A young woman whose memory was affected by a terrible past, ends up being adopted by a powerful noble house. In order to consummate her revenge she will seek the help of a dangerous young man whom she was destined to meet.

The constant struggle for the inheritance that Duke Lombardi would leave behind when he died had pushed his youngest daughter to make a dangerous decision. In an attempt to ease the fear of being killed by her adoptive siblings and ward off the unbearable loneliness that afflicted her, Priscilla Lombardi makes a deal with a strange vagrant who had been imprisoned by her family’s soldiers.

However, this vagrant turns out to be more than he appeared to the naked eye and she is forced to prevent a calamity from occurring. At the end of the day, the only question that really matters is: Will Priscilla get the tramp back on track? Or will the tramp make Priscilla an evil person? Whatever the case, only time will answer that question.

A short story about two cousins on one crazy adventure. After hiring a hit man, Leo has gotten himself into some trouble. But luckily Jax is there to bail him out! Although, it looks like now, they could both use some help...

( This story may be unpleasant to some readers! Proceed with caution!)

A short story about two cousins on one crazy adventure. After hiring a hit man, Leo has gotten himself into some trouble. But luckily Jax is there to bail him out! Although, it looks like now, they could both use some help...

( This story may be unpleasant to some readers! Proceed with caution!)

Chapter 4




"Damn You Zac!  This is all your fault why we've been punish by cleaning the hallway by 3months! Arghhh!  i should punch your face! " Azle angrily giggled while we're walking heading out of the University. 


All class of us is now over,  Thanks to them. 1 Teacher didn't teach cause all of Mr. De Castro time is been used for scolding this two. And by their story,  Looks like Mr. De Castro is on his period this Month cause he totally punish Zac and Azle a big task. 



"Just Shut up Azle,  i'm not in the mood to fight with you. " Zac frowned while pouting. I look at him and smile. He smile too and gaze away like i've do something to him. I felt wierd, but its ok.  Maybe Zac is upset by their punishment so he's not in the mood. 




"Oh Guys,  By the way. Do you know the XX Company? " I ask out when we went out to the University.  Its make their attention back to me. "Hmm,  Yeah Why? " Azle answered.




"Ahh,  I See online yesterday that they need a vast of Writers who can make their company more Viscious. In short they are hiring some Freelance-Writer.  What do you think if i apply?" I opened up that make their eyebrows close to each other. 



"Can i ask why do you bother to apply for a job,  Nat-Nat?" Zac interferes. "I want to help my Mother pay the bills. you are aware that she is jobless right now,  do you? " They Nodded.  "-So, Even My Mom doesn't tell me.  I know she problem this everyday. " I said with full of pity to my Mom. 



"T-Then,  What about your Dad? isn't he helping you out for the expenses?" Azle ask that  i just answer by swaying my head. "You know My Mom,  She will not accept any help coming from Dad cause she is so prideful person. " after i say that.  They don't make a noise or any question so i guess i make them a little awkward.



"But Guys,  Don't Worry,  I can handle this. " I happily muttered that make them smile even its by force. "So,  I guess we don't have to worried about somethin' cause you said it.  We go now. " Azle shook her head cause she know that she can't convince me when i decide a thing, so she just give up easily. 




"Ok Then!  Keep safe!-




"But Nat-Nat,  A-Are you sure about this?  How about being a Writer?  You have Millions of Fans, and i-infact you can earn from that.  Why wouldn't you take that as an opportunity to earn instead of applying to an uneasy job? " And expect from Zac. He doesn't want the Idea that i'm gonna apply to a work. I must predict this earlier,



"Zac Listen. " I tap his shoulder with my right hand and give him a serious look. But He only giving me a pity look so i guess i must explain things to him more clearly so he can understood. 


"-My Being a Writer is only my hobby, And as much i can. I don't want to get paid for being a Writer and get my books a price cause i want my stories to be free to all people,  I want to reach everyone by it and enlighten them by my words,  I want my stories to be opened to all,  so i will not take your advice, Sorry. " 




I seriously explained to him that make his eyes circled. and after a minute. he smiled at me and tap my head like he did earlier. "Zaccc!!! " I Growl that make him laugh even more. "Sorry,  I just forget that you are grown man now and you can decide what is for good or not. But its your face fault! You look like so feminine that you look like a kid instead of a college boy so don't blame me! " He Shout that make me and Azle stair each other and by second of staring.  We release a massive laugh that can hear in the whole area. 



"So what day are you gonna apply? "




"Hmm,  Tomorrow."




"That fast Nat-Nat!?" I nod. "Yap,"





"So update us tomorrow then? Its the Jeep head to us, So Byeee Nathan! " Azle kiss my cheecks before pulling Zac inside the jeep that been stop in Front of our University, 




I made a hand gesture to them while the jeep is going away. I smiled when Zac hand gesture too,  haha.  That Guy,  




And the next thing event is i went home at the exact 9:00PM in the Evening. I'm Glad that my Mother is in our house, but ofcourse she's drunk again. But its ok,  atleast she didn't join the street guys.  I tell her too that i'm gonna apply for a job. But ofcourse not as a writer but a Waiter in some coffee shop near in QC to gain experience and explore. She allow me to join. though, she's happy that i will work cause for that i will not accept any gifts from my Dad cause i can buy them on my own. Tsk, 




But ofcourse i didn't get a fight to her and just think that i slip this away, cause maybe next time cause i must rest early today for the preparation tomorrow.




"Hmm,  I Wonder if the Boss of XX Company is old or Young, But i heard he is Young and handsome," I talk to myself while looking at the ceiling of my room. Imagining the face of the Owner of XX Company cause i get wonder what he is look like cuz' Google didn't have a picture of him at all,  expect from the rich. Very private. 



"But i read an article that he is so Handsome in person and a pure blooded Korean! " My curiousity is getting Wilder and Wilder each time past cause i'm dying to see if he is throughly handsome and young. but in the end i stop thinking of it cause i look like a pervert stalker! 



"Argh!!  I must sleep noww!! "




To be continue..... 




Trivias#3



Jeep- Is the most common transport vehicle in The Philppines. 


QC-Quezon, City a City in Manila where Network stations and Most Artist and Actors lives. 


Dont forget to Vote and Comments so i can know you morree!! See you in the next Chapter! 






mhuahhh!  :-D

Nathan Castillo Ramirez is a Famous Filipino known Erotic Writer in a Famous Global Platfrom. He love Writing Erotic Stories with lessons that catch the peoples heart so much, so in just a few years writing. He's pen name 'Call Me Nape' Was have a millions followers. they love Nathan so much even they really don't know what is the look of Nathan, cause Nathan identity is not yet announced in public cause he don't want to. 



Tho, He's Readers Love the way he write. its feel so true and so full with Loved each chapters that every readers heart catch. and by the those hands either, Nathan hook up his own Nightmare that will last forever, Soyu Park Doguk. Half Human-Half Demon. 






