Pei Guang pulled from the left and grabbed from the right, and by the time he cleared out his inventory in the afternoon, he had scraped together around three hundred people from both Belobog and Luofu.
Of course, he hadn't been idle during this period: he also tidied up his storage space, leaving only the essentials and bringing along a bunch of empty containers.
Three hundred people might be hard to find if they scattered around the Alchemy Commission, but gathered in one place, they were definitely an imposing sight.
Under Pei Guang's instructions, they grouped up into small clusters of three to five people.
Seeing others also brought in by Pei Guang, some from Luofu curiously approached.
A Xianzhou native disguised as an outworlder: "Hey bro, you were brought here by Ace too?"
Oleg, who had been suddenly dragged in to act as a Belobog volunteer team leader: "Ace? Oh, oh!"
The name caught Oleg off guard at first, but he quickly caught on and laughed. "Yeah! He said he needed our help. Us old-timers of course have to lend a hand. He even said we don't need to pretend and just act like we normally do. Still, I never thought this old man would one day leave our planet and come to another world."
Information about other planets wasn't usually disclosed, but Bronya had filled Oleg in. If the team leader didn't know what was going on and caused a mess because of some mishap, that'd be a joke.
The disguised Xianzhou native: "Oh? And where are you from?"
Oleg: "Belobog, Jarilo-VI. Hey, we've got a big festival coming up soon thanks to the Trailblazer' help. You should come check it out!"
The disguised Xianzhou native: "Sure, bro! Let's exchange contacts. I'll definitely show up for the celebration."
Oleg: "Hahaha! Sounds good! But seriously, do you know what he's brought us here for? I still don't know the details…"
The disguised Xianzhou native: "Who knows~"
A mysterious blue-haired man in a mask: "Yo! You two chatting? You might not know the details, but I've heard a bit."
"You… Sampo? Why are you here? Weren't you arrested?"
Oleg immediately recognized Sampo's voice.
Sampo glanced around and lowered his voice. "Ah, they let me go after realizing it was all a misunderstanding. Shame, really. I was all ready to confess under duress, but they didn't dare sentence me~ Boring~ Shhh! I heard there's a chance to make a fortune, so I came. Classic Ace—always thinking of us old friends when there's profit to be made."
This time, Sampo wasn't sneaking in, he walked in openly.
Causing chaos in Luofu and milking the Annihilation Gang dry? Only Pei Guang could pull that off, and Sampo had to support it.
As for being released, he was pissed. He got framed, even admitted to the charges just to see the faces of those at the company: but someone reported that he wasn't actually with the Masked Fools?
Right. The moment "Masked Fools" got mentioned, the case became complicated. Then Donatan Plant stepped in and said he wouldn't stoop to deal with a small fry, so Sampo got released. Just as he got out, he caught wind of the fun and jumped in.
Sampo swore that if he ever found out who snitched and denied him his thrills, he'd kick that person's butt.
Oleg furrowed his brows, but after remembering Sampo's personality, he laughed and scolded, "You little rascal, watch yourself. If this blows up…"
Sampo: "Blow up? Come on, you know me. Sampo never breaks a promise. Since I agreed to help, I'm here to help! And besides, he's—ah, can't say too much. Don't worry. As long as I don't need to flee, I won't mess things up~ Eh-heh."
While they chatted and got acquainted, in the distance, Pei Guang was in the middle of an animated conversation with a group. Amos had brought quite a number of people too: outworlders, hired agitators, and opportunists.
Together, they were over six hundred!
Some of them even had an air of madness about them: just looking at them made regular folks avoid getting too close. At this moment, Amos was standing before Pei Guang, talking.
"Brother Ace, not bad! You actually got so many people here?"
Pei Guang: "Of course! I've had it with Luofu for a while now. But speaking of which, our funding…"
Amos: "No worries, no worries! Once it's over, you'll be paid per head. But let me explain the plan. This time we're heading for the old Alchemy Commission site, shout a few slogans, and when the moment's right, we'll follow in the path of Destruction~"
"Following the path" basically meant causing destruction. The Annihilation Gang was planning to stir up trouble in Luofu—great PR for them.
After getting wrecked by the Stellaron Hunters, their reputation across the cosmos had tanked. If they didn't do something soon, the Annihilation Gang would become a third-rate group that everyone could step on.
Pei Guang shook his head. "Following Destruction's path can wait. You said we'd get paid later, but words are wind. At the very least, give me an IOU?"
"An IOU? That's not necessary, is it?" Amos hesitated.
Pei Guang cut him off, "For this kind of money? Don't tell me you're trying to skim off the top!"
Hearing that, Amos quickly shook his head. "Of course not! But listen, brother, I like you and I can tell you're capable. I'll give you a little inside info."
Amos glanced left and right, then whispered, "Looks like you brought about three hundred people, let's say 350. The funds allocated from higher up this time are twenty million credits. At 20,000 per head, it's more than enough. But who knows how many will get arrested after this? And those who get caught, they don't need to be paid, right? So with the leftover money, we can…"
Pei Guang, sharp as ever, had his eyes light up at the plan. "Brother! You're really a good one. If that's the case, then all these people should get arrested: the money's all mine. That works. But hey, these folks won't move without seeing the rabbit. If they don't see the money, I don't have any leverage.
So how about this: you give me an IOU before we act. Let's go with a company-stated annual interest rate of 5%, compounded annually, one-year term. With an IOU, they'll feel secure and move with confidence. But don't worry: the contract matures next month. I won't hold you to the interest!
As the saying goes, clear accounts make good brothers. When it comes to money, it's best we make everything clear—it's good for both sides. I just happen to have both a digital contract and a paper one here. We sign both. Don't worry, I'm not trying to scam you. You just sign it under the Annihilation Gang's name. If anything happens, I'll go ask their boss for the money. And there's no interest. How about that?"
Amos looked at Pei Guang with admiration. "Brother! Forget calculating per head: seeing how many people you've brought, I'll just give you a flat ten million credits. Here! I've signed the contract. Satisfied now? You've taken money from the Annihilation Gang, so that makes you one of us. Let me give you some insider info: this operation, actually..."
Amos then revealed the real plan. Helping the outworlders seek justice? Nonsense. Luofu was known for being the most people-oriented. After the damage caused by the Arbor, the Realm-Keeping Commission had prioritized compensating the short-living species—treating the wounded, reimbursing property losses.
Precisely because of this, many outworlders didn't actually need any help finding justice. That was just an excuse the Annihilation Gang came up with.
Their real plan was to promote their faith in Nanook, and take the opportunity to cause havoc in Luofu: show the universe how formidable the Annihilation Gang could be.
The plan was simple: gather people to the old site of the Alchemy Commission, cause trouble, and when chaos broke out, start smashing, looting, burning—fully indulging their destructive desires.
As for the recruits? A portion were insiders who had ways to leave. The rest were fools he tricked along: some stirred up emotionally online or in real life, others lured by money. Of the three hundred or so he brought, only about ten were his actual people; the rest were bait.
Paying them? Hell nah.
The whole point was to make sure people knew this chaos was the Annihilation Gang's doing. As for the promised payment? Not a single cent. Just a ten-million-credit contract.
So what if it was signed under the Annihilation Gang's name? Did this outworlder really think he could go after them?
Once the chaos started and people were expelled from Luofu, who would dare come back for revenge?
Thinking about this, Amos showed a radiant smile. "I've got some standing in the Annihilation Gang, so let me sign it. Brother Ace, looking forward to our future cooperation!"
Pei Guang: "Looking forward to it!"