Chapter 53: The Seraphim Mercenary Group (Part 1)

"We plan to launch both games into the market by the end of this year; with their playability, we’re confident they’ll secure a significant place globally, and as for profits, we intend to..."

Ye Nan sat in the CEO’s office, idly fiddling with the pen in his hand, listening listlessly to the manager before him, who was dressed impeccably.

This manager was a professional he hired—graduated from Harvard’s Business Administration program, had trained at several companies, and was now poached by him to run ICQ Corporation entirely; the previous manager had already been kicked out.

"However, our expert team believes this game, World of Warcraft, will become a global phenomenon, but the game called Dungeon & Fighter won’t appeal to European or American audiences," the manager hesitated, then added, "Perhaps we should try Asia—Asia is currently a gaming desert; DNF should be popular with Asian players."

"Hmm." Ye Nan nodded. Indeed, DNF—a game that had created a miracle in China—was not well received abroad; without Chinese mainland players sustaining it, the game would likely have been shut down long ago.

"We believe World of Warcraft is unsuitable for Asia, especially mainland China—their network infrastructure is too poor to handle game data transmission. I suggest delaying its release in mainland China," the manager said cautiously, watching his CEO, having weighed his words carefully before speaking.

Long before being hired, he had thoroughly researched ICQ Corporation and knew its CEO had once been a child from mainland China, later kidnapped and smuggled to America; he held deep affection for China, so the manager always spoke with extreme caution, avoiding any word that might insult mainland China.

"Fine." Ye Nan nodded, accepting the manager’s suggestion, and marveled at the competence of American professional managers—though he was also satisfied with the high salary he paid.

During his time living in America, he noticed his thinking and habits gradually aligning with those of Americans—everything now considered through the lens of profit, becoming indistinguishable from other merchants. He didn’t know if this change was good or bad, so he let it be.

Ding ding ding~~~ The phone on Ye Nan’s left rang. He smiled slightly at the manager and said, "Excuse me, I need to take this call."

He lifted the phone to his ear and asked, "What is it?"

"Sir, two men are here to see you—they look extremely... menacing," the receptionist whispered the word "menacing" very softly.

"Let them in," Ye Nan said, hanging up, then turned back to the manager. "I’m satisfied with your plan—implement it as proposed. Also, don’t neglect the development of ICQ software—we’re building a vast internet empire."

"Yes."

As the manager left, two burly men walked in—both wore military vests, exposing thick, muscular arms, their muscles bulging as if ready to burst through their skin.

Each walked with powerful, commanding strides, their bodies radiating raw energy; their skin was a deep black. From behind, they looked nearly identical.

But from the front, they were different: the one in front wore an arrogant expression; though his gaze met others’ eyes levelly, everyone could see pride in it—the pride of superiority, the pride born of strength.

The one lagging behind had a calm, placid face; his blue eyes were like deep, still water. The two were complete opposites.

"Ed..." Ye Nan picked up the dossier and studied it carefully. "Ed, born in 1962, age thirty-three. Entered the military at twelve, joined Delta Force at fifteen, became a U.S. Marine Corps instructor at twenty. At twenty-three, betrayed the U.S., founded the Seraphim Mercenary Group in Brazil, and became a mercenary."

"And the reason for his betrayal? Simple—failure in a mission, fear of punishment from the U.S. government?"

As he spoke, he raised his head and looked at Ed, posing a question.

As a U.S. Marine Corps instructor, even if a mission failed, the punishment would be minor—hardly enough to justify betraying the U.S. and fleeing to Brazil. The issue must lie in the mission itself—but the dossier gave no details, offering not a single clue.

"That’s none of your concern. You only need to know the Seraphim Mercenary Group is here to assist you," Ed said bluntly. After all, who would feel good about someone reading their dossier aloud?

"I merely wanted to see who William Douglas sent to assist me—but I’m deeply disappointed," Ye Nan said, shaking his head with an expression of utter disappointment, as if the Seraphim Mercenary Group were worthless trash, enough to provoke anger.

"If Mr. Ye Nan finds the Seraphim Mercenary Group disappointing, then let me test you," Ed stepped forward, angrily, ready to attack.

"I’m CEO Ye Nan," Ye Nan smiled faintly, making Rafe feel slightly embarrassed. Yes, Ye Nan was the CEO—a civilian, not a warrior like them. To challenge him was unreasonable. Most importantly, Ye Nan was only eleven years old.

"But..." Ye Nan changed tone, "since Mr. Rafe has the interest, let me spar with Ed."

"Spar..." Rafe’s guilt instantly turned to rage—he was nothing but a plaything in Ye Nan’s eyes. His face flushed crimson.

"Hah!" Ed let out a sharp cry and threw a punch—simple, direct, yet producing a crackling sound as if tearing through the air.

But no matter how powerful a punch, if it misses, it’s useless. Ye Nan merely shifted slightly, evading Rafe’s fist, then placed his hand on Rafe’s forearm, preparing to counter.

*Thud!* Ye Nan’s fingers trembled—the five fingers resting on Rafe’s fist were violently repelled. The force was so immense it nearly unbalanced him.

"Impossible." Ye Nan was stunned, staring in disbelief. He understood exactly what had happened—why he’d been repelled, and why the counterforce was so powerful.

PS: Collection count surpassed a thousand, recommendations also surpassed a thousand. Four Seas Alexander! For the next two days, I’ll post three chapters daily to celebrate breaking a thousand collections and recommendations.