It's Monday, and there are no Monthly Tickets—Recommendations will do! Brothers, don't be lazy; there are far too few Recommendation Tickets.

“We were swindled out of ten billion?” Tianhai exclaimed in shock.

Zhong Yun’s expression immediately darkened, his voice dropping low, “What exactly happened?”

Seeing that Zhong Yun hadn’t lost his composure over the news, a flicker of surprise crossed Chen Wen’s eyes. “We don’t know the specific details, but what’s certain is that this was a premeditated scam. Furthermore, there’s a mole inside Zhongshi Machinery.”

Zhong Yun’s gaze sharpened. “How significant is this to the company?”

“Truthfully, with Zhongshi’s current strength, losing ten billion, while a massive blow, won't shatter our foundation. As long as we find the capital turnover, we can recover quickly.”

At this point, a sharp glint appeared in Chen Wen’s eyes. “However, I’ve discovered an unknown force targeting Zhongshi, cutting off all channels for Zhongshi to acquire funds. That’s the real reason Zhongshi is in trouble.”

“An unknown force?” Zhong Yun frowned deeply. “Is this force very powerful?”

“Their power is immense.” Chen Wen also frowned when speaking of this faction. “Not a single venture capital firm or bank in Mingzhou City dares to lend money to Zhongshi. That speaks volumes about their influence.”

“What is their objective?” Zhong Yun still didn't fully grasp it. “To crush my father’s company? What benefit do they gain? Or have we offended them somehow?”

Chen Wen smiled. “The Zhongshi Stabilizer and Cloud Alloy controlled by Zhongshi Machinery—I doubt any company isn't envious of those assets.”

“So you’re saying... the trap that cost us ten billion was also orchestrated by these people?” A trace of killing intent began to surface in Zhong Yun’s eyes.

“Logically speaking, there’s a very high probability,” Chen Wen nodded.

“Why even doubt it? It must be them. How could it be such a coincidence otherwise?” Tianhai grumbled indignantly from the side.

“No matter which faction this force belongs to, they actually dared to set their sights on my territory.” Zhong Yun’s voice carried limitless coldness. “However much they swindled from me, I will make them return every last bit.”

Chen Wen moved his lips a few times but remained silent. In truth, the Chen family would be delighted to do Zhongshi Machinery a huge favor; producing ten billion wasn't a significant issue for Star Group.

Of course, saying the Chen family wasn't tempted by Zhongshi Machinery would be a lie. But they were extremely wary of the Yang family. If they moved against Zhongshi, heaven knew what the Yang family’s reaction would be.

The level of concessions the Giant Machinery Group made in its cooperation with Zhongshi went against all reason; it was as if the Giant Machinery Group was deliberately trying to prop up Zhongshi. If someone claimed the two families had no special relationship, they wouldn’t be believed even if beaten to death.

The decision-makers in the Chen family weren't fools; they wouldn't risk offending the Yang family for the sake of pursuing Zhongshi, as the loss would far outweigh the gain. However, within the country, not everyone feared the Yang family...

Just then, the shuttle stopped; they had arrived at the cinema. Zhong Yun instantly returned to his usual demeanor, as if the murderous figure from moments ago hadn't been him at all.

After the movie, it was very late, and Tianhai and Chen Wen ended up sleeping at Zhong Yun’s place again.

Back in his room, Zhong Yun checked his private account. It held several tens of millions—the proceeds from licensing his songs.

Only a few tens of millions. It was probably nowhere near enough. Zhong Yun sighed.

Revenge would have to wait for now. The most crucial thing was surviving the immediate crisis.

But Zhong Yun had no clear idea how deep the company’s hole was. It certainly ran into the billions.

Zhong Yun knew quite a few influential figures, and there were certainly a few who could produce ten billion.

The Chen family, as a giant in the metal industry, could manage ten billion without much issue. But Zhong Yun cherished his bond with Chen Wen and didn't want to become entangled in deep financial dependencies with the Chen family. After all, Chen Wen ultimately represented his family’s will—unless, one day, Chen Wen could gain a real voice within the Chen family.

The Yang family was out of the question. But the thought of asking the Yang family for money, knowing how Yang Yunrong had always looked down on him, meant he would probably be mocked for the rest of his life. The title of ‘kept man’ would be unavoidable then.

Then there was the Dao Group. Although he had fixed a Jialan Qin for them, it probably wasn't enough to warrant lending out ten billion.

After thinking it over and over, Zhong Yun concluded he could only rely on himself.

“Xiao Ling.” Zhong Yun called out.

Instantly, Xiao Ling, in his characteristic head-to-toe black attire, appeared in the room. He looked at Zhong Yun silently.

“How much money do we have in total right now, in Omi currency?” Zhong Yun asked.

“We currently have a total of 115.034 billion Omi in the accounts. After subtracting the 100 billion owed to the Omi National Management Company and the 15 billion for the Mars One's annual energy fee, only 34 million is available for immediate use,” Xiao Ling supplied the data quickly.

“That much?” This exceeded Zhong Yun’s expectations. He hadn't realized those 'Su Xuan Pearls' were truly that valuable. When he was on Freedom Star, besides taking the 'World Tree' seeds, he had also consigned the 'Su Xuan Pearls' to the auction house.

