Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Dawn of a Career

Chen Liu hadn't even noticed Xie Han and his group inside the quarantine room. When Xie Han suddenly called out his name, he was momentarily taken aback. Only when he realized it was Xie Han did he force out a faint smile and say, "Ah, it's you, kid. I heard from the brothers that you all had a big haul this time. Congratulations."

Xie Han knew Chen Liu couldn't be in a good mood right now. With a wry smile, he replied, "Brother Chen, please don't mock me. You know my abilities all too well." He hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice, "But didn't you also have a great harvest this time? Why do you..."

Chen Liu's expression turned cold, but he still managed a bitter smile and said, "It's nothing, just lost a few men."

A heavy silence fell. Xie Han could understand Chen Liu's feelings. "Brother Chen, the dead can't return. You have to let go a little. Are you free tonight? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Chen Liu nodded. "I'll come by your place tonight. Make sure there's a good spread for me," he said, then shook his head and strode away.

One of Chen Liu's men sidled up to the window and whispered, "Three Humvee Kings lost, and over a dozen brothers..."

There was no need to say more—Xie Han could fully appreciate Chen Liu's present state of mind. If it had been him, he probably wouldn't have handled such losses with half as much composure. Xie Han was no fool; he knew something else must have happened to make Chen Liu so angry, for a mere loss could never dampen his spirits so much. However, now was not the time to discuss this, so Xie Han said nothing more, simply watching Chen Liu's figure disappear from view.

After enduring the required time in quarantine, Xie Han immediately led Xu Qiang and the others back to the Apocalypse Corporation. Just as he had anticipated, over twenty heavy trucks were unloading bag after bag of refined flour and rice at the neighborhood's gates. Within the company, everyone—old, young, and frail alike—was helping to carry the grain into the warehouse. But there was so much this time that Qi Feiwu had to hire idle residents from the community as temporary workers to help move it all.

Clearly, the existing warehouse couldn't possibly store so much food. Taishan and his men, without waiting for permission, broke through the ground floors of several buildings, connecting them into a vast space to store the grain.

By the time Xie Han and his group returned, the work was only halfway done. As soon as they arrived, Taishan, Qi Feiwu, and the others dropped what they were doing and hurried over. Chu Tianhe, in particular, was beaming with joy. "Boss, you all are truly amazing. With this batch of grain, at least I can breathe easy for a while. I won't have to worry about the company staring daggers at me, questioning whether I can pay their wages."

Xie Han ignored Chu Tianhe's theatrics and turned to Qi Feiwu with a smile. "Feiwu, do you still have any worries about the company now?"

Qi Feiwu shot Xie Han a glance, her cheeks tinged with a strange blush. "I've never been worried about the company. It's you all I worry about—these hunting missions are so dangerous. You all must be careful."

Taishan laughed and teased, "Feiwu, are you really worried about everyone, or just worried about your Xie Han?"

Qi Feiwu turned scarlet. "Taishan, you never have a nice word to say!"

Xu Qiang forced a smile, looking at Qi Feiwu with some complexity before finally sighing. "I'll go help with the shipments..."

Xie Han also smiled wryly. He knew well enough what had happened between Xu Qiang and Qi Feiwu. Matters of the heart couldn't be forced. Perhaps Xu Qiang knew that Qi Feiwu simply wasn't interested in him. Ever since Xie Han's arrival, Xu Qiang had slowly distanced himself from her. In Xie Han's view, Xu Qiang was a born soldier—he could let go of emotions easily. That's why Qi Feiwu's change in attitude hadn't affected his commitment to the group at all.

Xie Han rubbed his nose. "A Mu, you all stay and help get the grain into the warehouse. I'm going upstairs to rest for a while." It was around two in the afternoon, but Xie Han had no intention of actually resting. This was just an excuse to slip away and teleport back to the modern era.

Now, Xie Han truly felt that only being able to stay three hours in the present day was far too little. He often found himself at a loss as to how to allocate his brief time. Almost every day, he'd return to the present in the afternoon, just to manage the acquisition of a particular electronics factory he'd set his sights on.

Anhu Appliances Factory, located in the eastern suburbs of Chaoyang City, was founded in 1992. It had once been the city's largest home appliance manufacturer, specializing in R&D and production. Xie Han favored it mainly because of its location and its sprawling twenty-acre grounds. The site in the eastern outskirts and such a large area would spare Xie Han many unnecessary troubles. The acquisition price wasn't high—only seven million yuan, and it was his. He was more than satisfied.

Back in the present, Xie Han immediately took out his phone from the storage space and dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, he said, "Mai Zai, have you thought about the thing I mentioned last time?"

Mai Zai was his nickname for Meng Nan. Among Xie Han's many friends, Meng Nan was likely the only one who truly understood appliances. With professional expertise, Meng Nan was already a division manager at a major electronics company and well on his way to success.

Meng Nan's voice came through the phone, "Han Zai, we've known each other since elementary school, right? We were always getting into trouble together. Even after splitting up in high school, our friendship never wavered. Do you think a brother as close as I am would turn you down for such a trivial matter?"

Hearing Meng Nan agree, Xie Han was overjoyed. "Come on, I was just afraid you couldn’t give up your cushy job. But seriously, have you persuaded your wife? I don’t want Xiao Yan chasing me down the street."

No wonder Xie Han was excited—if Meng Nan agreed to quit and come help him manage the newly acquired factory, he’d no longer have to worry about the three-hour limit. With Meng Nan’s abilities, everything would be handled perfectly even in his absence.

Meng Nan couldn’t help but laugh. "Xiao Yan isn’t that dramatic. Besides, it’s a good thing. Her future husband is about to get promoted—from division manager to general manager of a whole factory. What could she possibly be unhappy about?" His tone grew more serious. "But Han Zai, I looked into the factory you mentioned. The equipment is terribly outdated—some of it still from the nineties. Reviving that place will require a massive investment. Are you sure about this…"

Xie Han knew Meng Nan was only looking out for him, but Meng Nan didn’t realize that all he cared about was the land and the nominally defunct R&D department. After all, the rice cookers he planned to produce were so advanced that their origins would need to be traced back to an official research facility; otherwise, it would be hard to explain where they’d come from. Xie Han sighed. "Mai Zai, come to my place now. We’ll go inspect our factory together in a bit."

Meng Nan nodded, his seriousness about the matter rivaling Xie Han’s—whether as his best friend or for his own sake.