CHAPTER 489: CHAPTER 156: A BASEMENT NO DETECTION INSTRUMENTS CAN FIND

After all, it’s not the rainy season. The temporary cloud formations and rain bombs aren’t omnipotent. By eight in the morning, the torrential downpour had gradually stopped. Wisps of smoke rose from the charred remnants, as one after another, the collapsed black buildings silently recounted the events of last night.

The fire finally extinguished after burning everything it could.

The people forming the firebreak sat tiredly by the water pools, relying on each other for rest.

"Good morning, Night City~~ The final result of yesterday’s death lottery is exactly sixteen hundred people, thanks to an entire night of fire and chaos. Watson District contributed the entire number, other districts couldn’t even make up the remainder, directly surpassing last year’s entire upper limit, but things are definitely not over, because Huang Ban lost a couple hundred agents too. Even the bookies wouldn’t dare touch this bet, so you all have to pay up. Compared to this, the small incidents in other districts are insignificant. I’m your favorite host Stanley~ Welcome to a brand new day in this city of dreams~~"

Every morning at eight, the projectors on the streets tirelessly replayed that familiar loud voice and opening lines. But today, most people were sleepless all night, their physical and mental states gradually reaching the limit, each one exhausted, not really in the mood to listen to his nonsense.

"Our cash flow is already critical."

Just returning to the temporarily requisitioned residence, Gloria reported bad news to Lin Miao.

"The cash in the company account is completely used up. At this rate, we can’t even pay this month’s employee salaries..."

Gloria bit her lip tightly. Although she wasn’t targeting Lin Miao’s nearly charitable behavior last night, because being broke is being broke, medicine can’t appear out of thin air. She could comfort the sick outside, but she couldn’t delude herself.

Those ERO employees won’t work for free just because of a bit of praise, and the poor you cure can’t pay for the medicine. If you ask them for money, they might even turn their faces on you.

"Hey!!!"

Resting on the sofa exhausted from hacking with Huang Ban overnight, Lucy sat up abruptly upon hearing this.

"Didn’t we just receive tens of millions last month?"

She thought she heard it wrong.

Tens of millions, a number she could never earn in a lifetime. If given to Lucy, she wouldn’t even know how to spend it all.

Now you’re telling me this money was spent in a month, and it’s not enough?

Lucy even counted on her fingers again: military tech two and a half, Ye Corporation five hundred... exoskeleton sales six hundred...

She didn’t remember wrong. How did this money get spent so quickly?

Lin Miao’s planned projects haven’t even started yet, but the investors’ money is already gone...

Regarding this, Lin Miao was also helpless. Money, when spent, has no measure, like water, never enough.

Not to mention so many players, hundreds of players doing a collective mission with a minimum reward of ten thousand, this time converting into contribution points and directly breaking forty thousand, though most can be recovered through loot auctions, the bullets fired, their external purchases of prosthetics, chemicals used are all real expenses.

But Lin Miao didn’t care about what Gloria was worried about. He reassured both:

"Don’t worry, after today, the lines of people bringing me money will stretch from Watson District all the way to Stone Ridge Mountain."

"Really?"

Lucy had a look of disbelief.

"You just offended Huang Ban, those guys are avoiding you as it is, how could they possibly invest money in you?"

"Of course, it’s because of money. Compared to the threat from Huang Ban, money is more important."

Lin Miao pulled out a 100-euro silver cash from his pocket and waved it in front of them.

"Economic theory is simply the theory of winning. As long as you can win, the market will invest any amount of money in you. Even if you can’t win, you must present yourself as the victor to the outside world. So no matter what, you have to create the image of victory. In short, it’s all about one word—win. Win, and you have money. Win, and stock prices rise. Even if it’s just empty talk, you have to win. Anything unfavorable to our company, whether true or false, is false. Including now, even though our company doesn’t have money in its accounts, we’re operating well without any financial issues."

Winning means market confidence. As long as the market has confidence in Lin Miao, he will never run out of money.

The players faced Huang Ban agents head-on in front of the entire Night City, even chasing Adam Smasher down the streets. They were big winners indeed.

Though attributed to their numerical advantage, and fighting dirty street battles, even if Huang Ban didn’t use extraordinary weapons, the victory was real. The players and mercenary scoundrels pushed Huang Ban out. If it had been NCPD police, they’d probably have gotten their legs broken on all three sides.

And now, no one believes anymore that these people are self-employed mercenaries or some nonsense. Everyone knows who they listen to.

They’re only curious about how Lin Miao managed to train this group to be so obedient, not paying salaries, not providing equipment, not even giving Traump Team memberships, yet they’re willing to serve him.

Such good employees are impossible to find, even with a lantern.

But who else would dare face off against Huang Ban head-on, even daring to go toe-to-toe with them?