250: Let's assume he agreed.

By the same token, in the eyes of Fangs, the Abyss Domain was nothing more than a chaotic, barbaric, and lawless land.

Even without Lin Yu, these two parties would likely end up at each other's throats the moment they met.

And now, add the mysterious and overbearing Lin Yu to the mix.

A three-way free-for-all.

Life had never been so wonderful.

Old Shi had even finished planning out all the subsequent scenarios.

Even if one of the three parties emerged as a dominant winner, he, Old Shi, could maintain his leverage and continue to balance the scales by keeping a non-committal relationship with the remaining two.

He stood in an invincible position.

Time passed, second by second.

The air in the reception room seemed to have frozen solid.

Wang Teng and the other two CEOs held their breath, even stopping their tea-brewing movements. Their nerves were taut as they awaited Lin Yu's final verdict.

He's thinking.

Old Shi thought with certainty.

He must be weighing the pros and cons, thinking about how to break this dead-end situation that I personally laid out.

However...

In Lin Yu's mind at this moment, there was only one thought.

Is it... enough time yet?

Things should be about done on Wang Qingxuan and Li Mo's side.

That fellow Li Mo seems pretty sharp; he should know how to maximize the use of that data.

With Wang Qingxuan's talent combined with those scandals, it shouldn't be hard to filter out a list of names.

Abyss Domain... Fangs... their names sound intimidating enough.

But what the hell does that have to do with me?

When I was in school, how come I never heard of these messy organizations?

This Fangs Special Operations Team sounds like it's from the military.

Troublesome.

Right now, he only wanted to develop his strength steadily.

Every skill advancement and every multiplication cycle brought exponential improvements.

Playing games of power and schemes with these people was a complete waste of time.

If it weren't for the fact that the breakthrough in potions would give him such a massive boost... he wouldn't have waded into these muddy waters at all.

With this time, wouldn't it be better to grind skill proficiency a few more times and upgrade [Lightning Spell] to the 'Archaic' rank?

Making a fortune in silence was the true way to go.

So... when it comes to poaching people later, I need to tell Wang Qingxuan to be careful.

Don't just pick those star researchers with glittering resumes.

She can also pick some potential candidates who look unremarkable on the surface but actually have something to offer.

That way, even if the Four Major Pharmaceutical Companies are hollowed out by me later, the outside world won't immediately notice the loss of core talent.

Does he have a conflict of interest with the Abyss Domain or Fangs?

Probably not.

At the end of the day, he just wanted a spirit potion that could increase his attributes beyond the 500-point limit.

However, I should still show some strength in a moment; it'll make things much easier for me later.

Yeah, let's do that.

Standing by the window, Lin Yu's thoughts had already drifted to how to build his own R&D team.

He even began to contemplate whether to establish an independent research institute or merge it directly into the Tianqing Group.

As for those old guys behind him... he had completely forgotten them.

Time continued to flow in a bizarre atmosphere.

One minute.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Sweat began to slowly slide down Old Shi's aged wrinkles from his temples.

Something's not right.

Something is very wrong.

Thinking takes time.

But this is taking too long!

Even if he's having an internal struggle, there should be a result by now, right?

What on earth is he thinking?

Old Shi's heart began to sink bit by bit.

The stage he had carefully set up was ready, the actors were in place, and the script was written, but the most important protagonist refused to make his entrance.

He wouldn't even turn his head!

This was no longer just a heavy atmosphere.

This was... disregard.

A naked, bone-deep disregard!

The composure on the faces of Wang Teng and the other two CEOs had long since vanished.

Their backs were already soaked with cold sweat.

They looked at Old Shi, then at Lin Yu's aloof back, not even daring to breathe loudly.

The air in the reception room, which had been frozen from the start, became thinner and thinner, making it hard to breathe.

Old Shi finally couldn't hold out any longer.

Outside, the representative from the Abyss Domain and Chief Zhong Huai of Fangs were still waiting.

He was the one who had personally invited them.

Now, he didn't even dare to walk out the door.

If this dragged on any longer, those two parties would tear him apart before Lin Yu even lifted a finger!

A massive wave of panic, mixed with boundless humiliation, instantly crushed Old Shi's final psychological defense.

He shuffled half a step forward, his body trembling slightly from excessive tension.

He cautiously bowed his body and broke the deathly silence with a tone that was almost pleading.

"Mr... Mr. Lin..."

His voice was dry and raspy, lacking even a fraction of his previous high spirits.

Lin Yu still didn't turn around.

Old Shi's heart sank to the bottom. Gritting his teeth, he practically trampled his own dignity underfoot and spoke in an even humbler posture.

"Mr. Lin, if you... if you still have concerns..."

"How about... how about this?"

There was a slight tremor in Old Shi's voice. He quickly organized his words and threw out the only solution he could think of.

"You... you can rest here for a moment and just watch as a bystander."

"I... I will go and contact the other two parties first. What do you... think?"

In his view, Lin Yu thinking for so long must be due to concerns. He could understand; even if Lin Yu's strength was shocking and his background immense, these two parties—one representing the Abyss Domain and the other representing Blue Star—were forces to be reckoned with.

Anyone would have to weigh the consequences.

However, making this proposal was a huge concession for Old Shi. In his heart, Lin Yu, who could produce a massive amount of potions at once, was still the most important of the three parties.

This urging finally managed to pull Lin Yu back from his daydreaming.

Then, Lin Yu did what anyone would do after coming back to their senses.

Under the gazes of Old Shi and the others, who were nearly suffocating...

Lin Yu let out an extremely faint, almost perfunctory syllable from his throat.

"Ah."

...Ah?

That's it?

One word.

A single syllable without any emotion or meaning.

Old Shi froze completely.

His mind went blank, completely unable to decipher the deep meaning behind this word.

Was it agreement? Or disagreement?

Was it sarcasm? Or impatience?

Damn it, whatever!

I'll just take it as an agreement!

"Good!"

Old Shi slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice loud and full of vigor!

This shout gave Wang Teng and the other two a start.

They looked at Old Shi in horror, not knowing if the old man had gone completely mad or was just prepared to give up and let whatever happens happen.

Old Shi ignored them.

He bowed deeply to Lin Yu, his posture respectful but no longer lowly.

It was the kind of awe and submission a subordinate shows to a superior out of genuine conviction.

"Mr. Lin's foresight is profound. I, Shi, am filled with nothing but admiration!"

"Rest assured!"

"I will definitely arrange the following scene perfectly for you!"