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Chapter 498 A Bountiful Harvest, Everyone Rejoices

The inside of the silver box was lined with thick black velvet, as if it could absorb all stray light.

Several sets of jewelry pieces lay quietly inside, exuding a luxurious feel.

The coolness of diamonds, the fiery intensity of gemstones, and the warmth of jade intertwine under the light to create a dazzling display of fire.

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the box full of glittering jewels, and they even unconsciously lowered their breathing.

"Because of the time constraints, there was no time to bid for better items at the auction house, so I could only transfer these few sets from the warehouse at home."

Chen Xu'an took in the expressions of the Illuminati members, then smiled slightly and added sincerely:

"I thought that since everyone is going back to Dongdu, we should bring back some local specialties."

"These little trinkets may not be rare treasures, but they are portable. Whether ladies use them themselves or gentlemen give them to their elders, they are presentable gifts."

“I have prepared a set for each member of the Illuminati. Please feel free to choose whichever set you like.”

Chen Xu'an's so-called "gift" truly touched everyone's hearts.

"Wow--"

Bai Ling was the first to exclaim in amazement, her eyes shining like stars: "These pieces of jewelry are so beautiful!"

Her gaze was fixed on the set of ruby ​​jewelry, unable to look away. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but felt a little embarrassed.

Although she had seen many treasures in previous missions, she was still a girl and had a natural attraction to shiny things.

Lin Chuqiao acted much more reserved, but she couldn't help but take a closer look at the jade necklace, lingering for several seconds longer than usual.

She comes from an extraordinary background, so naturally she knows her stuff.

This piece of imperial green jadeite is pure in texture and rich in color. If it were on the market, it would cost at least seven or eight million.

Chen Xu'an, observing their expressions, immediately smiled and made a "please" gesture, indicating that the two ladies could choose whatever they wanted.

Pan Wendi leaned closer to take a look, smacked his lips, and exclaimed in admiration:
"Tsk tsk, no wonder he's the richest man in Tiannan. He started out in the jewelry business, and now he's offering imperial green and pigeon blood red."

"Young Master Chen, you're quite generous. You're much more generous than those self-proclaimed noblemen in Dongdu."

Chen Xu'an waved his hand modestly:
"Young Master Pan, you flatter me. It's just a small gift."

Fang Cheng looked at the box of jewelry, raised an eyebrow, and said:

"Young Master Chen, isn't this gift a bit too heavy?"

"Mr. Bai, you flatter me."

Chen Xu'an quickly bowed, his expression becoming more serious:
"Compared to how you all saved my entire Chen family from dire straits, this little bit of material possessions is as light as a feather. If you are unwilling to accept it, I will find it difficult to feel at ease."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Fang Cheng stopped being coy.

Thinking of my mother, who has worked hard all her life, she has never worn any decent jewelry.

My gaze fell on one of the jade bracelets, which seemed perfect for her to take home and use for daily health maintenance.

"Since it is Young Master Chen's kind intention, then I will accept it without hesitation."

Seeing Fang Cheng nod in agreement, Chen Xu'an visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile returned to his face.

He then turned his head and waved to the two bodyguards behind him.

The two bodyguards immediately came forward with their briefcases.

"Click, click, click."

Three more crisp sounds rang out.

The remaining three silver briefcases were also opened one by one and placed on the coffee table.

This time, the visual impact wasn't as dazzling as before, but it was more direct and more brutal.

The box contained no fancy decorations, only neatly stacked stacks of brand-new 100-yuan bills.

The bright red color blended together, exuding a unique, exhilarating aroma of ink.

In the third box, besides the bundles of banknotes at the bottom, there was a brown paper document bag on top.

The air in the living room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Ye Zhiren's fingers trembled slightly as he pushed up his glasses.

He remained calm when he saw the jewelry, but when he saw the cash, his eyes instantly flashed with a wolf-like green light.

For an organization in dire need of funds for development, these banknotes are more precious than family.

Chen Xu'an pointed to the three boxes and respectfully said to Fang Cheng:

"Mr. Bai, here is 20 million in cash, which is a personal reward from our Chen family to you."

Fang Cheng was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion:
“I accepted the task at the Bridge of Helplessness. Now that the matter has been resolved, the platform will naturally settle the payment. You don’t need to pay anything else.”

Chen Xu'an shook his head, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, his tone unusually firm:

"The money at the Bridge of Helplessness was your reward for solving the curse case for the Chen family; that's a separate matter."

"And this one..."

