875: Chapter 87 Like a Pimp

Pei Jue grasped the metal object that still held the warmth and sweat of Hans, feeling a solid touch in his palm.

He didn't waste any more words; he didn't even bother putting on the sunglasses meant to intimidate.

He turned and left, his steps fast but steady, quickly melting into the bustling crowd.

Hans watched Pei Jue's receding back, collapsing onto the ground, gasping for air as if he had just narrowly escaped death.

And he would never know that the so-called 'South American Gangster' who had terrified him was actually just a poor wretch whose accounts had just been frozen by his boss.

Second Floor Coffee Shop.

Shen Yan set down his coffee cup, and the base made a light clink against the saucer.

The progress bar on the system panel instantly jumped to 10% at that moment.

[Task Complete.]

[Congratulations, Host, for acquiring the target item at zero cost.]

[Evaluation: A perfect psychological gamble; not only did you spend no money, but even the intimidation was free.]

[Reward Issued: Primary Quantum Encrypted Communication Privilege Unlocked.]

Shen Yan showed little elation; this was just one part of his routine operations.

Two minutes later.

Pei Jue pushed open the coffee shop door.

His floral shirt was already soaked—the cold sweat that followed the dissipation of tension and adrenaline.

He walked up to Shen Yan and gently placed the Zippo lighter on the table.

His movements were cautious, as if it were not a lighter, but a bomb ready to detonate at any moment.

"President Shen, I have it."

Pei Jue's voice was somewhat hoarse; he stood there, awaiting some form of judgment or reward.

Shen Yan picked up the lighter and lightly flicked the thumb wheel.

With a crisp 'ding,' the lid flipped open, revealing the exquisitely disguised data interface within.

This was the core code that could evolve the deep blue heart and drive countless competitors to despair.

Something worth hundreds of millions was now lying quietly on a table stained with coffee rings.

Shen Yan toyed with the spoils, then raised his eyes to look at Pei Jue.

The arrogant demeanor Pei Jue had displayed downstairs was gone; he stood with his hands down, looking somewhat constrained.

The fox had finally learned to tuck its tail in front of the hunter.

"Well done."

Shen Yan offered those four words of appraisal, his tone as plain as if he were complimenting the secretary on a good cup of tea.

But he casually slid a black card toward Pei Jue.

"Go buy yourself some decent clothes. This outfit makes you look like a pimp soliciting customers in the red-light district. It's embarrassing."

Pei Jue paused for a moment, looking at the card, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes.

This wasn't about the money.

It was recognition—recognition of his upgrade from a 'tool' to a 'capable tool.'

"Thank you, President Shen."

Pei Jue pocketed the card without asking anything further about having his account unfrozen.

Because he was a smart man.

A smart man knew that as long as he followed this man, what he would gain in the future would far exceed the money in that Switzerland account.

Shen Yan stood up, smoothed the hem of his suit, and didn't even spare another glance for the trembling fat man downstairs.

"Let's go back to Jinghai."

"The deep blue heart is still waiting for its new heart."

The two walked out of the coffee shop one after the other.

It was early afternoon in Singapore, and the sunlight was so dazzling it hurt to open one's eyes.

But in Shen Yan's vision, the entire world had transformed into streams of flowing data.

The newly unlocked 'Primary Quantum Encrypted Communication Privilege' was constructing an entirely new network topology on his retina.

It was an absolutely secure and absolutely secret vast network.

In this network, no business secret could escape his sight, and no competitor could eavesdrop on his arrangements.

If the previous Pangu system was a sharp sword,

then now, that sword possessed the ability to become invisible.

Shen Yan entered the VIP passage, followed by Pei Jue, who had already resumed his respectful demeanor.

The airport broadcast was announcing flight departures; the mechanical female voice echoed in the vast hall.

The night sky over Jinghai was not pure, tinted purple by the neon lights reflecting from the ground.

The tires of the Gulfstream G65 screeched against the runway, and the immense reverse thrust nearly made Pei Jue spit out the whiskey he had just drunk.

Shen Yan unbuckled his seatbelt, not even glancing out the window, as if he had just taken a bus ride from the east side to the west side of the Jinghai.

The black maybach bearing the Jing A license plate was already parked in the shadow of the tarmac, like a lurking beast.

Chen Guangke stood by the car door, a half-smoked cigarette held between his fingers, its ember flickering faintly in the night wind.

Seeing Shen Yan descend the spiral stairs, Chen Guangke crushed the cigarette butt and opened the rear door.

"Sister-in-law asked three times. I told her you were on a cross-border video conference."

Chen Guangke's voice carried the casualness reserved only for childhood friends; he smoothly took the briefcase from Shen Yan.

"Yes, it was cross-border, just conducted on-site."

Shen Yan sat in the car and rubbed his temples wearily; the Zippo lighter felt sharp against his suit pocket.

Pei Jue sat somewhat stiffly in the passenger seat. The newly bought bespoke suit made him look presentable, but the invisible heavy gold chain around his neck seemed to still be choking him.

The car smoothly merged onto the airport expressway; the cabin was so quiet that only the faint hum of the air conditioning vents could be heard.

Shen Yan kept his eyes closed; the complex network topology on his retina continued to extend and reorganize.

The system's reward had come at the perfect time. The Primary Quantum Encrypted Communication Privilege wasn't just a string of code; it was a key.

A key that could release the deep blue heart from its cage without anyone noticing.

"To the company, not the old residence."

Shen Yan suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the car.

Chen Guangke's hands paused on the steering wheel for a moment, then he switched on the turn signal and steered toward the elevated ring road.

"That madman Franz hasn't left the lab for three days. He claims the cooling architecture for the deep blue heart has issues and is spraying liquid nitrogen everywhere."

Chen Guangke glanced at Shen Yan through the rearview mirror, a hint of helplessness in his tone.

"He's not complaining about the cooling; he's complaining about insufficient transmission bandwidth."

Shen Yan opened his eyes, watching the streetlights flash by outside the window, the brilliance of the Jinghai reflected deep in his pupils.

deep blue. The standalone building located in Jinghai's High-Tech Park was still brightly lit, resembling a lighthouse that never extinguished.

The security personnel immediately raised the reinforced anti-explosion barriers upon seeing the familiar maybach.

When Pei Jue got out of the car, his legs were still a little shaky, not due to jet lag, but because of the oppressive atmosphere here.

This wasn't an office building; this was a battlefield command post.