novelraw Chapter 127: Two Months Later
Chapter 127: Two Months Later
The Virtual Network, a realm officially established by the Azure Surge Universal Human Empire.
Anyone capable of stepping foot in this place was either a member of an exploration team charting unknown barren star sectors, or an investor who had passed a verification process proving they possessed five hundred million Azure Surge Coins.
Not just anyone could invest in an exploration team. The absolute minimum threshold required verifying capital of at least five hundred million Azure Surge Coins.
Su Yuan materialized nearby and surveyed his surroundings.
The area resembled a grand tavern. People clustered around tables, lined the corridors, and occupied the stairways leading to private booths. They chatted amiably, deeply engrossed in discussions about investments.
'Over this recent period, a total of eighty-six thousand, seven hundred and thirty-two exploration teams are preparing to venture into unknown star sectors...'
'Among them, three thousand, six hundred and forty-one teams will fall forever in the unknown star sectors they explore. Another seventy-eight thousand, nine hundred teams will return empty-handed...'
Su Yuan calculated silently in his mind.
Through the gray mirror, he had long since gained crystal clear insight into the futures of this upcoming batch of exploration teams.
More than eighty percent of these teams would fail to yield any significant returns.This was to be expected. Exploring unknown star sectors carried immense risks. However, any team daring to undertake such an expedition was undoubtedly highly experienced and armed to the teeth with High-Tech Weapons manufactured by the empire.
As long as an exploration team captain remained cautious and avoided reckless gambles, the probability of returning safely remained quite high.
The High-Tech Weapons produced by the Azure Surge Universal Human Empire, particularly the detection equipment, could usually pinpoint the majority of dangers well in advance.
'Less than five thousand teams will actually reap rewards during their upcoming expeditions. Among those, the ones that truly secure massive hauls—bringing back ten to a hundred times the profit—number only eight hundred and ninety-three.'
A wealth of information surfaced in Su Yuan's mind.
Of those eight hundred and ninety-three teams, eight hundred and fifty were veteran squads with proven track records of successful harvests. Throngs of investors already backed them, making it exceptionally difficult for Su Yuan to force his way in for a slice of the pie.
'Excluding the eight hundred and fifty established teams, exactly two are perfectly suited for my investment.'
Su Yuan mused to himself.
Both of these were rookie exploration teams. Lacking substantial expedition experience, they struggled to attract investors, which presented Su Yuan with the perfect opportunity to step in.
If they were highly sought-after teams, a massive crowd of investors would be scrambling to throw money at them for every venture into an unknown star sector. Even if Su Yuan wanted to invest, he would have to wait in line.
'Between the two, the first is called the Voyager exploration team.'
Su Yuan strolled down the corridor for a brief moment before arriving at a specific table.
Sitting there was a red-skinned man, eyes closed as he dozed off.
"Voyager?"
Su Yuan glanced at the placard resting on the table, which bore the word "Voyager" in bold letters.
This red-skinned man was precisely the captain of the Voyager exploration team. According to the revelations from the gray mirror, during their upcoming expedition, they would accidentally stray into a unique star sector and return with a batch of precious resources valued at over ten billion Azure Surge Coins.
"Hello."
Seeing Su Yuan approach, the red-skinned man instantly snapped his eyes open and introduced himself. "I am the captain of the Voyager exploration team, Aofeng. Although our team was only recently established, we possess considerable strength..."
"I see."
Su Yuan nodded, patiently listening to the man's pitch for a while before cutting to the chase. "How many Azure Surge Coins does your team still need?"
"One hundred million Azure Surge Coins," the red-skinned Aofeng replied without hesitation. Their team was short one critical piece of detection equipment, leaving them with a deficit of exactly one hundred million.
That was the sole reason he was here soliciting "investments."
"What percentage of the haul will I receive?" Su Yuan inquired smoothly.
If he was investing, he naturally expected a cut of the final profits. For any investor, the profit margin was the absolute bottom line.
"One-twentieth."
Aofeng pondered for a moment before answering. Aside from Su Yuan, they had already secured several other investors who all required a share of the profits.
Not to mention, the exploration team members themselves needed their own cuts.
"That is far too low. One-fifth," Su Yuan countered.
"One-fifth?" Aofeng firmly shook his head.
After some haggling, the two finally settled on a final split of one-tenth.
This was Aofeng's absolute bottom line, and Su Yuan happily agreed.
On this expedition, Aofeng's Voyager exploration team would haul back precious resources worth ten billion.
One-tenth of ten billion was a clean one billion Azure Surge Coins.
By putting in a mere one hundred million, Su Yuan stood to make a tenfold return. It was an undeniably massive windfall.
'It is a pity... other citizens have already invested ahead of me.' Su Yuan shook his head faintly. Aofeng only had a deficit of one hundred million Azure Surge Coins.
Even if Su Yuan wanted to invest more, he could not increase his profit share any further.
'The second team is called the Hometown Exploration Team.'
Details concerning the "Hometown" Exploration Team surfaced in Su Yuan's mind.
The Hometown Exploration Team was similarly obscure and lacking in reputation. However, its captain had recently awakened a specific treasure-hunting talent.
This innate talent would guide him to a unique resource planet during their next expedition, allowing the team to secure a hoard of treasures valued at a staggering twenty billion Azure Surge Coins.
Su Yuan rose from his seat, leaving Aofeng's table behind, and made his way to the tavern's third floor.
"Hometown Exploration Team?"
Su Yuan cast his gaze toward a nearby seating area.
Captain Hu Ta of the Hometown Exploration Team wore an exceedingly ugly expression.
Standing opposite him was a man with long silver hair.