A/N: Filipino-English

Continue to invest in the low- and mid-tier authors? 
Ma Yiqun felt confused and bewildered. 
To him, Zhongdian Chinese Network's low- and mid-tier writers were already enjoying more than enough benefits. In fact, they were getting comparable treatment to big sites like Infinite Chinese Network.
However, it would be extremely difficult for low- and mid-tier writers to increase the revenue that they generated for the website. 
That was because writing was a form of creative art—it was very subjective. 
Some authors could not produce explosive works despite having written for ten years. Other gods grasped the essence of online literature after casually writing a million words and began aiming for the top. 
Thus, everything was dependent on the individual. 
Even if they poured all their efforts into finding and nurturing novel gods—as long as the authors' foundations remained the same, finding a novel god would be as difficult as winning the lottery. 
What if they invested in people who were not cut out for online literature? 
On the other hand, poaching people from other websites would prove more reliable. 
Still, since Boss Pei had spoken, Ma Yiqun had no choice but to obey. "Alright, Boss Pei. I'll do just that." 
… 
Ma Yiqun went back upstairs to Zhongdian Chinese Network and sat down in his office. He began to think about a concrete plan for the website. 
Boss Pei had already set the direction for him. The funds would not be used to poach authors from other websites but to continue investing in the low- and mid-tier writers of Zhongdian Chinese Network. 
Of course, the standards would be applied across the board. That meant that the top-tier writers would also get to enjoy the same benefits. 
However, top-tier writers would be more concerned that Zhongdian Chinese Network had not developed to the stage where it could sell copyrights. 
Their main source of income was still subscription fees from readers. Those were only considered side benefits to the top-tier writers; they would not be a huge factor to consider when making decisions. 
Ma Yiqun thought about it. 
To low- and mid-tier writers, Zhongdian Chinese Network could offer the same benefits that Infinite Chinese Network offered such as full-time remuneration. What's more, Zhongdian Chinese Network's standards were slightly higher. 
If Zhongdian Chinese Network was to offer more benefits, it had to offer benefits that other websites for online literature could never bear to.
What's more, although the benefits would be available to low- and mid-tier writers, the latter would be the focus. 
That was because there were far too many low-tier writers, and it would be impossible to consider all of them. 
Low-tier writers could even include people who only registered as authors on a whim and wrote several thousand words. 
If the website offered benefits to such people, it would be as good as a charity organization. No matter how much revenue the website generated, it would never be enough to cover its expenses. After all, it would be a pure loss-incurring transaction. 
Thus, the focus was mid-tier writers. 
The fact that they could rise a tier above the low-tier writers meant that they had the drive and skills to continue writing. They were more reliable and less likely to give up on their readers and quit the website. As they accumulated more experience, and with a bit of luck, some of them could be nurtured into top-tier writers.
Thus, the funds had to be invested in them. 
Ma Yiqun fell into deep thought. 
"Apart from royalties, readers, and fame which Infinite Chinese Network could provide as well; what else would these mid-tier writers need? 
"It's… security. 
"A career development plan and guidance… 
"A few social connections… 
"And… a more regulated, healthy life. 
"That means that only a portion of the writers can obtain this security. They will be selected through a rigorous process." 
Thinking that he had found the right direction, Ma Yiqun began to write his plan. 
Boss Pei was right. There was no way that Zhongdian Chinese Network would be able to compete with Infinite Chinese Network in terms of money. Even if the former could poach several authors over, they would not be able to keep doing so in the long-term. 
That was because Infinite Chinese Network had a huge reader base, many authors, and a greater ability to generate revenue. 
Thus, no matter which angle one looked at the problem from, Infinite Chinese Network could offer a more promising future to mid-tier writers than Zhongdian Chinese Network could. 
To attract more mid-tier writers to the website, Zhongdian Chinese Network would have to play to its strengths. It could not only work on visible aspects like royalties, readers, and exposure. Instead, it had to work on the invisible aspects. 
Basic security in life was one example. 
Authors did not earn basic salaries; neither did they have insurance or funds. After all, every book that they published was fraught with risk. Mid-tier writers' income was not considered low, but it was definitely not enough to compensate them for the risks that they had to expose themselves to regularly.
They could buy their own insurance and funds, but they would also have to pay the company's portion of the premiums. That was akin to paying double. 
Another example was a career development plan and guidance. 
Most authors were given free-reign. There were many authors and a few editors. Many mid-tier writers spoke less than a couple of sentences to their editors each year. 
Of course, many responsible and hardworking editors would discuss the author's writings with them. However, since there were too many boats chasing too few fish, only a small portion of writers would enjoy such treatment.
Many other writers ended up forming writing groups where they would discuss their experiences and grow together.
That arrangement could be compared to creating 'senior-partner' groups in companies. One could say that there was practically no career development or guidance offered in the online literature industry; authors were responsible for their own growth. 
The last example was a healthy lifestyle. 
Writers of online literature were free to create their own schedules. A common trap that many of them fell into was having irregular lifestyles. 
Having irregular lifestyles could affect one's body in many ways. For example, one could develop neck or back problems, high blood pressure, obesity, and the like. There had even been news reports of sudden deaths.
After all, one needed disciple to maintain a healthy lifestyle. 
Each person had different levels of discipline. Another important factor was one's environment. 
While at home, most people would only think about resting and playing; productivity would often be low. However, productivity would increase in an office or school. That was the power of one's environment. 
It would be hard to tell how disciplined full-time writers—who constantly wrote new chapters—were in other aspects of their lives, but they obviously had a high level of discipline when it came to work. 
Thus, after much thought, Ma Yiqun finally made up his mind. 
Zhongdian Chinese Network would start a class! 
It would not be a philosophical-type class, but a practical class that would provide security, provide career development plans and guidance, and nurture healthy lifestyles for mid-tier writers!
This was Ma Yiqun's initial plan: writers would be allowed to register, and the website's editors would shortlist thirty suitable candidates from the group of mid-tier writers at Zhongdian Chinese Network. 
That would be the first batch of guinea pigs, and Ma Yiqun would observe the effects of the class. 
The writers would be allowed to claim their expenses. Once they arrived in Jingzhou, their food and lodging would have been arranged. In any case, they could eat Fish-Catching Take-Out, and rent would not cost that much. 
The writers would also get a basic salary of three thousand yuan, and insurance and funds suitable for that amount.
Ma Yiqun would also find an office building near their accommodations, and rent thirty cheap workspaces. They would be required to clock in and out of work every day, according to Tengda's stipulated working hours. 
Apart from that, Ma Yiqun would organize regular discussions and sharing, where more successful writers could share their experience and learning points. 
Each time a writer wanted to start on a new book or became stuck at a point in the plot, they could discuss with the other writers and gather a variety of opinions. 
Under such circumstances, the writers would see each other more as friends and classmates than colleagues. 
Of course, not all writers would be interested in a practical class like that.
Many writers—the older and more experienced ones in particular—would not be interested in drawing a low salary, moving to Jingzhou, having meals and lodging provided, and clocking in and out of work like other writers. 
Writing online literature was a form of freelance work, and a benefit of freelance work was that one did not have to leave their houses. Wouldn't it defeat the purpose if they had to go to Jingzhou to write? 
Of course, Zhongdian Chinese Network would not force such writers to attend the practical class. 
Thus, the class would be targeted at the younger writers who did not have families yet. Those writers tended to have a lot of drive and potential, and they could improve quickly. Yet, they also had poor self-management skills and a set of expectations of society and their careers.
To test waters and observe results, the first practical class would last a month. 
If it did not prove effective, Ma Yiqun would increase the scale and extend the length in the future.
… 
After sending Ma Yiqun off, Pei Qian went back to studying. Less than half an hour later…
Ding! He received a message on his cell phone. 
Pei Qian picked it up and saw that it was a message from Chef Lin. 
"Boss Pei, a new high-end restaurant has opened in the city. It looks like it's competing with Ming Yun Private Kitchen. It's called Ming House, and it's targeting high-class customers as well! 
"I think it only opened two days ago. Ming Yun Private Kitchen has been seeing significantly fewer reservations. What should we do?" 
Pei Qian was stunned after reading the message. 
Ming House? 
A high-end restaurant seeking to compete with Ming Yun Private Kitchen? 
Could it be the restaurant that Boss Li and the others had invested in? 
Pei Qian recalled Boss Li mentioning this when they had met last month. Boss Li had said that he, Xue Zhebin, and Wang Peng had felt miserable because they had not been able to reserve a place at Ming Yun Private Kitchen. 
Thus, they had proposed working together with Pei Qian to turn the nameless restaurant into a franchise. However, Pei Qian had rejected them.
The three of them had had no choice but to start a restaurant on their own. 
Based on Pei Qian's calculations, Li Shi must have started preparations for the restaurant before proposing the idea to Pei Qian. That was why it could open for business two days ago. 
Pei Qian replied to Chef Lin's message with 'noted' and then called Li Shi. 
"Boss Li, is Ming House high-end restaurant that you started?" 
Li Shi smiled and said, "That's right, Boss Pei. What's the matter? You said you didn't care for it, but have you been paying attention to its progress in secret?" 
Pei Qian was speechless. 
Like h*ll, I've been paying attention to it. If Chef Lin had not sent me the message, I would not have found out that your high-end restaurant is already open for business. 
Pei Qian didn't bother to say more; he would only complicate matters if he did. Thus, he cut straight to the chase. "Boss Li, didn't I say that I'll have a meal at your restaurant once it opens for business? Why didn't you let me know?" 
Li Shi cleared his throat. "Hehe, Boss Pei, I'm really sorry. I've been very busy recently, and once I get busy, I become forgetful. What's more, I thought you were just being polite. 
"It was my mistake. How about this? Whenever you choose to come for a meal, I'll give you a thirty percent discount! That'll make it up to you." 
A thirty-percent discount? He isn't going to waive the bill? 
Boss Li was stingy indeed.
However, on further thought, Pei Qian realized that he could not accept a free meal even if Boss Li had offered. 
Since he offered a thirty-percent discount, then so be it. 
"Alright, let's not waste any time and make it today! Make a reservation for tonight on my behalf—I'll book the entire restaurant." Pei Qian sounded quite nonchalant. 
"Book… the entire restaurant? Tonight?" Li Shi was obviously at a loss for words. "It'll be a bit difficult to let you have the whole place tonight. Many people have already made reservations for 7 PM.
"I won't eat after 7 PM. I'll arrive at 4 PM and be done by 6 PM. There'll be time for you to clean up and receive your next batch of customers. I won't hold you up. 
"Do you have enough ingredients?" 
Pei Qian glanced at his watch. It was now 3:40 PM. 
Ming House was not far from here. He could reach the place in about twenty minutes. 
Li Shi remained silent for a while and then said, "We might run out of certain ingredients, but we have enough for the most part. Alright, Boss Pei! Of course, if you can come right now, it'll be great. We welcome you." 
Pei Qian, "Alright, see you soon." 
He hung up, jumped to his feet, and kept his notes. 
He couldn't study anymore; it was time to eat! 
They would arrive at 4 PM and eat until past 5 PM. That would be just right; everyone could rest once the workday ended. 


