Chapter 22: Compensation

“Zhou Huayang?” Luo Feng’s heart stirred. “So it’s him!”

An officer at the detention center had mentioned that Zhang Haobai had sought Zhou Huayang’s help, arranging people to deal with him.

“You’re Zhou Huayang?” Luo Feng smiled slightly.

Zhou Huayang felt a knot in his stomach. Under Luo Feng’s gaze, he couldn’t help but feel anxious. If Luo Feng really wanted to target him, he would indeed be in big trouble. Zhou Huayang maintained a smiling face: “That’s me, younger brother. Brother Luo, shall we find a place nearby to chat?”

“Fine.” Luo Feng nodded. “I also have something to discuss with you.”

…

On a street not far from the South Bank Community, there was a “Yangzhou Bathhouse,” considered a relatively high-end establishment. Even a small suite had a minimum charge of one thousand credits. Although Luo Feng had heard of this place, he had never entered before. This time, however, he had brought his younger brother along with Zhou Huayang.

The Yangzhou Bathhouse was a comprehensive establishment combining bathing, foot soaking, and leisure entertainment.

“Alright, you can step out now. I’ll call you if I need anything,” Zhou Huayang instructed inside one of the suites.

“Yes, sir.” The attendant left the suite.

This suite contained three rooms. One was a bathing room specifically for soaking baths. The second was a lounge for tea drinking and business meetings. The third was an entertainment room equipped for internet browsing, watching TV, and singing.

“Ah Hua, you can play around in this room. I need to discuss something with Zhou Huayang,” Luo Feng smiled.

“Sure, brother.”

Luo Hua rolled his wheelchair directly to the computer. Excited, he muttered, “Wow, a 46-inch ultra-thin screen with voice control system. So cool.”

Luo Feng sighed inwardly. The family’s laptop was of the lowest tier, still using a manual operating system, costing just a few hundred credits. Nowadays, even the more luxurious laptops came with voice control systems, and the top-tier ones were even rumored to feature “three-dimensional virtual holographic projections.”

Of course, such three-dimensional virtual projection devices were extremely expensive, considered legendary. Even the wealthiest families might have to go bankrupt to afford just one.

While Luo Hua excitedly experimented with the voice control system at the computer, Luo Feng and Zhou Huayang entered the lounge.

“Click.” The door shut behind them. In the lounge, Luo Feng and Zhou Huayang sat facing each other.

“Brother Luo, have some tea,” Zhou Huayang picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Luo Feng, his face filled with remorse as he said, “Brother Luo, I came here to apologize to you. This whole incident… sigh, to be honest, I feel very embarrassed and ashamed!”

Luo Feng held the teacup silently, listening.

Zhou Huayang…

This kind of person was common in society—someone with extensive connections. They made a living by accepting money to get things done. Zhou Huayang was no different; he accepted payment to fulfill requests. Before this, he had no enmity with Luo Feng. Luo Feng himself bore little resentment toward Zhou Huayang. His true hatred was aimed at Zhang Haobai.

“Even if Zhang Haobai hadn’t sought Zhou Huayang to target me, he would have found someone else,” Luo Feng mused. “Zhou Huayang is merely an intermediary. However… since he’s come to me now, I might as well settle things with him.”

Seeing Luo Feng’s silence, Zhou Huayang continued, “I arranged people to confront you, Brother Luo, without knowing anything about you beforehand. It was all based on what Zhang Haobai told me, which led me to commit such a foolish act! I hope you, Brother Luo, can be magnanimous and forgive your younger brother.”

“Forgive you?” Luo Feng smirked.

“This is a small token from me. I hope Brother Luo will accept it,” Zhou Huayang took out an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the table, sliding it toward Luo Feng. “It’s a registered check from China Merchants Bank, made out to you, Brother Luo. Only you can withdraw this money, from any branch of the bank.”

Luo Feng glanced at it and opened the envelope. Indeed, there was a check inside. The payment deadline was ten days, payable only to Luo Feng, with his ID number listed.

But what caught the eye most was a line of text—

One million credits!

“One million?” Luo Feng was slightly startled. This was a significant amount. His family’s savings hadn’t exceeded one hundred thousand credits in years. Even now, RMB was still valuable. For business owners, one million credits was a substantial sum.

“I hope Brother Luo can forgive me, and we can put this matter behind us,” Zhou Huayang said earnestly.

One million…

His family had never possessed such a large sum. Refusing it would be foolish.

“I know you’re just an intermediary, so I won’t press the matter. Alright, I’ll take the money,” Luo Feng nodded. Zhou Huayang immediately exhaled in relief.

“However, cashing the check is inconvenient. Instead, transfer the money directly to my account now via the internet,” Luo Feng suggested.

“Sure.” Zhou Huayang readily agreed.

