77: The airdrop is about to arrive on the battlefield.

Morning, 9:32 AM

"CEO Chen! Didn't we agree that I could retire? I really can't handle this. You should find someone more capable!"

Dong Changhai stood in the General Manager's office, still arguing his case, refusing to complete the mission even if it killed him.

The board of directors had discussed and decided to beat the target into submission before recruiting him. In the end, they actually handed the task back to him, saying something about 'redeeming himself through service.' He had been cursing them in his mind for hours.

"No one says a word when I'm succeeding, but after one failure, you want me to redeem myself? How can a mouth at thirty-six degrees Celsius say such cold-blooded words?"

"Is Jiang Chuan someone you can just 'beat into submission'? I was only there for less than two weeks, and he almost beat my head off."

"Why don't you old fogies go yourselves? See if he can't irritate a few of you to death!"

Dong Changhai felt wronged. He had finally managed to slink back, and before he could even get settled, they were making him deal with that freak again.

With a runny nose and tears, he wailed, "CEO Chen, if I lost to anyone else, they wouldn't play so rough; they'd know how to keep things civil. But Jiang Chuan is a thug. If he beats you, he'll leave your head covered in lumps!"

"Look at Sun Zhenfeng from Sunset. Ever since he went up against Jiang Chuan, he's practically made the hospital his home. That thug won't let it go; he chased him to the hospital to hammer him. The people of Falling City call him Jiang the Sledgehammer!"

Chen Ming was stunned. He wouldn't usually look at the files of such a small company; sending Old Dong was already giving the other party plenty of face.

He never expected that Old Dong, who used to be so proud his head was practically in the clouds, would be reduced to such a pathetic state of grievance.

Seeing that the CEO still wouldn't agree, Dong Changhai simply started acting like a rogue, rolling around on the floor, refusing to accept the mission no matter what.

"CEO Chen! I've been with the company for so many years. Even if there's no glory, there's hard work. You can't let me lose my integrity in my old age!"

"It... it's not that serious, is it?"

"It is! I'm putting it lightly. I'm afraid if I go this time, the next time I come back to see you, I'll be in a box!"

Chen Ming sighed and said helplessly, "The board has decided. What can I do? How about this: you go there first, and in a while, I'll find someone else to replace you."

Dong Changhai also realized this was the best possible solution. He quickly stood up and gave a fawning smile. "Thank you, CEO Chen. Then for this round of financing, our Publicity Department..."

"You'll get your share. Now get out!"

"Right away, I'm going, I'm going."

Dong Changhai backed out of the office, gently closed the door, and walked happily back to the Publicity Department. He had already made up his mind: this time, he'd treat it like a vacation and wait for the company to send someone else to take the fall.

The benefits would be his, and someone else would take the blame. As for dealing with Jiang Chuan, what did that have to do with him? The guy was such a dog; he'd just stay out of his way. If he couldn't afford to provoke him, he could at least afford to hide, right?

Chen Ming watched the door close, fully aware of Old Dong's little scheme. But he was likely to be disappointed; this time, he wasn't the team leader. Competitive Creation was the primary party responsible for this mission.

They hadn't planned on taking any action initially. Why would a small company with only about five hundred thousand concurrent users be worth noticing?

One had to realize that going from five hundred thousand to a million wasn't as simple as addition. This million referred to average concurrent users, not the peak value.

In the early stages, as long as the promotion was good and one was willing to throw money at it, reaching several hundred thousand was easy. But it became harder the further it went. One had to prevent user churn while attracting new users. The market was only so big; it was incredibly difficult.

It was just that Starlight had been too arrogant lately, acting as if everyone else besides the two giants was trash.

Wang Guichen returned to the company fuming. Thinking of that dog Jiang Chuan's expression at the time, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he went to his older brother on the board of directors, determined to get justice!

Wang Huaidong was one of the founding veterans of Competitive Creation. Having spent over twenty years in the business world, how could he act on emotion or do something so thankless? He refused on the spot.

However, his younger brother was too persistent. He had no choice but to look into the company's data. Feeling that this young man was indeed quite interesting, he finally initiated this action.

Recruitment as the primary goal, with intimidation as the secondary.

It was supposed to be a small matter, something that might be forgotten after being said. But as it was passed down through the ranks, and as those below came into contact with Deep Sea, the original intent slowly shifted.

Somewhere along the line, in the final meeting, it had turned into "Intimidation as the primary goal, recruitment as the secondary."

Although it was just a change in order, the meaning was completely different. A war that would change the entire industry had thus begun in such a haphazard fashion.

Meanwhile, at the Luxury Residential Area.

Tan Jing was doing yoga. Ever since she changed her yoga mat, she felt uncomfortable no matter what. Poses that used to be fine seemed to have been ruined by Jiang Chuan; she couldn't even bear to look at them anymore.

But the other guy seemed to quite like that sort of thing, so she had been practicing more. Her flexibility had even improved since last time.

"Ring ring~ Ring ring~"

Maintaining a split, she grabbed her phone from the coffee table. Seeing the caller ID, her expression cooled slightly, but she still answered. She didn't speak first, waiting for the other person to talk.

"Xiao Jing, what are you doing? I've been so busy lately I haven't had time to see your new place. It wouldn't be a bother if I came over now, would it?"

Tan Jing was never the type of person who could easily refuse others. For a moment, she didn't know how to answer, but she figured it would be good to meet and clear things up. After thinking about it, she agreed.

"I'll send you the address. Let's make things clear between us."

After hanging up, she was no longer in the mood for yoga. She tidied up the living room and sat on the sofa, waiting with a cluttered mind.

She felt she should find someone to accompany her, otherwise, what if the other person kept asking her for help?

Her little head was about to explode, and she couldn't think of any close friends. Suddenly, she thought of the woman upstairs.

She quickly took out her phone and sent a message to ask. After a long while, she finally received a satisfactory reply.

Tan Jing ran to the bedroom, changed into a pretty little dress and her favorite white lace socks, and returned to the sofa like a lady, waiting for the two of them to arrive.

She didn't actually have a major conflict with Xin Xin; they had just had a spat over Jiang Chuan. It wasn't a big deal, but she was just petty and felt uncomfortable in her heart!

The other one was a hidden love rival, so she couldn't let her look down on her. She had to dress up beautifully!

Tsundere-style Xiao Jing, officially open for business!

Feng Qiqi had put on beautiful makeup. Her foot was mostly better, but for the sake of aesthetics, she still didn't wear high heels.

She was just about to go to the hospital to complete her task of checking in before Jiang Chuan when she received a message from the rich little sister downstairs.

She didn't rush to reply. First, she asked Jiang Chuan if he had anything for her to do this morning. After getting his permission for leave, she then agreed.

The rich little sister had brought a gift the first time she visited, so she naturally couldn't go empty-handed. But she didn't know how to cook, and she couldn't afford a gift that was too expensive.

She walked around her room, racking her brain as she looked at the things in her apartment, wondering what she should give.