103: 103. Short of money? No problem.

After a few words, the atmosphere in the training hall noticeably relaxed.

Lu Feng was very interested in these retired soldiers who had fought on the front lines abroad for many years, so he suggested they each display their unique skills.

Suddenly, various skills were showcased in the training hall.

Engineer Lei smiled, skillfully disassembling and reassembling a complex training firearm (model gun) and using the limited materials on site to create a simple but effective trigger device.

Shan Bao demonstrated how to use environmental shadows and blind spots for stealth and tracking techniques.

Xiao Dao silently stepped forward, and with a flash of cold light, the dagger in his hand accurately struck several vital points on a human mannequin with incredible speed.

The Blacksmith, on the other hand, displayed astonishing strength and control, making heavy barbell plates and simulated obstacles seem weightless in his hands.

Lu Feng watched with great interest, even feeling an itch to try it himself. Using the comprehensive combat techniques he had plundered from his dreams, he stepped forward and had a friendly match with Shan Bao, whose skills were relatively less aggressive.

However, he realized that what he had learned from the boxing gym was still not enough in front of these people who fought to the death at the drop of a hat. Although he fought beautifully, if it were a real fight to the death, he would undoubtedly be the one to die.

"Not bad, your strength is indeed formidable," Lu Feng praised.

Shan Bao was also surprised. He had initially thought Lu Feng was just a rich young master, but he didn't expect him to actually have some solid skills.

Afterward, Lu Feng hosted a dinner for everyone at a good restaurant nearby.

At the dinner table, they exchanged toasts, chatted about interesting stories from the military, and their experiences abroad, and the relationship between the few of them grew much closer.

Upon returning, they also had an initial discussion about the future training curriculum and business direction of the security company, giving everyone a clearer understanding of the company.

Not wanting to delay their training, Lu Feng knew Yu Tianxiong still had matters to report, so he went to the office in the training hall.

Yu Tianxiong stepped forward at the opportune moment and began to report on the company's situation: "Mr. Lu, Tingfeng Energy has been registered, and Qin Tian's debt has been cleared. The 5 million settlement fee has been received. The next step is to start forming the core R&D team, but the initial investment will be huge, and funds will be consumed very quickly. In contrast, for the security company, the venue, basic equipment, and personnel are not too big of a problem..."

He handed over a document: "Given the current tight cash flow, to support this money-guzzling beast, I have screened several quick-return investment projects with good expected returns, hoping to quickly recover a portion of the funds. Please review them, Mr. Lu."

Lu Feng was not surprised. He had anticipated this when he chose Qin Tian's project, as even building a pilot production line required an investment of several hundred million. Once it was in full swing, it would be no different from burning money.

Three billion wouldn't last too long, and Yu Tianxiong's concerns were not unfounded.

He took the document and quickly scanned it. They were all common financial products or Series A financing for small tech companies. After internal company discussions, their return cycles and profit margins were considered very good.

However, Lu Feng merely flipped through it casually before handing the document back to Yu Tianxiong, a strange smile appearing on his face: "Ahem... Old Yu, to make some quick money, there's no need to be so troublesome."

Hearing this, Yu Tianxiong was stunned: "Mr. Lu, what do you mean?"

Lu Feng asked directly: "How much do you need?"

Yu Tianxiong hesitated for a moment, then estimated: "At least... 500 million, to alleviate the current pressure and sustain us until the next milestone."

"500 million, huh..." Lu Feng rubbed his chin, as if contemplating a simple problem.

Tian Peng, who had been waiting by the side, was a bit dumbfounded. 500 million seemed like an astronomical figure to him; he probably wouldn't earn a tenth of it even in his next life. But to the boss in front of him, it seemed... not a big deal.

And Yu Tianxiong, looking at Lu Feng's unfathomable eyes, knew that Mr. Lu had another idea.

He thought of the antique blue-and-white bowl from before, and also the two ships at the dock, so he was very curious: what would it be this time?

