The heavy bulletproof car finally arrived at the Crescent Wellness headquarters. From a distance, they saw people holding white banners, demanding that Crescent Wellness give justice to the families of the victims. There were also intermittent chants. It turned out that the case of the 43 security guards who had died wasn’t yet resolved. Crescent Wellness’s security had formed a perimeter to prevent the victim’s families from advancing. These security guards were hired from out of town since most of the local guards had died in the previous incident.

Ethan Shaw saw that Zhou Shirong hadn’t resolved the issue yet and, curious, walked over to one of the protesters and asked, “They haven’t compensated you?”

One of the victim’s family members complained, “My son worked as a guard at Crescent Wellness for an annual salary of $14,000. If he died, the compensation should be 30 years’ worth of salary—at least $430,000. Crescent Wellness only gave us $140,000. Of course, we’re not satisfied!”

$140,000 per person, totaling $4.3 million for these families. If it were $430,000, it would come to $12.9 million. No wonder Zhou Shirong was reluctant to pay.

$12.9 million wasn’t much in the grand scheme, but these 43 people had essentially sacrificed themselves. Ethan decided to take this matter into his own hands and negotiate: “You all want $430,000, right? No problem. We can start with $140,000, and the remaining $290,000 will be paid a year later. Does that sound good?”

The family member asked, “Who are you? Can you actually make this happen?”

Ethan: “I’m the vice president in charge of investments. I have a lot of affection for these security guards, and I want to help you get more compensation. But you have to cooperate. You’ll get the rest of the money after a year. If you trust me, sign the contract, take the money, and stop making a scene. If you bankrupt the company, you’ll have nothing left to claim.”

Just then, a youthful voice interrupted: “Do you treat Crescent Wellness as your home? Do you know that 218 people died before this? Do you realize how much money their families would demand if they also asked for 30 years of salary as compensation? The salary of these 218 people was much higher than that of the guards. Many were mid- to senior-level employees.”

Ethan Shaw, of course, had been appointed vice president of investments by the board. All the adults on the board had complied with his influence. However, there was one child who disagreed—Zhou Shirong’s nephew, Zhou Jianxin, a teenager whose mother was an actress and had no interest in business. As he was about to turn 18, she decided to let him attend the board meetings. Ethan had met him before—a teenager, about to come of age, Zhou Shirong’s nephew, Zhou Jianxin.

Ethan was only 165 cm tall and not particularly muscular, looking like a normal middle-aged man from the south. In contrast, Zhou Jianxin’s mother had been a model, and he had inherited her height, standing at 185 cm. He loved sports and had a muscular build. Standing in front of Ethan, he exuded an imposing presence, even towering over him.

This was the first time Ethan had met Zhou Jianxin. He smiled and said, “Zhou Jianxin, the talented nephew of Zhou Shirong. Too bad... enjoy the good times you have before you turn 18.” Since Zhou Shirong had once said he wouldn’t harm children, Ethan wasn’t eager to make things difficult for his cooperative partner. He decided to wait until Zhou Jianxin turned 18 to give him one last ultimatum.

Ethan didn’t feel much guilt toward the victims' families. When faced with resistance, he simply lost interest and walked toward the company’s front desk.

“Wait! I’m not finished yet!” Zhou Jianxin suddenly grabbed Ethan’s shoulder. He didn’t realize Ethan was the mastermind behind everything and thought he was just a subordinate sent by the boss, a mere errand boy.

Ethan reacted so quickly that Zhou Jianxin, despite his strong physique, was immediately pushed back five meters and rolled 720 degrees on the ground.

The Crescent Wellness security guards, all from out of town and unfamiliar with Zhou Jianxin, didn’t recognize him or the new vice president. They just watched the spectacle. Ethan ignored Zhou Jianxin’s cursing and continued walking toward the front desk.

Young people are always full of confidence. After being knocked away with a single palm, the boy still refused to admit defeat, trying to get up and chase after him to continue the fight. However, Zhou Shirong, who had been watching the scene from the front desk, quickly ran over to stop him and scolded, "Jianxin!"

Zhou Jianxin came over trying to act tough, but ended up looking disheveled. In front of his uncle, the chairman, he didn't dare to be too reckless, and shot a hateful glance at Ethan Shaw.

Fearing that Zhou Jianxin's youthful arrogance might cause trouble, Zhou Shirong quickly pulled him aside and gave him a few words of advice. After whispering in Zhou Jianxin's ear for three minutes, he then came over to Ethan Shaw's side, smiling apologetically. "Apologies, Mr. Shaw. My nephew is still young and hot-headed, and he's got this temperament. Please don't take it to heart, especially since he's still a minor."

As Zhou Shirong said "Mr. Shaw," Ethan Shaw's demeanor remained calm and collected, which stunned the receptionist, who couldn't believe that this ordinary-looking man held such an identity.

Noticing that the receptionists were paying attention, Zhou Shirong took the opportunity to introduce him. "This is Mr. Ethan Shaw, an investment expert I hired to bring new vitality to our company's investment department. He is also our vice president. Remember his name, and don't fail to recognize him in the future."

The receptionists greeted him enthusiastically, but Ethan Shaw was indifferent, saying, "It's fine, I won't be coming to the office much anyway."

Ethan Shaw had already realized that his connection to Crescent Wellness had become public. This wasn't favorable for concealing his whereabouts. If the Dark Forest System sent another high-level hunter after him, he might have no place to hide. He needed to quickly seize the highest level of authority in the investment department so he wouldn’t have to visit the office regularly.