Chapter 579: How Could It Be a Salary Increase?

Chapter 579: How Could It Be a Raise?

Yu Xinghan did not speak too explicitly over the spirit-realm communication, merely hinting that he had been taking too many leaves of absence lately.

He feared that the spirit realm was prone to leaks, or perhaps he intended to recount the matter to Zhang Yu face-to-face.

Upon receiving the message, Zhang Yu’s brows furrowed slightly; he sensed a trace of misfortune within those words.

After checking Yu Xinghan’s recent work hours, Fuji remarked, "I previously thought he was busy with the massage platform, but now it seems... his working hours are dwindling. Could it be that he has caught the 'Weekend Virus'?"

"Wouldn't that put the entire construction site at risk?"

Fuji suggested, "I think it would be better to turn all your employees into my believers. With the blessing of the ritual, the Weekend Virus would have no effect."

Zhang Yu naturally did not easily agree to Fuji’s proposal, instead saying, "Let’s increase their pay first and see if it can help cure Yu Xinghan of the Weekend Virus."

"I cannot just watch him be dragged off to a rehabilitation center; not only would it waste his time, but what if something else is uncovered during the investigation?"

After a pause, Zhang Yu added, "While we are at it, give every employee in the company a raise. It will serve as a perfect preventative measure against the virus."

In Zhang Yu’s view, employees he knew well—like Ying Xin, Shi Huaiyu, Xiao Qingxuan, and Shi Yunxiang—could not be left to suffer the effects of the Weekend Virus or be forced into mandatory rehabilitation.

As for the remaining soul cultivators, a raise in their wages was, in Zhang Yu’s estimation, a negligible expense.

Fuji, upon hearing this, exclaimed in agitation, "Have you lost your mind? A company-wide raise?"

"How can you just hand out money so recklessly? If you dare to raise their wages over such a trivial matter now, what will you do in the future? Don't tell me you’re planning to give them paid leave? That would ruin the company!"

Though she drew no salary and received no dividends, as a founding shareholder who had built the company from the ground up, Fuji viewed the enterprise as her own lifeblood. How could she tolerate Zhang Yu squandering it so?

Zhang Yu was blunt: "Raise it."

Fuji tried to dissuade him: "You really cannot just raise wages at will. The employees are all insatiable; if you give them a raise now, it won't be long before they take it for granted, and the raise will have been for nothing."

"Besides, what do they need so much money for? The most important thing in this company, the most worthy of investment, is you yourself."

Fuji felt like a loyal minister of old, desperately pleading with an emperor not to act rashly.

But Zhang Yu’s mind was made up. Seeing Fuji’s persistent obstruction, he bypassed her and issued the decree directly to Ying Xin.

Ying Xin looked at the message Zhang Yu had sent and was momentarily stunned: "A raise? It’s actually a raise? How could it possibly be a raise?"

A raise before even a year of employment? Ying Xin had never heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.

How difficult it was to get a raise, Ying Xin—a sixth-generation civil engineer—knew better than anyone. It required enduring hardships, suffering through trials, and aligning with the trends of the era; it required the perfect convergence of time, place, and people. It was akin to the strokes of fate in ancient times, a miracle, a stroke of serendipity.

As for Fuji, watching Zhang Yu actually begin to raise the employees' wages, her heart ached more with every passing moment: "With so many people up and down this company, you are giving everyone a raise of a few tenths of a spirit coin? Doesn't this mean an extra expenditure of 5 to 10 spirit coins per month?"

"By the time the Top Ten Leagues arrive in September, that’s an extra 15 to 30 spirit coins spent."

"Over a year, that’s an additional expenditure of 50 to 100 spirit coins!"

"Ten years, that’s 500 to 1,000 spirit coins!"

"That is all spirit coins from our own account!"

Hearing Fuji’s calculations, Zhang Yu had to admit that he did indeed feel a sting of heartache and melancholy, as if he were watching thousands of spirit coins being carved out of his account.

"Giving away money..." Zhang Yu smiled bitterly to himself: "It really is a bit painful after all."

As the notification of the raise was conveyed to the employees, the company group chat erupted instantly.

Ying Xin’s Grandfather: Gratitude to President Zhang! I shall never forget this great kindness of a raise.

Zhao Tianxing: [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]

Mo Tianyi: President Zhang, watch me! From now on, I will treat every day at the company as if it were the last day of my life!

Hu Yuntao: Father! [Kowtow] Working 24 hours a day is not my limit; it is the limit of time itself!

Watching the messages refresh rapidly in the group, Zhang Yu replied: I have said before, I will not keep the company’s profits for myself.

Che Yufei: Born a company man, die a company soul! Loyalty!

Shi Huaiyu: Loyalty!

Shi Yunxiang: Loyalty!

Ying Xin: Loyalty!

Seeing the messages still refreshing frantically, Zhang Yu could not help but reply: Alright, stop spamming the chat and focus on your work.

At Zhang Yu’s command, the group fell silent instantly.

Then, Zhang Yu sent a message to Yu Xinghan: How are you feeling?

Zhang Yu: The raise should help with this matter.

Zhang Yu: See if your body feels any better.

Although Yu Xinghan was only a part-timer, he had received the raise as well.

Upon seeing Zhang Yu’s message, Yu Xinghan was momentarily stunned, and in the next instant, he understood the other’s intent.

