Chapter 51 Star Debts Can Only Be Repaid with Flesh and Blood
The numbers are still rising.
Ning Shuyin was on tenterhooks, her eyes glued to the numbers that were about to refresh on the screen.
finally--
The number jumped from 99.99% to 100%.
A line of text is refreshed.
Alex has been bribed by the You family. His betrayal is therefore supported by the inference.
As a result, it matched the original work.
Zhou Zhiheng stared at this conclusion in silence for a long time.
Ning Shuyin turned her head, carefully avoiding the exposed chest area of her bathrobe, to look at the young man's expression beside her.
The inhumanly cold aura emanating from Zhou Zhiheng seemed to have cracked slightly.
Alex was his longest-serving deputy and a core cog in the Zhou family's business empire.
But now, that gear is corroded.
But Zhou Zhiheng's silence did not last long.
With a wave of his hand, he decisively closed the interface.
The pure white control cabin dissipated.
The surroundings returned to the messy lounge. They were still sitting side by side on the bed.
Zhou Zhiheng turned his head and looked at Ning Shuyin with a scrutinizing gaze.
"The intelligence you provided is valuable enough."
The mattress sank again.
He got up and got out of bed.
A hidden safe in the small room was opened. Zhou Zhiheng took out a metal box and handed it to her.
"The Purification Crystal is yours."
Ning Shuyin opened the box.
Inside lay a crystal the size of a fingernail.
A soft radiance flows gently within the crystal. Just looking at it gives one a sense of cleansing the mind and spirit.
It seems that the mission has been successfully completed.
"Thanks."
Ning Shuyin expresses her gratitude.
"Address," Zhou Zhiheng said succinctly.
"What?" Ning Shuyin asked, puzzled.
Zhou Zhiheng was a little impatient: "The official delivery slip requires a delivery address."
Ning Shuyin thought for a few seconds and then said, "Interstellar Alliance Fleet Headquarters, recipient: Situ Linchen."
The moment the words left his mouth, the businessman's calm vanished from Zhou Zhiheng's face. In its place was a barely concealed, inexplicable anger.
He looked at her, his purple eyes narrowing dangerously.
[Zhou Zhiheng's favorability rating has decreased by 20 points.]
[Current favorability rating: -70 (suspicion)]
Ning Shuyin felt uneasy under Zhou Zhiheng's gaze.
Did she say something wrong?
Since you've given me the Purification Crystal, what business is it of yours who I give it to?
I finally managed to raise the favorability rating by 30 points, but then it dropped by 20 points.
This week, Zhiheng is so difficult to please.
Just as she was internally complaining, Zhou Zhiheng walked up to her again.
The young man, expressionless, reached out and snatched the box of purification crystals back from her arms.
Ning Shuyin: "???"
She was completely stunned.
Seriously? They take back what they've given away? How could this person do that!
“Mr. Zhou,” Ning Shuyin said sternly, “Are you going back on your word? The deal has already been made, and the goods…”
Zhou Zhiheng didn't even look at her; he just lowered his eyes to examine the box.
"The fleet headquarters is located at the Far Mountain Spaceport, about 2,500 light-years away from here."
Ning Shuyin was taken aback.
2,500 light-years? Ning Shuyin imagined this astronomical distance.
Zhou Zhiheng continued, "The military fortress requires at least fifteen standard days for interstellar delivery, and the security level is too low."
How could Ning Shuyin not understand?
As a transmigrator with a background in logistics, she was all too aware of the risks of long-distance package loss.
Moreover, such a precious item as the Purification Crystal might be coveted by others along the way.
The anger from the misunderstanding dissipated, and she looked at Zhou Zhiheng with questioning and expectant eyes.
"Hmph, not too stupid, knows who to rely on at this time." Zhou Zhiheng said sarcastically.
He tapped his finger on the box lid: "I will take full responsibility for my deal and use my private jump logistics to deliver it to you. It should arrive at the fleet headquarters in about an hour."
"Thank you." Ning Shuyin stood up from the bed and whispered her thanks.
Now that the matter is settled, she doesn't know what the situation is like outside. She should also start thinking about how to leave this place.
"Mr. Zhou, when can I leave?"
"Go out?" Zhou Zhiheng raised an eyebrow. "Have you forgotten something?"
He tossed the box aside and walked step by step toward Ning Shuyin.
His long black hair was half dry, with a few unruly strands getting into the folds of his bathrobe.
Ning Shuyin subconsciously took a half step back, but her heel touched the edge of the bed.
There was nowhere to retreat.
"Forgot what?" She was intimidated by his imposing manner, and her mind went blank for a moment.
The transaction is complete, isn't it?
