1: Set off, great merchant!

"Young President Lu, our own test report is out. The beef is indeed synthetic."

"The facts don't match our sales promises; we're suspected of selling bait-and-switch goods."

Liu Zhicheng, the accountant, placed the documents on the desk, looking hesitant to speak.

"Uncle Liu, if there's any more bad news, just tell me all at once."

Lu Fan pressed his throbbing temples, looking a bit dejected.

"This is the data from that livestream sales event; it's all been summarized."

Liu Zhicheng opened the folder and handed it over.

Lu Fan took the documents and skimmed through them quickly.

The thirty million sales figure burned into his retinas like a red-hot branding iron.

According to the 'tenfold compensation for fakes' promise, the company needs to pay out 270 million—bankruptcy is imminent.

"I've already reported it to the police and consulted a lawyer. We were clearly scammed, which led to the goods not matching the description."

"In a lawsuit like this, although our chances of winning are high..."

"...it will be a marathon. The duration will be longer than we can imagine."

Since he had started talking, Liu Zhicheng didn't hold anything back anymore.

"Furthermore, the matter has already caught the high attention of the relevant departments."

"They've frozen our accounts immediately and ordered us to prioritize compensation."

"The cash in the account is untouchable, the suppliers are getting restless, and this month's salaries..."

Raindrops pitter-pattered against the glass window.

In the chilly late-spring rain of March, it sounded like cries of 'pay back the money.'

Truly, when it rains, it pours; misfortunes never come singly.

From the data...

...it was clear that this wasn't just a simple scam.

In the last five minutes of the livestream, sales surged by 15 million. This was definitely premeditated.

Only three days after the incident, the story was exposed and trended on social media. Someone was clearly fanning the flames.

The once-glorious E-commerce Park has been pushed to the center of the storm.

The harsh reality was pushing against his mental defenses.

Lu Fan pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and a look of determination flashed across his face.

He opened the safe and took out an iron box.

It was dark green with a red five-pointed star in the center, looking somewhat dated.

At a glance, it was clearly a product of the last century.

Yet the iron box was still as shiny as new, obviously well-cared for.

"Uncle Liu, we've been through thick and thin together for ten years. Now you all have families to support; it's not easy!"

He opened the box, took out a green property deed, and handed it over.

He didn't notice at all that his finger had been scratched by the edge of the iron box, and a drop of crimson seeped into it.

"Uncle Liu, we can't touch a single cent of the money in the company's account. I'll find a way to cover the shortfall."

"We promised tenfold compensation for fakes, so we must pay the consumers."

"Please liquidate this as soon as possible to pay the salaries."

Despite the immense reluctance in his heart, Lu Fan made a resolute decision.

"Young President Lu, are we really going to pay first? This is clearly a targeted scam!"

"And this house was your mother's dowry, the only memento she left you..."

Before Liu Zhicheng could finish...

...Lu Fan shoved the deed into Liu Zhicheng's hand, not forgetting to instruct him.

"Don't leak any word of this. Make sure it's a cash transaction. Go do it quickly."

Watching Liu Zhicheng leave, he loosened his collar and slumped back in his chair.

How could he not know this was a setup? A meticulously designed trap meant to destroy him.

From the moment the suppliers arrived, to the abnormal data during the livestream, to the consumers' reactions...

...it was all premeditated.

He desperately wanted to know who was behind this.

But before uncovering the mastermind, he had to prioritize compensating the consumers.

Additionally, the payments due to the suppliers had to be honored.

These two things had to be done even if he had to sell everything he owned.

A merchant's integrity isn't just talk; it needs to be put into practice.

That is, if one still wants to survive in the business world.

But by doing this, the business empire he built over ten years since transmigrating would vanish in an instant.

That's right.

He was the legendary transmigrator.

This was also the familiar parallel dimension often seen in novels.

Ten years ago, he was a proud narcotics officer on Earth.

After dying along with drug traffickers in Southern Yunnan, he transmigrated here, inherited his family's small company, and began his conquest of the business world.

In ten years, he grew a three-to-five-person company into a major corporation with assets worth hundreds of millions.

But in the end, a moment of carelessness led him into the trap of someone with ulterior motives.

"No matter who's messing with me, just you wait. When I make my comeback, I'll definitely settle the score."

Bold words are easy to say, but making a comeback is truly difficult.

After all, in today's society, many are willing to add flowers to a bouquet, but few will offer charcoal in the snow.

He had spent years struggling in the business world.

He had helped many, but he had also offended quite a few.

When bankruptcy actually hits, those he once helped might not necessarily lend a hand.

But his competitors would certainly kick him while he was down at the first opportunity.

After all, the greatest evil in human nature is to resent your success, mock your failure, despise your poverty, and fear your wealth.

Lu Fan took a deep drag on his cigarette. Just as he was about to calculate a way out, a mechanical notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Dual-transmigration item binding successful. red-top merchant system loading...]

The sudden sound didn't catch him off guard.

After all, a system is standard equipment for transmigrators. He closed his eyes and thought a command, and the system panel appeared in his mind.

[red-top merchant system (Loading)]

Name: Lu Fan

Level: Bronze Peddler

Wealth: 290 million in debt

Equipment: None

Abilities: None

Space: Not unlocked

Points: None]

Ever since transmigrating to this world, he had possessed a system.

It's just that this system was a bit strange; previously, it only had this empty page and nothing else.

In the early days after transmigrating, no matter how much he tinkered with it, he couldn't get any reaction.

Eventually, he simply ignored it and focused entirely on his business.

Gradually, the fact that he had a system faded from his mind.

If this hadn't happened today, he really would have forgotten he had a cheat.

Looking at the loading system, he immediately focused on the iron box.

Seeing the blood on the edge of the iron box and the wound on his finger, he understood everything.

In his memory, his mother had said this item belonged to his Maternal Great-grandfather.

In his early years, his Maternal Great-grandfather was wealthy and had quietly provided significant support to the Red Revolution during the War of Resistance.

Having nothing to give in return, the other party could only write IOUs and letters of gratitude, which were sent in this iron box to show their appreciation.

As time passed, the IOUs and letters of gratitude went missing.

Only the iron box and a dozen Yuan Shikai silver dollars remained, coming to their home as part of his mother's dowry.

In the time it took to smoke a cigarette, the notification sounded again, pulling Lu Fan's thoughts back.

[System loading complete. Trial mission initiated. Spacetime anchor: 1937. Location: Random.]

[Trial Mission: Initiate Dual-transmigration and complete one cross-temporal transaction.]

[Countdown: 3 minutes 59 seconds, 3 minutes 58 seconds, 3 minutes 57 seconds...]

[Set forth! Great Merchant~~]