Chapter 668: Chapter 490: Betting on the Lin Feng Squad

In the early morning, the sky was just getting light.

As the patriarch of the Zhan Clan, Zhan Tian’en had already woken up and washed, and was heading to the dining room for breakfast.

Despite being a Martial King and over a hundred years old, he didn’t have a single white hair. His skin was tight, his eyes were bright, and his spirit was vigorous, looking only about fifty years old.

He appeared younger than his own son.

Before he arrived at the dining room, nine people had already gathered inside.

These nine were the core members of the Zhan Clan and the conglomerate. They habitually had breakfast here with the patriarch before starting the day’s work.

"Patriarch."

Upon seeing Zhan Tian’en arrive, the nine stood up in unison, speaking with respectful tones.

"Mm."

Zhan Tian’en nodded, then sat in the main seat, and the others then sat down one by one.

The breakfast was both rich and lavish. Describing it as a full Manchu-Han feast wouldn’t be an exaggeration. It included top-grade demon beast meat, nourishing medicinal materials, and even spirit medicine, all of which were great supplements for martial artists. The cost of the ingredients alone was in the millions.

This would be unimaginable for an ordinary family, but it was evidently nothing to the Zhan Race.

As one of the Ten Great Clans of Shangjing, the Zhan Race’s financial strength, though their combat power ranked low, was universally recognized as the top, and they could even rank in the top five in the whole country.

Breakfast was also a kind of meeting, which was why the nine waited here early.

There was no small talk at the table; a silence pervaded as if everyone was preoccupied.

Seeing Zhan Tian’en almost finished eating, an elderly man with white hair named Zhan Dong took out a thick document, his expression slightly solemn as he spoke:

"Despite our preparations, and cutting off some industries, the conglomerate’s accounts have suffered a loss of 18.3 billion in the past six months, and the forecast for the second half is even more severe..."

After his report, others also followed with theirs.

One bad news after another made Zhan Tian’en put down his bowl and chopsticks. Although his expression remained calm, he no longer had the appetite to eat.

This was clearly why everyone deliberately reported the matters later.

"What else? What other bad news is there? Say it all at once."

Zhan Tian’en wiped his mouth with a wet tissue and asked.

At this moment, a woman hesitated before speaking: "At the end of last month, the Hong Conglomerate completely ceased its cooperation with us. A payment of 28 billion has also been delayed. Three days ago, Hong Tianbing from the Hong Conglomerate appeared at the Nanyu branch and forcefully stationed his people..."

With this news, even Zhan Tian’en’s face turned exceptionally sour.

The previous profit losses were still acceptable, as the adverse global environment led to varying degrees of losses for all major conglomerates.

However, the foundation of the Zhan Race was still intact, so even consecutive years of losses wouldn’t cripple them, but the actions of the Hong Group posed a deadly threat.

This was a signal of their intention to begin absorbing the Zhan Race.

If they were disobedient, the absorption would turn into annexation.

"How aggressive is it?"

Zhan Tian’en asked, with a hint of coldness in his tone.

The Hong Conglomerate belonged to the Hong Race.

Among the Ten Great Clans of Shangjing, if the Zhan Race was financially number one, then the Hong Race was recognized as top two, if not first.

This family’s strength came from an extraordinary powerhouse, Hong Tao.

Besides that, there were four kings. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

It was precisely because of the existence of an extraordinary powerhouse that they dared to be so domineering and unscrupulous.

The Zhan Race, however, had no emperors and only two kings.

And those kings who were lured with money didn’t count, as they dared not show their faces before extraordinary powerhouses.

"Aggressive... it was quite aggressive. The general manager at Nanyu was severely injured for blocking them, but his life is not in danger," the woman said.

"Hehe."

Zhan Tian’en chuckled, a laugh filled with sarcasm and resignation.

The deliberate ingratiation and fawning of previous years seemed so fragile in the face of reality.

Facing an imminent war, every country, every family, and power had their own plans, trying all they could to enhance their strength.

Methods varied, but the quickest was plunder.

The Zhan Race, with wealth but insufficient strength, was undoubtedly a big piece of fat.

As war neared, previous conventions and decency were cast aside.

If the Hong Conglomerate wanted to plunder, the Zhan Race lacked the ability to resist.

If they cooperated, at least some wealth could be retained.

Zhan Tian’en understood that the Hong Conglomerate wouldn’t be the only robber.

Once the Hong Conglomerate made a move, quickly a second and a third force would join....

When becoming part of the Ten Great Clans of Shangjing, Zhan Tian’en anticipated this day would come sooner or later.

This was also the reason he exerted all his efforts in cultivating the family’s younger generation.

He just hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.

They couldn’t restrain themselves for much longer.