Luo Feng took a pen from the table and wrote down his bank account number and the bank’s address on a piece of paper: “This is my bank card account number and the branch address. The account holder is myself.”

“Okay.” Zhou Huayang retrieved the envelope and check, then took out his mobile phone. Quickly accessing the online banking system, he completed the transfer in just a moment.

Luo Feng felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and opened the message—a bank notification indicating that his account balance had increased by one million credits.

“Has it been credited?” Zhou Huayang smiled.

“Yeah,” Luo Feng nodded.

Zhou Huayang smiled: “Brother Luo is indeed decisive. If you ever have any issues in Yangzhou City, just come to me. I’ll help whenever I can. Of course, you’ll soon become a warrior, but sometimes dealing with minor troubles is easier with people like me stepping in.”

“Alright, I’ll definitely ask for your help if needed,” Luo Feng stood up.

Zhou Huayang immediately stood up as well, and the two shook hands.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave first,” Zhou Huayang smiled. “I’ve already paid for this suite. Brother Luo, you can enjoy it until tomorrow morning.” He then greeted Luo Feng’s younger brother, Luo Hua, before exiting the suite.

Now alone in the suite were the two brothers, Luo Feng and Luo Hua.

In the entertainment room of the suite:

“Brother, what did that guy want with you?” Luo Hua grinned. “He seemed pretty polite.”

“He came to give us money,” Luo Feng smiled.

“Give us money?” Luo Hua was surprised.

Luo Feng hadn’t told his parents or younger brother about the events at the detention center. He didn’t want his parents to worry. In his view, since he had chosen the path of a warrior, this road would be full of hardships and dangers. It was better not to burden his parents with such matters.

“Ah, by the way, Ah Hua,” Luo Feng smiled. “How’s your stock trading going?”

Because of his long-term stay at home and his interest in finance, especially stock trading, Luo Hua, though young, had already been trading stocks for three years.

“The first year I didn’t make any profit, but the past two years have been good. I’ve doubled my investment twice. I now have over twenty thousand credits,” Luo Hua said.

“That much?” Luo Feng was astonished.

It wasn’t the twenty thousand credits that surprised Luo Feng, but rather his brother’s earning efficiency! Doubling twice was already quite impressive!

“Okay, I guess,” Luo Hua laughed. “Actually, stock trading is about psychology and math. As long as you control your positions well, gradually buying in and managing your purchase prices, and following the big players behind the scenes, it’s quite manageable… though sometimes market fluctuations can affect your mindset. In my first year, I often panicked and sold off too early.”

Luo Feng listened, puzzled.

“My earnings aren’t that impressive. Some experts in futures trading can make ten or twenty times returns. Of course, futures are riskier. One wrong move, and you get margin called, losing everything,” Luo Hua shook his head.

Although Luo Feng didn’t understand these concepts…

He did know one thing—stock profits were compounded.

For example, his brother had grown from a few thousand to twenty thousand credits over three years. If his capital had been one million, he might now have four million. With four million, perhaps sixteen million.

Money breeds money, and the growth becomes more dramatic over time.

“Ah Hua, I’ll give you fifty thousand later,” Luo Feng smiled. “Work hard.”

“Fifty thousand?” Luo Hua’s eyes lit up with excitement. “The stock market dropped heavily today, a perfect time to buy low and make a big profit.” Having shared a room with his brother for years, Luo Feng had long noticed how his brother always hoped for a market crash, while their neighbor, Uncle Wang, always wished for a market rally.

His brother made money from the market, while Uncle Wang lost.

Do the experts all hope for a market crash? Luo Feng mused.

“By the way, where did you get the money, brother?” Luo Hua quickly asked.

“Just now from Zhou Huayang,” Luo Feng smiled. “Brother, you can use this money. Later, when I become a warrior, there will be much more money to be made.” Ordinary warriors didn’t earn much, but Luo Feng knew his own strength well. His ability to control objects was even more terrifying than a heavy machine gun!

After all, bullets flew in straight lines, while the spikes Luo Feng controlled could change direction instantly.

“August 1st is the warrior practical exam. After passing, I’ll officially begin my warrior career,” Luo Feng slightly tightened his right hand holding the teacup. “Crack!” The teacup shattered, spilling tea across the floor.

His younger brother Luo Hua was startled: “Brother, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Luo Feng shook his head with a smile.

In his mind, he thought: “In the detention center cell, I cultivated my genetic energy, and my strength increased significantly. Then my abilities awakened, boosting my power even further! Now my strength and speed are far beyond what they used to be. However, growing too fast isn’t always good. My control over my strength isn’t refined enough.”

Excited, he had crushed the teacup, clearly indicating inadequate control.

“Right, tomorrow morning I’ll go to the Limit Martial Arts Academy. From today until August 1st, these twenty-odd days, I’ll train seriously. I need to hone my current speed and strength, mastering them fully to maximize my abilities,” Luo Feng mused.