Chapter 594 - 377: Cold-Blooded Animal_2
The restaurant door opened, and servers pushed in one enormous trash can after another with carts.
They picked up the dishes that Luo had only taken a small bite from the table, pouring them one by one into the trash cans.
Yes, this is Luo’s unique quirk.
The uneaten food, she wouldn’t give to others or pack away, but must watch it be thrown into the trash cans, enjoying that feeling of wasting food after being sated.
Just like that, everyone simply watched as dish after dish of gourmet food was discarded.
Although the host was Zhao Yiming, and with his wealth, the money spent on this meal was nothing.
They often wasted food too, but to this extent, it truly was a first-time sight.
This person is really difficult to comprehend.
Watching the servers throw all hundred dishes into the trash cans, Luo finally turned her gaze towards Zhao Yiming across the room, smiling and said, "President Zhao, thank you for the hospitality, the cuisine you prepared satisfied me greatly."
Luo is a special envoy from Capital Upper Court, and simultaneously carries the badges conferred by the headquarters of the three giant enterprises, holding the power of life and death, far beyond Zhao Yiming, a regional figure in terms of ranking and status.
Zhao Yiming slightly nodded to her, speaking modestly, "Miss Luo, you’re too kind. It is my honor to have you grace the banquet."
Luo, smiling and with her golden eyes filled with mysterious colors said, "President Zhao, there’s no need to be so modest. You are the sole regional leader to survive the Heaven-Reaching Tower incident, both the Upper Court and headquarters are discussing you."
Instantly, Zhao Yiming was petrified like a statue, lips tightly pursed.
Luo rest her small hand on her fragrant cheek, watching him with interest, "I heard that at that time, you dressed in women’s clothing, stuffed a pillow to pose as a pregnant woman, and then tricked Fenrir to escape. Is that true?"
Zhao Yiming just gritted his teeth in silence, saying nothing.
Clearly, such an embarrassing maneuver not only trampled his self-esteem but also stirred internal anxiety because in the eyes of headquarters, this was definitely not a glorious matter.
Seeing Zhao Yiming’s silence, Luo covered her lips and chuckled lightly, her voice becoming cheerful, "Don’t be so anxious, I’m just casually inquiring about the situation. There’s no need for self-abasement."
"It’s natural to value one’s life, especially for someone of your stature. In times of crisis, surviving is paramount, only by living can you continue to work."
"What’s wrong with wearing women’s clothes and pretending to be a pregnant woman? History has plenty of heroes who survived disgracefully, hasn’t it resulted in glorious achievements later?"
"If you don’t find a way to survive, should you end up like Alexander or Tsukimori Ryuuichi, crushed like insects? Isn’t that more ridiculous?"
Zhao Yiming, holding a key position for many years, had long understood one thing—don’t just listen to what leaders say, observe what they do.
Everyone can say pleasing words, but how much of it holds true meaning?
Some kind words might indeed be heartfelt praise, but more often they’re the sweet dates before the stick.
Calming the restless heart, Zhao Yiming forced himself to stay composed, intentionally skipping this topic, and proactively asked, "Miss Luo, what directives does headquarters have?"
Luo smiled and leisurely said, "There is~ your chairman entrusted me with two gifts for you."
"Gifts..." Zhao Yiming was somewhat puzzled, clearly such a statement was unexpected.
"Snap." Luo clapped her hands, and an accompanying clerk from the corner handed her a briefcase with both hands.
Luo took out an exquisitely crafted box from the briefcase, placing it in front of Zhao Yiming.
Zhao Yiming glanced at Luo, and with her nod of approval, he opened the box.
Inside was a double helix badge.
Hegemony Company’s badges were all double helix designs, though slight differences existed in craftsmanship depending on the region.
Regional level badges were silver-edged.
However, the badge in front was gold-edged, symbolizing the headquarters area.
Luo, smiling at the stunned Zhao Yiming said, "The first gift, a headquarters badge."