"Even an emperor has to consider decency, right? Over the years, haven’t we made quite a bit of money for the Hong Race, at least two hundred billion? Are they really going to turn their backs just like that?"

"If we have scruples, we wouldn’t seize it. War is coming, who still cares about the rules."

"Already, many small and medium families have been completely invaded. They call it uniting power to fight the enemy!"

"Haha, that’s the law of the jungle. When war comes, big fish eat little fish."

"Hong Tao was never a person who played by the rules."

The discussion among the crowd was filled with despair and helplessness.

Faced with an Extraordinary Powerhouse, all resistance seemed futile.

"Why don’t we cooperate with the Yang Race?" someone suggested.

"Yeah, although the Yang Race doesn’t have an Emperor, Yang Qingtian is only a step away from becoming one. Who knows when he might break through!"

"Yang Qing has now entered the Double King Realm and holds a nine-star Key. His strength is also very formidable. Cooperating with them is better than being devoured by the Hong Race."

This suggestion gained support from many, but some remained silent.

Does the Yang Race have the strength to intervene in this matter?

Even if they have the strength, will they intervene?

Would they offend an Emperor just to cooperate with us?

After much thought, the excitement in their expressions began to fade, and the atmosphere once again became heavy.

"Alright, Zhan Dong stays, everyone else can leave."

Zhan Tian’en waved his hand and said.

Although he had a good relationship with Yang Qingtian, he didn’t hope for him to step in and help.

Not adding insult to injury was good enough.

The rest exchanged glances and eventually could only sigh. Without further words, they bowed slightly and left with a solemn expression.

After everyone had left, Zhan Tian’en also left the dining room, with Zhan Dong following close behind. Soon, they arrived at a study.

Inside the study, he sat silently in a chair, unmoving for half an hour, then he looked at Zhan Dong, who had been silently bowing his head.

"Have you prepared the items I asked you to prepare for Lin Feng’s squad?"

Yang Qingtian could probe Yang Ningbing’s strength, and naturally, Zhan Tian’en could gauge his grandson Zhan Tianyu’s abilities.

Furthermore, compared to Yang Qingtian, he knew a bit more.

Although due to the contract, Zhan Tianyu couldn’t speak plainly, he had been giving hints to his grandfather.

Zhan Tianyu wished for his family to support Lin Feng’s squad.

He had this idea for a long time now.

As a member of the squad, he understood just how brilliant the future of Lin Feng’s squad would be.

Investing in the future now would definitely not be a loss.

Due to his grandson’s hints, Zhan Tian’en was probably the most knowledgeable about Lin Feng’s squad’s strength among all the major forces.

Because he understood, he was amazed.

Lin Feng’s squad was one of the escape routes Zhan Tian’en had prepared for his clan.

He wanted to win over Lin Feng’s squad, even if he couldn’t, he could at least show goodwill to Zhan Tianyu.

Therefore, he prepared a gift for Lin Feng’s squad.

A welcome gift valued at over twenty billion.

The pressure from the Hong Conglomerate and the covetous eyes of other forces made Zhan Tian’en determined.

He decided to go all-in on Lin Feng’s squad.

With the financial strength of the Zhan Race, going all out, it wasn’t impossible to cultivate three to five Kings in a short time.

Three to five newly appointed Kings couldn’t threaten an Extraordinary Powerhouse, and an Extraordinary Powerhouse wouldn’t pay them any attention, unless these Kings were exceptionally talented, which might then pose a threat to an Extraordinary Powerhouse.

Undoubtedly, Lin Feng’s squad fell into the exceptionally talented category.

And Lin Feng’s squad was daring enough, with all sorts of achievements proving there was nothing they didn’t dare to do.

This was also a very important reason why Zhan Tian’en decided to fully invest in Lin Feng’s squad at this time.

Rather than being devoured by other forces, it would be better to benefit his own grandson’s Lin Feng squad.

Perhaps there would be a pleasant surprise.

If the King Becoming plan succeeded and Lin Feng’s squad could produce more than five Kings, even an Emperor would be wary of them.

As for the consequences, he had thought it through.

This would definitely infuriate Hong Tao.

But as long as they acted fast, they had time. After all, the war had not yet arrived, and even if Hong Tao didn’t adhere to the rules, he wouldn’t dare go too far.

Zhan Dong said, "Everything is prepared. The twelve Demon Spirits containing Diamond soul skills have been carefully selected, the weapons are all of Spiritual Artifact grade, and the Pills are all top-grade. Everything is the best."

"That’s good."

Zhan Tian’en slowly nodded, then stood up: "Pick up the items and follow me, don’t make any noise."

He had already decided, he would use the full strength of the family to cultivate Lin Feng’s squad.

Now, it just depends on whether Lin Feng’s squad dares to accept it or not.