He pointed to the box, his voice rising slightly:
"It is to repay your kindness in personally defeating the powerful enemy and saving my Chen family from annihilation."

"If it weren't for your heroic act that night, the Chen family would probably have been wiped out. How can such a life-saving grace be measured by a mere tens of millions?"

"You must accept this money, otherwise I, Chen Xu'an, will be considered an ungrateful scoundrel!"

These words were spoken with sincerity and even carried a touch of the straightforwardness and loyalty of江湖儿女 (jianghu children, people of the martial arts world).

Before Fang Cheng could respond, Chen Xu'an had already reached into the third box, picked up the file bag, and pulled out a thin check.

He then presented it to Fang Cheng with both hands, his tone becoming increasingly sincere:
"In addition, this is a bearer check for fifty million."

“I know that the Illuminati is a newly established organization and needs to be taken care of in all aspects. This is my personal contribution to the organization’s operating expenses, and I hope it can help the Illuminati’s development.”

"Young Master Chen, you're a very generous person!"

Looking at the table full of money, Pan Wendi couldn't help but give a thumbs up:
"It seems I misunderstood you before. I need to learn more from you about this kind of perspective."

"Young Master Pan is joking."

Chen Xu'an gave a wry smile and spoke frankly:

"Now that our two families have formed an alliance, the Chen family has nothing to offer in terms of military strength, except for some money."

"I only hope that this small contribution can help the organization grow stronger, so that if the Chen family encounters difficulties again in the future, they will have more confidence and support."

Fang Cheng looked at the checks and cash in front of him and did not refuse.

The Illuminati is indeed short of money right now. Buying bases, recruiting people, and purchasing equipment—each of these is a money pit.

This money from Chen Xu'an was a timely help.

Moreover, he already regarded the Chen family as an external force of the Illuminati, and it was only natural and rightful for them to accept the tribute from their own family.

“Okay, I will report this to my superiors when I get back, remember Mr. Chen’s kindness and support, and deposit the funds into the account.”

Fang Cheng took the check and handed it to Lin Chuqiao, the "logistics manager" beside him.

Upon seeing this, Chen Xu'an's face instantly lit up with joy, and he then pulled out the last document from the file bag.

Between the black and white pages, there was clearly a commercial real estate contract, with the property owner's column left blank.

“And…” He spread the document out on the table, pointing to the terms and conditions, and said:
"This is an entire floor of office space on the top floor of the Cuicheng World Trade Center. The property rights are clear and the decoration is complete."

“I think the Illuminati needs a foothold in Tiannan Province, and this place has the best security and view in the whole city.”

"As long as you sign here, Mr. Bai, this will be our organization's branch in Tiannan Province."

Fang Cheng's gaze swept over the equally valuable property deed, but his fingertips did not touch the pen that was handed to him.

He raised his head, looked at Chen Xu'an, and said meaningfully:
"This place is nice, we'll take it. But you don't need to sign my name."

Chen Xu'an was taken aback:
"Then whose contract should we sign?"

"Sign yours."

Fang Cheng's gaze was intense, and his tone carried a hint of a leader's expectation:

"Since you are the representative of the Illuminati in Tiannan Province, this branch should naturally be under your command."

"This is not just an office location, but also a sign of the organization's trust in you. We hope you can manage this place well and not let me down."

He paused briefly, his tone becoming more serious:
"After this probationary period, we will hold an internal meeting to formally admit you into the decision-making team. At that time, you will be one of the core members of the Illuminati."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xu'an's body trembled violently.

At that moment, he felt that he was no longer simply a donor or a vulnerable person seeking refuge.

Instead, they were truly accepted by the Illuminati and became part of this core circle, representing the organization's foundation and reputation in Tiannan Province.

"Yes!"

He straightened his back excitedly and responded loudly:
"Chen Xu'an will not fail in his mission!"

This display of sincere loyalty dispelled the somewhat somber atmosphere of parting in the living room, replacing it with a tacit understanding and warmth of like-minded people.

Fang Cheng reached out and patted him on the shoulder, his eyes full of encouragement.

Ye Zhiren, Lin Chuqiao, and others also stepped forward to talk to the newly joined prospective member, their words showing more of the intimacy one would show to someone like themselves.

After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, the group didn't linger and, escorted by the two bodyguards, picked up the heavy safe and prepared to set off.

At that moment, the afternoon sun was shining brightly, casting dappled shadows on everyone.

Outside the courtyard, the convoy of cars, which had been waiting for a long time, roared with engines, ready to go.

