148: Chapter 148 The Underworld Group is officially established!

The Climax Begins:

The establishment ceremony of the Underworld Group was held under the witness of the Three Realms.

The First Realm: The Underworld itself. On the newly built "Samsara Square" by the River of Oblivion, the area was packed with Underworld soldiers, ghosts, newly surrendered fierce ghosts, and even several Imp security guards hired from the Abyss—they wore special uniforms, trying their best to look a bit more "official."

The Second Realm: Mortal World Proxies. Through a special channel left by Lin Chen, Wang Ming and other Mortal World proxies attended in the form of "holographic projections." Their images solidified on the east side of the square, distinct from the ghosts but visible to each other.

The Third Realm: God Realm Reformists. Although they could not come in person, Michael, the Financial Officer, used three drops of divine blood as a price to send the "consciousness projections" of twelve core members. These projections hovered on the west side of the square, emitting a faint golden holy light—looking particularly conspicuous amidst the dense ghostly aura.

Three forces, three planes, in the same frame for the first time.

And Lin Chen stood on the newly built nine-story high platform in the center of the square.

The platform was constructed entirely of "Nether Dark Iron," its surface inlaid with mirrors polished from nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine reincarnation seal fragments. It was currently "midnight" in the Underworld, but the light emitted by the platform itself illuminated the entire square as bright as day.

"Everyone is here."

Lin Chen spoke; his voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every being present—whether ghost, living human, or divine projection.

Today, he wore a pure black suit, well-tailored, without a tie, and with the shirt collar casually open. This attire looked out of place in the Underworld, but as he stood there with the phantom of the samsara seal slowly rotating behind him, everyone felt—it should be exactly like this.

"Let's not waste words."

Lin Chen raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

The nine-story high platform suddenly transformed, each level unfolding outward to reveal a sophisticated internal mechanical structure. Countless gears turned, runes lit up, and finally, at the top of the platform, a massive three-dimensional badge condensed—

The left side of the badge featured the pattern of the samsara seal, the right side featured the Holy Light Cross of the God Realm, and below them was the DNA double helix representing the Mortal World. Around the outermost edge was a ring of constantly jumping numbers: the real-time refreshed "Total Group Asset Valuation."

Current number: 18,734,922,500,000 nether talismans.

Nearly nineteen trillion.

"From today onward," Lin Chen's voice spread throughout the venue, "the Underworld, the God Realm Reformists, and the Mortal World proxy system are officially merged."

"The new entity after the merger shall be named—"

He paused, emphasizing each word:

"Underworld Group."

As soon as he finished speaking, the badge burst into a blinding light!

Within the light, three "merger agreements" composed of different materials emerged simultaneously—

The Underworld used a Ghost Soul Jade Plate, engraved with the bloody fingerprints of billions of ghosts (signed voluntarily).

The Mortal World used a Special Alloy Plate, embedded with the DNA bio-locks of Wang Ming and others.

The God Realm used... a Godhead Fragment Plate. Twelve fragments emitting different divine natures were pieced together into an agreement, with each fragment engraved with the origin oath of a core Reformist member.

The three agreements collided and fused in the air, finally transforming into a golden scroll spanning the void!

The scroll slowly unfurled, revealing densely packed clauses inside.

A Melodramatic Twist:

Just when everyone thought they were about to enter a long signing ceremony—

"Wait!"

A golden projection suddenly spoke.

It was Michael, the Financial Officer.

The former Archangel currently maintained a human appearance—blond hair, blue eyes, and a handsome face, but his brow carried a lingering fatigue and anxiety. He wore a worn but clean priest's robe, and the phantoms of six wings were faintly visible behind him, three of which had obvious tear wounds.

"Chairman Lin," Michael's tone was respectful but firm, "before the official signing, on behalf of the Reformist Alliance, I have one... small request."

The entire venue went silent.

Zhang Hao's expression darkened, and he whispered to Su Qingyu beside him, "Is this old bird going to cause trouble?"

Su Qingyu didn't speak, just stared at Michael's projection.

Lin Chen remained calm: "Speak."

"Regarding the equity distribution." Michael took a deep breath. "You want a 51% controlling stake; we accept that. But in the remaining 49%, we hope to reserve at least... 10% for a 'Founding Team Incentive Pool'."

He quickly explained:

"Among the 188 members of the Reformists, not everyone is willing to merge into The Group unconditionally. A portion of them—about thirty people—have set conditions: they can contribute effort and risk their lives, but they hope to obtain a certain amount of 'original equity' as a reward after the new God Realm is rebuilt in the future."

"This 10% would be carved out from the 49%, specifically to motivate these people and core backbones who may join in the future."

After Michael finished, there was dead silence throughout the venue.

This request sounded reasonable, but the timing was too delicate—bringing it up publicly at the signing ceremony was almost equivalent to a forced ultimatum.

