150: Chapter 150 Vanguard Force: The Demon Employee's Outbound Mission

The demon employment contract was signed in the 73rd layer of the Abyss, "Molten Iron Hell."

This plane had no sky, only a dome dripping with molten iron; no earth, only countless black islands floating in magma. The air was thick with the scent of sulfur, blood, and eternal agony.

And Lin Chen stood in the center of the largest black iron island.

Beneath his feet was a "negotiation table" made of a hundred thousand demon heads. Behind him stood Su Qingyu and Zhang Hao—both shrouded in a purification barrier powered by the samsara seal; otherwise, the abyssal aura alone would be enough to shatter an ordinary Ghost General's soul.

Around the island, the area was packed with a dense black mass of Imps.

Not dozens or hundreds, but a full three million Imps, from the lowest Lesser Imp to ten-meter-tall Imp Lords, all craning their necks, staring at Lin Chen on the negotiation table with eyes of greed and fear.

They were the bottom-tier cannon fodder of the Abyss, either eaten as snacks by higher demons or sent as the first row in suicide charges. Their average lifespan was less than three years, and their demonic rights were practically zero.

But today, they heard news that shook the entire Molten Iron Hell—

A big boss from the Underworld wanted to "hire" Imps.

Not as cannon fodder, but as "employees."

"Is everyone here?"

Lin Chen spoke; his voice wasn't loud, yet it drowned out the roar of the boiling magma.

Standing across the negotiation table, the Imp Great Lord "Skullcrusher Grum" nodded hurriedly—he was fifteen meters tall, covered in obsidian-like scales with three pairs of twisted horns, but before Lin Chen, he shrank his neck like an intern waiting for an interview.

"All... all here, Boss!" Grum's voice sounded like two pieces of pig iron rubbing together. "Every Imp in Molten Iron Hell who can still breathe is here! We even brought the newly hatched runts!"

As he spoke, he actually pulled out a small, slime-dripping Imp from behind him. The little thing opened its eyes, saw Lin Chen, let out a "squeak" of terror, and fainted again.

Lin Chen nodded.

Then, he did something that every Imp would remember for the rest of their lives—

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snap.

A massive rift suddenly tore open in the molten iron dome in the sky.

It wasn't an attack, but... it was "raining money."

Countless nether talismans—real currency containing the pure essence of the Underworld—poured down like a torrential rain! As each nether talisman hit an Imp, it automatically merged into their demon core, causing their aura to surge instantly!

"Roar—!!!"

Three million Imps roared in unison, shaking the heavens!

Not in anger, but in wild joy!

They had never seen so much "money" in their lives! No, let alone seeing it, they wouldn't even dare to dream of it!

Grum's eyes nearly popped out. He tremblingly caught a few nether talismans, feeling the pure energy within: "B-Boss... this is..."

"Advance wages," Lin Chen said indifferently. "For every Imp, a base monthly salary of one thousand nether talismans. Squad leaders get ten thousand, commanders get a hundred thousand, and you, the Great Lord... one million."

He paused:

"Do a good job, and there will be performance bonuses."

"Those who do exceptionally well can become regular employees, sign long-term contracts, and enjoy the five insurances and one housing fund, along with paid annual leave."

The Imps didn't understand what "five insurances and one housing fund" meant, but they understood "one million" and "bonuses."

Instantly, the eyes of all the Imps turned red—not the red of rage, but the red of greed.

"BOSS!!!"

Grum fell to his knees with a "thud"—his massive body hit the black iron island so hard it shook.

"From today on! You are my real father!! No! Dearest than my own father!!"

The three million Imps behind him all knelt in unison, their kowtowing making the island thud repeatedly:

"BOSS!!! BOSS!!! BOSS!!!"

Cliché Plot Twist:

Watching this scene, Zhang Hao's lip twitched: "Boss, isn't this a bit too... direct? Abyssal creatures are notoriously fickle. What if they take the money and don't do the work?"

"They won't," Su Qingyu spoke up suddenly. She stared at The Group of frantically kowtowing Imps, a golden light flashing in her eyes. "Because they have no choice."

She pointed to the edge of the island.

There, twelve massive phantom figures had appeared at some point—each emitting a terrifying aura. Some looked like twisted tentacled monsters, some like burning skeletal giants, and some were simply a mass of constantly screaming souls.

"Great Lords from other layers of the Abyss," Su Qingyu whispered. "They were drawn here by the fluctuations of the nether talismans."

Sure enough, one of the tentacled phantoms let out a piercing, shrill laugh:

"Grum... you watchdog... actually taking a side job... behind the 'Queen of Pain's' back?"

