Passing through the door, there was an office behind it—a perfectly ordinary office. Spacious, luxurious, and impressive, with a large floor-to-ceiling window overlooking a bustling cityscape. All in all, it gave off that classic "big boss office" vibe. Standing by the window was a tall man in a sharp suit, his hands behind his back as he gazed outside. Hearing Jill Young enter, he turned around. It was that same young man with the piercing, predatory eyes.
The man looked Jill up and down and nodded. "I have to say, you're even more beautiful than in the photos. I'm the boss here—you can call me Jonathan. I hope that little test just now didn't upset you."
Jonathan spoke in English. If this had been even a day earlier, Jill would’ve told him to get a translator. But after getting used to chatting in the ancient world with Max, Jill couldn’t be bothered to nitpick about something so minor. Whatever, let’s just roll with it.
Jill swaggered over and plopped herself down in a chair, as casual as could be. "Bit too few people for my taste—I didn’t get my fill of brawling. Everything else was fine, though."
Jonathan smiled at that, a hint of something in his eyes. "That’s easy to arrange—I’ll make sure you’re satisfied. But I do have a question for you: I originally invited Mr. Jack Young, but he’s nowhere to be found, and you showed up instead. So, what’s your relationship with Mr. Jack Young, and why are you here as his bodyguard?" With that, he stared intently at Jill, his eyes full of that sharp, domineering look you get from years at the top.
But Jill wasn’t fazed by that look—she hadn’t even flinched when facing Victor Blackridge back when she had zero powers, so there was no way she’d be scared of Jonathan now.
"So much nonsense. Why does everyone have to beat around the bush?" Jill shot him a look right back and snorted. "Let’s not play games. You didn’t invite Jack Young to be a bodyguard, did you? Judging by your setup, I’m guessing you want someone for underground fighting. Jack’s not interested—doesn’t like it, doesn’t care, and he’s definitely not coming. So I’m here to settle things instead. Thing is, I’m actually interested, and I don’t believe I’m not up to scratch. So, either let me fight or go find someone else. Just give it to me straight—yes or no?"
It seemed like Jonathan had never met anyone so blunt before. He paused, thinking it over, then slowly nodded. "Alright, as far as skill goes, you’re more than qualified—even way beyond what I expected."
"So you’re good on your end?"
"All good," Jonathan replied, shaking his head.
"Maybe you’re good, but what about me?" Jill slapped her hand on the boss's desk, glaring right back at Jonathan. "I know I’m strong, but what about you? How do I know you’re not just some weakling? How do I know you’ve got enough pull? How do I know you’re even worth partnering up with?"
Jonathan could easily manipulate clueless newbies and pushovers, but when it came to heavyweights, real cooperation had to be built on mutual benefit.
Jill was clearly a heavyweight, so Jonathan quickly adjusted his attitude and asked, "How do you want me to prove my worth?"
Prove his worth? Honestly, Jill didn’t care about that at all! She just wanted to breeze through this meeting, use her Jill Young identity to wrap things up, and then get out of here fast. But then a thought popped into Jill’s head—maybe teaming up with Jonathan wasn’t such a bad idea. Some things really are tough to handle solo.
"Easy. All you have to do—" Jill reached under the desk, and when her hand came back up, she was holding something. "Just exchange this gold for Chinese yuan."
Thunk—a fist-sized gold ball landed on the desk with a dull thud. Jonathan’s eyes widened and his pupils shrank. For someone as cold-blooded as him, that was basically the face of shock.
It wasn’t the value of the gold that shocked Jonathan—it was: where did that gold ball come from? He swore with his own eyes that Jill had been empty-handed during the "interview" just now!
But Jill wasn’t done yet. Like a magician pulling rabbits from a hat, she kept pulling out chunk after chunk of gold from beneath the desk. The different shapes of gold landed on the desk with thuds, as if pounding on Jonathan’s heart. After a while, the desk was covered in gold, and only then did Jill finally stop.
"That’s enough for now. Exchange all of this for Chinese yuan—I want the cash by sundown tomorrow." Jill lounged back in her chair. "We’ll talk about the rest later. Bottom line, if you can’t take care of me properly, don’t even bother showing your face."
