106: wealth

In Hangzhou in June, the air already carried the dry heat of early summer.

But deep within the company's heavily guarded secure warehouse, a freezing atmosphere that felt almost solidified permeated the air.

The heavy warehouse doors slowly closed, cutting off all sounds from the outside world.

Lu Fan stood in the center of the warehouse, his face showing a hint of exhaustion from a long journey, but his eyes were as sharp as ever.

Standing before him was the company's core team: Head of HR, Purchasing Manager, Jiang Fang from logistics, Security Chief, and Liu Zhicheng from finance.

"Everyone, thank you for your hard work while I was away from the company!" Lu Fan's voice wasn't loud, yet it was exceptionally clear in the empty warehouse.

"This trip was quite fruitful, and I've successfully brought the items back." He turned sideways and pointed to a small truck inside the warehouse.

"Clatter, clatter~~"

As the doors opened, countless gold and silver ingots poured out of the truck like a tide, the sound of them hitting the ground echoing through the warehouse.

The gold and silver reflected a heart-stopping brilliance under the bright lights.

Instantly, a deathly silence enveloped everyone; the group of executives were momentarily frozen like statues.

Security Chief, a tough man who had weathered many storms, stared wide-eyed, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.

He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, only a very faint gasp escaped him.

Purchasing Manager subconsciously adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses fixed intently on the gold and silver.

He couldn't help but mutter, "This... how many years of silver price fluctuations will this affect..."

The usual composure of the finance head, Liu Zhicheng, was completely shattered.

His face first went pale, then a flush of excitement rushed over him, and his fingers began to calculate rapidly and unconsciously.

How much must all this gold and silver be worth?

Jiang Fang held his breath, his gaze bypassing the gold and silver to lock onto the artifacts filled with historical traces, his eyes burning with intensity.

It was the instinctive reaction of a professional seeing rare treasures.

Head of HR stood slightly behind; her shock was equally immense, but her professionalism allowed her to regain her ability to think more quickly.

Her gaze quickly swept across this wealth, enough to drive anyone mad.

Finally, it landed on the tall and slightly weary figure in front of her.

An indescribable sense of relief, like a warm current, instantly dispersed the chill brought on by the shock.

She finally realized with absolute clarity what kind of miracle-maker she was following.

The sense of security and belonging brought by this realization even outweighed the shock of the wealth before her.

"Alright, stop staring." Lu Fan's calm voice broke the silence.

He casually picked up a heavy gold ingot, weighed it in his hand, and tossed it back.

It made a dull thud, startling everyone out of their daze.

"Uncle Liu, Purchasing Manager, I'm leaving the gold and silver ingots to you. Count them, test their purity, appraise them, and then dispose of them to liquidate them as quickly as possible."

Liu Zhicheng suddenly snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

His voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling, yet it was exceptionally firm: "Understood, President Lu!

At a preliminary glance, there are no less than 1,000 kilograms of gold ingots, and silver ingots... I'm afraid there are over 5,000 kilograms.

We will contact professional testing agencies and channels immediately."

Purchasing Manager also nodded immediately, pulling out a tablet to check today's gold and silver prices.

Lu Fan nodded and turned to the other side: "Jiang Fang, Head of HR. These remaining 'tough nuts' are for you."

He pointed to the artifacts steeped in history, including distorted jewelry, crown fragments inlaid with gems, rusted but beautifully contoured vessels, and flattened inlaid boxes... Jiang Fang could no longer contain himself; he stepped forward and began to carefully clean the artifacts.

"The value of these items goes far beyond the gold and silver itself.

My preliminary idea is to utilize our network of cultural companies both domestically and abroad.

To liquidate most of the high-quality items that are tradable and have clear market value through multiple channels in batches."

He spoke his mind while tidying up.

Seeing Lu Fan nod in agreement, Jiang Fang said to Head of HR, "Beautiful, the cleaning work is very important.

Could you arrange some reliable people? The kind who are meticulous with their work and tight-lipped."

Hearing this, Lu Fan instructed, "Head of HR, don't mistreat the workers. Let's set a tentative daily subsidy of 1,000 per person."

"No problem, I'll arrange it right away." After saying that, Head of HR took out her phone and started calling in people.

Jiang Fang carefully picked up a bronze pot covered in green rust but inlaid with exquisite gold and silver patterns.

He examined it closely: "Hmm... Warring States style... good stuff. However,"

He put down the pot and looked around at the mountain of objects, feeling a bit of regret, especially for those that were severely damaged.

"At least one-third of these are severely damaged artifacts; it's difficult to dispose of them quickly and safely through conventional channels."

He pondered for a moment and looked at Lu Fan: "President Lu, for this most difficult part, I suggest a deep cooperation with Cloud Pavilion.

They have a deep background, wide connections, and their restoration capabilities are top-notch in the country.

Many items can be sold to museums across the country as exhibits after restoration.

In addition, they are particularly skilled at handling these kinds of ambiguous but potentially valuable special collectibles."

As Jiang Fang spoke, he picked up a large silver ingot and handed it over.

The words "Chongzhou Fifty-Tael Silver Ingot, First Year of Dashun" were clearly visible.

The origin of this gold and silver was self-evident; this was Zhang Xianzhong's treasure.

Lu Fan didn't hesitate and made a decisive call: "Alright, I happen to have business at Cloud Pavilion in a couple of days.

Organize those 'tough nuts' as quickly as possible. I'll take you with me, and from now on, you'll be fully responsible for liaising with Cloud Pavilion."

"Understood!" Jiang Fang's spirits lifted, and he immediately sprang into action.

"As for security, Old Sun will be in charge of everything." Lu Fan patted Security Chief's shoulder.

Security Chief straightened his back and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, Young President Lu. I'll be overseeing everything personally; not even a fly will get in."

Before long, Head of HR brought in reliable workers. After being stunned for about ten minutes, they adjusted, and the warehouse instantly became a hive of activity.

Liu Zhicheng and Purchasing Manager directed the personnel to move all the items out of the truck and stack them on the ground by category.

Jiang Fang, accompanied by Head of HR, took a high-intensity flashlight and a logbook.

They began weaving through the piled-up artifacts, performing preliminary classification and recording.

Security Chief patrolled the surroundings vigilantly, ensuring that every step was under strict surveillance.

Lu Fan stood in the center of the warehouse, watching the scene of bustling yet orderly activity, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

This mountain of wealth was a resource, a power, and even more so, a cornerstone leading to the next goal.

And these partners before him, each fulfilling their duties and operating efficiently, were his most precious wealth.

He let out a soft breath: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. Once this is finished, one percent of the total transaction amount will be given to everyone as a bonus."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's enthusiasm surged even more.

Meanwhile, Lu Fan exited the warehouse. Since he was back, he had to have a good relaxation.