Another skeletal phantom sneered:

"An employment contract for three million Imps... such a fat deal... does a shit-eating Imp Lord like you... deserve it?"

The third soul phantom was even more direct:

"Hand over the nether talismans... then get lost... this deal... our 'Howling Abyss' will take it!"

The twelve phantoms slowly closed in.

The aura of each one was more than ten times stronger than Grum's—they were the true Great Lords of the Abyss, ruling their respective planes with billions of demons under them.

Grum and his Imps began to tremble.

It was a fear etched into their blood—the instinctive submission when facing higher demons.

But just then—

"What's all the noise?"

Lin Chen spoke.

He didn't even look at the twelve phantoms, merely looking down, flipping through the newly generated employment contract in his hand.

"Can't you see I'm talking business?"

The tentacled phantom froze, then flew into a rage: "A mere Underworld creature... dares to be so insolent in the Abyss?!"

It lashed out with a tentacle carrying soul-corroding poison toward Lin Chen!

This strike was enough to turn a mountain into powder!

But Lin Chen didn't even bat an eyelid.

He simply pulled a seal from his robe—a miniature version of the samsara seal—and pressed it lightly toward the tentacle.

Buzz!

When the tentacle was still three meters from Lin Chen, it suddenly froze.

Then, lines of golden text appeared on the surface of the tentacle:

[Malicious attack detected]

[Attacking Party: 'King of a Thousand Tentacles', Lord of the 7th Layer of the Abyss (Taxpayer ID: D-33218-441)]

[Attacked Party: Lin Chen, Chairman of the Underworld Group (Unified Social Credit Code: MF-001)]

[According to Article 441 of the "Multiverse Commercial Code of Conduct": During formal business negotiations, no third party shall interfere with, threaten, or attack either negotiating party in any form.]

[Penalty: Fine the attacking party 20% of their daily revenue]

[Estimated daily revenue of 'King of a Thousand Tentacles' for the last seven days: Approximately 12 trillion nether talismans (Primary sources: Soul trafficking, agony leasing, plane corrosion services)]

[20% equals: 2.4 trillion nether talismans]

[Please pay within thirty seconds; overdue payments will incur a daily late fee (daily interest rate of 0.05%)]

The moment the text finished appearing—

"AAAAAHHHHH—!!!"

The phantom of the King of a Thousand Tentacles let out a piercing scream!

It wasn't physical pain, but the feeling that in its main treasury back in the 7th layer of the Abyss, wealth equivalent to 2.4 trillion nether talismans—including soul gems, agony crystals, and corrosion essence accumulated over three thousand years—was being forcibly drained by an irresistible power of rules and funneled into some invisible "fine account"!

The other eleven phantoms all froze.

This was the first time they had seen such a scene—failing to hit someone and being fined 2.4 trillion first?!

What kind of logic was this?!

"Anyone else want to try?" Lin Chen finally looked up at the phantoms. "I'm in a hurry."

The phantoms were silent.

After a full ten seconds, the skeletal phantom was the first to retreat: "...Sorry to disturb you."

The soul phantom followed immediately: "Please continue... continue..."

The King of a Thousand Tentacles wanted to say something more, but sensing new penalty clauses being generated, it retracted its tentacles in fear, and its phantom disappeared instantly.

The twelve phantoms came quickly and left even faster.

Only the three million dazed Imps remained on the island.

Grum was the first to snap out of it.

He kowtowed three times with a "thud-thud-thud," cracking the scales on his forehead:

"Boss!!! From now on!!! If you tell me to go east!!! I will never go west!!! If you tell me to eat shit!!! I will never eat meat!!!"

The Imps behind him roared in unison:

"Deathly loyalty to the Boss—!!!"

Thrilling Satisfaction:

The employment contract was successfully signed.

All three million Imps were entered into the Underworld Group's employee system and issued temporary work badges—though they were just black iron pieces engraved with numbers, the Imps treated them like treasures, carefully hanging them around their necks.

"Now, issuing the first task."

Lin Chen brought up the God Realm sandbox and pointed to the area around the "Forging Temple":

"The 'Molten Plains' of the God Realm, with an area of eight million square kilometers, is currently laid with 73,000 'Holy Traps,' 5,000 'Holy Light Turrets,' and 120 'Angel Sentry Posts' by the Old God Court."

"Your task is to, within twenty-four hours—"},{

"'Level' this plain for me."

Grum scratched his head: "Boss, 'level' means...?"},{

"Literally," Lin Chen said indifferently. "Dismantle the traps; smash the turrets; push over the outposts. Clear out everything in the way. I want a clean site where infrastructure construction can begin immediately."

He paused:

"But remember, you are now the 'Underworld Group Infrastructure Department Vanguard,' not an 'Abyssal Invasion Legion.'"

