A moment later.
The senior executives of Pinghai Company warmly saw off the group from the Investment Department of the Virtual Universe Company stationed in the Qianwu Continent.
“I understand Madam Luo’s intentions very clearly,” Botlai said with a smile. “However, twelve times is absolutely impossible. I hope Madam Luo can be mentally prepared for that. As for the report you gave me, Madam Luo, I will of course personally show it to the Director.”
“Thank you.” Xu Xin smiled as well.
Botlai then walked straight outside, followed by several of his subordinates.
Outside the company, a streamlined, flat-shaped spaceship was waiting. Eight burly one-horned men dressed in combat equipment stood respectfully at the entrance of the spaceship. Botlai led his subordinates aboard, followed by the bodyguards. The hatch closed, and the spaceship soon flew away.
“Sister Xu, regarding the procurement of raw materials for our restaurants…” the short-haired woman standing beside Xu Xin called out.
“I still have something to deal with. You handle the company’s ordinary affairs,” Xu Xin instructed.
“Yes.” The short-haired woman nodded.
Xu Xin raised her hand towards the sky.
Immediately, a carriage pulled by winged pegasuses descended from the sky. Xu Xin jumped aboard directly.
“To the teleportation point.”
“Giddy-up!”
The coachman flicked the reins, and the pegasus immediately soared into the sky.
Virtual Universe, Black Dragon Mountain Island, Nine Star Bay Residential District.
“Dad, all the land on the eastern side of Nine Star Bay now belongs to us. We hired the best designers on Earth and took inspiration from numerous architectural styles throughout the universe. It was just completed recently.”
A handsome, refined young man with a warm and friendly smile pointed towards the surrounding buildings, which looked like immortal palaces.
“Mm, not bad.” Luo Feng nodded.
“Luo Ping, your mum still hasn’t come back?” Luo Feng asked.
“I’ve already informed Mum, but her company headquarters is now on the Qianwu Continent. She has to go to the company every day. Since you rarely come back either, Dad, Mum simply fixed her network login location at the company,” Luo Ping explained.
Under normal circumstances, if someone owned property in the Virtual Universe, they could set a fixed address for logging in.
Xu Xin had fixed hers at the company.
“Fixed it at the company?” Luo Feng felt somewhat ashamed. He really did only come back once after a long time.
“Dad.”
Luo Hua pointed towards the luxurious residences in the distance. “Because you live here, the land prices in Nine Star Bay have skyrocketed! Many of the original residents here have sold their land to influential figures. Those big shots… also want to get closer to you, Dad. After all, you’re quite an influential figure in our Black Dragon Mountain Star Region.”
“Oh?” Luo Feng laughed in surprise.
That was true.
The members of the Primordial Secret Region of Virtual Universe Company’s core organisation had guards whose leaders were all World Lords recognised by the Laws! In terms of status, Luo Feng was now even a level higher than the Emperor of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Even the Immortal existence behind the Black Dragon Mountain Empire had to give Luo Feng some face.
A tiny star region was nothing more than a remote corner in the vast universe!
It was no wonder that a group of influential and powerful figures wanted to live close to Luo Feng.
“Mr Luo Ping!” A bald, fat man in the distance was leisurely strolling along with two servants following behind him. He was holding the leash of a fluffy pet beast that was about three metres tall. When he saw Luo Ping, he immediately called out enthusiastically.
“Bakson.” Luo Ping smiled and called back.
The bald fat man had scale-like skin on his scalp. He then looked at Luo Feng in shock.
“Mr Luo Ping, this is…?”
“This is my father,” Luo Ping said with a smile.
“Ah, Lord Luo Feng!”
The bald fat man hurriedly bowed respectfully. His bent body nearly brought his face down to his belly. He then raised his head and said excitedly, “Lord Luo Feng, it is truly my honour to meet you. I only moved here eight years ago. I have always greatly admired Lord Luo Feng. I never imagined that I would actually be able to see you today. This is, this is truly an honour for me, Bakson.”
Luo Feng smiled faintly. “Hello, Bakson.”
“Ah!”
Bakson’s face immediately flushed with excitement.
“Dad, Mum is back!” Luo Ping pointed towards the sky.