Sure enough, a commotion began to stir in the square.

Some ghosts whispered among themselves:

"People from the God Realm are always so troublesome..."

"Their race is about to be wiped out, and they're still negotiating conditions?"

"The boss definitely won't agree, right?"

The Mortal World proxy projections on Wang Ming's side also frowned—they hated this kind of last-minute change of heart the most.

But Lin Chen's reaction exceeded everyone's expectations.

He laughed.

It wasn't a cold laugh, but the kind of laugh where someone is genuinely amused.

"Michael," Lin Chen said, "do you know what I admire most about you?"

Michael was stunned: "...Please enlighten me."

"You are direct enough." Lin Chen walked to the edge of the platform and looked down at the golden projection. "You don't play games or beat around the bush; you say exactly what you want—even on an occasion like this, even if it might anger me."

He paused:

"But you didn't tell the whole story."

Michael's expression changed slightly.

"Among those thirty members with 'conditions for joining'," Lin Chen said slowly, "nineteen of them have immediate family members who have already boarded the 'Ark' of the Old God Court."

"As for the remaining eleven, each has privately signed a 'secret agreement' with you—the content being: if the Underworld Group's investment fails, you will use your personal savings to compensate them for losses equivalent to 5% of the God Realm's existing assets."

"And your proposal for this 'Founding Team Incentive Pool'..."

Lin Chen raised his hand and made a sweeping motion in the air.

An encrypted file emerged—it was the record of Michael's private divine sense communications with those thirty people, with even the timestamps clearly visible.

"In truth, you negotiated this with them three days ago. You brought it up publicly today not to actually fight for rights, but—"

Lin Chen stared at Michael:

"You are testing me."

"Testing whether I have the ability to monitor your every move, testing whether I know about your little private maneuvers, and testing whether I would still sign this contract after knowing all of this."

With every sentence he spoke, Michael's face grew a shade paler.

By the time Lin Chen finished, the former Archangel was already kneeling on one knee (though it was a projection, the posture was fully committed).

"I... apologize." Michael's voice was dry. "But I had to do this. The God Realm cannot afford a second betrayal; I had to ensure that our partner—you—has enough ability to control the overall situation."

He looked up, his eyes filled with the determination of someone burning their bridges: "If you couldn't even discover these little maneuvers of ours, then the cooperation would be meaningless. The God Realm would eventually be destroyed by internal strife anyway."

The entire venue was silent as a grave.

Everyone looked at Lin Chen, waiting for his reaction.

Would it be fury? Would he cancel the cooperation? Or...

Lin Chen laughed again.

This time, his smile was even more apparent.

"Stand up," he said. "Did I pass the test?"

Michael froze.

"Your test," Lin Chen repeated. "Did I pass?"

"...You passed," Michael said with difficulty.

"Good." Lin Chen turned and walked back to the center of the platform, looking at the golden agreement scroll. "I agree to your request."

Not just Michael, but everyone was stunned.

"A 10% Founding Team Incentive Pool is fine," Lin Chen said calmly. "But there are two conditions."

"First, this 10% isn't given for free. Those thirty people—and everyone who wants to enter the incentive pool in the future—must sign a 'Betting Agreement'. During the agreement period, they must complete specified KPIs, including but not limited to: number of enemies killed, area of lost territory recovered, and growth in faith tax revenue. If the completion rate is below 80%, the equity is revoked; if it's below 60%, they will have to pay out of their own pockets."

"Second," Lin Chen looked at Michael, "you personally will concurrently serve as The Group's 'General Manager of the God Realm Business Department' starting today. I don't care what private agreements you have with those people; I only look at results. If the God Realm business line doesn't take off—"

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Michael took a deep breath and nodded vigorously: "Understood."

"Then, let's sign."

Lin Chen raised his hand, and a drop of golden blood seeped from his fingertip—it wasn't ordinary blood, but "Origin Essence Blood" fused with the Underworld's origin, the reincarnation mark, and his personal authority.

The blood drop flew toward the golden scroll.

At the same time, Michael's projection also forced out a drop of divine blood (though a projection, it contained origin), and Wang Ming's side collectively pressed the confirmation buttons on their DNA bio-locks.

Three drops of blood and one lock were imprinted on the scroll simultaneously!

Boom—!!!

The scroll burst with a light that pierced through the Three Realms!

Ten thousand ghosts in the Underworld wailed in unison!

All Mortal World proxies felt an additional contract connection deep within their souls!

On the God Realm's side, the twelve projections solidified for a moment—this meant the agreement had been recognized by the fundamental laws of the multiverse and took effect immediately!

A Thrilling Sensation:

At the very moment the signing was completed—

A sudden change occurred.

It didn't come from any of the signing parties.

But rather from... the bystanders of the ceremony.

