Outside the Chris Group Tower, Glette suppressed his excitement and strode into the building.
Just fifteen minutes earlier, he had received a call from the chairman's secretary.
'The chairman wants to see me in person? Am I about to get a promotion and a raise and finally make it into corporate headquarters?'
'Hahaha, it must be because I've been doing such an outstanding job.'
As he made his way through the building, everyone he passed smiled at him.
Clearly, they had all guessed he was about to get a big promotion.
If he hadn't been so pressed for time, Glette would have definitely stopped to accept their congratulations.
"Chairman, Manager Glette is here."
His secretary, Sam, reported cautiously to Chen Qi, who had just finished reading Ireland's diary.
"Let him in!"
Chen Qi didn't even look up, burying his head in a pile of study materials he was organizing on the desk.
These were also from the safe—Magic textbooks from the Temya Magic Academy.
Celestial Star Geography, The Relationship Between Celestial Phenomena and the Magnetic Field, Earth Vein Structure Science, A Treatise on the Sympathetic Resonance of Man, the Stars, and the Earth Veins, Unsolved Mysteries of Human Civilization, Comprehensive Guide to Ancient Civilization Basics...
There were all sorts of them, seventeen books in total!
The Comprehensive Guide to Ancient Civilization Basics, in particular, was a full fifteen centimeters thick—an absolute tome.
When Glette entered, the sight of the chairman engrossed in his studies filled him with a sense of admiration.
'Who would have thought? The chairman is so successful and wealthy, yet he's still studying so hard.'
'A true role model!'
However, half an hour passed, and the studious chairman still showed no sign of acknowledging him.
'Does the chairman not know I'm here?'
But Glette didn't dare make a sound. He'd heard that the chairman was temperamental and unpredictable.
'If I disturb the chairman, my promotion might go up in smoke.'
That poor oaf Glette, a hefty man weighing well over two hundred pounds, somehow managed to stand there for a full forty-five minutes on sheer willpower alone.
Just as he felt he couldn't stand any longer and was about to faint, the chairman finally looked at him.
...
'How the tables have turned.'
Chen Qi looked at the familiar fat pig before him. His heart was a whirlwind of emotions, but overriding it all was a profound sense of joy.
Constant overtime, docked pay, being made the scapegoat...
He remembered this guy tormenting him just like this on the day he lost his job.
"Chairman, you..."
Seeing the chairman's attention finally on him, Glette prepared to unleash his legendary bootlicking skills and lavish the man with praise.
He'd long heard the chairman loved to be "praised," and today was finally his chance to showcase his particular talent.
"Congratulations, Glette!"
Chen Qi said with the utmost gravity. In that instant, Glette felt a thrill of excitement right down to his toes.
"You're fired!"
"You can pack your things and get out now!"
The familiar words rang in Glette's ears—words he had often said to his own subordinates in the past.
His favorite sight was the indignant and despairing expressions on those useless employees' faces. Except this time, it was his turn.
"Chairman, I..."
It was a bolt from the blue. Glette was utterly stunned.
However, Chen Qi had no intention of listening to his pleas or explanations. He didn't share the particular hobby of admiring the despair on others' faces.
He was just getting a bit of revenge for his former self. That was all.
"Security! Get this guy out of here!"
With a ruthless wave of his hand, Chen Qi dismissed Glette, whose life was now falling apart.
In the corridors of the building, Glette once again enjoyed the stares of everyone in the company. Only this time, they were filled with mockery and schadenfreude.
After dealing with that trivial matter, Chen Qi began to clean up Ireland's 'girlfriends.'
He had plenty of challenges ahead, like Hu Wanhai of the Firefox Gang, and couldn't afford any distractions.
His plan was simple: send a mass breakup text and prepare a bit of 'severance pay.'
Although Jomoya was tall and handsome, Ireland's terrible way of doing things meant his girlfriends were obviously not that in love with him.
In fact, there were quite a few who wished he would just drop dead.
In any case, after an hour of heated arguments, Chen Qi paid a small amount of money and successfully resolved the issue.
Next, Chen Qi began to mobilize the full power of the corporation.
He did two things. First, he pressured the police department to crack down on the Firefox Gang.
Chen Qi knew this wouldn't do much, but it was a preemptive move to cause them some trouble and prevent them from coming after the company.
Then, he contacted a very capable private investigator. After a hefty payment, the P.I. guaranteed he would deliver a complete file on Hu Wanhai before dinner.
The power of money truly was omnipotent. Chen Qi had barely finished a rough sort of his new study materials when the famously capable private investigator arrived.
...
"Mr. Jomoya, here is the complete file on Hu Wanhai you requested."
Taruno Gike placed a thick file on Chen Qi's desk. It contained everything from Hu Wanhai's life story, from childhood to adulthood, to photos of him at various stages of his life.
To be blunt, Hu Wanhai himself probably didn't know himself as well as this file documented.
Chen Qi glanced through it, confirming a few of his theories, then casually tossed the file aside.
"This is a bonus for you."
Sensing that the man's intelligence-gathering skills might be useful in the future, Chen Qi generously wrote a check for 100,000.
To him now, this was just pocket change.
...
"Thank you for your generosity. While I was investigating Hu Wanhai, I also came across this."
"I thought you might be interested."
Taruno didn't seem particularly excited about the bonus.
He tapped a few times on his smart communicator, and Chen Qi received a video file.
Chen Qi shot Taruno a meaningful look before opening the video.
The video showed a private club where gang members were gathered.
Jomoya Chris, a cold light glinting from his hands, was on a killing spree, sending flesh and blood flying through the crowd.
[String Strangulation]: Transforms invisible Puppet Threads into metallic strings that can be controlled at will to strangle prey.
As the skill's current owner, Chen Qi of course recognized it.
'That guy Ireland was really something else, so damn reckless.'
No wonder he'd failed, storming the enemy's stronghold all by himself.
And sure enough, just after Ireland sliced off Hu Wanhai's nose, he was shot directly in the heart by a large-caliber handgun.
In the video, however, Ireland was incredibly fast. Hu Wanhai's lackeys fired at him continuously, but he dodged every bullet.
He clearly had reason to be confident, daring to storm the enemy's den alone.
His luck just ran out at the end. Instead of taking off Hu Wanhai's head, he ended up getting killed by Hu Wanhai's last-ditch counterattack.