I really just want to lose money! T_T
Best boss ever, prodigy of the business world, genius creator, visionary of the century.
These are the descriptions used for Pei Qian, President of Tengda Corporation.
Ever since his rebirth, Pei Qian finds himself in possession of a system that rewards him if he manages to lose money.
Instantly, a brilliant idea comes to mind — making crappy games!
"If the game flops, all my investment cost will be lost!"
"How difficult can it be to lose money?"
Indeed... how difficult can it be?
------------------------------------------------------------
This book is highly popular in China and has set off a new trend. Webnovel has very high expectations for this book and has gotten the author to refine the first chapter as an exclusive for global readers. We hope everyone will enjoy reading it.

"Doctor Ling, I can see that you're using ASA physical status classification and CPET test before the surgery."
"You even sent the patient for a Doppler ultrasonography, CT scan, and MRI scan beforehand. Doctor Ling, you really play it safe when it comes to preoperative examination."
"You control perioperative bleeding well."
"How do you plan to carry out the patient's post-surgical care in the early stages?"
The tables and chairs in the conference room had been rearranged with Ling Ran sitting at the frontmost to show that everyone in the room had an equal status when it came to the discussion. 
Most of the doctors who came from outside the province had taken up the front seats. They were scrambling for the microphone to ask Ling Ran questions.
Hepatectomy was something many doctors spent all their lives perfecting.
Unlike Ling Ran, a young and handsome doctor who was backed up by a system, the making of a renowned doctor usually involved a good education background and a good teacher. They would then rise from being resident doctors to attending physicians before becoming an associate professor. From the time they were senior attending physicians up until the time they were associate professors, they would strive to perform as many surgeries as possible while figuring out their direction. Lastly, on the day they become chief physicians, they would be taking their first step in determining their specialization. 
They would know whether they were good in cholecystectomy, hepatectomy, urethroplasty, and other such surgeries. After they determined their specialization, they would need to take five to eight years to become an authoritative figure in the field.
After that, they would have to depend on their talent, hard work, luck and most importantly, lifespan.
Doctors took two or three years to learn a new surgical method, and they would need at least five years to become extremely skilled in it.
This was why doctors who managed to become leaders of treatment groups, hence having the right to determine which surgical method to pursue, at the age of forty-five was completely different compared to those who only get to lead their own treatment groups at the age of fifty-five.
Many doctors who were present in the conference were ordinary doctors, and many of them were working on mastering their first surgical method. Many of them could even foresee that they would only be performing hepatectomy for the rest of their lives. Hence, they took everything related to hepatectomy very seriously.
They had heard about how the death rate among Ling Ran's patients was low. This was why they were throwing many questions at Ling Ran, even if some of them were only there out of curiosity.
Ling Ran answered those questions in a leisurely manner.
He possessed Master Level Hepatectomy and had now carried out a few hundred hepatectomies. That alone allowed him to answer the crowd's questions to their satisfaction without any problem.
Truth be told, Ling Ran did not find any of the questions difficult even though the doctors in the conference room had been throwing questions at him for the past half an hour.
Slowly, even the more slow-witted doctors started to realize this.
The way they looked at and spoke to Ling Ran slowly changed.
"Good day, Doctor Ling. I have a question…"
"Doctor Ling, I am facing a difficulty right now. When it comes to patients with cirrhosis and portal hypertension, can hepatectomy still be carried out in most cases…"
"Doctor Ling, regarding the question just now, I am a little curious…"
When Gao Meng, who was standing at the sidelines, realized that the doctors were addressing Ling Ran with increasing respect, he could not help but lower his head to hide his astonishment.
Even though he did not know much about medicine, he knew doctors very well.
Doctors, especially surgeons, were extremely arrogant and impolite people. Usually, a surgeon would have to rely on power to garner submission and respect from other doctors.
If the surgeon was not powerful enough, it would be pretty hard to garner acknowledgment from other surgeons. They would need to carry out more than one demonstrative surgery or perform an extremely excellent demonstrative surgery.
As Gao Meng glanced at Ling Ran, who was only a little over twenty years old, at the doctors around him, and at the pharmaceutical sales representatives around the doctors who looked like they could not wait to extort a large sum of money out of those doctors, he could not help but suck in a sharp breath.
The demonstrative surgery today really went astonishingly well.
However, Ling Ran, who was the center of attention, looked calm.
Ling Ran was extremely used to being the center of attention. Ever since he was young, even when he walked in the streets, people would crowd around him. This was even truer when he was around those he knew. Back in the days, the people organized all kinds of events in his school and his neighborhood would try all means and methods to involve him in those events. In the instances where they succeeded, the events would receive the type of attention that was almost impossible to achieve at a time when the internet was not a widespread thing.
Due to the work environment in Yun Hua Hospital, Ling Ran got to enjoy some peace and quiet whenever he operated on patients.
However, Ling Ran was actually good in dealing with a crowd.
He just needed to nod and smile to please the crowd.
Other than that, Ling Ran merely needed to focus on the matter at hand. By doing this, he managed to keep all the doctors focused on the conference that was going on.
…..
The conference was going on in an orderly manner, and it was even a little draggy.
There was actually a formula for ordinary demonstrative surgeries.
The doctors involved would have headsets on as they skillfully carried out the surgeries in style, while the doctors participating in the conferences drink tea and watch the surgeries like they were watching a spring festival gala. [1] They would remember what they could after they watched the surgeries once, and forget about what they could not remember.
Many doctors hope to make themselves known by carrying out numerous demonstrative surgeries. They were basically like celebrities who make a name for themselves by appearing on the spring festival gala.
But there were obviously many things that drew the crowd to Ling Ran, as even though there was another demonstrative surgery going on in the afternoon, there were still doctors asking Ling Ran questions. By the time the conference was ending, there were still quite a lot of people in the conference room.
This was when a doctor who was clad in a shirt walked over to Ling Ran and said, "Doctor Ling, there seem to be quite a few hospitals that offer hepatectomy in Changxi Province."
"Yeah." Even though Ling Ran did not really understand what the doctor was trying to say, he still gave a short reply.
The doctor who was wearing a shirt flashed a smile. "Things are not the same in Yandong Province. Up until now, there are still very few hospitals that offer hepatectomy in our province. Our hospital, too, is only at the beginning stages of offering hepatectomy…"
"You guys can hire Doctor Ling over for freelance surgery." Huo Congjun crept out of one of the dark corners, and Ling Ran, as well as the doctor who was wearing a shirt, had no idea when he actually appeared.
The doctor who was clad in a shirt froze for a moment and smiled. "Our hospital is collaborating with a hospital in Shanghai."
"Oh, so your hospital can't even afford to hire a freelance surgeon?" Huo Congjun nodded at Ling Ran and said with a smile, "It's almost time for dinner."
"Sure." Ling Ran did not mind.
This was when Gao Meng ran over and led the crowd to where they were supposed to have dinner. After they walked for a while, none of them mentioned the topic they were conversing about anymore.
"In the future, more people will be hiring you for freelance surgery when it comes to hepatectomy." Huo Congjun tugged at Ling Ran's sleeve and said in a hushed tone.
Huo Congjun would not have said this to any other doctors, as he would just be making things too obvious.
But Huo Congjun was worried that Ling Ran would not be able to understand what he was saying if he did not put things so obviously.
When Huo Congjun saw that Ling Ran had nodded in acknowledgment at what he just said, he explained, "It seems that the demonstrative surgery went really well. If you don't raise your price right now, it'll be hard to do so after more people hire you for freelance surgery. Of course, only talk about it after a few hospitals hire you for freelance surgery. If you do your job well, the first few hospitals hiring you for freelance surgery would know what to do in the future." 
As Ling Ran had worked in the hospital for quite a while, he knew quite a few things about hospitals. He could not help but glance at Huo Congjun and said, "Most department directors wouldn't encourage their doctors to go for freelance surgery."
"Most doctors wouldn't fill up all the rooms either." Huo Congjun sighed and continued, "I don't know when would be the next time we're able to build more rooms. You must fully utilize the existing hospital beds."
"Okay."
"Fill up the hospital beds in the Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery first."
"Erm, okay?"
"The Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery is just a small department, and you can easily bully them. Don't worry about it."
"Okay…" Ling Ran felt that he had learned something new today.


