Chapter 185: 24073 Strands of Human-Path Firewood, Little Ma

The next morning, a thin, cold beam of light pierced the glass window and fell on the floor of apartment 0418's living room.

Outside, everything was blanketed in white; the sycamore trees below were draped in silver.

The first snow of winter in Xucheng arrived earlier than in Chunshen's hometown, the biting wind howling as it whipped the swirling snowflakes far away.

Chen Yansen sat on the sofa, wearing only a short-sleeved T-shirt, yet felt not the slightest chill.

Pinbei had been online for 44 days, with cumulative sales reaching 7. 6 billion; after the Double Twelve promotion, daily active users peaked at 25 million, but as e-commerce entered its off-season, they gradually dipped to around 22 million.

Daily sales fluctuated between 240 million and 260 million yuan; transaction commissions, advertising, and marketing service revenues amounted to roughly 8. % of total sales.

In simple terms, Pinbei had earned 617 million yuan over the past one and a half months.

Orange Tech's profitability couldn't even come close to Pinbei's.

But in Chen Yansen's heart, ten Pinbeis couldn't match Orange Tech, for Orange Tech provided over 6, 00 job positions for the Orange Phone Factory, contributing over 4, 00 strands of human-path firewood each month.

At exactly 8: 5 a. ., the firewood value on the panel began skyrocketing.

Within seconds, the human-path firewood value surged from 43 to 24, 73.

Last month, both Orange Tech and Pinbei employees received quarterly bonuses, causing a clear spike in firewood values.

Orange Tech had 673 employees, with labor costs totaling 42. 9 million yuan, averaging nearly 63, 00 yuan per person in salary;

Pinbei Tech had 382 employees, with labor costs of 12. 9 million yuan, averaging just over 34, 00 yuan per person;

Yunsu Express had 17, 29 employees, with labor costs of 139. 6 million yuan, averaging about 7, 00 yuan per person;

Kuai Pao had 157 employees, with labor costs of 1. 5 million yuan, averaging about 6, 00 yuan per person;

The Orange Phone Factory had 6, 11 employees, with labor costs of 44. 1 million yuan, averaging about 7, 00 yuan per person.

Orange Tech had only one-tenth the number of employees as the Orange Phone Factory, yet their labor costs were nearly identical.

Orange Tech's staff were primarily R&D engineers, whose base salaries already exceeded 20, 00 yuan; with quarterly bonuses, their average monthly income more than doubled from November levels.

"Synthesize!"

Chen Yansen focused his mind and merged the 24, 73 strands of human-path firewood into 240 strands of divine-path firewood.

After completing the operation, he paused to consider, then added 10 strands of divine-path firewood to his physique.

This was the first time he had strengthened his physique since surpassing level 10.

Fine threads of golden mist materialized out of thin air, then drifted into his third eye; unlike the cold sensation of human-path firewood, these golden mists clung to his nerves and blood upon entering his brain.

Immediately, as if a violent chemical reaction had occurred, the blood infused with golden mist surged like a runaway stallion through his body.

Within a few breaths, all unusual sensations vanished completely.

Chen Yansen rose and walked to the full-length mirror, examining himself closely; aside from increased strength and lighter steps, there were no obvious changes.

His height remained 1. 6 meters!

But his weight had risen from 98 kilograms to 98. kilograms!

"My hypothesis was correct—when physique gradually strengthens, the density of flesh, tendons, and bones increases too; though my body shape hasn't changed, my weight has genuinely increased."

Chen Yansen mused silently.

If he poured all remaining 230 strands of divine-path firewood into physique, his weight would likely exceed 100 kilograms, perhaps even 110.

If he raised physique to 100, his weight might break 400 jin!

Would he turn into a monster?

For now, with no solution in sight, Chen Yansen decided to allocate all remaining divine-path firewood to his spirit.

"Add points!"

Chen Yansen muttered, and a golden mist as thick as a thumb entered his mind, giving him the comforting sensation of soaking in a hot spring; neurons and glial cells rapidly grew and transformed under the stimulation of unknown energy.

When he opened his eyes again, he exhaled slowly.

Within a ten-meter radius, even objects hidden behind thick floor slabs and brick walls, he could now perceive their general outlines.

Compared to last time, the range had slightly expanded, though barely noticeable.

Previously, his mental perception had been like a rough sketch; now, a few more lines had been added, barely enough to distinguish male from female.

Mrs. Wang, his neighbor, was currently showering in the bathroom.

Her silhouette appeared in his mind, twisting beneath the showerhead.

"Sagging so much? Still, quite sizable."

Chen Yansen chuckled as he commented.

This beginner-level spiritual sense was truly primitive!

Over twenty thousand strands of human-path firewood had been poured in, and all it gained were a few extra lines—no splash at all.

Chen Yansen summoned the system panel and squinted in thought.

【Host: Chen Yansen】

【Physique: 10. 】

【Spirit: 14. 8】

【Skills: Automobile Driving (Tier 3 Professional 47/100), Guitar Playing (Tier 1 Beginner 89/100), Eightfold Vajra Art (Tier 2 Beginner 19/100), Swimming (Tier 3 Professional 24/100)】

【Talents: Photographic Memory, Rhinoceros Skin, Tiger Bones】

【Human-path Firewood: 73】

【Divine-path Firewood: 0】

At the current rate of point allocation, it would take at least three months for his spirit to surpass 20.

To reach 100, he'd need three full years!

The expansion pace of Kuai Pao, the Orange Phone Factory, and Yunsu Express must accelerate further.

