CHAPTER 965: CHAPTER 963: OUT OF THE WOLF’S DEN, INTO THE TIGER’S LAIR

"Wake up in the morning, embrace the sun, full of positive energy, with a smile..." Early in the morning, Zhang Menglong was working out in his mega mansion.

These days, he was like a Landlord, doing nothing but collecting money every day. The expenses were almost negligible to him, maybe just a drop in the ocean, and the flame of fortune above his head was already shining black, even vaguely showing a colorful luster.

Even though this city is like a farm, where the treasure hunters repeated the cycle of earning and spending money every day, they had become Zhang Menglong’s cash cows.

However, the number of treasure hunters in the city not only didn’t decrease but also saw a steady stream of newcomers joining to become Zhang Menglong’s employees.

There’s no helping it, for a safe place to live, they had to carry on, no matter how hard life was. This was the plight of the working class.

"Gou Dan, how many people have checked into our Ritian Sect chain base-style hotel now?" Zhang Menglong asked, munching breakfast with Rolling Beast — today’s breakfast was Viking Giant Beast stewed with mushrooms, a Level Seven life form over kilometers long, but merely a three-day meal for Rolling Beast.

"Boss, currently around 7.2 million have registered, but only less than half check in daily. Some occasionally stay out overnight, and a few are already dead."

"Tsk tsk tsk," Zhang Menglong quickly calculated in his brain. Less than half would be about 3 million. If each person contributed a billion Cosmic Coins a day, just from hotel fees, he would earn almost 300 trillion a day. He couldn’t remember how long it’s been, but it should be over a hundred days by now.

This didn’t even include the money he earned from the snack street, which far exceeded the accommodation fees, as the cheapest item there started at 10 billion Cosmic Coins.

"I think this business model needs some expansion!" With this puppet army of Black Warriors, the Treasure Hunting Space posed no danger to Zhang Menglong; it was merely a self-indulgent business game.

Of course, the business game had a hint of coercion and exploitation.

"Gou Dan, I think it’s time to broaden our horizons, don’t you think?" Zhang Menglong asked.

"Indeed," Gou Dan agreed with Zhang Menglong’s idea, "In this Treasure Hunting Space, there should be plenty similar to Black Warriors and Zuda Fleet’s treasures. I think we can explore further; this city is safe with Black Warriors in charge."

"Hey, you three over there, come here!" Zhang Menglong waved to a trio in another villa.

"Boss, we’ve been with you since Earth, and you still don’t remember our names. Isn’t that a bit too much?"

"Cut the crap," Zhang Menglong said, "I plan to go elsewhere for some fun. While I’m away, keep an eye on the city for me."

"Is there a bonus?" The trio’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Sure, based on the previous daily revenue, any excess while I’m away, you’ll get a 10% bonus as performance rewards. If the earnings drop, you three will cover the difference yourselves!"

"Damn, that’s too harsh."

"The boss’s heart is as black as the flame on his head!"

"Keep yapping, and I’ll turn the little flame above your heads green, you hear?"

...

Before leaving, Zhang Menglong made a very official farewell. When the city’s broadcast system sounded, everyone looked wary, unsure of what Zhang Menglong would announce.

Previously, Zhang Menglong had made two other citywide announcements. The first reason was increased population, leading to more energy usage, so he raised the accommodation price by 20%, euphemistically called "shared energy costs."

The second time, citing material scarcity and raw material shortages, he raised the snack street prices by another 20%.

This added insult to injury for the treasure hunters, who were already suffering enough, so this time, they weren’t expecting good news.

"Today, I bring sad news: I am about to leave my Ritian Sect chain base-style hotel headquarters to seek poetry and a distant place."

"Oh, is this for real?"

"Is the Demon King really leaving? Haha, we need to party tonight!"

"What the heck is poetry and a distant place?"

"Who cares? As long as he’s gone, it’s a sunny day."

Upon hearing this, the treasure hunters suppressed their imminent laughter.

Though they knew even if Zhang Menglong was gone, his Black Warriors would still oppress them, the situation was like high school night study with or without the homeroom teacher. You still had to do homework, but without supervision, it was much more enjoyable.

"I know, as a beloved City Lord, you all don’t want me to leave, but I have my reasons. Here, I solemnly bid you farewell! From now on, this hotel will be managed by Musashi, Kojiro, and Meowth from the Ritian Sect. Please welcome them warmly!"

"What the heck?"

"No way? Those three devils?"

"Something... my gut tells me this might not be a good thing."

This trio had a nearly infamous reputation throughout the city.

While it was normal for everyone to fight for treasures outside, at least they upheld some martial virtues, putting in effort and sweat.

But the trio was different. They did nothing but rob the inevitable paths leading to the city, changing locations daily, so no one knew when they would jump out from the bushes.

Initially, their "working hours" were quite regular, nine to five with weekends off. Later, people noticed this pattern and only returned to the city after 5 PM daily.

This pressured the trio to work overtime, even on weekends. Eventually, everyone gave up resisting, leaving it to fate, knowing that there would always be some unlucky folks falling to their robbery.

With Zhang Menglong around, they were slightly restrained, but if they were to manage the city, what good could come of it?

"Ahem, ahem, thank you CCTV, thank you MTV, thank you all residents. Hello, everyone, I’m Kojiro from the Ritian Sect. I would like to express my thoughts on assuming office. Standing here today, I first thank my parents for bringing me into this world. Without them, there would be no me today. Secondly, I thank our boss for nurturing me..."

The trio gave a pointless self-introduction, finally ending with "Please cooperate with us."

"Alright, it’s all yours!" With a few pleasantries, Zhang Menglong disappeared into the sky, transforming into a horse with Dou Qi.

The trio’s eyes spun as they confirmed Zhang Menglong’s departure, revealing an indecent grin.

"Everyone, new leadership brings new regulations! We need to announce a few new rules!" The trio hurriedly said.

"From today, the hotel rent increases by 10%. Don’t ask why, because of love!"

"Second, all snack street food prices increase by 10%. No reason, I just want to raise prices, what can you do about it?"

"Third, upon entering the hotel, all ladies need to wear JK uniforms with white stockings! Otherwise, you’ll be permanently expelled for violating hotel rules!"

"Actually, black stockings are fine too. We aren’t picky!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

...

"Just as expected," all the treasure hunters were filled with exasperation. They had merely escaped the wolf’s den to fall into the tiger’s lair!