CHAPTER 105: CHAPTER 105: WHAT ACT DO YOU WANT ME TO PLAY ALONG WITH?

Standing aside, Ji Bai glanced around, cleared his throat, and took the initiative to say, "Second Master, Commander Lu, you two talk, you two talk."

As he spoke, he quickly opened the door and left the box, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Once Ji Bai left, only Lu Shinian and Su Heyuan remained in Box 1.

Silence spread through the box.

It took a full two minutes before Su Heyuan finally spoke first, "Since Commander Lu is here, why not sit down?"

He pointed to the seat opposite him.

Lu Shinian glanced over and walked to the seat, sitting down with a cold expression, "Second Master invited me over, for what reason?"

Su Heyuan squinted, "Invited you over?"

He mulled over the four words repeatedly, letting out a chuckle.

"I think the information Commander Lu has obtained is about the same as what we have here."

Both were aware of the Level 1 Energy Stone with zero impurity content, a fact both were tacitly aware of.

"So?" Lu Shinian raised an eyebrow, "Your terms?"

Su Heyuan poured a cup of hot tea for Lu Shinian, gestured invitingly, and then spoke, "I would like to ask Commander Lu to cooperate with me in a performance."

"Speak directly." Lu Shinian’s tone was indifferent as he glanced down at the steaming hot tea without touching it.

"The two Level 1 Energy Stones to be auctioned today are fake." Su Heyuan directly delivered the bombshell, even though Lu Shinian already knew this.

But at this moment, he had to pretend he didn’t know.

He raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, "Second Master is quite bold to dare to auction fake Energy Stones in front of so many people. If this gets out, it might be bad for Second Master’s reputation..."

He paused appropriately, with a faint threatening undertone.

"That’s why I’m asking Commander Lu for your help." Su Heyuan’s lips curled into a wicked smile, "I think the conditions I propose will certainly be tempting to Commander Lu."

"Second Master is a bit too confident in himself." Lu Shinian’s expression grew colder, seemingly uninterested in the "conditions" Su Heyuan mentioned.

Su Heyuan’s smile deepened, confidence gleaming in his eyes.

"If we can find that person and get the Energy Stone with low impurity content, we’ll split two-eight."

"You eight, I two."

This indeed was an offer Lu Shinian couldn’t refuse.

But...

Lu Shinian narrowed his eyes, "Is Second Master so confident that person will seek you out?"

"That person is currently testing sales in the Second World, presumably extremely cautious."

"And since it’s mostly Level 1 Energy Stones, it’s likely there are some difficulties in reducing the impurities in the Energy Stones, and their own ability is probably average."

"Such a cautious and average person wouldn’t collaborate with the military."

"They would only scurry around like a mouse, looking for the right opportunity to act."

"Unfortunately." Su Heyuan smiled confidently, "I have tunnels everywhere under my control; wherever they drill, I can catch them."

In terms of industrial layout, Lu Shinian indeed couldn’t compare to Su Heyuan.

Su Heyuan was extremely capable, with intelligence centers on almost every planet.

While Lu Shinian had great influence, it was mainly concentrated on the Central Star and Third Legion, unlike Su Heyuan, who had intelligence points everywhere.

Silence extended through the box, an invisible aura pressing from Lu Shinian toward Su Heyuan.

Su Heyuan tapped his fingers lightly on the table and spoke again, "Commander Lu, I two, you eight, this deal is quite worthwhile, isn’t it?"

Lu Shinian reined in his aura, curling his lips, "Indeed."

As Second Master said, this deal was quite worthwhile.

He lifted his gaze, finally looking directly at Second Master in front of him, and asked, "What play am I to perform with you?"

Second Master slowly laid out the plan.

————

Elsewhere, in Box 4.

Su Ruan finally met her big brother.

Ye Qing guarded the door, leaving only her and Su Hu inside the box.

She no longer concerned herself with anything else, quickly walking up to Su Hu, "Big brother, how is your health? Is the Ancestral Stage serious?"

Seeing Su Ruan’s worried face, Su Hu hurriedly waved it off, "No worries, no worries, I’m just fine."

"Sister, you and King Lu... ahem, Commander Lu, how are things?"

"He hasn’t bullied you, has he?"

Su Ruan shook her head, "He hasn’t bullied me, he’s very kind to me."

"That’s good, that’s good." Su Hu rubbed his hands together, somewhat unsure how to broach the topic for which he came to see his sister.

"Well..." Su Hu coughed heavily, "Your big brother is no longer in the Second Legion."

Su Ruan was startled but quickly responded, "Why?"

Su Hu clearly didn’t want to mention past events from ten years ago, only vaguely replying, "They stopped paying me."

"The salary was too low, so I quit."

"Anyway, I’m not with the Second Legion anymore; I’ve found another job now."

"It’s just... um..."

Su Hu didn’t know how to describe it, so, after thinking for a moment, he simply said, "It’s about robbing the rich to help the poor."

"You know, like the heroes in ancient cultures!"

Su Ruan: ...

"Actually..." She knew he was the Star Thief Leader.

Before she could finish her sentence, Ye Qing’s voice sounded from outside the door.

"Commander Lu has left Box 1."

"Sister Su, you should head back."

Hearing this, Su Hu hurriedly urged, "Sister, you hurry back."

Absolutely can’t let that bastard Lu Shinian see me!

"Let’s exchange Light Brain numbers first!" Su Ruan quickly grabbed Su Hu’s hand and assertively added his Light Brain number.

"Big brother, I’ll contact you later. In a few days, I’ll send you..." Energy Stones.

Before she could finish, she was pushed out of the box by Su Hu.

"Go quickly!" Su Hu waved her off, slamming the door shut with a bang.

Like he was scared stiff of Lu Shinian seeing him.

Su Ruan remembered their many clashes, and how her big brother seemed to get beaten badly by Lu Shinian, making her lips twitch.

Who knew her big brother could be scared of someone.

She chuckled, shook her head, and returned to Box 3.

As soon as she entered the box, Lu Shinian also returned from the other side.

Seeing her standing there, he quickly walked over, wrapped an arm around her waist, and lowered his head to whisper in her ear, his voice husky, "Ruan Ruan came to welcome me?"

The breath tickled her earlobe, making it itch and turning her earlobes a shade of pink.

She shook her head and explained, "I just went to see my big brother."

Lu Shinian’s eyes darkened, "Su Hu?"

"Yeah." Su Ruan replied, "I chatted with him for a bit, but big brother is very afraid of you; he hurried me back when he knew you were coming out of Box 1."

After a pause, she curiously asked, "How did you beat him back then?"

Lu Shinian recalled the time when he, young and brash, had a "glorious aftermath" of three days and nights’ worth of banter with Su Hu, his gaze darkening slightly, and said in a low voice, "Just gave him a casual beating."