"Has Zhang Yu already sensed that I might have contracted the Weekend Virus?"

"He wants to use a salary increase to combat the Weekend Virus?"

Looking at Zhang Yu’s messages in the group chat, a warmth spread through Yu Xinghan’s heart: "Is this why he gave the whole company a raise?"

At this thought, Yu Xinghan felt his inner mana and blood surge; he wanted to stand up immediately and work hard, doubling his efforts to complete his tasks.

But after this feeling lasted for a moment, the motivation gradually dissipated, and his entire body felt as if it were glued to the floor, rendering him unable to rise.

Yu Xinghan: I am already ruined.

Yu Xinghan: You don't need to worry about me anymore.

At this moment, Yu Xinghan had made up his mind to simply go to the rehabilitation center and purge the Weekend Virus for good. He thought to himself: "Zhang Yu, I will work overtime for the company again once I get out."

Beyond Yu Xinghan, Zhang Yu chatted with other employees about their recent situations, confirming their current work status.

Fuji analyzed: "After the raise, the other employees should have no problem preventing the Weekend Virus."

"But Yu Xinghan... he is likely too deeply poisoned for a simple raise to solve the problem."

Fuji continued to persuade: "I told you, turning him into my believer is far more reliable than a raise, isn't it?"

Zhang Yu did not speak, for he knew that becoming a believer was not such a simple matter, and he did not know if Yu Xinghan would agree or if he would be willing to become a follower of an evil god.

And if he were unwilling... would he have to silence Yu Xinghan?

Just as Zhang Yu was deep in thought, Zhang Pianpian sent a message.

Zhang Pianpian: Do you remember the Fourth Bureau? They plan to send people to the construction site to investigate if your company has any followers of the Weekend Cult.

Zhang Yu felt a jolt of alarm and replied: Why? Is someone trying to set me up?

Zhang Pianpian: What I can confirm for now is that the Fourth Bureau has received a report.

Zhang Pianpian: Whether someone is targeting you, and who that person might be, I still need to investigate further.

Zhang Pianpian: In any case, be careful. If there are any issues at the construction site, clean them up immediately.

Zhang Yu’s heart grew heavy. He recalled the last time Master Xuyang had questioned him aboard the flying ship.

"This is the second or third time now; it is clear that someone wants to deal with me by pushing me toward the Weekend Cult."

"Who on earth is it?"

Zhang Yu could not fathom the outcome in such a rush, so he hastened to depart the laboratory and head toward the construction site.

"Of all times, Yu Xinghan had to contract the dual-rest virus just as they began bringing inspectors everywhere."

"I fear their true target is Yu Xinghan himself."

"Are they attempting to drag me down by using him as a pretext?"

Whether it was the sealing of the site or an investigation into his own affairs, neither was a prospect Zhang Yu could tolerate.

Setting aside the potential gravity of the consequences, the mere waste of time spent under scrutiny would hinder his preparations for the Top Ten League, and a flicker of malice began to kindle in his eyes.

Moments later, Zhang Yu’s silhouette vaulted from the rooftop of the University City, piercing the atmosphere in an instant as he streaked toward the battlefield construction site.

Trailing him like a meteor was a streak of black light—a sword case of obsidian hue.

Within it lay the twelve Taihao Sacred Law flying swords he had only recently forged, now carried with him into the fray.

...

At the battlefield construction site.

Shi Yunxiang, having just received a ten-percent raise, was brimming with fervor and ambition, wishing he could split himself into a dozen forms to finish every task on the site.

Over and over, a single thought echoed in his mind.

"Zhang Yu didn't lie, and it wasn't just empty promises; he really raised our pay."

"Is this not more impressive than those bosses at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages?"

But before Shi Yunxiang had been working long, the ground began to shudder, shaking the entire site until operations were nearly impossible.

Sensing the disturbance, he whipped his head around to glare at the neighboring construction zone.

He knew it was a project contracted by the Sky Demon University, and their heavy-duty operations had been disrupting his own team’s work for some time.

This time, however, it was severe enough to threaten a total paralysis of their site.

After a full hour of forced downtime, Shi Yunxiang felt he could endure no more.

Hu Yuntao shouted from within the Spirit Realm: "An hour! We have been idle for a full hour!"

"How can we justify Mr. Zhang’s generosity if we continue like this?!"

Che Yufei chimed in: "We just got a raise—how are we supposed to earn it if we aren't working?"

Although Zhang Yu had increased their base pay, the site still operated under the old rules: wages were tied to output. For the crew, the recent raise had ignited a desire to work overtime and maximize their earnings.

They marched toward the demon-kin’s site, only to find Xiang Shan, the top civil engineering prodigy of Sky Demon University, waiting for them.

Listening to the complaints of Shi Huaiyu, Shi Yunxiang, and the others, Xiang Shan replied with icy indifference: "You’ve stopped working... what does that have to do with me?"

He let out a cold snort, his trunk coiling slightly as he added: "We are reshaping the ley lines here. Do you expect us to halt our progress just to accommodate you?"

"Just endure it a little longer; it will be over in half a month."

Shi Huaiyu retorted in a rage: "Half a month? You expect us to sit idle for half a month?"

Xiang Shan replied coolly: "You are free to keep working, provided you have the skill to withstand the environmental shifts."

"If you cannot, then your incompetence is your own burden to bear. Now, be silent and endure it."