“Xu Xin?” Luo Feng turned his head.
In mid-air, Xu Xin sat in a carriage pulled by pegasuses, slowly descending.
“Xu Xin.” Luo Feng immediately ran over.
Xu Xin lowered her head from the carriage and looked at Luo Feng, tears glistening faintly in her eyes. As the carriage was about to land, she jumped directly down and landed on the ground.
“You still know how to come back!” Xu Xin stared at Luo Feng.
“Er…” Luo Feng felt somewhat ashamed.
“How long has it been? How long has it been since you came back?” Xu Xin stared at him, and Luo Feng was too embarrassed to answer.
“Ten years! You haven’t come back for more than ten years!” Xu Xin could not help but speak with a hint of anger. “I know you need to comprehend the Laws in Chaos City, but can’t you occasionally come back to see the children, see me, and see your parents?”
“I’m sorry.” Luo Feng spoke softly.
Indeed.
Ten years.
The most recent time he had comprehended the Laws in Chaos City had lasted three years and nine months. Because time flowed more slowly in the Primordial Universe, those three years and nine months there meant that more than ten years had already passed in the Original Universe! Meanwhile, the flow of time in the Virtual Universe was consistent with that of the Original Universe.
“Ten years!” Xu Xin stared at Luo Feng.
“Alright.” Luo Feng gently reached out and embraced Xu Xin. “I promise that from now on, I will try to come back every year, unless something special happens.”
“Mm.” Xu Xin nodded gently.
She only wanted to remind Luo Feng.
After all, over the past thirty years or so, both Earth and the Luo family had undergone astonishing changes! For example, Earthlings now held considerable status throughout the entire Milky Way, and the Luo family’s influence had grown stronger and stronger. Everyone knew very clearly that all of this was because of Luo Feng!
Luo Feng was a core member of one of the five great human superpowers in the universe, the Virtual Universe Company!
“Let’s go, let’s go home,” Luo Feng said.
“Mm, let’s go home.” Xu Xin nodded.
The family of three walked home together. Xu Xin glanced at the fat man in the distance and said quietly, “That fat man is called Bakson. He owns more than thirty thousand life planets as territories and controls hundreds of millions of human slaves. He is a major supplier of slaves. He looks honest and rather foolish on the surface, but in reality, he is ruthless.”
“Oh?” Luo Feng looked over in surprise.
That fat man?
He owned more than thirty thousand life planets as territories? Wasn’t he much more powerful than the Nuolan Mountain Family had been back then?
“Of course he has to keep a low profile and curry favour when he’s at our doorstep,” a hint of disdain flashed through Xu Xin’s eyes. “Luo Ping, stay away from people like this in the future.”
“That’s right, your mum is right,” Luo Feng nodded.
With different status came a different perspective.
Back when he had still been an insignificant figure on Earth, the Nuolan Mountain Family might have seemed like a colossal existence, while a major slave supplier like Bakson would have been even more terrifying. But now, the leader of Luo Feng’s guard force was a World Lord. With a single command, he could destroy a small powerful family within this star region.
“Dad and Mum, we still have to know people from all walks of life,” Luo Ping said with a smile.
“You and your younger brother really are different,” Luo Feng could not help sighing.
“Third Brother!”
“Third Brother!”
Loud voices came from nearby.
“Is that Second Brother?” Luo Feng’s eyes lit up.
Ten years had passed since he had last returned to Nine Star Bay.
After returning home this time, Luo Feng discovered that his family had already become a large family. Many of the younger generation had even started families and established careers. At present, many affairs concerning the Luo family in the Milky Way were mainly controlled by Xu Xin and his eldest son, Luo Ping. As for his younger son, Luo Hai, he was completely a martial arts fanatic!
He pursued the limits of the human body, striving to become a super powerhouse in the universe.
What was it for? Firstly, it was for his own dream, and secondly, it was also for his family and hometown!
Luo Feng stayed in Nine Star Bay for three days before his consciousness returned, returning to Chaos City!
The only thing that disappointed Luo Feng somewhat was that he had been unable to see Hong. According to Thunder God, Hong seemed to be undergoing extremely important training. He had blocked all emails and communication requests, making him completely unreachable.
