4: Chapter 4: The Apocalyptic Butler Takes Office, Project Fortress Begins

The several security guards, who had been arrogant just a moment ago, froze in their tracks the moment they met Lin Yuan's gaze.

Wang Qiang swallowed hard, forcing himself to step forward to maintain his face as the head of security.

"Lin... Lin Yuan! You are no longer..."

Bang!

Lin Yuan didn't bother with nonsense; he lifted his leg and delivered a front kick.

Wang Qiang was kicked backward repeatedly, knocking over two giant vases before curling up on the ground, clutching his stomach and twitching.

Lin Yuan withdrew his leg.

A sense of self-mockery flashed through his mind.

Too weak.

If it were his past life, having awakened [Physical Enhancement], this single kick would have been enough to break three of his ribs.

All the employees watching the scene shrank their necks and retreated.

In the past, Lin Yuan was always the easiest to talk to among all the executives.

They had never seen such a violent Lin Yuan.

Under everyone's gaze, Lin Yuan stepped over the debris covering the floor and walked up to Su Xiaonuan, who had fallen to the ground.

The girl looked up, tear tracks still wet on her fair cheeks.

Her black professional suit was covered in dust, and the thin black stockings she wore on her legs had been torn during the earlier shoving.

The air was filled with a faint scent of jasmine, the smell of the shampoo Su Xiaonuan often used.

Lin Yuan bent down, ignoring the gazes of the dozens of people around, and swept his arm under her knees, lifting the less-than-ninety-pound Su Xiaonuan into his arms.

"Ah!"

Su Xiaonuan gasped in surprise.

The sensation of weightlessness made her instinctively reach out and wrap her arms around Lin Yuan's neck.

The moment her palms touched the back of his neck, she felt the tense muscles beneath his skin and the steady, powerful heartbeat in his chest.

An absurd thought popped into her mind.

"President Lin... is already divorced."

"If I do this... it wouldn't count as being the other woman, right?"

Lin Yuan carried her and turned, walking toward the black SUV still embedded in the door frame.

A lot of paint had been scratched off the front of the car by the glass, making it look even more aggressive.

He carried Su Xiaonuan into the passenger seat, then walked to the driver's side.

Just before getting into the car, he paused and swept his gaze across the employees in the lobby.

"Tell Shen Qingyue."

"This is what she brought upon herself."

Vroom! Vroom! Vroom!

The SUV reversed, tires grinding over the broken glass, and sped away.

Only then did someone dare to step out and help the still-moaning Wang Qiang up from the ground.

...

The top-floor CEO's office.

Bang!

An expensive coffee cup was smashed hard against the floor.

Dark brown liquid splattered everywhere.

Shen Qingyue was trembling with rage after hearing the secretary's report.

"Call the police! Call the police for me immediately!"

Shen Qingyue pointed downstairs.

"He intentionally destroyed company property! He's disturbing the peace!"

She had originally planned to touch up her makeup and go find Lu Feng in a while to make up for his birthday party being interrupted.

And while she was at it, complain to her male best friend about Lin Yuan's heartlessness.

But this madman Lin Yuan actually drove a car and smashed the company's front door!

He did it on purpose! He came to cause trouble on purpose, deliberately preventing her from seeing Lu Feng!

"Also, tell the security department to pull the surveillance footage from the entrance and send it to the media. I want him to be ruined!"

The secretary's hands were trembling as she was about to dial, when the office door was suddenly pushed open.

The company's legal counsel rushed in, covered in sweat.

"President Shen, the board of directors... is holding an emergency video conference!"

"Lin Yuan has mass-emailed all the directors regarding your... your embezzlement of 5 million in company funds to buy a watch!"

"The board is now demanding that you appear immediately to give an explanation!"

"What?!"

Shen Qingyue swayed violently.

That bastard Lin Yuan actually went back on his word!

Didn't he say that once the divorce agreement was signed, this matter would be over!

But she was still unwilling to give up and pointed downstairs, roaring:

"He smashed the company's door! Get him arrested first!"

"President Shen..." The legal counsel spoke with difficulty. "Just before he drove over, the property management received an order receipt."

