In the evening, after a large number of workers owed wages by Shūichi Kujō went on strike and gathered inside the factory, the young Takahashi Ryo was surrounded in the middle of the crowd. He spoke with enthusiasm, "Brothers and sisters, our struggle is working! I've already received an invitation from President Kujō to discuss our wages. As long as we stay united, we can definitely win our rightful benefits!"

All the workers around couldn't contain their joy.

"Great! We can finally get our wages back. My family has been living off loans for quite a while."

"It's all thanks to Mr. Takahashi! If it weren't for him leading us, Shūichi Kujō wouldn't have shown up!"

"It's not just about wages; the medical expenses for those who were injured also need to be paid!"

Seeing that they gained benefits they couldn't get before through struggle made everyone more confident about fighting for more legitimate rights.

"Alright, I will convey everyone's demands to President Kujō," Takahashi Ryo replied as he looked around.

A young worker shouted, "Why don't I go with Mr. Takahashi for safety?"

"Yes, Mr. Takahashi, why not take a few more people to prevent that unscrupulous guy from hurting you?"

"That's right, better to be cautious!"

Others also reacted and started suggesting.

"Thank you all for your concern, but I don't think it's necessary," Takahashi Ryo had his own thoughts about this and said, "So far, there haven't been any severe consequences, especially now that Hokkaido is governed by Governor Aoyama. Kujō Company definitely doesn't dare to act recklessly. Besides, today is to peacefully negotiate the issue of unpaid wages. Bringing people would make us appear lacking confidence and unfriendly, which would be detrimental to the negotiation."

Twenty minutes later, he got into the car sent by Shūichi Kujō to pick him up, accompanied by hundreds of workers.

Sitting in the car, while excited, Takahashi Ryo inevitably felt a bit nervous, continuously fiddling with the hem of his pants, rehearsing the tone and demeanor he would use during the negotiation in his mind.

After driving for about half an hour, the car finally stopped at the entrance of a high-end club. When led inside by the staff, Takahashi Ryo's momentum diminished instantly as he looked at the luxurious decor he had never seen before.

Upon entering the private room, seeing the table full of exotic delicacies he had never seen, surrounded by several scantily clad, attractive young women around Shūichi Kujō, he froze awkwardly and embarrassedly in place.

"Mr. Takahashi, right? Come, come, sit down, you've kept me waiting!" Shūichi Kujō warmly waved him over without any airs.

"Hi!" Responding cautiously, Takahashi Ryo approached and bowed, "Good evening, President Kujō."

"You're quite the talent," Shūichi Kujō insincerely praised, waving at the two women beside him, "Why don't you attend to Mr. Takahashi?"

"Hi!" The two women stood up, went to Takahashi Ryo's side, and, supporting him on both sides, coyly said, "Mr. Takahashi, don't just stand there."

Takahashi Ryo blanked out, stiff as a puppet, allowing himself to be maneuvered, while his heart pounded loudly.

"Mr. Takahashi, let me help you with the drink."

"No… no need!" Takahashi Ryo abruptly snapped back to reality, breathing rapidly as he stared at the smiling Shūichi Kujō, saying, "President Kujō, the workers are still waiting for me to bring back the news. Please tell me directly when you plan to settle everyone's wages, and the medical expenses for those injured by the security, too."

He feared that if he stayed any longer, facing these culinary delights, fine wine, and beauties, he would have no courage to ask for wages.

"Young people are always so impatient," Shūichi Kujō chuckled, taking a drink himself, "Do you know how much our company owes you in total wages?"

"1,530,000 yen," Takahashi Ryo blurted out.

Shūichi Kujō was slightly flabbergasted; it had been a long time since he heard such a small number as 1,530,000 yen.

He then became somewhat irritated, this bastard stirred the workers to strike and cause trouble, resulting in a loss of up to a million US dollars, all for a mere 1,530,000 yen, so detestable!

