Chapter 143: Longguang Media!

Zhong Qi sprang into action, and the people under his command were even more eager. After all, nothing feels more fulfilling than capturing a fugitive who had been on the run for five years.

“Zhong Qi!”

Just as Zhong Qi was about to charge in, Yang Wanli suddenly called him back. Zhong Qi turned around, puzzled.

“Put on a bulletproof vest!”

With that, Yang Wanli signaled, and someone handed a black bulletproof vest to Zhong Qi.

“What’s the point? This thing is so heavy, it’ll only slow me down!”

Seeing the vest, Zhong Qi was immediately displeased.

“Zhong Qi, I know you’re capable, and you’ve returned unharmed from countless missions. But this time is different! That fugitive has killed fifteen people in five years. Human lives mean nothing to him—he treats them like chickens, ducks, and geese.”

Yang Wanli tried to persuade him earnestly.

“This…”

Before Zhong Qi could protest further, Yang Wanli sternly waved him off and said coldly:

“That’s enough! I’m ordering you as your superior—put on the bulletproof vest! I won’t have anyone getting hurt because of that scumbag. Everyone who doesn’t have a vest on, go and put one on right now!”

As soon as Yang Wanli spoke, others quickly chimed in:

“That’s right, Captain Zhong, just put it on!”

“Captain Zhong, if that guy sees us, he’s going to fight to the death!”

“Captain Zhong, better safe than sorry!”

Hearing all this, Zhong Qi stubbornly hesitated. It wasn’t that he refused outright, but the vest was so heavy that it would restrict his movements.

Just as he was about to come up with another excuse, he suddenly remembered what Shen Fei had told him—almost prophetically—that week: “If anything happens, make sure to wear a bulletproof vest.”

Until now, things had been relatively calm. Only today had he come across such a major case. The thought lingered in his mind for a moment.

“Captain Zhong???”

The subordinate holding the vest looked at him in confusion as Zhong Qi stood in a daze.

“Fine, fine, stop pushing me! I’ll wear it, okay?”

Zhong Qi sounded impatient, but he didn’t resist anymore. Although his words were reluctant, his actions were very straightforward.

When Zhong Qi finally led his team into the town, the bulletproof vest was already securely in place.

—

Meanwhile, at Longguang Media.

What was once a team of fifty people had dwindled to only six partners.

As for the other employees, they had all resigned due to the company’s economic collapse. Even the cleaning lady had left with her mop, unpaid for two weeks.

“Jiaming, what are we going to do? We don’t have any cash flow left. Even the last six months of rent and this month’s electric bill haven’t been paid!”

A scruffy man with dark circles under his eyes spoke wearily.

These six people had been friends since their university days, bonded by a shared passion. After graduation, they had chosen to start a business together. For the better part of a year, they shared everything—eating, living, and working together.

On the day of their graduation, they had been full of ambition, vowing to develop a mobile game that would take the industry by storm and make their names known across the world. They even gave the game a bold name—“Tianjue”—as a testament to their lofty dreams.

To fund the company, they had developed a few other games to sustain their operations. However, none of their creations had lived up to expectations, a crushing blow to their pride and confidence.

In disgust, they had sold off those games, deciding instead to focus solely on “Tianjue.” But progress on the game had been excruciatingly slow. This singular focus left their company vulnerable—unable to generate quick returns, they quickly ran out of funds. Development stalled, and the company teetered on the brink of collapse.

As the situation worsened, employees began to leave, one by one, until only the six founders remained.

“Is there really no other way?”

Jiaming, the team’s leader, asked grimly. The company had been his idea, and watching it fall apart now pained him deeply.

“What other way is there? I even sold my basketball with my idol’s autograph, and I still owe tens of thousands on small loans!”

“Same here. If we don’t see some money soon, this company is done for.”

“Let’s face it, Jiaming. Even if we get some cash now, how long can we last? What’s next?”

“What if we design a few quick, generic games to make money?”

“Shut up! We didn’t start this company just to churn out soulless trash like the rest of the market!”

“Enough arguing. Jiaming, didn’t you say you were looking for investors a few days ago? What happened?”

The room fell silent. For them, attracting an investor was the quickest and most feasible option. But Jiaming’s expression darkened.

“Don’t mention it. I went to several companies, but as soon as they heard we were developing an unknown game, they lost interest. I even offered to sell the company outright, but they looked at me like I was crazy. What can I do?”

“So Longguang Media really has no hope left?”

A young man slumped in despair.

“What do you think?”

“I don’t want things to end this way…”

“Maybe it’s time to split up. We’re still friends, after all. Even if we work for someone else, we can each earn a decent living.”

“Don’t say that! We promised ourselves we wouldn’t quit until we made it big! I’ll keep working on ‘Tianjue,’ even if I starve to death!”

Their voices grew loud again, filled with frustration and despair.

“Enough!”

Jiaming’s voice cut through the noise. His eyes were red.

“Let’s stop arguing, okay? I’ll sell my family’s old house tonight. That should keep us going for a while. If we still can’t attract an investor after that, we’ll call it quits…”

He struggled to hold back his emotions and took a deep breath.

“Jiaming, you can’t! That house is your parents’ legacy…”

The others tried to dissuade him, pained by the thought.

“Don’t talk to me about that now. What matters is getting through this crisis. We started this company to prove ourselves in the mobile game industry. Once ‘Tianjue’ is done, we can buy the house back. If it weren’t for my idea, you’d all be living comfortably now, earning stable salaries. I won’t let you down!”

“Jiaming, don’t be reckless. If things go south, you won’t even have a place to stay!”

“Then I’ll crash at your place. You wouldn’t kick me out, would you?”

Jiaming forced a smile, but it faded quickly.

At that moment, the company’s front door swung open.

Everyone turned to look.

The person standing there was none other than Shen Fei!