"Your chairman mentioned that with your ability, New Moon City is too small, so specifically reserved a position for you among headquarters executives, welcoming you to serve."
Zhao Yiming was completely dumbfounded, for days and nights consumed by anxiety, nightmares of Heaven-Reaching Tower’s collapse under the Wolf King’s attack haunted him.
Fear not only for Fenrir, but even more for headquarters.
The tower was toppled, regional elites and executives nearly wiped out, yet he survived; a stroke of luck and misfortune.
Lucky to remain alive.
Unfortunate that life was no longer his own.
In this period, he tried contacting headquarters, but received no response.
The silence was like the calm before the storm, constantly torturing him, uncertain how headquarters would punish him.
Yet at this moment, unexpectedly, the awaited consequence was not a punishment but an order to ascend to headquarters.
This benevolence came too suddenly and was hard to comprehend, even making him wonder if he was dreaming.
Zhao Yiming opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, eyes blinking chaotically, unable to hide the bewilderment on his face, "Miss Luo, this... "
Luo raised her index finger to her lips, gesturing for silence.
Zhao Yiming closed his mouth, awaiting further details.
Luo let her hand down, smiling meaningfully, "Don’t rush, there’s a second gift."
She clapped again, this time the restaurant doors opened, and the clerk wheeled in a large rectangular object from outside.
As everyone focused their eyes, they all gasped.
A coffin!
The second "gift" was a coffin!
Luo stood up from her seat, approached the coffin, and paced along it, lightly running her fingers across the lid.
"Your chairman mentioned that this coffin is his favorite style, made of pure sandalwood, emitting a fragrant scent during cremation, it’s exclusive to prominent figures."
"Over the decades, he used this type of coffin to send off 27 regional division chiefs, returning them to dust and earth."
Luo looked at the blank-eyed Zhao Yiming, playfully asking, "President Zhao, two gifts, which do you prefer? One cannot be greedy, only choose one."
As Zhao Yiming regained his senses, his back was already drenched in cold sweat, the shirt soaked, and he understood headquarters’ intentions.
He stood up, bowing almost ninety degrees to Luo, voice somehow subdued, "Requesting instructions..."
"Click, click, click..." The sound of high heels meeting the floor echoed, approaching yet distant, finally stopping beside Zhao Yiming.
Luo leaned down, meeting Zhao Yiming’s gaze from below.
The ceiling light was obscured, overshadowing Luo’s face, making it difficult to discern the details of her expression, only seeing those emotionless golden eyes.
For a fleeting moment, Zhao Yiming had a strange illusion, that those golden eyes seemed to belong not to a human, but to a cold-blooded animal, a poisonous snake.
The gentle yet immensely oppressive voice entered his ears: "I want the Wolf King."
"Fenrir was severely injured after breaching the tower, whoever took her couldn’t have gone far, she must still be in some corner of this city."
"Cooperate with me to find her, no matter alive or dead, you’ll be promoted to headquarters."
"Can’t find her, you enter the coffin, returning to dust and earth."
After hearing these words, Zhao Yiming’s gaze regained focus again.
He didn’t speak, maintaining the bow, lowering his head further, using this subservient demeanor to reply to Luo.
Luo supported Zhao Yiming’s arm, helping him stand upright, the ceiling light finally illuminating her face.
Zhao Yiming suddenly realized that the golden eyes still held a gentle smile, as if the cold-blooded animal feeling was merely an illusion.
Luo lightly smoothed Zhao Yiming’s shirt, ironing out the wrinkles from the bow, smilingly said, "President Zhao, you’ve been cultivating in New Moon City for so many years, having countless connections and nurturing many forces."
"Digging some flesh from you, doesn’t hurt, right?"
Zhao Yiming soon comprehended what Luo was hinting at, he replied somberly, "Everything follows your command."
Patting the last crease on Zhao Yiming’s shirt to smooth it out, Luo smiled and patted his shoulder, turning to leave.
"It’s time to work, capturing those who’ve crossed the line."