But on the surface, he didn't show the slightest bit of anger. Smiling, he took out several stacks of US dollars from under the table and tossed them over, "Here is 100,000 US dollars, the excess to compensate Mr. Takahashi, and as for those two women, you can take them with you tonight."

Looking at the 100,000 US dollars, Takahashi Ryo was instantly bewildered, "President Kujō, what do you mean by this? What about the other people's salaries? Are they not going to be paid?"

"Mr. Takahashi is a smart man, how could you not understand my meaning?" Shūichi Kujō slightly squinted his eyes and said, "You've received your salary and even more, isn't that enough? What does other people's salary have to do with you? As long as you help me keep the workers from causing trouble, your salary will be doubled every month."

Takahashi Ryo instantly stood up, face flushed with anger as he roared, "You actually want to bribe me?"

"Don't get so hot-headed, Mr. Takahashi. The fact that someone can be bribed proves he's of value. Look at the other workers, are they worth being bribed by me?" Shūichi Kujō looked up at him with a laugh, his demeanor light and breezy.

Takahashi Ryo's chest heaved violently. He grabbed the US dollars on the table and threw them at Shūichi Kujō's face, articulating each word, "Although I'm poor, my parents educated me to understand conscience and integrity. If I agreed to you, I'd be betraying the trust of so many people!"

"Either you pay all the wages in full, or I won't take a dime. Tomorrow, tomorrow I'll lead even more workers to demonstrate at the headquarters' entrance!"

With those words, he directly turned around and left.

Watching Takahashi Ryo's back, Shūichi Kujō's face darkened. The fact that he, as the president, personally tried to bribe an ordinary worker but failed was truly galling!

"Ungrateful bastard," Shūichi Kujō muttered to himself, casually throwing the 100,000 US dollars onto the floor like tossing a bone, "If he doesn't want it, you can have it."

"Ah! Thank you, President! Thank you, President!" The women gleefully climbed over to fight for the money, paying no heed to their image.

Shūichi Kujō contentedly admired the spectacle of bodies scrambling in front of him, picking up his phone to call his secretary, "Arrange a send-off for him, tonight."

"Hi!" the secretary acknowledged.

Takahashi Ryo returned to the factory with rage. Facing the hopeful looks of his fellow workers, he took a moment to organize his thoughts, "That bastard Shūichi Kujō never intended to pay us our wages! He wanted to bribe me to keep everyone from causing trouble. I refused, and our struggle must continue until we receive our wages!"

"What? He didn't plan to pay wages? That damned bastard! I just called my wife saying we could get our wages back! Damn it!"

"Tomorrow, we'll all go and surround his headquarters till it's impenetrable, see how they work then."

"Yes! Tomorrow, we all go! We must show that old bastard our might!"

Some cried out in sorrow, others were seething with rage.

Takahashi Ryo felt deeply guilty for not living up to his coworkers' expectations, but he gathered his spirits and said, "Go home and rest, everyone. We'll gather here tomorrow morning."

After sending everyone off, he was the last to leave.

Early the next morning, the workers gathered as agreed at the factory, but Takahashi Ryo did not show up.

When they called his home, they learned that he had been in a car accident on his way home the previous night and died on the spot.

Everyone was instantly stunned. Without their leader, they did not know what steps to take next.

At the same time, they were deeply saddened and anguished, unable to understand why such a good person would meet such a tragic end.

And just then, the factory manager emerged, with a sinister tone, using Takahashi Ryo's death to intimidate everyone back to their posts and away from causing trouble at the headquarters.

At that moment, everyone realized Takahashi Ryo's death was no accident. Some felt fear, others were shocked, but mostly, everyone was filled with anger.

"They killed Mr. Takahashi, beat him!"

Someone shouted, and everyone rushed toward the panicked, fleeing factory manager.

After beating the manager half to death, looking at the bloodied figure, they all fell back into bewilderment and fear.

"Go find Governor Aoyama! Ask Governor Aoyama to speak on our behalf," someone suddenly conceived of the idea.

In an instant, everyone had a new direction; they gathered en masse, flooding toward the Governor's Hall.

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