"Hu Ta, I can invest four hundred million Azure Surge Coins in your team, but I demand a seventy percent cut of the harvest." The silver-haired man stared down at the captain.
"Seventy percent?" Captain Hu Ta furrowed his brows deeply.
If this silver-haired man took seventy percent of the total haul, that left a meager thirty percent to be divided among all the other investors and the team members themselves!
If the harvest turned out to be inadequate, they wouldn't just fail to make a profit—they would end up suffering devastating losses.
"Young Master Yalin, seventy percent is simply impossible. The other investors and my team members will never agree to it."
Captain Hu Ta steadied his nerves and declared firmly.
"That is not my concern. I only need you to tell me if you can do it or not," the silver-haired man demanded coldly.
"Forgive me, but I cannot."
Captain Hu Ta refused in a heavy tone.
"Since you refuse, then forget it. I, Yalin Luoxing, do not enjoy forcing others." The silver-haired man stood up and slowly shook his head. "However, I have a feeling that you will find it quite impossible to scrape together the remaining four hundred million Azure Surge Coins you so desperately need."
"Is Young Master Yalin threatening me?"
Captain Hu Ta asked sharply.
Yalin Luoxing was a member of a prominent aristocratic family within the Azure Surge Universal Human Empire, wielding immense influence among the investor circles.
When dealing with the wildly popular exploration teams, Yalin might be forced to show a modicum of humility, given the vast web of wealthy investors backing them.
But an unranked, no-name group like the Hometown Exploration Team?
Yalin Luoxing could not care less.
The only reason he was even offering four hundred million Azure Surge Coins was because he had received intelligence suggesting the unknown star sector the Hometown Exploration Team planned to chart had a high probability of containing a precious resource planet.
As countless exploration teams ventured into the dark, the uncharted barren star sectors were slowly being mapped out and carved into distinct regions.
By analyzing the outer peripheries of these explored zones, certain veteran captains could make educated guesses regarding the presence of valuable resource planets or hidden realms deeper inside.
Acting on such rumors, Yalin Luoxing had made blanket investments across dozens of exploration teams whose targets were clustered near that specific star sector.
"Think it over carefully."
Yalin turned on his heel and walked away.
At the same time, he sent out discreet orders, forbidding any other investor from funding the Hometown Exploration Team.
Shortly after Yalin Luoxing's departure.
Su Yuan confidently stepped forward.
"My apologies, but our Hometown Exploration Team is not accepting any funding at this time."
Captain Hu Ta muttered in a low, exhausted voice.
Even though he was still short four hundred million Azure Surge Coins, Yalin Luoxing had already laid down his cruel ultimatum. Captain Hu Ta had no intention of dragging an innocent investor into the crossfire.
"Is it because of the Luoxing family?"
Su Yuan, completely aware of the entire situation, merely shook his head. "It matters little. I will invest the four hundred million Azure Surge Coins, and in return, I will take a twenty percent share of the final profits."
The Hometown Exploration Team was destined to return with twenty billion worth of treasures. A twenty percent cut equated to a staggering four billion Azure Surge Coins.
"Twenty percent?"
Captain Hu Ta felt a tremendous weight lift from his chest, but he still asked hesitantly, "Sir, do you truly not fear the Luoxing family?"
"The Luoxing family?"
Su Yuan remained completely impassive.
Other investors were terrified of the Luoxing family because their real-world identities were known to one another, tethered by tangible business dealings and mutual connections.
But Su Yuan?
Protected by the absolute anonymity of the Virtual Network, what could the Luoxing family possibly do to him?
"Let us sign the contract."
Su Yuan produced the contract and smoothly finalized the agreement with Captain Hu Ta.
Elsewhere in the tavern.
"A lowly peasant without a shred of backing actually dares to defy me? Leaving you with thirty percent was already an act of supreme mercy." Yalin Luoxing shook his head slightly.
The very next moment, he received an urgent notification: the Hometown Exploration Team had successfully secured an investment of four hundred million Azure Surge Coins.
"Who did this?"
Fury ignited within Yalin Luoxing as he glared at his subordinate.
"We are unsure. This individual has never appeared before."
The subordinate answered truthfully.
"Bring me to him."
Guided by his subordinate, Yalin Luoxing swiftly marched over to Su Yuan.
At that exact moment, Su Yuan had just concluded his contract signing with the Hometown Exploration Team and had yet to log out of the Virtual Network.
"Do you truly view my Luoxing family as nothing but empty air?"
Yalin Luoxing hissed. Although his tone remained quiet, the venomous threat practically overflowed from his words.
"The Luoxing family?"
Su Yuan shot Yalin Luoxing a brief, indifferent glance. Too lazy to even entertain the drivel, he instantly disconnected from the virtual realm.
"You—?!"
A raging inferno of humiliation burned in Yalin Luoxing's chest. Suppressing his explosive fury, he snarled, "Investigate him! Dig up his real-world identity!"
Blue Star.
Su Yuan was naturally crystal clear about Yalin Luoxing's subsequent tantrum.
However, the answer provided by the gray mirror was simple: Yalin Luoxing would find absolutely nothing and remain completely powerless against Su Yuan.
Within the Virtual Network, every citizen's information was strictly protected. Yalin Luoxing's so-called identity investigation relied entirely on finding citizens who interacted with Su Yuan in the virtual realm and following that trail to uncover real-world clues.
Yet in the virtual world... virtually no one knew who Su Yuan was. Even Ye Kunlun, the only person he had personally met, had never seen Su Yuan's true data.
"Time to continue cultivating."
Su Yuan gathered his thoughts and resumed his cultivation toward the Level 8 life form stage.
Time flowed on.
In the blink of an eye, two months passed.