"A German security company is sending us a top-spec bulletproof glass door worth 800,000; Lin Yuan has already paid for it."

"He also registered himself with the property management as... an 'authorized demolition worker'."

The legal counsel's voice grew quieter and quieter.

"We... we even have to pay him a demolition labor fee of five hundred yuan according to the regulations."

Silence.

In the large CEO's office, only the faint sound of the central air conditioning remained.

Shen Qingyue felt the world spinning around her.

Buying a new door.

Registering as a demolition worker.

Paying an extra five hundred yuan in labor costs.

Lin Yuan had calculated every step to perfection, grinding her intelligence into the dirt!

"Ahhhhh!"

Shen Qingyue grabbed her phone; she wanted to make a call and use the most vicious language to curse that bastard Lin Yuan!

However, what came from the receiver was a cold, heartless, mechanical female voice.

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable, please try again later..."

She had been blocked.

Snap!

The latest model fruit phone was smashed hard against the wall, its screen shattered into pieces.

...

On the Jiangcheng Ring Expressway.

Inside the SUV, the atmosphere was eerily quiet.

Su Xiaonuan gripped the seatbelt, finally summoning the courage to speak:

"President Lin... what about those documents? Where are we... going next?"

"Are you planning to start a business?"

Lin Yuan steered with one hand, the black SUV weaving steadily through traffic, his tone as casual as if he were discussing what to have for dinner.

"First, Xinghui Group has nothing to do with me anymore."

"Second, I am going to build a doomsday fortress."

"Third, in three months, the global apocalypse will descend."

Three bombshells dropped one after another.

If it were any normal person, hearing "the apocalypse will descend," their first reaction would definitely be to suggest that Lin Yuan see a psychiatrist.

But Su Xiaonuan did not.

After a brief moment of blankness, her brain quickly grasped the most core information for her from these three sentences.

President Lin doesn't want the company anymore.

President Lin wants to build a fortress.

As for the apocalypse?

For someone like her, who was severely socially anxious, bullied by colleagues every day, PUA'd, and even bullied by her roommates, it would be better if this f*cked-up world just ended!

Just now in the lobby, only this man stood in front of her and kicked that security captain away like a dog.

Su Xiaonuan's fingers gripped the torn stockings on her knees, as if she had made a major decision.

She turned around, not even caring about the pain in her knees:

"Then... in the doomsday fortress you are building... can you save me... the smallest, smallest room?"

"I eat very little, and I can cook, do laundry, clean... I can do any kind of work..."

Looking at the girl in front of him, thinking of the scene in his past life where she resolutely charged into a horde of zombies to cover for him,

Lin Yuan, for a rare moment, smiled.

"You will be the head housekeeper of this fortress."

"Design whatever size room you want to live in."

As soon as he finished speaking.

[Ding! Target Su Xiaonuan (Appearance 87), Favorability +5%! Current Favorability: 35%!]

[Favorability exceeded the critical value, obtained 50% of the target's base attribute bonus! (Target Physique: 8, Spirit: 12)]

[Host: Lin Yuan]

[Physique: 16 (+4)]

[Spirit: 21 (+6)]

[Superpower: None]

Boom!

A warm current exploded from his heart, rushing along his blood vessels to his limbs and bones!

The dizziness that had remained from the car accident completely disappeared!

Lin Yuan's fingers gripped the steering wheel slightly tighter, feeling the power within his body.

"In a while, you go to the Western Suburbs and buy that 'Hongfa Meat Processing Plant,' along with its attached underground cold storage."

"Keep the deposit as low as possible, pay whatever you want for the balance, and pay it in three months."

Su Xiaonuan, who had been immersed in panic just a second ago, subconsciously straightened her back.

"President Lin, the contract risk for this is very high..."

Then she thought of the words "doomsday," and her voice slowly trailed off.

"Understood..."

Just then.

The screen of the phone Lin Yuan had placed on the center console lit up.

It was a text message from an unknown number.

The content was very short.

[I am Su Muxue, I would like to invite you to a meal to thank you.]

The Ice Empress had taken the bait.