Ling Ran, a med school senior, begins to see the world like a game UI. He uses it to pave his way towards graduation, a residency, becoming the greatest doctor in the world... And finally getting a Transformer from his newbie packs? Maybe. We don't know yet.


Emma sat at her desk, looking at her computer screen. She reached up, pulling a pencil from the bun she had her hair rolled up in. She jotted down a note and then stood up from her desk and walked out of the room. She casually looked at the boxes in the hallway and then walked into the kitchen. As she rounded the corner, she heard Steven talking on the phone.
"I don't care what time they put it in! It just needs to be in by tomorrow." 
He smiled at Emma as she walked in. He pulled the phone from his ear and whispered, "I'll be done here in a minute." 
Emma walked over to the teapot on the stove and poured some water in a cup, then grabbed a teabag. Steven hung up the phone and tossed it to the counter.
"So, that was Maggie! Every time I talk to her, she makes me wish we were back at the magazine fighting it out with Gregg and the rest of the writers. Gregg was easy compared to that woman. I can't deal with her deadlines or her expectations. She wants the next edits by Tuesday." 
He walked over, grabbed her tea and took a sip.
"Thanks for the tea." He grinned. "And you don't have time to drink tea, so back to work." 
Emma laughed and then took her cup from him. "Did she send the advance like she said she would?" 
Steven scoffed. "No, and I told her it had to be in tomorrow-or else."
Emma sipped her tea and then laughed. "I'm just glad you're dealing with the business side of this and I'm dealing with the writing."
Steven laughed as Emma turned and walked from the counter. He yelled after her, "The moving truck is due in tomorrow too, and they say they can have the flat packed up and done by tomorrow afternoon."
Emma yelled back down the hall, "That's fine! I can work while they pack."
Steven looked around the corner to her. "No, you can't. You know they will be too noisy."
She shrugged. "Ok, well, then what do you suggest I do? You were the one complaining about Maggie and deadlines, and you have work to do too-When is that freelance piece you were working on due?" 
Steven disappeared back around the corner. "It's due when I get it done because it's freelance-And don't deflect to me. You're the one with the big book contract and the agent. I have no boss-so back to work," he teased.
Emma mumbled under her breath, "Yes, I know this is all my doing." 
She bit her lip as she looked back to her computer.She then took a deep breath and began to type.
For my parents, Elizabeth and Joseph Martinson, without you, I would have never learned what true love was.
****
In the Spring of 2014 Emma Martinson - Lofton left New York and Time Magazine. She made the long journey back to her childhood home in Harrison Indiana where she and Steven still live. Steven works as a freelance writer for Time and is a regular contributor to National Geographic and several other magazines. She still writes and has sold her first novel. She can be found most mornings on a hillside with her computer at the back of her family's farm. She has also taken on a few new roles these days as a wife and mother. Their sons' name is Joseph. 
In the fall of 2012, one of the largest treasure troves of personal photographs was supplied to the World War II museum in New Orleans by an anonymous source. The photographs of Guadalcanal were untouched and unseen by anyone before. One of the more interesting shots was from a famous photographer by the name of Robert Capa. Robert was revered as one of the most influential photographers from World War II. He is well known for swimming ashore at Omaha beach during the first wave. Only a few of the one hundred shots he took that day made it. Within the trove of photos delivered to the museum, they found numerous shots of sunrises. It seemed there was a sunrise from each beach landing in the Pacific. 
Robert died in South East Asia while on assignment for Time life and his friend Joseph Martinson passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 9th, 2012. Eight weeks to the day his Elizabeth joined him at 7:59 A.M. just as the sun rose.
Emma's still looking for her father's hidden lake.










World War II ended over four years ago for Joe Martinson and when he returned home to his little Indiana town, he hoped to forget the past and move on, but if you ask his father Henry, Joe never moved on and all he does is hide from the world behind the lens of his camera.
Joe is convinced he can exist in his quiet, uncomplicated life, burying the memory of all he faced, that is until he comes face to face with Elizabeth Thompson, his one true love from long ago. 
At a time when Joe and Elizabeth are lost in a world that seems to be changing before their eyes, they come face to face with their past, and the possibility of a future they never imagined.
As they rekindle their love affair, Elizabeth teaches Joe to confront the ghosts of war. She helps him find a life that was almost lost to him, but she also helps him tell his story, their story, which will forever change both of their lives.



When Tallulah left the shelter, it was after 2:00 pm. She spent the entire afternoon with Marc. She thought he was amazing. He owned a limo company and was a Lyft driver part-time. He told her he volunteered at the shelter as a way to give back.
"When I was a kid," he said, "me, my mom, sister, and brother stayed at a shelter. I know what it means not to know where you're going to sleep or when you're going to eat."
Those words resonated with her as she walked up the steps to her 2nd-floor apartment. She was deep in thought when she heard a voice call her name.
"Lula, mija, is that you?"
Mrs. Herrera was standing in the doorway of her apartment. She'd taken to Tallulah instantly. She insisted on calling her Lula. Tallulah had told Mrs. Herrera her grandmother called her that. "Well, I'll call you Lula, too. Such a pretty name," Mrs. Herrera remarked one day while helping Tallulah paint her apartment.
"Yes, Mrs. Herrera, it's me."
"Home a little earlier today, huh?" Mrs. Herrera asked.
"Yeah, I was at the Marigold shelter. I'm doing a story," she answered.
She was always trying to feed Tallulah. "I have some tamales if you're interested?" Tallulah could smell the aroma of homecooked Mexican food coming out of Mrs. Herrera's apartment. She was a great cook. Tallulah could eat her food anytime, but she had no appetite. She couldn't get the images of the people at the shelter out of her mind.
"No, thank you, I'm just not hungry," she replied.
"Well, if you get hungry, come get some. I made extra for my grandchildren, but they haven't shown up yet."
"I will. Thank you, Mrs. H. I really appreciate it," Tallulah said and continued up the steps.
Once inside her apartment, she dropped her bag and took off her shoes. She then walked over to her laptop sitting on the kitchen table and opened it. She clicked on her email and found the message from You & Me. She took a deep breath, pulled out her cell phone, and dialed the number listed in the message.
The voice on the other end of the phone said, "Sharon Eckerson's office. This is Patty. How may I help you?"
Tallulah stammered, "Ah, ah, yes, my name is Tallulah Brock. I received an email from Mrs. Eckerson regarding freelancing." She paused.
"Hold, please, Ms. Brock," Patty replied.
After several moments of dead air, a voice came on the phone. "Hello, Tallulah, this is Sharon Eckerson. Thank you for calling me." She replied, "Thank you."
"I received your email," Sharon continued. Tallulah could hear paper shuffling in the background. "Yes, yes. Hold on, I have your information right here in front of me. Now, if I remember correctly, you write for a newspaper, correct?"
Tallulah was nodding her head. "Yes. It's a local small paper. I've been with it since its beginnings." She could hear more paper shuffling in the background.
"Well, I've had the opportunity to read your samples. I think you're very talented, Tallulah. I'm looking for writers for freelance opportunities. Does this interest you?" Sharon asked.
"Very much. I love writing for the paper. But as I said, it's small. I have free time and could contribute to other publications."
"Great," said Sharon. "Why don't we set up a more formal interview? Most of my freelance writers live in other cities, so we can do this by Skype. Does that work for you?" Tallulah smiled. "Yes, Skype is fine."
"Perfect," said Sharon. "I'll have my assistant set everything up. It'll be myself and Sylvia Blass, the magazine's owner."
"That will be great," said Tallulah, smiling into the phone.
"I do have one more question. Do you read You & Me?" Sharon asked.
Tallulah thought for a moment. She could hear her grandmother in her head.
If you start out honest, it's easier to stay honest.
"No, I don't read it on a regular basis. I am familiar with the format."
Sharon laughed. "Well, there's something to be said for honesty. It's okay. We're a fashion magazine, Tallulah. We didn't start out that way in our 15 years of being around. Actually, You & Me started out as a gossip magazine. Like The Enquirer. It was called Chatter. About 12 years ago, Sylvia came in and re-branded and changed the direction of the magazine. Don't worry. Reading it isn't a prerequisite for the job. I just really wanted to know."
Tallulah felt a wave of relief run through her body. "I just want to be honest," she said.
"No worries. I'll have my assistant set up a Skype interview. I'm thinking next week, but my calendar isn't in front of me. I'll have her call you today or tomorrow for confirmation. It's been a pleasure, Tallulah," Sharon said.
"Thank you for the opportunity," Tallulah said and hung up.
She sat for a moment, then jumped up and danced around her apartment, still holding on to her cell phone.
"Yes yes yes yes!" she said.
She jumped on the sofa and danced around some more, then suddenly heard a knock at the door.
"Lula, are you okay?"
She stopped jumping.
"Yes, Mrs. Herrera. I'm fine," she answered as she walked toward the door. She unlocked it, opened it, and saw Mrs. Herrera standing in front of her with a plate covered in aluminum foil.
"I heard pounding and wondered if you were okay?" Mrs. Herrera said, sounding worried. Tallulah moved to the side and let her in. "I'm good, Mrs. H. I was just jumping around the apartment," she said.
"That's a strange way to behave," said Mrs. Herrera as she walked into the apartment. "I thought you might be hungry."
She handed Tallulah the plate. Tallulah took it and closed the door. "I was jumping around because I have an interview next week!"
Mrs. Herrera smiled. "That's so good, mija. All the more reason for you to eat. Tamales. Eat." Tallulah took the plate into the small kitchen and unwrapped the foil, then picked up a tamale and took a bite.
"Ohhh, so good, Mrs. H. You should sell these," she said while chewing the food.
Mrs. Herrera smiled. "It's nothing. Something to keep me busy. I get lonely in my apartment. I like to cook."
Tallulah smiled. "Well, I love to eat, so we're a match."
Mrs. Herrera nodded her head. "I'm going to go. I'll get the plate later."
She opened the door and let herself out. Tallulah watched as she walked down the stairs. When she heard the apartment door open and shut, she closed her door.
 