At the edge of the square, among The Group of Abyss Imp security guards in uniforms, three of them suddenly let out a non-human roar!

Their bodies began to swell and distort, their uniforms bursting as black flesh writhed underneath. Their originally simple demon faces split open, and three completely different faces emerged from within—

One was a painfully distorted angel face.

One was a ferociously roaring dragon face.

The third... was a swirling void, like a miniature black hole.

"Lord Gramer's... greetings..."

The three monsters spoke simultaneously, their voices overlapping, filled with a sense of profanity:

"Congratulations... on the establishment... of the Underworld Group..."

"This... congratulatory gift... please accept..."

They opened their mouths at the same time—

It wasn't an attack.

But rather... spitting out three hearts that were still beating.

One golden (an Angel Heart).

One crimson (a Dragon Heart).

The third was pure black, its surface covered with tiny eyeballs that constantly opened and closed.

The three hearts hovered in the air, beginning to beat in sync.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

With every beat, the ghosts in a section of the square suddenly froze, and then—

Their bodies began to melt.

Melting like candles, turning into thick black mud. Countless faint screams echoed from the black mud; those were the wails of souls being forcibly devoured and digested.

Even more terrifyingly, the melting was spreading.

From the edges toward the center, at an extremely fast speed!

"Abyssal pollution!" Lei Xiao drew his blade, about to rush forward.

"Don't move." Lin Chen's voice came, still calm.

He didn't even turn his head, just raised his hand toward the three hearts in the air—

And snapped his fingers.

Snap.

It was very soft.

But the beating of the three hearts stopped simultaneously.

In the next second, three semi-transparent "invoices" appeared on the surface of the hearts.

Yes, invoices.

The text on them was clear:

[Product Name: Abyssal Pollution Delivery Service (Targeted · Underworld Group Establishment Celebration)]

[Service Provider: Abyssal Lord Gramer (Taxpayer ID: D-77491-666)]

[Service Recipient: Underworld Group (Unified Social Credit Code: MF-001)]

[Fee: Three Divine Hearts (Tax Included)]

[Reminder: According to Article 88 of the Multiverse Anti-Unfair Competition Law, providing paid services without the explicit consent of the recipient and forcibly charging for them constitutes malicious marketing. The recipient has the right to refuse payment and demand compensation for all losses caused thereby.]

At the bottom of the invoice, a QR code was thoughtfully attached—scanning it would allow a direct complaint to the Multiverse Commercial Arbitration Committee.

The three monsters: "...???"

They were stunned.

Completely bewildered.

Something like this was possible?!

"Go back and tell Gramer." Lin Chen finally turned around, looking at the three monsters that had already begun to crumble. "I've received the gift, but I'm not paying."

"Furthermore—"

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion toward the three hearts.

The hearts instantly shrank and flew into his palm.

"Since they've been sent," Lin Chen toyed with the three now-harmless hearts, "I'll accept them with a smile."

"And tell him this."

He paused, his voice reaching across the Three Realms word by word:

"When I go to the God Realm—"

"I will personally settle the bill with him."

As he spoke, the three monsters exploded simultaneously, turning into a sky full of black ash.

The connection to the Abyss was forcibly severed.

The pollution and melting in the square also came to an abrupt halt, and those melted ghosts quickly reconstituted—though weakened, their lives were saved.

The entire square was dead silent for three seconds.

Then—

"Long live the Underworld Group!!!"

A mountain-shaking cheer erupted, a hundred times more enthusiastic than before!

The Hook:

The signing ceremony continued in a feverish atmosphere.

But when all the procedures were finished and the representatives of the three parties were about to disperse—

Lin Chen raised his hand, stopping them.

"Wait."

He walked to the very front of the platform, looking down at the dense crowd, the projections, and the consciousness bodies.

"The Group has been established, and all the pretty words have been said."

"Now, let's talk about something practical."

He paused, his voice reaching every corner:

"At this inaugural Group meeting, I announce the first strategic goal—"

Everyone pricked up their ears.

Lin Chen took a deep breath and uttered four words:

"Within seven days."

"Take the God Realm."

After a brief silence, an even more fanatical cheer erupted!

But amidst the cheers, Michael's projection underwent a sudden change in expression.

Seven days?

Abyssal Lord Gramer's digestion period still had over six days left; the boss was planning to...

Start the war before Gramer returned to his peak state?!

Lin Chen looked at Michael's shocked expression and smiled slightly:

"What, too fast?"

"No..." Michael swallowed hard, "It's just... is there time to prepare?"

"Prepare?" Lin Chen turned and looked toward the depths of the Underworld, where the red light from the weapons factories was soaring into the sky.

"On the first day of the Underworld Group's establishment—"

A cold, sharp light flashed in his eyes:

"There should be a first entry of income."

"And the God Realm..."

"Will be our opening success."