After lying around for a whole week, Lou Feng, the eldest of the Lou Family, grudgingly dragged his feet and wore a long face to visit once more. Pointing at Ji Jue, he performed thirty minutes of the Federation's dental gymnastics before finally pinching his nose and closing his eyes to sign his name on the joint workshop agreement.

It was as if he had signed a slave contract.

It took an unimaginable amount of determination.

Once he signed, he closed his eyes, not wanting to take another look at it.

This life was over!

The moment the signature was done, Ji Jue happily collected the agreement and sent it to the Star Core Association for approval, though in reality, it was just a formality.

As long as no one threw a wrench in the works, there wouldn't be any surprises. But if someone did, he would have to prepare to have a good talk with Ji Jue, who had been cultivating patience for a long time.

Moreover, the agreement was just one part of the process.

With Lou Feng's character and thick skin, once he signed something, he wouldn't retract it.

A spit on the ground is as good as a nail; a loss is a loss. No matter how bizarre or harsh the agreement's contents are, taking a loss with grace is fundamental.

Within the five-year duration of the agreement, he would follow the agreement and keep in step with Ji Jue. All actions within the association would be in unison with Ji Jue. At the same time, as the second in this alliance, he would adhere to Ji Jue's decisions and execute plans recognized by both parties.

From now on, he became the second-in-command of the virtually non-existent 'Ji Jue faction', the direct resource supplier for the Fly King's development plan, and the legal representative of a tech company just registered in Cliff City.

If one overlooks the shell nature of this company, the makeshift extent of this faction, and even Ji Jue's ethical standards and daily qualities, one might consider it a decent position.

Right now, however, it was an express ticket to hell, a pass into the inferno.

God knows what else this dog might come up with later! Lou Feng just hoped that when the repercussions reached him, death would come swiftly...

No amount of dental gymnastics could reclaim lost freedom and independence.

At this moment, Lou Feng, having just signed the contract, crossed his arms and looked sideways at Ji Jue's silly face, raising his hand to pinch the dog's mouth:

"Alright, stop spouting nonsense. We're all craftsmen here, don't start with those pointless tricks. How far along is the Fly King's development and work?"

"Uh, well..."

Ji Jue pinched his chin, pondered for a moment, and then said seriously, "There's still a lot of room for improvement."

In plain language, there's nothing at all!

Lou Feng's vision went dark.

And then, he realized it was too early to black out.

When he saw the daily spiritual deficit and consumption, the size of the two upcoming expansion plans, and the materials and investments needed, all handed over by this dog, he felt utterly helpless.

He just wanted to explode his soul and take down this dog with him.

"Are you burning newspaper for your dad!"

Lou Feng roared, throwing back a plan that demanded astronomical consumption, was nothing but daydreams in terms of planning, and required investments that could drain half of the Lou Family: "Even Xu Chaoxian couldn't sign off on this! Are you crazy!"

"Cough, cough, cough, isn't this just building on the present and looking towards the future? There's nothing wrong with being a bit optimistic, right? Everyone needs a dream, don't they?"

Embarrassed, Ji Jue looked around, after being scolded like a beaten dog, he pulled another proposal out from the desk: "Well, then take a look at this..."

Indeed, with the precedent of an outrageous plan, this proposal finally seemed more reasonable, making Lou Feng laugh.

From rage.

He was almost about to suffer a brain hemorrhage.

"So you set me up with the window-opening trick, huh?" Lou Feng's face turned ashen as he glared: "I'm your partner, not a scapegoat. If you bring me something like this again, believe me, I'll leave right away! I can endure for five years, I'm not playing your game!"

"Fine, fine, young people these days have such a temper, hey, it's really scary."

After much hemming and hawing, Ji Jue, with a wronged face, finally brought out the last somewhat reliable proposal, "Don't be fierce, I'm really scared."

That wretched look, acting pitiful with an unwarranted sense of grievance, made Lou Feng's teeth itch.

This time, the proposal handed over by Ji Jue finally sobered him up a bit from the brink of fury.

In Ji Jue's presence, they began to meticulously argue over the possibilities of each item of input and budget, ultimately staking most of his current assets. Even with Lou's almost break-even priced spiritual supply, he barely managed to meet the needed investment.

And that's just the initial stage!

Once the Fly King's scale restrictions are fully lifted, the foundational facilities and spiritual resources that Ji Jue has invested in now won't be nearly enough. Even with Lou Feng's input and the Lou Family's support, they're still struggling and in dire straits.

Ultimately, there's still a difference between Lou Feng and the Lou Family.

If Ji Jue had negotiated directly with the Lou Family, the situation wouldn't have been so dire. With the entire Lou Family's efforts, the initial difficulties might not even matter, and they could leap into the later stages directly.

But the price would be an imbalance between primary and secondary roles. By then, with massive investments and the Lou Family clutching the lifeline of spiritual supply, they would completely take over control, turning Ji Jue into a mere laborer.

This was something Ji Jue could absolutely not accept.

After all, previously, with Messenger Logistics' different nature, he didn't plan to completely control it. By ceding part of the control, their relationship had been quite decent.

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