* * *
 
Chloe was in a shopping mood. She thought she might have a problem with shopping but shook the idea from her head. Was it her fault if she made great money and had a sense of fashion? She just couldn't help herself. She loved makeup, clothes, bags, and jewelry, but she loved shoes the most. She blamed her mother.
She remembered being little, going into her mother's closet, and seeing nothing but shoes. High shoes, low shoes, pointy shoes, round shoes, shoes of all colors. She would play in the closet for hours. She would put on one of her mother's dresses, then a pair of shoes to match. She would parade around the closet, looking at herself in the full-length mirror.
Chloe had called Tallulah and told her to meet her for a day of shoe shopping. She needed her to be on time and motivated. As she waited, she started to get cold and impatient, then finally spotted her walking toward her. She waved and motioned for her to hurry up.
Shoe shopping with Chloe was a mission. She had so many pairs of shoes, she'd outgrown her closet and started using her living room to show off her array of heels, flats, pumps, sandals, and boots.
"I need a pair of power shoes for my meeting with Stanley Roberts," Chloe said while dragging Tallulah into the 6th shoe store of the day.
"All those shoes you have? Seriously?" Tallulah said, looking around the store.
"Yes. I need something that says, 'I can handle whatever you throw at me.' Feel me?"
Chloe smiled and turned and walked toward a display of Vivienne Westwood pumps. Tallulah sighed and begrudgingly followed her. After what seemed like hours, Chloe had triumphantly picked out a pair of Stuart Weitzman pumps that set her back just over $700.
It took everything in Tallulah's power not to say anything. To her, $700 was rent, food, and electricity. Definitely not a pair of shoes.
"These will set me apart from everyone else, T," Chloe gleefully said while putting the shoes on the counter.
"It should. They're as much as rent," Tallulah said.
"I'll look great, and the shoes definitely make the suit I just got," Chloe said with excitement.
"Can you afford $700 shoes?" Tallulah asked.
"Bitch, the question is, can I afford not to buy these shoes? The answer is, no, no, no. I must have them." Chloe smiled at her.
Tallulah smiled back and thought, Shoes are her crack. She just can't help it.
A young, stylish looking woman with long blonde hair was in front of them, speaking with a sales clerk. Tallulah caught herself listening to their conversation.
"You've got excellent taste in shoes," the clerk remarked to the blonde lady.
"I saw them and absolutely had to have them," the blonde replied back.
Tallulah watched the clerk and blonde go through the transaction.
"That will be $846.13. How do you wish to pay?" The clerk smiled at the blonde and gave her an approving look.
"I think I'll use one of my credit cards," the blonde replied and started going through her wallet, deciding which card to use. "Hmmm…I think it'll be AMEX today," she said and handed the card to the clerk.
Tallulah watched the clerk swipe the card and hand it back to the blonde. She then bagged up the shoes and handed them and the receipt to the blonde.
"Enjoy, and come back again." The blonde smiled and took her purchase.
The clerk looked at Chloe and Tallulah. She half-smiled and said, "Did you find something you like?"
Chloe pointed to the shoes on the counter, then turned to Tallulah. "I'm winning in these shoes, girl. Do you hear me? Winning." She then pulled out her wallet and handed the clerk her credit card.
Tallulah half-smiled and watched as the sales clerk took Chloe's credit card. She had a look of disapproval on her face.
"Ummm…do you have any ID?" the clerk asked, looking at both of them suspiciously. "We've had some issues with stolen credit cards, and I need to verify this card is valid." The clerk half-smiled and waited for Chloe to present her ID.
You didn't ask the lady in front of us for ID," Tallulah responded.
"Oh…well, she's a regular customer, so no need. I know her. Do you have ID or not? It's for your protection as much as ours." The clerk looked intently at Tallulah. "Are you saying this card may be stolen?" Chloe ask.
"Oh, no, it's just...well...they are $700 shoes, and, well…" The clerk trailed off.
Tallulah looked at Chloe, who had that Not today, bitch look on her face, but before she could speak, Tallulah took the ID out of Chloe's hand and handed it to the clerk. "See, they match," Tallulah remarked.
"Oh, so they do," replied the clerk.
She watched as the clerk swiped the card and bagged up her purchase.
"Enjoy, and just so you know, all sales are final, and we do not accept used merchandise." Chloe looked at the clerk, then Tallulah.
"You know what…" Chloe started.
Tallulah grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the exit. She didn't let go of Chloe until they were clear of the store.
"What the fuck just happened? That bitch just assumed I couldn't afford to buy the goddamn shoes!" Chloe yelled. "I'm so tired of this shit, fucking assumptions based on skin color," she continued. "Now, the old me would have just jumped over the counter and snatched her ass up!"
"Well, let's be glad the old you didn't show up. The last thing I need is to be bailing your crazy ass outta jail," Tallulah joked.
"I'm serious, T. That's bullshit. I'm tired of this shit. Damn." Chloe sat down on the bench and folded her arms. "What more do we need to do? What?"
Tallulah saw the seriousness in Chloe's face and walked slowly over to the bench and sat down.
She took a deep and breath and said, "Look, I know it's hard to be Black sometimes, but we can't be what they think we are. We're better than what they think. I know they expect us to act a certain way."
"You mean ghetto," Chloe interrupted.
"Okay, ghetto. But we know we're educated sistas out here, doing the damn thing. The minute we lower ourselves to their level, we've lost. Haven't we?"
They sat quietly on the bench.
"It may be subtle, but it's still racist," Chloe said, breaking the long silence.
"I know, girl, but look at it this way. That bitch is still going to work at a shoe store while we out killin' it. We gotta stay on our grind, right?" Tallulah smiled at Chloe.
"You're right, as always. The yin to my psycho yang. Let's go get us a taco." Chloe jumped up. "I'm buying. I got you."
"You'd better." Tallulah stood up, and they headed to the taco stand. "Better not tell Zoe we settled for tacos," she said with a smile.
"Can't nobody be eating that damn pie every day. I'll be as big as all outside," Chloe said.
They both laughed and walked toward the taco stand.
Sharon walked into Sylvia's office, carrying a folder with her. As she sat down on the small sofa located near the large window, Sylva looked and up. "Oh, is it that time?" she said. Sharon nodded her head. Sylvia walked over to the sofa and sat down. "So, what do you have for me?" she asked.
Sharon shifted on the sofa and cleared her throat. "Well, I've been interviewing freelance writers all week, and this is the cream of the crop." Sharon handed the folder to Sylvia, who looked through each applicant while humming. Sharon sat patiently, not wanting to interrupt her. Finally, she spoke. "Tallulah? You can't get more southern than that."
Sharon didn't speak. She wasn't sure if Sylvia expected an answer or was just commenting to herself. Sylvia continued going through the file, the finally put it down and looked at Sharon. "Well, all of these writers look pretty good. I mean, I'm no editor, but I like what you've brought me." She smiled an eerie smile.
Sharon answered, "I'm setting up Skype interviews for next week. Are you available?"
Sylvia frowned. "Probably not. I'm going to the Maldives for a friend's anniversary party. Didn't I mention that to you?" Sharon shook her head no. "Well, it doesn't matter. I trust you can handle things by yourself. I mean, you are the editor, for God's sake. I just want someone who'll do as they're told, write the way I think it should be written – and no foreigners this time, Sharon. I can't stand a thick accent. We need someone who can speak to our readers. You know, speak their language."
Sharon could feel herself getting warm all over. She bit her lip. Sylvia looked at her. "Yes, Sylvia. I understand what we're looking for," Sharon answered.
"Good. Now, did you fire Maria?" Sharon nodded her head yes. "Good. Her foreign gibberish was making me nauseous. I mean, my God, this is America; speak English. Is it really that difficult?"
Sharon took a deep breath before speaking. "Sylvia, Maria spoke three languages. She was a good writer and a good employee. I hated to see her go."
Sylvia stood up. "Well, that's why I'm the owner. I have to make the tough decisions. If she speaks 3 languages, then English is what she should have spoken while she was here. Our readers want to know we hold ourselves to a certain…standard. Everyone in your file looks good. So, hire 1 or 2. We'll need them for the spring anniversary issue." Sylvia smiled. Her voice was condescending and demeaning. "You can go now."
She waved Sharon away as if she were a fly. Sharon stood up, picked up the file, and left the office.
"I love my job. I love my job. I love my job," Sharon repeated all the way to her office. She walked in and shut the door. "She is such a wicked old bitch!"
 
