62: Chapter 62 A Get-Out-of-Die Guarantee with 500 Million in Cash

After thoroughly verifying the almost heaven-defying manipulation power of the Shanghai Survey Map, Shen Du leaned back in his large executive chair, his gaze returning to the system's holographic panel that only he could see.

The frantic expansion and calculated steps he had taken over this period had allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of the mysterious system he possessed.

He keenly sensed a hidden yet crucial underlying logic in how the system issued tasks:

Aside from main quests, which would blatantly dangle core industries with astonishing valuations—such as Meituan shares or talent—as bait in plain sight,

all side quests and special tasks had final rewards that remained completely hidden!

Before a task was fully settled, he had no idea what he would gain for all his painstaking efforts. Yet, this was precisely what made the system so fascinating.

Because Shen Du had discovered that as long as he could perfectly meet the harsh conditions of these hidden tasks, the rewards provided by the system would never be perfunctory trash, but rather "trump cards" capable of shaking the very foundations of the world!

Take this side quest, "Phoenix Returning to the Nest," for example. Before subduing Red Phoenix, Shen Du could never have imagined that the system would throw out a "Shanghai Dark Web and Gray Market Node Geomantic Map"—a god-tier cheat capable of overturning the power structure of Shanghai's underworld!

"Main quests provide core industries to build the flesh and blood of an empire; side quests provide strategic support to act as the eyes, ears, and butcher's knife of that empire..."

Shen Du's knobby fingers tapped lightly against the mahogany desk, making a crisp "tap, tap" sound. A flame of immense ambition gradually ignited in his deep, dark eyes.

His gaze locked onto the "Special Task" section at the very bottom of the panel, which remained grayed out and had never been triggered.

He had already thoroughly grasped the patterns of the main and side quests. So, the question was: if even a mere side quest could produce a "God's Sandbox" that provided insight into the life and death of every noble family in Shanghai, then once that "Special Task" was completed, what kind of terrifying reward would the system provide—something capable of breaking the rules of reality or even turning the world upside down?

At this moment, in another luxurious area across the river from Lujiazui, at the Fu Enterprises headquarters building, the top-floor chairman's office was filled with swirling smoke, its heavy mahogany doors tightly shut.

Fu Zhaonan, a veteran real estate tycoon who had been grinding in the Shanghai business world for decades, was slumped dejectedly in a large leather sofa, his hands painfully rubbing his temples, where veins bulged from anxiety. The crystal ashtray on the table was already stuffed with extinguished cigars and cigarette butts.

Less than twenty-four hours remained before the deadline for that fatal debt default. He had run himself ragged, begged everyone he could, and even swallowed his pride to plead with the younger generation of second-generation heirs he had once looked down upon, yet he still hadn't managed to raise the bridge loan needed to save his life. The shadow of a completely broken capital chain, like the scythe of the Grim Reaper, was pressed firmly against the throat of Fu Enterprises.

Just as Fu Zhaonan was filled with despair, his hands trembling as he prepared to call his lawyer to rehearse the bankruptcy liquidation process, a loud "bang" echoed as the office door was pushed open from the outside. His personal secretary entered, followed by a middle-aged man in a suit, looking capable and professional.

Fu Zhaonan raised his bloodshot eyes to look, and he was suddenly stunned. The person who had arrived was none other than the core financial steward under one of The Three Young Masters of Shanghai, Zhou Wennan!

Before Fu Zhaonan could recover from his shock, the Zhou Family's financial director strode to the desk. He pulled a thick contract from his encrypted briefcase, along with a slip of paper stamped with the bright red seal of the Big Four banks, and slapped it decisively in front of Fu Zhaonan.

"Boss Fu, you are truly lucky." The financial director wore a polite smile, his voice steady yet ringing like a thunderclap in the office: "A bank cashier's check for a full 500 million, with no funding freeze period; it can be cashed upon presentation."

Looking at that light yet heavy-as-gold cashier's check on the table, Fu Zhaonan bolted up from the sofa, his eyes widening in disbelief.

Immediately after, the financial director tossed out an even more dizzying and unbelievable bombshell: "Young Master Zhou personally instructed that since the family has excess funds recently, they have approved the asset-backed loan you previously applied for. And given your reputation, Boss Fu, the Zhou Family is offering this life-saving 500 million at the current lowest market interest rate!"

Faced with this massive pie falling from the sky—or, one could say, a get-out-of-jail-free card capable of pulling Fu Enterprises back from the edge of the cliff—Fu Zhaonan's first reaction was not the ecstatic joy of escaping death. On the contrary, this "old fox" who had been floating in the business sea for decades felt his muscles tense up instantly. Suspicion and deep vigilance surged uncontrollably in his eyes.

He did not touch the 500 million cashier's check on the table, which exuded the alluring scent of ink. Instead, he slowly stepped back half a pace, staring fixedly at the Zhou Family's financial director before him. "Why the sudden change of heart today?" Fu Zhaonan's voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a trace of imperceptible wariness.

He couldn't help but be wary. Just two days ago, he had personally visited to seek an audience with Zhou Wennan, putting his posture extremely low, even offering to put up the most core, unfinished prime real estate projects under Fu Enterprises as absolute collateral. Yet, what was the Zhou Family's attitude then? It was a cold, ruthless rejection!

Their risk assessment team had mercilessly pointed out that the capital chain of Fu Enterprises was a bottomless pit, unwilling to throw even a single cent of bridge funding into it. Yet, less than forty-eight hours had passed. How could Zhou Wennan's attitude undergo such a bizarre 180-degree reversal? Not only did he proactively send someone to deliver the money, but he also offered a god-forsaken "market lowest interest rate"?!