"During work hours, you must wear The Group's uniform—"

He waved his hand.

Three million sets of bright red work uniforms fell from the sky, landing precisely in the hands of each Imp. The chest of the uniforms was embroidered with golden characters: "Underworld Construction, Trustworthy," and on the back was a line of smaller text: "Professional Demolition, A Thousand-Year-Old Shop."

The Imps looked at the uniforms, a bit confused.

In their entire lives, they had only ever worn the scales they grew or rags stripped from corpses.

"Put them on," Lin Chen said.

The Imps clumsily pulled on the uniforms—actually, although they were a bit ugly, the fabric was sturdy and could automatically adjust its size, even fitting Grum's fifteen-meter-tall frame.

"Next, these are your work tools."

Lin Chen waved his hand again.

Three million large, glimmering sapper shovels fell into the Imps' hands. Purification runes were inscribed on the edges of the shovels, having a special effect against divine substances.

"Finally, these are the points of attention."

A golden, glowing "Outsourced Employee Code of Conduct" appeared in each Imp's mind:

1. Working hours: 9 AM to 5 PM; overtime requires an application, with overtime pay calculated at 1.5 times the base rate;

2. Job content: Only dismantle unowned or hostile assets; strictly forbidden to damage civilian facilities;

3. Code of conduct: No torturing or killing captives, no devouring souls, no defecating anywhere;

4. When encountering enemy resistance, first present the "Construction Permit" and inform them that "we are performing legal construction"; if the other party still attacks, necessary defensive measures may be taken;

5. All spoils of war must be turned over to The Group and exchanged for performance points based on value (points can be exchanged for nether talismans, vacation time, or even Abyss promotion quotas).

As the Imps digested this information, their eyes shifted from blankness to... excitement.

So, war could actually be fought like this?!

"Is everything clear?" Lin Chen asked.

"CLEAR!!!" three million Imps roared together.

"Very well," Lin Chen looked at Grum. "Take them to the God Realm. The portal is already open."

Behind him, a massive portal spanning the Abyss and the God Realm slowly unfolded. Inside the gate, the broken yet still magnificent scenery of the God Realm could be seen.

Grum took a deep breath and raised his sapper shovel:

"Brothers—!!!"

"Let's get to work—!!!"

"Let those birdmen in the God Realm see—!!!"

"What a professional construction team looks like—!!!"

Three million Imps, wearing bright red uniforms and carrying sapper shovels, surged toward the portal like a red steel torrent.

The scene was so spectacular that Zhang Hao forgot to speak.

But just as the vanguard was about to fully enter the portal—

Grum suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He turned his head and looked at Lin Chen, a cautious, almost bashful expression appearing on his hideous demon face:

"Boss, uh... I, I just wanted to ask..."

He swallowed hard:

"While we're working..."

"If we encounter 'building materials' from the God Realm..."

"Like... wounded angels... or... stray holy beasts..."

"Can we..."

His eyes shone with expectant light:

"...eat them?"

Hook:

The entire place fell into silence.

Zhang Hao facepalmed.

Su Qingyu's lip twitched.

Lin Chen was silent for three seconds.

Then, he laughed.

Not a cold laugh, but the kind of laugh where he was genuinely amused.

"Article 2 of the 'Employee Code of Conduct,'" he said, "strictly forbids damaging civilian facilities."

"But—"

He paused and added:

"If the other party attacks you first, then they are 'hostile combat personnel' and are not within the scope of protection."

"As for how to handle the spoils after the battle..."

Lin Chen looked at Grum's increasingly bright eyes:

"The Group, in principle, does not recommend consumption."

"But if an employee 'accidentally' 'processes' the spoils into recyclable materials..."

"As long as it doesn't affect the construction progress—"

"I can pretend I didn't see it."

Grum's breathing instantly became heavy.

He spun around and let out a thunderous roar at the Imp army, most of whom had already charged into the portal:

"Brothers—!!!"

"The Boss said—!!!"

"After the work is done—!!!"

"Extra rations—!!!"

"ROAR—!!!"

The Imps' charging speed instantly increased by another thirty percent.

After the last Imp disappeared into the portal—

The smile on Lin Chen's face gradually faded.

He turned to Su Qingyu and Zhang Hao:

"Now, it's our turn to enter."

"The Imps are just a smokescreen."

"The real target..."

He looked at the inconspicuous red dot deep within the Forging Temple on the sandbox:

"...is the Core Controller of that 'Myriad Forging Divine Furnace'."

"The Old God Court thinks we'll stage a frontal assault."

Cold light flashed in his eyes:

"Then I'll show them—"

"What 'legal forced demolition' looks like."