 
<gdiv></gdiv>

You Sound White is the story of protagonist Tallulah and a cast of young aspiring African-American women five years post-college. Her writing career has not taken off as she has planned and is working three jobs to make ends meet. She has grown up in a world that judges her by her skin color and how she talks. Her life takes an unexpected turn when she befriends a homeless woman named Lily. Tallulah realizes that there is a story there and as Lily's past materializes, her own life is illuminated and dissected in ways she could never imagine.

Back on Planet Golden Gate…
The round trip had taken him close to a month. The twenty-four spaceships that Han Xiao had taken returned to Base No. 1. The pillaging ships were smaller in size, and after modifying the messy coating on their exteriors, these were absorbed into the assault fleet.
The Crow Grade ship was on the same grade as a Violent Falcon Grade battleship, so it was stored in the hangar. After it was repaired, it could be put into use.
Including those spaceships, Han Xiao had close to a hundred spaceships under his fleet. It was divided into four divisions. One was the strategic core division that was made of the Fortress Grade flagship alone. The second was the battleship division formed by Violent Falcon Grade and Crow Grade ships, in charge of guarding and direct combat. The third was the assault fleet formed by the seized DarkStar assault ships and the galactic pirate pillaging ships, with speed superiority. The fourth was the rented carrier spaceship division used to transport manpower.
As for the BlackLight Stealth, it was for Han Xiao and Han Xiao only. Made by the Federation of Light, its grade and performance were way ahead of all other spaceships in the Black Star Army. Also, Risda was not willing to let too many people use his body.
Watching the last spaceship being parked in the hangar, Han Xiao had Phillip close its gate and locked Sykes and the other captives in the secret cell of Base No.1.
This cell had been built from an extremely strong alloy, covered with many automatic weapons such as cannons, nerve gas, sedative injectors, large vacuum gravity field, and many others. Inside the walls were many mini cameras monitored by Phillip at all times. The security was extremely tight to prevent the captives from escaping.
Because he had extracted the Super-Gene of those captives every day on the way back, they all were weak, including Sykes.
Since Calamity Grades were able to recover much faster, Sykes received special treatment. His production rate was more than five times that of the others.
Han Xiao had stored hundreds of Ability Potions that were categorized. Some were for his own use; some were sold in the faction store.
The interior of Base No.1 was filled with bridges like a beehive. As Han Xiao walked on the streets, players could be seen everywhere, getting used to the new Main City.
Many people looked at Han Xiao. He was a renowned NPC in the eyes of the players, and he was the leader of the faction. When the players saw him, they all felt a sense of closeness to him, and quite a number greeted him, to which Han Xiao nodded back in reply.
There were many issues in the faction waiting to be resolved. Han Xiao checked through Sylvia's homework then returned to his room. He took out a concentrated nutrition bar and started chewing while settling these issues.
The first issue was to clean up after the missions carried out by the many players.
Other than Planet Sunil, most of the players carrying out missions around the Garton Star System had completed and returned. This was the first large scale hiring event for Black Star Army, so Han Xiao took it quite seriously. He told Phillip to filter out the problematic records in it and browsed through them one by one.
Of course, not all players were doing well. Some of the players had a rather low mission completion percentage. Furthermore, there was even a small group of people that messed around and completely messed up the mission, sullying the name of the Black Star Army. For the former, Han Xiao told Phillip to send a sincere apology to the employer on behalf of the Black Star Army. As for the latter, the Credibility Rating of their mercenary profile was deducted, and the grade of the missions that they could accept was lowered.
Since Han Xiao wanted to expand the Black Star Army with the help of the players, he was prepared for the problems that came with it. The issues now were all small problems. The effect brought by the players was much more beneficial than detrimental.
The first large scale hire event stabilized the name brought by the Godora award ceremony.
When looking for mercenaries, the employers in the Garton Star System all chose the local Black Star Army as their first choice. The Mercenary Alliance recognized the Black Star Army's position in the Garton Star System as the top of the industry and provided them with a continuous supply of high-quality employment missions.
The result of this was that the business of the Garton Star System mercenary industry was practically monopolized by the Black Star Army. Although the population of a Star System was very high, not many people needed mercenaries. The freelance mercenaries in the Garton Star System suddenly started to notice that they could hardly find high-quality hires anymore. The list given to them by the Mercenary Alliance consisted of most low reward jobs.
The freelance mercenaries were very jealous of the business enjoyed by the Black Star Army. Many people had realized that if the Black Star Army continued to grow at this pace, the available jobs in the Garton Star System would all be finished sooner or later, and the new jobs would then be taken by the Black Star Army as well. Then, the freelance mercenaries could very likely end up with no job, which was a very horrible future to think about.
The rise of the Black Star Army could not be stopped. The freelance mercenaries had to choose one of three paths. First was to not care about future developments and continue doing what they were doing; second was to leave the Garton Star System and find jobs in another place; third was to request to join the Black Star Army.
Quite a few freelance mercenaries took the third path. The Black Star Army was increasing in size and had an extremely good name, and since Black Star Army was on its way to monopolize the entire mercenary industry of the Garton Star System, joining them did not seem like a bad choice after all. From the victims of the Black Star Army's rise, there could be some who benefitted from it and enjoyed the Black Star Army's businesses.
In Han Xiao's plan, there was a part of it that included increasing their name with the players in order to attract freelance mercenaries. After the players joined, their size exploded to hundreds of thousands of members. The facilities of their base were mostly complete, and they had ample funds, so he was not planning to control the Black Star Army's number of members. He told Phillip to filter the background of the freelance mercenaries that requested to join, who then deleted some that were clearly incompetent and were there just for the easy missions, leaving those who were skilled and had good records.
About 7,000 freelance mercenaries were left after the first selection.
However, this number was still not decided yet. Han Xiao told Phillip to send a notice to those mercenaries to come to Base No.1 for an interview fifteen days later. Some would be disqualified again, and only the ones who remained after that would be recruited by the Black Star Army.
Recruiting more freelance mercenaries was a very important step of the Black Star Army's expansion.
The second issue waiting to be resolved was also related to the players.
After the first independent hiring event, these players were more familiar with the galactic environment and mission flow. Many players shared the difficulties that they met during the hires on the forums.
Han Xiao paid attention to these problems. In his previous life, he had also experienced the stage of not being used to the new environment after first entering the universe, so he had expected this. He knew about most of the difficulties the players faced.
