must have gotten the title through connections!"
"I've already uploaded the video to the internet. This kind of trash can't be the champion. If he were to go abroad, he'd just be a disgrace to our country!"
"Hey, you loser! And you have the gall to bully people?!"
The man, furious and in pain, slapped the employee across the face again. "If my career is ruined because of this, I won't let you off the hook!"
The employee knew exactly what kind of person the champion was. Hearing those words, he was finally hit with a wave of true regret.
'If I had known this was how it would end, I never would have gone looking for trouble with Xiao Ye.'
But now, it was too late for regrets.
「Meanwhile.」
The elevator ascended all the way to the top floor.
The United Group's elevators were all keycard-activated. Each card was restricted to a specific floor; access to other floors required an application to a supervisor.
The top floor was utterly silent, with hardly a sound to be heard.
The walls on both sides were transparent, offering a view of the outside, but Xiao Ye had a feeling there was something hidden behind the glass.
Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen walked all the way to the back, where they came to a single door.
The door opened with a simple push.
A man was sitting inside.
He appeared to be in his forties, with brown hair and rimless glasses. He had a very gentle and scholarly air about him, like a high-class intellectual.
He looked at Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen and smiled. "Gentlemen, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Xiao Ye didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly opposite him. "You may have been waiting a long time, but that's not on us. That's on you."
"Oh? And what do you mean by that? Is there some problem with our company?"
Xiao Ye recounted what had just happened downstairs. "Your employees were actively looking for trouble, and no one did anything about it, so we had to handle it ourselves."
The man paused in thought for a moment before picking up the phone on his desk. "Investigate those employees downstairs just now. Fire them immediately. Tell them to pack their things and get out."
After speaking, he hung up. "Mr. Xiao, Mr. Zhuxian, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"
Although he was the head of the United Group, he was, in reality, just a puppet.
Not only that, he was even a clone.
The original president hadn't wanted to get involved with the Angel Association and was brutally murdered and replaced as a result.
To avoid being discovered, the man before them had deliberately gotten involved with other women, successfully divorced his original wife, and had even given her custody of the children.
Once he was all alone, it meant there was no one close enough to him to discover the truth.
"It's acceptable." Xiao Ye knew the man's true story and had no respect for him whatsoever.
"It's just that my expectations for the United Group have fallen drastically. I thought that one of the top companies in the world would be different, that it would at least have some rules."
"Instead, it's a den of barbarians who don't even know how to keep up appearances."
The man's expression soured, but he still forced a smile. "Gentlemen, let's get down to business."
"Your accommodations have been arranged."
"However, your initiation ceremony, as well as the triennial gathering, have been rescheduled. It will be postponed by about a week."
Xiao Ye frowned. "Why postpone something so important? I need an explanation."
"Of course," the man explained. "It's mainly because a traitor has emerged within the Angel Association—one who holds a very high position."
"This has caused us significant problems, and we are currently dedicating all our resources to apprehending them."
Xiao Ye nodded. "So, there are people willing to risk death to betray you. It seems the Angel Association isn't as great as you make it out to be. Otherwise, why would anyone betray it?"
The man was struck speechless. It was twisted logic, but he had no idea how to refute it.
"Alright, in that case, have someone take us to our accommodations. And by the way, starting tomorrow, I'll be coming to the United Group every day."
"We're supposed to be partners, but today's incident has made me doubt you. I'll need to observe you more closely."
With that, Xiao Ye stood up and left, giving the man no chance to refuse.
"You..."
The man watched them leave, his expression grim. He picked up the phone again. "Those employees who provoked Xiao Ye today... make sure they suffer."
As Xiao Ye and Zhu Chen were leaving, the president's secretary obsequiously saw them out.
When they reached the lobby, they were surprised to see that the group was still there.
Nearly half an hour had passed, and the ambulance still hadn't arrived.
'Looks like they really are even slower than the rumors say.'
Xiao Ye distinctly remembered there was a hospital run by the United Group not far from here.
At the sight of Xiao Ye, the man with the injured knee turned deathly pale with fear.
The employee was in no better shape. His face was a mess of black and blue, and his clothes were torn to shreds.
He was holding a cardboard box. In fact, all the employees who had come down with him earlier—every single one who had spoken maliciously to Xiao Ye—were now holding boxes.
They had all been fired!
And the employee, being the one who started it all, had naturally become the target of the others' displaced anger and had been given another severe beating.
When the employee saw Xiao Ye, he felt like crying but had no tears left.