……
The 89th floor of Pinghai Company.
Xu Xin stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the beautiful and vast city.
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Xu Xin called.
A short-haired woman with a slender figure, dressed in work clothes, walked in and said with a smile, “Sister Xu, how were the past three days?”
Xu Xin immediately smiled.
“Sister Xu, these are the documents sent over by Botlai.” The short-haired woman handed them over.
“Oh?” Xu Xin connected to them.
The Virtual Universe Company was divided into the Commerce Division and the Martial Division. Of course, the senior executives of both the Commerce Division and the Martial Division belonged to the core layer. Only the senior members of the core layer were truly part of the ruling class!
Commerce was a very important part of the Virtual Universe Company.
However, in the Virtual Universe network world, even the Virtual Universe Company did not conduct all commercial activities itself, because they understood very clearly that forcibly controlling everything and monopolising profits would greatly suppress economic activity, as well as restrict the flow of large amounts of real-world capital into the Virtual Universe.
Only by creating a fair commercial environment would many superpowers in the real world be willing to invest huge amounts of money!
If the environment were unfair and everything were monopolised, which major powers and influential groups would be willing to invest?
Therefore!
There were all kinds of companies and groups in the Virtual Universe, competing with one another and so on. Some highly promising companies would generally be acquired by many major powers.
“Sister Xu, even the First Universal Bank is willing to acquire our company, and the terms they offered are also very good. Why did you reject them outright?” the short-haired woman asked.
“We don’t lack development funds.” Xu Xin lowered her head and flipped through the documents in her hands.
“If that’s the case, then why are you willing to negotiate with the Virtual Universe Company?” the short-haired woman asked in confusion.
Xu Xin was stunned.
“I’ve always been curious.” The short-haired woman spoke sincerely. “Sister Xu, I’ve followed you for nearly forty years. We developed step by step, and even created a chain of restaurants based on the characteristics of Chinese culture. Many of our restaurant staff are trained on Earth, and we try our best to establish industry barriers so that outsiders cannot imitate us. Our Pinghai restaurant brand has long since become well established! Moreover, a large amount of our capital has formed an integration of finance and industry with Mr Luo Hua’s ‘Financial Investment Department’. The money we earn is reinvested through Mr Luo Hua, generating a second round of growth. This allows us to make money extremely quickly, and our assets are exceptionally strong! In addition, because of Lord Luo Feng, the Qianwu Universe Country has provided us with protection and support. There is absolutely no problem with our development, so there is no need for us to give shares to anyone else.”
“Yes.” Xu Xin nodded.
She had been working hard in the Virtual Universe for nearly forty years. This company was practically another child of hers. How could she bear to give it to someone else?
“However, it’s different.” Xu Xin spoke softly. “The Virtual Universe Company and the First Universal Bank are different.”
“How are they different?” the short-haired woman asked in confusion.
“Because my husband is also part of the Virtual Universe Company.” Xu Xin turned around and looked at the sky outside through the floor-to-ceiling windows. “Luo Feng is exceptionally talented and powerful. He was the best even back on Earth! But because of this, he has also been getting further and further away from me. For example, this time, he didn’t come back for more than ten whole years.”
The short-haired woman opened her mouth, but did not know what to say.
Luo Feng was the pride of the people of Earth. But to Luo Feng’s family, he had indeed neglected them.
“I don’t resent him.”
“I am proud of him.” Xu Xin looked out of the window and revealed a faint smile. “It’s just that I don’t want to be left further and further behind by him. I want… to stand by his side and get as close to him as possible.”
“Sister Xu…” The short-haired woman wanted to say something, but did not know what to say.
“By becoming a subsidiary of the Virtual Universe Company, I will also become an internal member of the Virtual Universe Company.” Xu Xin smiled. “As long as I develop the subsidiary to a sufficiently high level, I can be absorbed into the core membership. By then, I can enter Rain Mountain Residence too.”
“Core member?” The short-haired woman was startled.
She had not expected Xu Xin’s ambitions to be so great!
“The thing I look forward to most is meeting Luo Feng at Rain Mountain Residence…” Xu Xin said softly.