As early as one year before Version 2.0 started, a part of his machinery production line had been building support items, which were intended to help with the players' ability to carry out missions.
Now that there was finally a demand for this, Han Xiao planned to put these mechanical items into the faction store as well. The timing was perfect—the players were just done with their first hire, and most of them had to return to Base No.1. The sales were definitely going to rocket.
…
In the store area of Base No.1, many people were going in and out. This was the place with the highest player density.
Although they could shop online through Phillip, they could only see the physical item at the store, which was also the collection point.
Many players used their latest earnings to buy equipment.
At this time, the faction store suddenly refreshed. A number of new items were placed at the top of the list with a very visible 'NEW' sign in their top right corner.
"New items so soon?"
"Let's see what they are."
Every update to the store would attract attention from a large number of players, and this time was no exception.
Di di di…
The sound of communicators rang continuously in the crowd. Many people took out their communicators to take a look. It was Phillip's supporting program that announced the update of the store, which could be browsed through the pre-order list.
Very soon, players realized that the new items were surprisingly not combat equipment.
They looked at the introduction of the new items.
_____________________
[Mini Land Flattening Core]—Quickly changes the terrain of a small area into flat ground suitable for a temporary stronghold. The specific measurements are…
[Multi-functional Airdrop Bag]—Includes many machines needed for airdrop, suitable for various situations occurring during airdrop…
[Portable Mini Folded Fortress]—Can be expanded on unoccupied land, forming a temporary alloy fortress to be used as a stronghold, equipped with stronghold weapon slots and basic security functions…
[Automatic Guarding Cannon Turret]—Large caliber cannon, includes 1,000 Iron Core Shots, 300 Armor Piercing Shots. Provides firepower support…
[Patrolling Sentry]—Mini scouting robot, able to scout, patrol, and alert, can be used as a sentry for a stronghold…
[Interference Resistant Electromagnetic Bracelet]—Resists electromagnetic interference and data hacking to a certain extent…
[Portable Strong Electromagnetic Interference Device]—Interfere with the functions of the machines within a certain range…
[Nuclear Flying Backpack]—Provides long duration flying ability, includes self-destruction option…
[Force Resonator]—Adjustable vibration frequency, able to shatter metal and concrete buildings within a large distance…
[Worker Bee Armor]—Single Unit Mining Armor, used to gather minerals and fuel. Equipped with multi-functional digging tools and mineral firearms. High weight, suitable for handling ores…
_____________________
The players faced complex environments while carrying out the missions. The mission requirements varied, including but not limited to infiltration, pursuit, mining, scouting, assassination, combat, and others. Sudden developments often occurred.
Although these mercenaries added by Han Xiao were not equipment that heightened one's combat capability, they could allow one to adapt to many situations. These were tactical items that could efficiently increase the players' ability to deal with accidents, enhancing their performance as mercenaries.
The technology used in these machines was not advanced, but they were things the players needed very much. They were cheap, useful support items.
For machines such as the turret, they were something that Han Xiao had created long ago. He had been using the turrets, but only now did he sell them to the players in large quantities. He was not yet selling the more advanced electromagnetic turrets and energy turrets but gunpowder turrets. The average level of the players now was around seventy, so the gunpowder turrets were still quite useful.
Some Mechanic players at the time could also build some of these products, but in terms of quality, cost, and price, their products were grossly inferior compared to those on the Black Star Army store.
These functional items were just right for the new needs of the players.
"These seem very useful."
"I was just about to accept a job. These new items came right on time."
The players were pleasantly surprised.
Not only the players in Base No.1, but the players who were on Sunil or doing missions on other planets also received Phillip's notification. They were all very tempted.
Especially the 200,000 players in Planet Sunil. They were dealing with the Catastrophe, so they had to deal with the complicated wilderness situations and even clear out the underground Prophecy Stone Mine. The addition of [Worker Bee Armor] was absolutely perfect.
Stock was limited, and the players hastily bought what they needed. The prices of these new products were very low, so their demand was high. Within twenty minutes, the inventory was cleared out, and many who could not buy them pre-ordered the next batch.
The players were used to the special 'Growing Faction' attribute of the Black Star Army. They felt that the reason that these new items appeared was because the players of the Black Star Army had worked together to develop the faction. Looking at the new items of the faction store, many players felt a sense of achievement.
…
After adding these support items, Han Xiao observed the sales. Since they were functional items, their price was low and affordable. Nonetheless, the entire inventory was sold out within half an hour. His funds rose nonstop as the players' money flew into his personal account.
This sale had made him an astonishing total of 6,600,000 Enas!
Including Noriosse's investment and the income from the last sales, Han Xiao had a total of 44,000,000 Enas!
This was a lot of money.
"Funds are abundant. With this money, I can build my Mechanic Army any way I want." Han Xiao was very content.
With so much money, if he was the only one using it, it could last him a very long time. However, of course, these funds had to be used to operate the Black Star Army and support the Black Star Army's expansion.
The blueprint that Han Xiao had set for the Black Star Army's development was gigantic. He planned to use the Garton Star System as a foundation, choose dozens of important NPC resource planets, and keep building sub-bases. He would turn the Garton Star System into the Black Star Army's headquarters, controlling the mercenary business there tightly or even monopolizing it.
Then, he would expand the business to other Star Systems and build sub-bases in other Star Systems, expanding step by step. Many parts of this plan required a lot of money, such as adding a large number of spaceships, recruiting, building partnerships with more organizations, and so on.
The identity of a mercenary group was just a stepping stone; Han Xiao's real target was to develop enormous military power, like Bloodshed Land.
The funds required for this blueprint was a number that he could not calculate or imagine.
The only thing he knew was that the money that he had now was far, far from enough.
His mission was heavy, and the road was long.
"This won't be completed within a short time. The sales route is already built anyway, so profit will keep coming. There's no need for me to be too tight on spending."
Han Xiao smiled. He took out his communicator and ordered a large number of materials from the raw material provider that he had been working with.
Finally, he had some free time to strengthen all his combat equipment to the Calamity Grade standard!
"Let's hope something like the Purple Snake Space Pirates incident doesn't happen again…"


What do you do when you wake up and find yourself inside the very game that you love? 
What do you do when you realize you that you have not only become an NPC - you have even been thrown back in time to before the game even launched! 
What will happen when our protagonist's two realities coincide? 
Han Xiao was a professional power leveler before his transmigration. Using his past life's knowledge, Han Xiao sweeps through the universe as he prepares for the arrival of the players. This is definitely not your typical transmigration novel.

