Chapter 579 - 338: President Lin, When Will You Become the President of the Chamber of Commerce?

"Any of you brothers want in? Or should I say, is anyone looking to compete for this?"

"If you want to fight for it, you guys go first. I'll just be the safe bet."

Zhang Guodong, who had a high degree of emotional intelligence, said with a smile.

The boss's first assignment was actually a real prize. Even though he was currently on the spot, he had to consider all the different factors.

He had to consider the boss's wishes as well as his colleagues' feelings.

Ten million US dollars... To be honest, that was a lot.

A whole lot.

How much was a human life even worth?

At Zhang Guodong's words, the others immediately chimed in with a mix of pleasantries, small talk, and good-natured ribbing.

Zhang Guodong glanced around. A few men voiced their interest, but none of them sounded very resolute.

Most of them, however, were watching for Lin Chu's reaction.

When it came down to it, a mission like this depended on the boss's decision.

Lin Chu was familiarizing himself with each of them, just as they were familiarizing themselves with their new boss's style.

"Brother Chu, it's like this. You might not be too familiar with this line of work."

"Myself, and all the brothers here, we're all just guys who get the job done. We're not good at strategy or making the final call. But when it comes to execution, you can count on every single one of us. There won't be any problems."

"So, my thinking is, for this one, you should just make the call. Whoever you pick, once the decision is made, they'll go. If something comes up on the ground—whether we need reinforcements or have to pull out—we'll deal with it then."

Just then, Ma Teng stood up and spoke to Lin Chu with a grin.

'I have to step up,' he thought.

'Brother Chu is long on camaraderie but short on decisiveness.'

As a businessman and a boss, he was always amicable, trying to get everyone on board with every decision.

That was a great quality to have.

But for this kind of mission, and when dealing with a bunch of rough-and-tumble guys like them, Lin Chu's style came off as a little too soft.

Too much of a scholar's air about him.

Of course, Lin Chu's age was a factor. The boss was only in his twenties, so he was already doing pretty well. A boss who made rash decisions and sent his men to their deaths would be far more trouble.

Ma Teng's words were flawless, and the others immediately nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Lin Chu couldn't help but smile.

'He put it diplomatically, but I get the message. It's a fair point. I really should adjust my approach.'

"Ha, I guess I was overthinking it."

"Alright, I'll take your advice. Let's not drag this out. Old Zhang, you'll go first. I'll send someone else who's good with ideas to back you up. He's in Tokyo right now; I'll give you his contact info in a bit."

Lin Chu thought of Tang Qiang.

'That kid is full of clever tricks. I'll have the two of them team up and scout things out first.'

'Once I get their report, I can make adjustments as needed.'

"Sounds good. I'm on it."

With the decision made, Zhang Guodong quickly nodded in agreement with a smile.

'This boss really listens to advice.'

'Yeah, this style is much better. Keep it up. Just give the orders, and none of the other brothers will have anything to complain about.'

"Alright, that's settled then. Meeting adjourned! Time to eat and drink!"

Lin Chu stood up, bringing the meeting to a close.

As they left the conference room, the aroma of food was already drifting through the air.

They were having a "team-building" event at the training base today, complete with a communal meal.

It wasn't as glamorous as a real party, of course, but it was still enjoyable and even had a bit of a military barracks vibe.

Lighting a cigarette and taking a deep drag, Lin Chu mulled over Ma Teng's words again. He felt he had learned something valuable.

'A kind heart can't lead an army.'

'It's true. In a place full of men, an iron fist is the only way to go when giving orders.'

...

A Mercedes-Benz approached from a distance and pulled to a slow stop at the entrance of the training base.

A man and a woman, both appearing to be in their forties, stepped out of the car. They were holding hands and looked like a married couple. Both were a little on the heavy side. The man wore a suit, while the woman was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans.

Peeking through the main gate of the compound, they exchanged a glance, a hint of surprise in their eyes.

After a moment's hesitation, they pushed open the door to the reception office.

"Hello, excuse me, is this the LC Security Company?"

"I called earlier. My surname is Li. I'm a businessman over in Long City, and I'm looking to hire a bodyguard."

The man asked politely, yet cautiously, after stepping inside.

Long City was the name of the Chinese enclave in Dubai. The district was so named because its overall layout resembled a dragon, a shape that, of course, carried a certain traditional and cultural significance.

The receptionist had been about to clock out for the evening meal, but seeing a client arrive, he walked out from behind his desk with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Li. I'm the one who took your call earlier. I have a general understanding of the situation. We can take on this assignment. Our rate is five thousand US dollars a day, per person."

"Here's a document with the detailed terms and scope of our bodyguard services. Please take a look."

From their earlier phone call, the employee knew this man was a business owner who had been scammed out of several hundred thousand US dollars. He'd run into some trouble but wasn't willing to abandon his local ventures, which was why he had come seeking help from a security company.

It was a relatively small and straightforward job.

Of course, the price was perfectly fair. In fact, for the security industry in Dubai, it was an exceptionally good value.

This was the price of "security."

Li Hongfan took the document outlining the scope of services and risk disclosure, studying it intently.

The boisterous sounds drifting from deeper within the training base piqued his curiosity even more.