Three black minivans, led by a bulletproof Rolls-Royce, drove away from the quiet villa area and sped towards Cuicheng International Airport.

The van was pre-booked by Pan Wendi to transport everyone and their luggage.

As for the Rolls-Royce that led the way, Chen Xu'an insisted on personally escorting it to show his respect for "Mr. Bai".

The sound insulation inside the carriage is excellent, completely isolating it from the noise of the outside world.

Fang Cheng leaned back in the comfortable airline-style leather seat, watching the scenery of Cuihai Lake rushing past the window, feeling quite pleased.

This trip to Tiannan was very rewarding.

Not only did they successfully resolve the Chen family's troubles and complete the entrusted task, but they also successfully located their uncle's whereabouts.

At the same time, they also learned a lot of secrets about their father's old case from Xuanzhen and the professor, bringing them one step closer to solving the mystery of that year.

Furthermore, the breakthrough in martial arts was an unexpected delight.

During the process of upgrading his Tai Chi skills, Fang Cheng gained a deeper understanding of martial arts, which gave him more confidence in his attempt to reach the "internal vision manifesting externally" realm.

Most importantly, the foundation for the development of the Illuminati is being firmly established.

With the core members united and each fulfilling their responsibilities, the start-up funds provided by Chen Xu'an arrived.

Upon returning to Dongdu, we can immediately proceed with the construction of the two bases and the improvement of their organizational structure.

From personal grudges to the growth of strength and organizational development, everything exceeded expectations, making it a truly successful conclusion.

The vehicle drove smoothly all the way, and as they approached the airport, Fang Cheng suddenly remembered something.

He then turned to look at Chen Xu'an, who was sitting upright to the side, and said:
"Young Master Chen, I have a personal question. When you commissioned the Bridge of Helplessness to investigate the Chen family's case, what was the total fee agreed upon?"

Chen Xu'an was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, seemingly not expecting Fang Cheng to ask this, but still answered honestly:
"At the time, the situation was so chaotic and many people died that we were quite anxious and hoped to attract real experts, so we put up a bounty of 50 million."

At this point, he glanced at Fang Cheng, his eyes filled with relief:

"Fortunately, we met Mr. Bai. Let alone fifty million, even five hundred million would be more than enough to save the lives of more than a hundred members of the Chen family. It would be well worth the money!"

Seeing Chen Xu'an's grateful expression, Fang Cheng's expression became somewhat strange.

Fifty million?
He clearly remembered that when he accepted the mission at the Bridge of Helplessness, the bounty he saw was only 26 million.

Of this, 18 million is a fixed base fee, and 8 million is a performance rebate based on the final customer satisfaction rating.

Based on this calculation, the difference is at least 24 million.

Fang Cheng's lips twitched slightly. He silently withdrew his gaze and thought to himself:
"The Bridge of Helplessness is too corrupt! They actually swallowed half of the fee. This isn't a brokerage fee; it's outright robbery!"

....................................

In the dimension of the dark world.

The sky above Night City remains shrouded in that eternally thick fog.

A giant eyeball, suspended in the clouds, slowly rotates.

The eerie green beam of light, like a sword of divine punishment, swept across the bizarre and colorful buildings, scrutinizing every dark corner of this chaotic city.

In the heart of the city, a magnificent octagonal, double-eaved high-rise building rises from the ground.

It is constructed entirely of an unknown dark wood, with strings of large red lanterns hanging from its eaves.

The lights inside were not ordinary lamps, but rather a dark red flame.

Amidst a sea of ​​neon lights reminiscent of cyberpunk, this high-rise building, imbued with ancient charm, stands out remarkably.

On the top floor, in a study with simple and elegant furnishings.

An elderly man dressed in a Tang suit stood with his hands behind his back in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the crowd of people moving about like ants.

His figure was very strange, appearing somewhat illusory under the light, with a semi-transparent texture at the edges.

It seemed as if it could turn into smoke at any moment and drift away with the wind.

Tuk-tuk-tuk.

In the quiet space, the sudden knocking sounded exceptionally clear.

"Come in."

The old man responded, his voice aged yet possessing a power that penetrates the soul.

squeak-

The door was gently pushed open, and a handsome young man in a well-fitting suit strode in.

He closed the door behind him, walked respectfully behind the old man, and called out in a low voice:

"Grandpa."

The old man didn't turn around; his gaze remained fixed on the night sky outside the window. He asked softly:
"That organization called 'Utopia' has sent people again?"

(End of this chapter)