Suddenly, a sharp light burst from Qin Wushuang's eyes. Like an invisible rope, it trapped Little Jiang tightly.
Fixed by this piercing look, instantly Little Jiang felt uncomfortable. As if hundreds of millions of golden needles punctured his skin, it seemed as though they could penetrate his body and enter deep into his divine soul.
As Little Jiang barely resisted this look, instantly sweat soaked his spine and he was endlessly nervous.
After a while, a slight smile spilled out from the corner of Qin Wushuang's mouth. He withdrew that piercing look and looked at the cup in his hand. He snapped his finger and said, "Waiter, another pot of alcohol."
"Alright!" That waiter already ran over with a long drop in his tone.
Little Jiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with an apologetic smile, "Sir, such a powerful aura, it seems I came to the right person."
"Tell me, what is your mission?"
Little Jiang looked around and said with a low voice, "Sir, could we talk in private?"
When Qin Wushuang saw his mysterious actions, he did not doubt him. A moment ago, he used his divine soul to inspect Little Jiang's divine soul directly. Although he could not pry through his thoughts, in that moment, Little Jiang did not evade his look. Although he was scared, he was open. It proved that at least, this guy was not playing a trick.
Both left the Freelance Martial Artist Union and Qin Wushuang said with an indifferent tone, "I don't have much time, tell me."
When Little Jiang saw the high altitude of this place and high vantage point, he would not be afraid of an ear on the wall. With a low voice, he said, "Sir, a friend passed me this information from the inside. Honestly, it's a mission across the star region, we have to head to another plane. However, it's definitely not about killing people."
"Just exactly what is the mission?" Qin Wushuang went straight to the topic since he did not have time for beating around the bush.
"This mission is issued by the Master God Palace. No one from the Freelance Martial Artist Union knows about it. In fact, for this mission, the palace didn't even announce it."
"It's not yet distributed?" Qin Wushuang's expression sank.
"Sir, don't misunderstand me. Although it has yet to be announced, my friend is an external butler to the Master God Palace. He took me aside in secret and asked me to organize a group of people. Soon there will be a big mission. It's well worth doing. Perhaps those major power heads will fight over it. We will be thanking the gods if freelance martial artists can organize a team. Even if we prepare beforehand, only we will be qualified to compete for it. Otherwise, we might not even get this mission." 
"In this case, the mission you said might happen, but isn't something for sure, right?" Qin Wushuang said with a cold laugh.
"Sir, it is this way, but how many missions are issued by the Master God Palace a year? Especially for a starry region leveled mission, as long as it's distributed, it will be major. Even if those giants want to participate, they might not have sufficient manpower. It's always better to have as many elite warriors as possible. For someone as powerful as you, I think that even those powerhouses won't necessarily push you away."
This was not flattery, but because Little Jiang was truly astonished by Qin Wushuang's power. 
Of course, Qin Wushuang did not mind. At his current stage, naturally he would not care too much about what an ordinary martial artist says.
"Just what mission is it, that sounds so magical from your mouth?" 
This was the core question that Qin Wushuang wanted to know more about.
Little Jiang laughed. "Sir, I will not keep it from you, this mission comes with high risk. This is also why I said perhaps major powerhouses will participate, but also the reason they might not. It's a question whether or not the major powerhouses want to take the risk. This mission is not to kill people, but to dig up mines. Of course, miners will dig up the mines. For us higher level martial artists, we are only in charge of security. When there are no enemies, we will monitor the miners, and prevent them from stealing the Great Luo Crystal Stones. When enemies come at us, we will fight them and bring the Great Luo Crystal Stones back to the Meteorological Land."
Qin Wushuang understood it to some extent.
This was what the mission was about. With this foundation, Qin Wushuang felt much more at ease. Be security while they dig up mines? It's not a complicated job…
However, where is this mine located? Since the Master God Palace was hiring security guards on such a broad level, certainly it's no ordinary place.
Little Jiang scratched his head. "Sir, I would not know exactly where the place is. I only know this mission is big and has high rewards. The people that come back in the end could get some commission according to the number of crystal stones. I heard the Master God Palace plans to reward the security guards twenty percent. This reward is extremely rich. Usually for a mission like this, it'd be good to get five percent, yet alone twenty percent."
With high attraction, it's accompanied with high risk. This was always the principle.
Qin Wushuang never counted this Master God Palace to be generous.
"How many people do you still need?"
That Little Jiang scratched his head. "My friend asked me to form a team of seven people, usually seven people turns into a team. Honestly, besides me, I haven't found any others yet. It's either that I don't trust them, or they are not qualified."
This Little Jiang was extremely blunt. Because of this, Qin Wushuang had a different impression of him.
"Seven people team and you haven't recruited a single one, are you playing me?" Qin Wushuang pretended to be angry.
Little Jiang immediately waved his hand. "Sir, don't say it this way. I only received the news half a month ago. Honestly, I am far from those elite warriors who can flick their arms and gather people. Even if other people wanted to, they would not trust me when they saw how ordinary I am. Therefore, until I am sure of someone, I will not ask them to prevent getting humiliated, leak the news, and provoke the Master God Palace."
Qin Wushuang nodded. "That makes sense. When you find six people, it won't be too late to come to me."
That Little Jiang immediately said, "Sir, hear me out."
"Hm?"
"Sir, without you, it'll almost be impossible for me to find seven powerful and reliable teammates. I am not trying to be arrogant, I am well aware of my level and how much summoning power I have. But you are different. If you can distribute a mission in your name to gather people, not to mention five, you can find fifty easily."
Qin Wushuang could not refrain from a smile. "In the end, you are scheming and using me. You are trying to catch a wolf empty-handed."
"Ha ha, sir, don't say it this way. I am not trying to hooch off you, a great willow tree like you can attract the golden phoenix."
When Little Jiang saw that Qin Wushuang did not get mad, inwardly he felt much more at ease. He secretly felt lucky to find such a person.
Although this person showed astonishing momentum, it seemed he was not an unreasonable elite warrior. Although he must serve someone like this carefully, he would be worried of provoking him carelessly.
"Little Jiang, even if you haven't got anyone, you must have some people in mind. Or else, it would be too reckless."
Little Jiang smiled apologetically. "That's true, I do have some people in mind. But speaking the truth, I've only heard of these people and never actually visited them. Even if I go up to them, they might not recognize me. Therefore, I must ask you to step out. These few people I know are rather famous amongst the freelance martial artist world. Although they each have their own peculiar personality, in general, all of them are trustworthy and will not change their minds."
Qin Wushuang agreed profoundly. "That's right, it's extremely important to be trustworthy when forming a team. If there's an unreliable little figure, the team will surely fall into great chaos."
"Ha ha, that's right, Sir. This is a list I've made. How about, let's take it two ways. While we distribute the mission through the union under your name, on the other hand we can visit these elite warriors and see how many we can pull to our side. In general, this must be a seven people team, not one more, and not one less."
Qin Wushuang thought for a moment. If it were just for the Great Luo Crystal Stones, it would definitely not entice him.
However, considering the problem with training and being a freelance martial artist, Qin Wushuang wondered if he could use this to his advantage. If he could use this chance to pull together some elite warriors from the freelance martial artist world, it would be a good decision.
Currently, he just lacked personnel.
If he could build his own team and make his way in the Meteorological Land, he could cultivate his own group of elite warriors as his own team. By the time he took them back to the Tian Xuan Land, it would be a group of astonishing combat power. Especially for the Nine Palace Return One Sword Formation divine skill, more manpower would demonstrate its superiority.
Thinking here, Qin Wushuang nodded. "Little Jiang, we will do it as you say. We will give it a try whether it succeeds or not."
When Little Jiang heard his words, he brimmed with joy as light shone in his eyes. "Sir, in this case, you agree? Excellent, ha ha, great. With someone as powerful as you stepping out, certainly the freelance martial artists will not get crowded out. Anyways, it's a team for the freelance martial artist."
Qin Wushuang issued a mission through the Freelance Martial Artist Union. Since it was distributed under the name of a Heavenly Supreme Dao elite warrior, it posed great attraction.
At the same time, under the guidance of Little Jiang, Qin Wushuang traveled everywhere and visited many of the elite warriors across the freelance martial artist's world in three months.
Indeed, these freelance elite warriors were unyielding characters. Usually, freelance martial artists enjoyed to act alone and hold high vigilance. Or else, they would have chosen to rely on a sect.
When they become freelance martial artists, it proves that these people only trust themselves and it's hard for them to trust others. Of course, there were many reasons to not rely on a sect, not just because of their personality.
On this day, Qin Wushuang came to a place called the Dried Pine Tree Mountain Ridge. A powerful freelance martial artist resided here and it was rumored he was approaching the Peak of the Genuine Supreme Dao Stage. It was someone Little Jiang wanted to scout out. 
This person was called, Tie Hong. People nicknamed him, Exploding Tiger Tie Hong…
Just when they stepped into the external territory of this Dried Pine Tree Mountain Ridge, Qin Wushuang frowned slightly. Little Jiang was still unaware as he asked curiously, "Sir, why are you stopping?"
Qin Wushuang frowned. "We've come at a bad time. Little Jiang, they already know about you."
With Little Jiang's power, he would surely be discovered when he approached their territory.
Just when Little Jiang was feeling confused, a feminine voice emerged. As if coming from the inferno, the voice let out an eerie laugh. "Exploding Tiger, you should have asked someone more eloquent if you wanted help, are you not humiliating yourself by asking a useless scumbag at First or Second Calamity of the Genuine Supreme Dao Stage?"
When Little Jiang heard these words, while he revealed some embarrassment, he also revealed a look of astonishment.


In China’s modern martial arts society, Wu Xinghe was history’s youngest grandmaster of martial arts. He was invincible. Because of a strange incident, he was reincarnated as Qin Wushuang, a poor aristocratic boy in an entirely different world with its own set of rules. With his strong will and passion, he began his journey to pursue the highest peak of martial arts!

The main character’s beliefs are:

Never comply with the aristocrats or the rich people, regardless of any situation. To only depend on your own strength because, eventually, you will have the power to be invincible.

Rise! Soar through the Galaxia! 

hiring freelance writers novel

the 01

Hiring the Hitman

Writers' Wish

The Writer Stalker Is A Billionare!?(BL)

Losing Money to Be a Tycoon

Great Doctor Ling Ran

Lost Sunrise

You Sound White

The Legendary Mechanic

Soaring of Galaxia

People search hiring freelance writers also like: