"Terminate the partnership?" Shi Feng was stunned when he heard Liang Jing's words. He couldn't help but ask, "What exactly is going on? Are you sure there's no mistake?"
Although Zero Wing had already grown very powerful in the Divine Realm, with countless players joining the guild every day, the number of internal members they actually absorbed was extremely small.
First, players who joined from the Divine Realm came from complex backgrounds, and no one could be sure whether they were spies planted by rival guilds.
Second, many of these players had their own jobs in the real world and didn't want to devote themselves entirely to the Divine Realm. At best, they treated it as a side hustle.
Because of this, plenty of skilled players had joined Zero Wing in the Divine Realm, but very few had become internal members. Yet a massive guild with nearly a million members couldn't be managed without a sufficient number of internal staff.
So the main sources of Zero Wing's internal members were limited to two places: Beidou Training Academy and external recruitment through the headquarters building. Of these, Beidou Training Academy's trainees were by far the most important.
The Divine Realm was ultimately a virtual reality game — similar to reality yet beyond it. Good physical fitness gave players a significant boost in the Divine Realm. Trainees at ordinary academies generally had excellent physical conditioning, and combined with their existing combat skills, they held a natural advantage in the Divine Realm.
As for the internal members recruited externally through headquarters, they were far worse off — everything had to be trained from scratch, taking considerably more time than academy trainees. For a rapidly developing guild like Zero Wing, this was a serious drawback.
Moreover, losing Beidou Training Academy's trainees would be a substantial blow to Zero Wing, since many of the guild's current managers had been academy trainees.
He and the Beidou Group had a deep relationship. Zero Wing and the Beidou Group existed in a mutually beneficial arrangement — the Beidou Group provided Zero Wing with promising talent, and Zero Wing trained the Group's students. Both sides benefited enormously. No matter how he looked at it, there was no reason for Beidou to terminate the partnership.
"I've confirmed it. This is a resolution from the Beidou Group's board of directors. Chairman Xiao has no power to override it." Liang Jing's expression was grim. "And it's not just Beidou Training Academy. Several other training academies and martial arts schools we've been negotiating with in the city have also suddenly pulled out of the partnership."
"The others pulled out too?" Shi Feng was genuinely surprised.
Zero Wing's rapid expansion required a large number of internal members for management. The academy's trainees alone were far from sufficient, which was why he had long tasked Liang Jing with establishing partnerships with other training academies and martial arts schools in the city.
But now it wasn't just Beidou Training Academy pulling out — multiple academies and schools were abandoning the partnership all at once. No matter how he looked at it, this was abnormal.
"Chairman Xiao just contacted me. He said there are important matters to discuss and hopes you can set aside some time. Should I refuse?" Liang Jing said, looking somewhat hesitant.
"That's fine. I want to meet with Chairman Xiao right now." Shi Feng understood Liang Jing's awkward position perfectly. Her former employer had suddenly turned against Zero Wing, and being caught in the middle was genuinely uncomfortable — and made it easy for others to suspect her loyalty.
Still, based on everything he'd observed about Liang Jing during this period, she was not only a talented manager but also someone who took everything seriously and handled matters by the book. She had earned the trust of both Waterless Rose and Bai Qingxue, and had taken charge of a number of the guild's important operations.
"I'll make the arrangements right away." Seeing that Shi Feng's attitude was unchanged, Liang Jing breathed a secret sigh of relief and hurried to contact Xiao Yu.
Soon Liang Jing had confirmed a time and location with Xiao Yu — they would meet at the most upscale restaurant in the city, the Red Stone Restaurant.
The choice of meeting place caught Shi Feng off guard.
Although he didn't know much about Fenglin City as a first-tier metropolis, he knew of the Red Stone Restaurant by reputation. Legend had it that the restaurant had extraordinary backing. The dishes it served were not only exquisite in flavor, but their nutritional value and beneficial effects on the human body surpassed even A-rank nutrient solutions. Countless martial artists dreamed of dining there every day.
He had wanted to visit once upon a time as well, but the restaurant was not open to the public — having money was useless. You needed an introduction from an existing internal member just to get through the door.
Back when the Shadow Guild had been at its peak in Jinhai City, its reputation was enormous and its assets terrifying, completely dwarfing the current Beidou Group. Yet even that hadn't been enough to secure membership at the Red Stone Restaurant.
And now Xiao Yu had arranged a meeting there...