Faced with Jill’s cocky attitude, Jonathan’s eyes flickered, but in the end he nodded. "Alright, we’ll meet your demands. Bobby—that’s the fat guy—will handle your accommodations. Everything will be top-notch, you won’t have to worry about a thing. As long as you keep winning, you’ll get the best treatment—just win."
"Mhm, I like that setup."
Trying to exchange gold yourself? Way too much trouble. Gold isn’t just any old item—it’s the backbone of national finance and currency credibility, a tightly regulated resource. That stuff in novels where you waltz into a gold shop and swap bars for cash? If you actually try it, the only thing you’ll get is a visit from the police. Plus, you’ll never be able to prove where your gold came from, and even if you don’t mind dealing with the cops, it’s just a huge headache.
But if you’ve got a big organization backing you up, it’s way easier. They can launder the money—turn illegal income into legal, just like in the stories. Jonathan, being an underground boss, probably does this in his sleep. So Jill stood up, and out of habit from her office worker days, stuck out her hand: "Deal."
Jonathan stood up too and shook her hand. The moment he grabbed her hand, Jill felt him flinch—then suddenly squeeze hard. A quick sense told her Jonathan’s grip was strong, about the level of Dragon Elephant Technique, second tier!
This chapter isn’t over yet~ Please click to the next page for more excitement!
Dragon Elephant Technique, second tier—that’s basically human peak strength. Not something you get from just hitting the gym. Looks like Jonathan’s got some tricks up his sleeve. Still, kid, you’re a bit too naive.
"If you’re thinking of stealing my money—" Jill said lightly, all threat, "I suggest you check out who you’re messing with first. You don’t want to pick a fight with someone out of your league!" As her knuckles cracked, Jonathan’s breathing went ragged and sweat broke out on his forehead.
After Jill left, Jonathan sat behind his desk, staring at his red, squeezed hand and let out a bitter laugh. What a disaster—he wasn’t some kid trying to show off his grip strength. It was just, the instant he touched Jill’s skin, he felt something weird flash through his mind, like a jolt of electricity, and he couldn’t help but squeeze harder.
"Weird. What the heck was that?" Jonathan pondered quietly.
After a while, Bobby came in and said quietly, "Boss, we checked. All the building’s metal detectors are working fine—none of them reacted. We double-checked the footage from the test, and she didn’t have anything on her. Boss, if she can sneak in all that gold without anyone noticing, she could just as easily bring in something else—a gun, a grenade..."
"Alright, got it." Jonathan nodded slowly, lost in thought.
"Boss, Uncle Chao’s people tried to dig up some info, but came up empty. It’s like she just popped out of thin air. Judging by what she said, I think she and Jack Young are definitely connected—maybe relatives, maybe a couple. Should we start by investigating Jack Young?"
"Hmm..." Jonathan thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Hold off for now. Jack Young seems to be her no-go zone, so let me think it over. As for the gold, just keep it safe for now—no rush to exchange it. By the way, when’s the next match?"
"It’s tomorrow," Bobby replied. "Shouldn’t we do some more training or observation first?"
New fighters usually have to go through a period of training before stepping into the ring. It’s partly to hone their skills and mindset, and partly to dig into their backgrounds—gotta make sure no undercover cops slip in. Last time, they caught an undercover during training.
"No need. Her skills and mindset are flawless. And that bloodthirsty, combative vibe—her craving for violence—she was born for underground fighting and the dark world. No need to watch her, there’s no way she’s an undercover cop. Tomorrow, I want her to make a grand entrance." Jonathan’s eyes gleamed. "It’s been ages since I introduced a new fighter—let’s give the world a real surprise!"
Bobby left to handle everything for Jill. Given her personality, it probably wouldn’t be an easy job. So Bobby left with a long face.
Jonathan sat in his office, his gaze unconsciously drifting to his right hand again—what was that strange feeling when their skin touched? (Busy writing and updating every day, I haven’t had time for the comments section. If anyone can help advertise, I’d really appreciate it!)