"I believe in the reputation of the Zhou Family in Shanghai, but I need to know why this is happening, right?" Fu Zhaonan took a deep breath, his eyes becoming sharp. He bluntly laid his suspicions out on the table. In the brutal jungle of the business world, there was never any help in times of need, only people kicking you when you were down or taking advantage of your misfortune!

He wasn't afraid of signing for this debt. He was afraid that behind this 500 million cashier's check hid some corporate giant wanting to seize the opportunity to maliciously swallow up the entire Fu Enterprises! If this were a chain trap disguised as a life-saving straw, and he stepped into it at this critical juncture, the Fu Family would likely be chewed clean to the very last bone fragment.

Faced with Fu Zhaonan's wary and oppressive questioning, the Zhou Family's financial steward did not show a hint of offense. He looked calmly at this veteran real estate tycoon who was once a titan of the industry but was now like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bowstring. A meaningful curve tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Boss Fu, you are overthinking it." The steward did not directly answer the questions about business logic and risk control reviews. Instead, he lowered his voice slightly and said in an obscure tone: "If you really want a reason, perhaps... your Fu Family has just had a stroke of incredible blind luck this time."

Fu Zhaonan's brow furrowed sharply: "What do you mean?"

The steward leaned forward slightly, his gaze locked onto Fu Zhaonan's eyes, and he enunciated the bone-chilling truth word by word: "Young Master Zhou didn't tell me the specific reason for the sudden loan. But he did specifically allow me to pass on one sentence to you: This time, an individual with eyes and hands reaching the heavens lent a helping hand from behind the scenes, pulling your Fu Family back from the edge of the cliff."

"Who?!" Fu Zhaonan's heart skipped a beat, and he blurted it out instinctively.

"I don't know." The steward shook his head, a rare expression of near-reverence appearing on his face. He looked at Fu Zhaonan, his tone carrying a terrifying, hair-raising intimidation: "As for who it is, I don't know. Or rather... people at my level don't even have the qualifications to know the other party's identity."

Boom! This sentence was like a thousand-pound hammer slamming into Fu Zhaonan's heart, instantly blanking his mind. There was no need to ask another word. This old fox, who had been grinding in the business world for decades, felt a chill shoot up his spine; he understood everything in an instant!

Even Zhou Wennan, one of "The Three Young Masters of Shanghai" in the city's top social circles, was only willing to act as a "white glove" running errands to issue the loan in this matter. Even the Zhou Family's core financial steward ridiculed himself, saying he "didn't even have the qualifications to know the other person's name"! The "nameless great Buddha" standing behind this was definitely a towering tree that even the Zhou Family had to look up to with extreme reverence, one they dared not even casually speculate about! The other party's hand, capable of overturning clouds and rain, was already large enough to ignore all business rules in Shanghai!

Accompanied by his heart pounding wildly, Fu Zhaonan reached out with somewhat trembling hands, half-doubting, and picked up the thick loan contract on the table. He quickly flipped through it page by page. He had assumed that since this high and mighty mysterious "great Buddha" was willing to help, the contract must contain some harsh, overbearing clauses, or some dark deal intended to swallow the Fu Family whole.

However, the further he flipped, the more profound the shock and disbelief in Fu Zhaonan's eyes grew! It was too clean! The entire contract was spotless; there were no hidden gambling clauses, no malicious control provisions. Even the core real estate projects he had previously offered as collateral were not included. This was actually just an ordinary, standard credit loan contract that required no additional costs!

In this bloodthirsty, top-tier Vanity Fair, without any hard assets as substantial collateral, to complete a private, pure credit loan of as much as 500 million based on a few sheets of paper was simply a fantasy! The only explanation was that the personal reputation and guarantee of the nameless great Buddha behind this far outweighed the weight of these mere 500 million in cash in the eyes of the Zhou Family!

Fu Zhaonan, who had been driven mad by a lack of funds, no longer had any misgivings. Faced with such a contract that was nearly a divine gift, hesitating for even half a second would be an act of disrespect toward that mysterious great Buddha. He grabbed the pure gold fountain pen from the desk, unscrewed the cap, and decisively signed his name at the bottom of the contract, then heavily stamped it with the official corporate seal of Fu Enterprises.

Watching Fu Zhaonan finish signing, the Zhou Family's financial steward efficiently collected one of the original contracts and put it back into the encrypted briefcase. "Boss Fu, the crisis is resolved. I wish Fu Enterprises a speedy return to the right track." The steward bowed slightly, preparing to take his leave.

"Wait!" Just as the steward was about to turn around, Fu Zhaonan suddenly called out to him. This second-generation entrepreneur, who had floated in the business sea for half his life and still held to the traditional underworld codes of the older generation in his bones, became unprecedentedly solemn and grave. He pressed his hands on the desk, staring fixedly at the steward, and said word by word: "I know you have rules, and I, Fu Zhaonan, will never ask a single question about things I shouldn't. But I beg you, please pass a message to that great Buddha behind the scenes for me."

Fu Zhaonan took a deep breath, his tone conveying a loyalty and determination as deep as marrow in bone: "Regardless of who the other party is, and regardless of the purpose behind saving my Fu Family, I, Fu Zhaonan, will carve this life-saving grace—pulling me back from the brink of despair—deep into my bones! From now on, whenever the great Buddha has a need for my Fu Family, even if it means going through fire and water, I, Fu Zhaonan, will definitely repay the favor, and I will not frown for even a second!"

Faced with this heavily weighted promise of the underworld, Zhou Wennan's financial steward just smiled meaningfully. He said nothing, simply nodding lightly. He left the life-saving cashier's check for the full 500 million on the table, then, carrying the contract, quietly turned and walked out of this chairman's office that had just been reborn.