Last time Liu Zhiping called, he deliberately steered the conversation toward food delivery, aiming to pull Tencent into the game.

Alone, he couldn't preheat this market alone—but with Tencent's involvement, the pace would naturally surge.

Meanwhile.

New Year's Day.

At Tencent HQ, Liu Zhiping sat across from Ma Wenteng, sipping a cup of black tea.

Ma Wenteng held a research report, frowning as he carefully reviewed it.

"Grubhub in the Lighthouse Nation handles 100, 00 daily orders, with monthly revenue of $10 million; JustEat in the UK handles 80, 00 daily orders, with monthly revenue of £9 million; Germany's DeliveryHero is new, with unclear order and revenue figures."

"Martin, do you think this project is viable?"

Ma Wenteng set down the report, sipped his hot tea, and asked.

"I see strong potential. Domestic private enterprises' work schedules and Chinese cuisine's preparation methods mean over 90% of white-collar workers have a natural, strong demand for food delivery—not every company has an employee cafeteria."

Liu Zhiping set down his teacup and replied with a smile.

Especially in the internet industry, 996 is routine; very few office workers have the energy left after work to shop and cook.

"So you're not doing group buying anymore?" Ma Wenteng felt frustrated.

After a year of the "Thousand Group Buying War," Gaopeng. et had exited, and QQ Group Buying had fallen out of the top five.

He didn't understand!

Lashou, WoWoTuan, Meituan, and Nuomi—all with less traffic and funding than Tencent—had managed to crush QQ Group Buying.

"We do both. Since we can't tell which model has greater potential, we invest in both tracks."

Liu Zhiping picked up the teapot, refilled Ma Wenteng's cup, poured himself another, then replied calmly.

Tencent's two investments in Chen Yansen had both turned profitable.

The first investment in FoxTao yielded a 2-billion-yuan exit.

The second investment in Pinbei had, in under two months, nearly matched JD. om's years of effort.

Although Chen Yansen hadn't yet launched a Series A round, DST, Hillhouse, Sequoia, and Tiger Global all valued Pinbei above $5 billion.

In simple terms, in one and a half months, Chen Yansen had validated Pinbei's inflated $2 billion valuation—and doubled it by 1. times.

Even investment bankers jokingly called Chen Yansen the God of Wealth—and they weren't wrong.

DST had spent $1. 5 billion, plus supply chain resources and patent licenses from Qualcomm, Microsoft, and Sony, to win Chen Yansen's favor and secure 15% of Orange Tech.

Ma Wenteng had also considered investing in Orange Tech, but Tencent lacked resources or connections in the mobile phone industry; when Liu Zhiping cautiously broached the subject, Chen Yansen immediately declined.

According to rough statistics from iResearch, Orange Phone's shipment volume in China's 2011 market ranked fourth.

In less than half a year, it surpassed Coolpad, Lenovo, OPPO, and ZTE.

The valuation surge made DST's investment a textbook case in the industry.

"Then assign it to Lin Chenfeng—he's already familiar with Chen Yansen. Since Chen Yansen brought it up last time, he likely intends to bring Tencent Capital in."

Ma Wenteng decided immediately.

"Alright, I'll arrange it," Liu Zhiping nodded and agreed readily.

On the other side.

On vacation, Lin Chenfeng received a call from his boss.

"Kuai Pao? Food delivery? Got it, boss, I understand."

After listening to Liu Zhiping's instructions, Lin Chenfeng politely hung up.

He knew food delivery—Tencent Venture Capital had previously evaluated Ele. e, deemed the upfront investment too high and the payback period too long, and abandoned the idea.

Only a few months later, his boss had changed his mind.

But Lin Chenfeng knew the operator of Kuai Pao was Chen Yansen—it would be nothing like Ele. e.

Thinking this, he immediately had someone contact Kang Guodong to prepare for a post-holiday site visit.

The big boss had spoken—Kuai Pao was definitely getting funded; the only question left was price.

On New Year's Day, Kang Guodong, still busy with the "Kuai Pao Treats You to Your First New Year's Milk Tea" campaign, suddenly received a call from Tencent Venture Capital.

"Alright, no problem, we'll contact you then."

Kang Guodong didn't hesitate and readily agreed.

Kuai Pao had just launched, and its monthly operating expenses had already reached over four million yuan; the 30 million Chen Yansen had provided might not even last three months once new customer volume surged.

"Who was that on the phone, Guodong?" Pei Yi asked curiously.

He had only caught a few vague words—something like "Penguin" and "investment."

"Penguin Venture Capital said they want to invest in Kuai Pao."

Kang Guodong didn't think much and answered honestly.

"That's good." Pei Yi's eyes flickered; he immediately recalled what Chen Yansen had said—this might well be another one of the man's tactics.

"I've scheduled a meeting with them for January 4th. You handle it."

Kang Guodong thought for a moment and decided Pei Yi was better suited to represent them.

Last time, when they sought investment from Chen Yansen in Xu City, it was Old Pei who held the situation together that secured the funding.

"We should report this to Chen Zong first—he's the real boss of Kuai Pao," Pei Yi sighed softly, reminding him.

He thought to himself: Guodong was an excellent programmer and a great friend, but he wasn't cut out to be Kuai Pao's CEO.

"Yeah, yeah, Old Pei's always more careful," Kang Guodong chuckled in agreement.

"Alright, I'll get back to work—I need to keep an eye on the orders; if we get a surge, we'll have to adjust the number of part-time riders again."

Pei Yi nodded.

Kang Guodong said nothing and turned toward the tech department, planning to continue optimizing Kuai Pao's intelligent delivery system.

(End of Chapter)