Li Chonglou nodded. By the time he came out, A'tu had already met up with Fan Jian.
"Brother Fan, I really owe you this time! Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to do."
"Brother A'tu, you shouldn't be thanking me, but this Boss Li."
Fan Jian pointed at Li Chonglou. A'tu was stunned for a moment but then walked over with gratitude. However, Li Chonglou waved his hand.
"It's just a small favor. By the way, where's the item?"
"It's in the car! I'll get it for you now."
A'tu hurried to his small three-wheeled cart and took out a sack from inside. Chen Pao's eyes lit up at the sight.
"Brother Fan, Boss Li, this is what you wanted. I was originally going to sell it to a stall vendor, but Brother Fan called me, so I kept it."
Li Chonglou took out several red banknotes from his pocket and handed them to A'tu, saying, "Then let's consider it bought."
A'tu quickly said, "Boss Li, please don't misunderstand. You helped me so much, I don't know how to repay you, how can I still accept your money."
Li Chonglou smiled, "One thing at a time. You bringing the item back has been a great help to me, so please accept it. We're not short of this bit of money."
Fan Jian had been to Li Chonglou's company. Although he only stayed for a short while, he had witnessed Li Chonglou's financial strength and couldn't help but persuade him, "Brother A'tu, please accept it. Boss Li even runs a big company, he's not short of money."
As Fan Jian spoke, he glanced at Li Chonglou. Seeing Li Chonglou nod with a smile, he felt relieved and continued to persuade A'tu.
"Then, alright."
Unable to refuse the warmth, A'tu finally accepted the money, and Li Chonglou took the sack.
"I'll have someone sort out the weight loss methods and send them to you."
This was exactly what Fan Jian was hoping for. He grinned and nodded repeatedly.
Afterward, Li Chonglou and Chen Pao left together.
They didn't immediately unpack the item. After returning to the company, they began to examine it in Li Chonglou's office.
The blue doll was still in good condition, undamaged. However, they directly tore it open and rummaged inside. Chen Pao's eyes suddenly lit up.
"It's really here!"
As he pulled his hand out, he was holding a gray, irregular stone.
As soon as the item was out, Elder An's voice sounded from the soul bottle.
"Curse power?"
His voice carried a hint of confusion. Li Chonglou quickly asked, "Senior An, do you recognize it?"
"I don't, but this stone has curse power. It's very likely from the Lost Land as well."
Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed. From the Lost Land? But this item was clearly obtained by Green Bull from Sun Corporation, and its name was Force Metal. This piece was a Force Essence Stone, a high-quality variant of Force Metal.
How did it get associated with the Lost Land?
Could it be...
Li Chonglou suddenly had a bold guess! Chen Pao, after observing for a while and finding nothing special, noticed Li Chonglou's odd behavior.
"What's wrong with you? Don't tell me you're planning to double-cross me?"
As he spoke, Chen Pao took a step back, holding the Force Essence. Li Chonglou then snapped back to attention.
"If I wanted to double-cross you, would I have waited until now?"
Li Chonglou gave him a glare. "Enough nonsense, name your price."
Chen Pao looked at him with disbelief, and after a while, they began to discuss the price.
Li Chonglou didn't ask for an exorbitant price, only adding ten million.
"Pfft!"
Chen Pao was immediately dumbfounded.
"Ten million, you're giving me that? Are you kidding me!"
"Then give it to me. I'll give you the money later."
Li Chonglou made a move to take back the Force Essence. Chen Pao quickly stepped back again, his face showing a look of difficulty.
"Can you make it a little cheaper? I've almost used up all my funds replenishing the robots."
Li Chonglou smiled. "How about you stay with me and complete tasks to earn the money? With good luck, you might be able to repay it with just one mission."
Chen Pao's expression immediately changed, looking as if he had expected it. "You really are after me!"
"That's even less likely. At worst, I'll just sell this thing to you!"
Li Chonglou immediately nodded. "Okay, is it settled then?"
Damn it, I've been tricked!
Chen Pao's expression shifted again. This time, he quickly put the item into his bag and appeared lost in thought.
Li Chonglou understood his intentions perfectly. He shook his head and smiled, "I was just kidding. If I said I'd sell it to you, I wouldn't go back on my word. If you can't come up with the money right away, installments are fine, but not for too long."
"You know what I do. Sometimes I'm very short on funds."
"Really?"
Chen Pao's eyes lit up brightly. For the first time, he felt that Li Chonglou was quite easy to communicate with. After all, so many people at the airport risked their lives to get this item, and he had witnessed Li Chonglou's several decisive actions.
To be honest, ten million was actually quite low.
Li Chonglou smiled. "Of course, it's true. But whatever money you can give me now, give it to me first. I still need to pay Hawkeye and the others their salaries."
"Of course, that's no problem! I have over three hundred thousand in my account. I'll transfer it to you now!"
Li Chonglou didn't stand on ceremony. They completed the transaction on the spot. After three million successfully arrived, happy smiles appeared on both their faces. For Chen Pao, accepting these three million from Li Chonglou gave him a sense of security.
A sense of security that no one else would covet him.
"Happy cooperation."
Li Chonglou extended his right hand. Chen Pao also felt Li Chonglou's sincerity and extended his own right hand.
"Happy cooperation!"
They shook hands with joy. Before long, Chen Pao left Li Chonglou's company with immense happiness.
As for their other agreement, concerning the information obtained from Liu Fei, it could not be acted upon for the time being due to certain reasons.
Li Chonglou stood in the corridor, watching Chen Pao's retreating figure, smiling without speaking.
Suddenly, Zhou Tong arrived.
"Brother Li, good news!"
"We had already made plans for that Xiao Hong, but just as we were delving deeper to find a suitable opportunity to implement them, we discovered two leverage points on her!"
Li Chonglou's eyes lit up. "What leverage points?"
"This person is quite ruthless. Her parents were divorced, and she also had an older sister. But to get her parents' money, she got rid of everyone."
Li Chonglou was stunned. "Got rid of? You mean..."
"A month before their accident, her sister suddenly bought a high-value insurance policy, and she was listed as the beneficiary."
"Are you sure it's true?"
Zhou Tong said seriously, "Absolutely! The insurance agent who helped her sister buy the insurance is the younger brother of a friend of mine. At the time, when her sister was choosing projects, she made a phone call, and the voice he accidentally overheard was that of the woman named Xiao Hong."
"I've had someone record it and confirm it. This insurance policy was actually initiated and purchased by this Xiao Hong."