Richest Rag-picker

After Qi Xiaotian entered, a second, then a third and a fourth crew member followed right behind.

In just a few moments, over a dozen crew members had scrambled inside. Once they were all through, Billson, who had been waiting anxiously off to the side, turned his gaze to Fang Chenyi.

"Boss, can I go in now?"

Fang Chenyi said nothing, merely nodding. Permission granted, Billson immediately scrambled inside.

Glancing at the taut ropes, Fang Chenyi followed them inside as well.

This time was different from before. Once inside, Fang Chenyi sat directly in a small iron cart fitted with wheels.

The cart was tied securely to a rope, and outside, there were several large, man-powered winches. Once Fang Chenyi was seated, he picked up the walkie-talkie from the cart and said a single word: "Lower."

Instantly, the crew outside responsible for his cart began to rapidly turn the winch, and the cart started to slowly descend.

On the way down, the entire passage was already brightly lit, as the crew members who went first had placed a lamp every ten meters.

And with the help of this cart, it only took Fang Chenyi five minutes to reach the bottom.

The rechargeable lamps Fang Chenyi had left behind before were still emitting a faint glow, their batteries clearly on the verge of dying.

However, Qi Xiaotian and the others had already installed more high-powered lights around the great hall, making it even brighter than before.

Looking at the familiar hall, Fang Chenyi couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. ’Getting down here was so easy and smooth this time. My first time down was nowhere near this simple.’

"Brother Fang, all the lights are set up. What do we do now?"

Qi Xiaotian walked up to Fang Chenyi’s side. He gazed around the empty hall and asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.

Qi Xiaotian was actually quite puzzled. ’Logically,’ he thought, ’with a gate that sturdy, there has to be some kind of valuable treasure in here.’

’If it’s just an empty hall, why build it to be so secure?’

Fang Chenyi thought for a moment before saying, "Conduct a thorough search. Dig up the floor, inch by inch, and see if there are any valuables hidden here. Call me the moment you find anything."

Upon hearing the order, Qi Xiaotian immediately began assigning tasks to the dozen or so crew members around them.

Soon, the men began taking turns with shovels, digging three feet deep as they searched.

SQUAWK~

Just as the digging was in full swing, the walkie-talkies on both Fang Chenyi and Qi Xiaotian suddenly went off at the same time.

"SQUAWK~ Brother Fang, a group of over thirty people is approaching the Diamond Mine. We’re heading over to intercept them now."

The voice belonged to Liu Yishou, who was on the cruise ship. After the crew members on patrol outside spotted the group, they immediately notified Liu Yishou, the current commander on the surface.

After receiving the message, Liu Yishou immediately dispatched a team to intercept and question the group. At the same time, he used his walkie-talkie to report to Fang Chenyi, so he could prepare for any unexpected trouble.

At that exact moment, Billson’s cell phone suddenly rang.

Billson took it out and froze when he saw the caller ID. He then looked at Fang Chenyi and said:

"Boss, it’s a call from the Cobra Organization’s second-in-command."

A team had just arrived outside, and right on cue, Billson’s phone rang with a call from the Cobra Organization. It was obvious the newcomers were from the Cobra Organization.

Fang Chenyi gestured for Billson to answer the call.

Just as he expected, a grim voice came through the moment the call connected:

"Billson, what the hell are you playing at? Where is Lu Laozi? Why can’t I reach him?"

The voice from the phone was aggressive and clearly laced with anger.

Billson’s expression darkened at his words, and he retorted with clear annoyance:

"Don’t ask me. The chief sent me here on official business, not to babysit that Lu Laozi of yours. In fact, I was going to ask you about him! The guy went out the day before yesterday and never came back. He’s probably still fooling around on some woman’s belly for all I know! Hmph. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. He’s certainly learned all your charming habits!"

The voice on the other end paused for a beat, then let out a cold laugh.

"Kekeke... Billson, don’t try to get into a war of words with me. Even though you got rid of my man, it also made the chief look at you differently. Kekeke, I have to say, you’re a real idiot. Anyway, I’m done wasting my breath on you. I’m at the foot of the mountain now. Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you: the chief has put me in full command of this operation. We’re about to head up, so I’m giving you notice. Have your men clear a path for us now. Hahahahaha!"

With a final burst of laughter, the line went dead.

Hearing the dial tone, Billson gritted his teeth in a rage.

Fang Chenyi walked over to him. Before he could even ask, Billson hurriedly explained:

"Boss, the man who’s here is Luo Lanzi, the second-in-command of the Cobra Organization. He and I have never seen eye to eye; we’re always clashing. And that’s exactly what the Cobra chief likes to see. After all, that way we keep each other in check, which makes it easier for him to manage us."

At this point, Billson remembered something important from the call and quickly added:

"Oh, right, Boss, one more thing. They’re saying they’re here on the chief’s orders to take over my position. What should we do?"

Hearing this, Fang Chenyi thought for a moment, then said:

"Here’s the plan. Go out and tell him there’s been a new development. Then bring him down here. Remember, you will bring him, even if you have to tie him up."

Having made his decision, Fang Chenyi picked up his walkie-talkie and spoke to Liu Yishou.

"Tell our men to stand down. Let Billson handle this."

Fang Chenyi, of course, had his own plan. ’Since the Cobra Organization decided to target me from the very beginning, they should be prepared for the consequences. I’m not about to let them off the hook so easily.’

’Not only that,’ he thought, ’I really want to find out more about that Bone Claw. The Cobra Organization might just have the information I need.’

By having Billson bring the man over, Fang Chenyi naturally planned to use his Celestial Gods ability to bring him under his control.

It wasn’t just this second-in-command. Fang Chenyi had no intention of letting any of them off the hook, including the leader of the Cobra Organization and that mysterious Poseidon Clan.

As Fang Chenyi finished instructing Liu Yishou, Billson was already ordering his own men to go out and "welcome" the second-in-command of Cobra.