Chapter 152: Your Days Are Numbered!
Unexpectedly, it turned out to be such an important matter!
"Has Yoshiko been preparing to defect all this time?"
"Yes, and she rarely relayed your instructions. She also claimed you were very busy and forbade anyone from disturbing you."
"The family members are still waiting for your orders!"
Ito Nizan said solemnly.
I see...
Ye Tian finally understood the whole picture.
Ito Yoshiko, his second senior sister, had used her identity to exploit a gap in information, deceiving both Ye Xiaomei in the Dragon Country and the other members of the Ito family in Zipangu.
Her goal was to take advantage of the vacuum left by Ito Ren's death—while there was no one in charge—to abscond with the assets, set up an independent faction, or in other words, run away.
The crucial part was that she had actually pulled it off.
"Yoshiko, that little bitch! And to think I used to treat her like a sister!"
"When I lay my eyes on her again, I'll strangle her with my own hands!"
Ye Xiaomei was practically dying of anger.
"Xiao Mei, you should probably explain clearly to us what your relationship with this Mr. Ye actually is."
"The family is in decline nowadays and truly needs a new powerhouse for support, but this Mr. Ye holds a very strong prejudice against us Zipangu people. As managers, if we don't have a sufficient reason, the clansmen might not agree to follow him."
Hearing this, Ye Tian nodded; the remark was quite fair.
The so-called "strong prejudice" referred to his killing of the Three Shadows that morning.
"You don't need to worry about that."
Ye Xiaomei explained, "My master has always drawn a clear line between public and private matters. Although you are Zipangu people, as the new generation of the Ito family, you have never persecuted the people of the Dragon Country, so he will not hold your race against you."
"As long as everyone is willing to follow my master, I can guarantee that your compensation will be at least three times higher than what you made as ninjas in the Iga clan!"
"Furthermore, you won't have to do high-risk assassination work anymore!"
More than three times!
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire room gasped.
On top of that, they wouldn't have to lick blood off the blade anymore—was this even reasonable?
Although doubts still lingered in their hearts, quite a few people present were already moved, and their gazes toward Ye Tian became much more eager.
They were ninjas whose ultimate goal was profit, and their usual lifestyle was far from normal anyway, so serving one master over another didn't matter much to them.
Why did everyone accept Ye Xiaomei?
Was it because she was Ito Ren's adopted daughter and therefore had a say?
No, absolutely not!
It was because she was strong enough; she was the family's youngest Jōnin, their backbone, and the hope for the family's continued prosperity!
As long as someone was willing to hand out the bread, they were a good master. Who cared about emotional attachment? Emotions were illusory!
"Mr. Ye, is what Xiao Mei said true?"
Ye Tian shook his head.
"Not really. I never said anything like that."
Disappointment immediately surfaced on the faces of the Ito clansmen.
Indeed, there was no such thing as a free lunch dropping from the sky.
"What I actually said was five times. Xiao Mei, are you trying to pocket the extra salary all by yourself?"
What? Five times!
As soon as these words fell, the entire audience was shocked.
"Mr. Ye, please don't joke around. I am old and my heart can't take it." Ito Nizan felt his aging heart thumping wildly, and he felt thoroughly unwell.
One had to know, his monthly salary was a full one million Zipangu dollars!
One million!
Converted into the currency of the Dragon Country, that was sixty to seventy thousand!
If it were five times that amount, it would be at least three hundred thousand Dragon Country dollars, which was close to four million a year!
Goodness, so much money—how could one possibly spend it all?
The Ito clansmen fell into wild fantasies, and involuntary smiles blossomed on their faces.
Meanwhile, Ye Xiaomei, on the other end of the video call, also smiled.
These idiots had truly been squeezed brainless by Ito Ren... A single assassination bounty alone was as high as ten million Zipangu dollars, and these people executed several jobs each every month.
In the end, what they actually received in their hands was a pitiful few hundred thousand!
Even the manager with the highest pay only got one million.
They had been exploited to this extent, yet they were still stupidly happy!
Even if wages were increased by five or even ten times based on that previous pittance, this salary still amounted to less than thirty percent of what they used to earn for Ito Ren!
This was why she had dared to quote three times the amount in the first place.
However, Ye Tian had exposed her little scheme.
"Cough, cough, I did indeed want to pocket a little bit for myself," Ye Xiaomei said, feigning embarrassment.
"I want to go to the Dragon Country!"
Abruptly, a young man raised his hand high, infinite eagerness burning in his eyes.
Awesome, utterly awesome!
Without having to risk his life for death, he could receive a salary close to a million every month. Even if Mr. Ye asked him to bark like a dog, he would gladly do it!
So what if he had to leave his hometown? At worst, he could just treat the Dragon Country as his hometown!
"I, I'm willing too!"
Ito Ze timidly raised his hand.
With someone taking the lead, the Ito clansmen overwhelmingly joined the wave of defection.
"Very well. Since that's the case, managers, I will give you one month to complete the asset divestment. The rest of you who are ready can set off with me to the Dragon Country immediately."
"Also, mobilize a private chartered plane right now; I am returning to the country ahead of schedule!"
Ye Tian said solemnly.
He had not forgotten his primary objective.
A swimming dragon finally returns to the sea; as long as he could get back to the Dragon Country, everything would fall naturally into place.
Given his current strength, there were still quite a few people who could threaten his life. The longer he stayed abroad, the more dangerous it would be.
"Understood, Mr. Ye—no, Master! I'll lead you to the tarmac right now!"
One had to admit, this manager certainly knew how to read the room, adapting his form of address at lightning speed.
Following the white-haired old man into the rustic, understated yet luxuriously restrained mansion, Ye Tian could not help but sigh in praise.
Who would have thought that training ninjas to earn bounties could be this lucrative!
Just selling this mansion alone would fetch several billion in Dragon Country currency, even if it were sold at a knockdown price!
Furthermore, Ito Ren possessed several private passenger jets of his own. One could only describe it as extravagant!
"We're here."
Nizan pointed toward the center of the vast tarmac. A passenger jet sat waiting before the runway, its sleek fuselage gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight, making one eager to board it immediately.
"The aircraft's paperwork is complete, and it can leave the country at any time. You don't need to worry about being intercepted," the old man explained.
"If you are in a rush, you can depart right now."
"Good!"
Ye Tian stepped forward, mounting the stairs, only to hear a seductive woman's voice echo from behind.
"Hold on, who gave you permission to touch my things!"
Looking back, a plump woman draped in a sable fur coat was walking toward them alone.
"Yoshiko, you still have the nerve to come back!"
Upon seeing the newcomer, Ito Nizan was so furious his beard and mustache quivered.
Most of the family's cash had been spirited away by her, and even more fixed assets had been liquidated by this woman through special means, plunging the clan into financial distress.
"So what if I have no nerve? At least I'm not hypocritical like you lot."
Ito Yoshiko giggled, casting a disdainful glance at the old man before fixing her gaze on Ye Tian.
She licked her lips, her eyes practically dripping with desire:
"Quite a handsome young man, but what a pity he doesn't have long to live!"