Thirty-four million Omi currency—that was less than 900 million Dawu coins. Too little. Zhong Yun pondered for a moment and then asked, “Can we pull out forty billion for temporary turnover?”

Seeing Xiao Ling remain silent, Zhong Yun gave a firm assurance, “Don't worry, I can replenish this forty billion within a few months.”

Xiao Ling finally spoke. “Taking out forty billion is not a problem. However, your capital chain is too precarious; it can only sustain a year’s worth of expenses. It is recommended that you stockpile more funds to guard against unforeseen incidents like today’s.”

“Understood.” Zhong Yun couldn't help but sigh. With over 200 billion Dawu coins in hand, he was counted among the wealthy elite across all of Dawu, yet he felt utterly impoverished.

The banks were closed for the night; the transfer would have to wait until tomorrow.

Zhong Yun set the matter aside and returned to practicing in ‘Combat Simulation Training.’ The ‘Entwine’ technique was proving incredibly difficult to master. He practiced all night yet still couldn’t grasp the essence, unable to even uniformly release his Yuan energy externally.

The next morning, the three of them took Chen Wen’s shuttle to school.

Suddenly, Chen Wen looked at Zhong Yun with a complex expression—this wasn't the first time he’d looked at Zhong Yun like that. Zhong Yun had provided him with too much shock, and this occasion was no exception.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Zhong Yun asked, touching his own face, confused.

Chen Wen sighed. “I’m marveling at how incredibly influential you truly are.”

“What happened now?” Tianhai grew animated. Following them always meant hearing unbelievable things—more magical than any fabricated story, and happening in reality.

Chen Wen’s expression suggested something else extraordinary had happened involving Zhong Yun.

“My father somehow heard you were back,” Chen Wen said, shrugging at Zhong Yun, signaling it wasn't he who leaked the information. In fact, his father had severely reprimanded him last night for not reporting that Zhong Yun was alive.

Zhong Yun shook his head, indicating it didn't matter; he never expected to keep his return hidden from those watching him closely, like Yang Yunrong and the people in the Chen family.

“He was very perplexed,” Chen Wen continued. “My father knew you boarded the Tongguang Star. To confirm, he checked the personnel records for the Tongguang Star again. Guess what?”

“What?” Tianhai pressed eagerly.

“The data regarding the Tongguang Star disaster used to be accessible on the government's internal archive network. When my father tried to look up the crew, he got an ‘insufficient permission’ notice,” Chen Wen said, still sounding incredulous.

“So what?” Tianhai still didn’t quite understand; this was the first time he’d heard of the government’s internal archive network.

“My father has B-level contribution credits, you know. His access level is second only to the President, the various Ministers, and Planet Governors—the same level as a City Mayor,” Chen Wen explained.

“Meaning, this file has been classified?” Tianhai gained a measure of understanding.

“Something like that,” Chen Wen nodded. “Moreover, my father said that the personnel records for the Tongguang Star incident have been designated a National Secret, accessible only to those at the Presidential level.”

This last statement stunned the two listeners into silence.

Zhong Yun was baffled for a long moment, unable to figure out who would go to such lengths to help him. Yun Qi? Did she possess that much power?

Tianhai swallowed audibly. The President was the leader of the entire nation, an entity completely out of his reach. Though they shared the same planet, he had never imagined having any intersection with the President.

But judging by Chen Wen’s words, Zhong Yun knew someone with Presidential clearance. This was hard to fathom.

“Only two people in all of Dawu have the authority to set access at that level; one is the current President,” Chen Wen paused here, deliberately building suspense.

“And the other is?” Tianhai couldn't help asking.

“The one who successfully annihilated the large pirate fleet, saving the nation from peril, and was subsequently appointed Grand Marshal for Life by Congress…”

“Marshal Yang Tianlie,” Chen Wen and Zhong Yun said simultaneously, both wearing expressions of deep reverence.

“So it was that old man,” Chen Wen exclaimed in awe, then grabbed Zhong Yun’s collar. “Tell me, when did you get acquainted with the old man?”

“I couldn't possibly have such fortune?” Zhong Yun replied with a wry smile.

The deeds of Yang Tianlie were familiar to every Dawu citizen. That event occurred fifty years ago when Dawu was still an emerging civilization.

Yang Tianlie was serving as Minister of the Military when a massive pirate fleet invaded. The pirates were numerous and possessed advanced spacecraft; Dawu’s army was swept aside without the ability to retaliate.

Just when nine-tenths of the space forces were annihilated and all Dawu citizens were sinking into despair, Yang Tianlie, acting as War Marshal, stepped forward. Leading the remaining forces, under the suicidal cover provided by the Mecha Corps, he launched a counterattack from the rear into the heart of the pirate fleet, annihilating them completely and rescuing the near-extinct Dawu.

Yang Tianlie thus became the hero of all Dawu.

What was not widely known was that the Mecha Suicide Squad was composed of elites from the Great Families. At the moment of national survival, all the Great Families put aside their grievances and united, composing a tragic epic of blood and sacrifice.

In that battle, not a single member of that Mecha Suicide Squad survived. All the Great Families suffered devastating losses, and the Yang family was reduced solely to Yang Tianlie. It was from that point forward that Yang Tianlie became the Grand Marshal for Life, and the Yang family truly cemented its title as a ‘Marshal Family.’

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