"It seems last night's dream can be put to use," Lu Feng said, "Check how much is in the Xiao Toutou jackpot."

Xiao Toutou is the official lottery of Xia Guo (a fictional world, please do not take it literally, full of desire to survive). It's a very traditional game, with several draws announced weekly. Winnings are paid out, and because of good sales, the money from each draw accumulates and rolls into the next jackpot, so it often grows larger and larger.

Yu Tianxiong's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He was somewhat disbelieving, and an absurd yet blood-boiling conjecture emerged: could Mr. Lu even do this?

Tian Peng, not understanding, also took out his phone to search and said, "The current jackpot has accumulated 1.66 billion."

Lu Feng nodded, casually picked up a pen and a sticky note from a nearby table, and "swish, swish, swish" wrote down a long string of numbers.

Then he handed the slip of paper to Yu Tianxiong, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to eat for lunch: "Here, go buy tickets for this number. Buy as many as you need, even if it means emptying the jackpot, it's up to you."

The air instantly solidified.

Yu Tianxiong gasped.

Tian Peng's face changed: "!!!"

Buy... buy lottery tickets?! Empty the jackpot??!

He thought he had misheard, or that Lu Feng was joking.

Yu Tianxiong held the flimsy slip of paper, feeling it weigh a thousand pounds. Despite his suspicions, hearing it confirmed in person still left him incredibly shocked!

"That's it, Old Yu, drive me back to school. Lao Tian, you guys go buy them. The draw is tonight. Buy fifty times, wouldn't taking a third of the jackpot be reasonable?" Lu Feng said with a smile.

"Mr... Mr. Lu... this..."

Tian Peng hesitated, "Lottery... the odds..."

Lu Feng looked at him, his eyes calm and unwavering, with a chilling certainty: "Odds are for ordinary people. Just do as I say."

His tone brooked no argument.

Yu Tianxiong also patted Tian Peng's shoulder and said, "Do as Mr. Lu says."

After speaking, he respectfully said to Lu Feng, "Mr. Lu, I'll take you back to school first."

Lu Feng nodded, as if he had just done a trivial thing, and got up to walk out.

Tian Peng looked at the numbers in his hand, took a deep breath, and his emotions calmed down, though his expression remained complex. He suddenly recalled a conversation he had with Yu Tianxiong earlier.

At the time, he had asked Yu Tianxiong if Mr. Lu had hired them to be bodyguards.

Yu Tianxiong had smiled meaningfully then, saying, "You're overthinking it. With Mr. Lu's abilities, he doesn't need protection at all. He... is almost omnipotent."

Back then, he thought it was an exaggeration. Now, thinking about it...

When he returned to the training ground and told the other four about it, everyone was even more dumbfounded, their reactions more intense than Tian Peng's.

The little bit of reliable impression that had just been built instantly crumbled.

Engineer Lei's eyes widened as he said, "You're not kidding, Brother Peng, do we really have to buy them?"

"I also think... it's just... too absurd," Xiao Dao and Shan Bao frowned even more deeply.

Tian Peng waved his hand: "Just do as Mr. Lu says, don't forget, we just need to follow orders. Blacksmith, you go buy them. Didn't you used to be into this? You're more familiar with it."

"Alright, I'll go do it now."

The Blacksmith was a simple and robust middle-aged man who was also very interested in this matter. So, after noting down the numbers, he left directly.

He took a taxi to different urban areas and then casually walked into a store by the roadside.

An hour later, the Blacksmith returned to the training hall. As soon as he entered, he found that Yu Tianxiong had already returned after dropping off Lu Feng.

"How was it?" Yu Tianxiong and the four others, including Tian Peng, inquired.

The Blacksmith took out the tickets and placed them on the table, smiling, "I bought them."

Everyone looked at the tickets with complex expressions, as if they weren't looking at lottery tickets, but an incomprehensible riddle.

Yu Tianxiong took a deep breath and glanced at his watch: "Hmm, there's still an hour until the drawing deadline. Everyone... let's wait and see."