Zhou Zhiheng stopped a step away from her, looking down at her.
His expression was unpredictable.
Suddenly, he raised his hand, and a light screen unfolded in front of her.
"I forgot to settle the accounts." Zhou Zhiheng's expression was matter-of-fact.
"Settle accounts? What accounts?" Ning Shuyin asked, puzzled. "Is it... the delivery fee?"
Zhou Zhiheng's finger had already drawn out a list: "I recorded the entire battle just now."
"So?" Ning Shuyin asked.
"We have obtained a total of thirty-seven standard energy cores of the Machine Race, with a market value of approximately three hundred million Star Coins."
"Three rare mutated energy cores, valued at one billion based on the average price of last season's auction."
"In addition, the mechanical spider leader's semi-biological brain is 75% intact, valued at 500 million. A pair of super-alloy chelicerae, estimated at 80 million..."
Zhou Zhiheng rattled off the value of the enemy's remains as smoothly as if reciting a menu.
...
"The eye-covering sensor array is worth 30 million."
"Total revenue: 3.358 billion."
Ning Shuyin was completely confused.
Is this... a way to share the spoils with her?
Before the thought had even formed in his mind, he saw Zhou Zhiheng's finger slide to the expenditure column.
His face visibly darkened.
"The coronation scepter of the ancient Perseus royal family, three trillion."
"The Shield of Sighs has no reference price. I'll take the loss and use the cash flow valuation method to barely calculate it at five trillion."
"Valkyrie Gun, 500 billion."
"Guardian Armor..."
Every time Zhou Zhiheng pronounced a name, Ning Shuyin's heart trembled.
Finally, he looked at the final calculation result—an outrageously long deficit—and fell silent.
After a long while, he finally looked up and said to Ning Shuyin with an expression of immense heartache:
"The total cost of this operation, after deducting the revenue, resulted in a net loss of over 12 trillion."
He looked at Ning Shuyin, who was staring blankly, and continued speaking: "Logically, the cost should be split 50/50. But I think you'll definitely not be satisfied with this calculation."
He paused, seemingly considering it for a long time with difficulty.
"After all, you're not an ordinary person anymore. But your life still isn't as valuable as mine."
"so……"
He pressed his long, slender fingers against his temple and offered a seemingly benevolent solution.
“We’ll split the costs 90/10. I’ll take 90%, you take 10%. You only need to bear the loss of 1.2 trillion.”
Ning Shuyin was completely stunned.
The two of them managed to save their lives, but then...
They owe him 1.2 trillion?
Sure enough, all the tycoons in the novel are surnamed Zhou, like the skin-scratcher Zhou!
Ning Shuyin immediately understood why Situ Linchen disliked Zhou Zhiheng so much.
Seeing Ning Shuyin's expression, which was both angry and almost petrified, Zhou Zhiheng frowned.
"Never mind," he said with a condescending helplessness, "You don't look like you can come up with 1.2 trillion."
Ning Shuyin's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that the wealthy Zhou has finally seen through her poverty and is preparing to generously forgive her debts?
However, Zhou Zhiheng's next words shattered her pitiful hope.
"I'll round it down for you."
Zhou Zhiheng's tone was, "You've taken an incredible advantage of me."
Ning Shuyin: "?"
Odds and ends? Which odds and ends?
Could it be... 200 billion?!
Ning Shuyin's thoughts even briefly went astray due to extreme shock.
Two hundred billion Star Coins, is that just a drop in the bucket in Zhou Zhiheng's eyes?
At that moment, Zhou Zhiheng interrupted her divergent thinking with a tone full of superiority.
"Just owe me one trillion. Remember, Miss Ning, this is the best offer I can give."
He waved his hand generously.
Ning Shuyin was completely speechless.
Her brain was blown away by the number "one trillion," and she didn't even have the energy to complain.
Even if she worked every day without eating or drinking, she still couldn't pay off this debt.
But what else can we do?
Should she hire a lawyer to file a lawsuit? She didn't believe she could outmaneuver the Zhou legal team.
In the end, she could only force a smile.
"Thank you for your... generosity, Mr. Zhou. I will repay this debt slowly in the future."
At worst, I'll become a deadbeat in interstellar space.
There will be no future.
Zhou Zhiheng's purple eyes flickered.
“I, Zhou Zhiheng, never extend credit to my accounts.”
He seemed to have seen through Ning Shuyin's plan to give up, and a smirk appeared on his lips as he quickly began operating his personal computer.
"I've always been a fair person. Since you can't repay with money, then I can only—"
Zhou Zhiheng slid a video of a contract filled with domineering terms in front of her.
"Use yourself to pay off the debt."
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