Chapter 16: Sworn Loyalty to the Boss!

Soon, a large pile of gifts was packed up. Chen Mu took a quick inventory and felt he had bought just about enough. These were all intended as gifts for others. "Money paves the path, and jewels explore the way"—Chen Mu played this game with ease. However, Chen Mu did not buy anything for himself. For one, these items were meant for ghosts, and he had no use for them. For another, Chen Mu was a staunch pragmatist. Could things like red wine, jewelry, or ornaments enhance one's strength? No. These goods were displayed in the mall, and as long as one had money, they could be bought at any time. He already had enough money; what he lacked was power. If something couldn't make him stronger, what use was it to him? Chen Mu only cared about things that could boost his strength. If there were a prop that could do that, he would be more than willing to spend a fortune to buy it.

After the shopping was finished, Chen Mu thought for a moment and had the manager issue him 50 shopping cards, each loaded with 5,000 Underworld Coins. He planned to use these to incentivize the staff at the Midnight Canteen. He wanted them to know that as long as they worked hard for Boss Chen, he would not treat them unfairly. The mall manager was quite generous; regarding the 50 cards, he immediately offered to waive the cost, stating that the 5,000-credit balance on each card would be the mall's treat for Boss Chen. Naturally, the manager was eager to curry favor with such a big spender. Chen Mu did not refuse and accepted the manager's kindness.

The manager respectfully escorted Chen Mu all the way from the seventh floor to the first. The young woman in the red uniform on the first floor had originally intended to strike up a conversation when she saw Chen Mu descend. However, when she saw the manager following behind with a sycophantic expression, she promptly abandoned that thought. She had assumed Chen Mu just had a bit of money, but she never imagined his background was so profound that even the mall manager had to see him off personally. One had to realize that the manager was already at the Ghost Chief level, just one step away from the formidable Ghost General rank. For an entity of that level to personally escort him, one could only imagine how deep Chen Mu's connections were. Had she been too harsh earlier? Did she scare him when he first arrived? The woman in red felt a pang of regret. If she had known, she would have unleashed her feminine charm to entice him. Someone like Chen Mu—with a background, wealth, composure, and a touch of good looks—was a scarce resource everywhere. If she could just cling to his coattails... Chen Mu was unaware that simply passing by the ghost had triggered such intense internal turbulence.

Outside the Fallen Mall, the driver had been waiting for a long time. Seeing that Chen Mu hadn't emerged for so long, the driver grew nervous. Could his boss have gone overboard, buying so much that he couldn't pay and ended up being detained? Recalling Chen Mu’s generous demeanor, he felt that was unlikely, but he still couldn't be sure. Just then, Chen Mu finally stepped out. Behind him, the mall manager and a group of sales staff bowed in unison: "Farewell to our Supreme Black Gold Boss Chen; we look forward to your next visit." Hearing the words "Supreme Black Gold," the driver’s heart skipped a beat. As far as he knew, the highest rank was Black Gold, which required astronomical spending. His previous boss had only been at the Silver level. His new boss had only entered the Fallen Mall for the first time and stayed for half a day, yet had already become a Supreme Black Gold client! Clearly, Supreme Black Gold was even more prestigious than Black Gold. What kind of background did his boss have to be this powerful?

After Chen Mu got into the car, the driver turned and asked, "Boss, where to next?"

"Hehe, no rush. Let me show you something." As he spoke, Chen Mu took a small square box from his space ring and handed it to the driver.

"What is this?" the driver asked, puzzled.

"Open it and see. It's for you," Chen Mu said with a smile. The driver opened the box to find a black watch resting inside. The surface of the watch shimmered with a dark luster; it was clearly crafted from precious materials. The second hand ticked away, and holding it in his hand, he could feel the mechanical texture; it was obviously very expensive. Engraved on the watch strap was a line of small characters: "Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei." Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei was a famous luxury brand in the ghost world, renowned for the exquisite craftsmanship of its watches. Naturally, the price was not low. Even the cheapest model cost over 20,000 Underworld Coins. It could be said that owning a Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei was something many ghosts never dared to dream of in their entire lives. As it happened, he loved watches and could talk at length about the various styles of the brand. Unfortunately, as a taxi driver with a monthly salary of only three thousand, after expenses, he had no savings at all.

For him, a Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei was an unattainable dream. Usually, he could only satisfy his craving by buying knock-offs. He never imagined that a boss he had only known for a day, on his first trip to the Fallen Mall, would buy a real Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei for him! And not just the entry-level 20,000-coin model, but a mid-tier version worth over 50,000! Suddenly, the ghost driver felt an urge to cry. As a ghost, he had lived for several decades. All those years, he had been at the very bottom of the ghost world, forced to greet everyone with a smile, never having experienced the feeling of being respected. His previous boss had always been arrogant, paying him the bare minimum and often delaying wages for half a year at a time. After the Ghost Apocalypse began, the exploitation intensified, and the monthly quotas increased, forcing him to take risks and demand more money from passengers just to meet the boss's requirements. He knew his former boss had never looked at him with any regard.

That was why, when Chen Mu offered to hire him, he had agreed without hesitation. But he never expected that Chen Mu—his new boss—would gift him a dream-worthy Ghost-Da-Cui-Fei on the very first day of work. Had the boss been watching him all along, knowing he liked watches? It must be! The boss was always calm and observant; he must have noticed him! It was normal for the boss to notice his interest in watches, but the fact that he had actually bought one for him was something he couldn't have anticipated. At that moment, the ghost driver finally understood what it meant to be respected. With Chen Mu, he not only received higher pay, but for the first time in decades, he felt treated with dignity. With a boss like this, what more could he ask for? If he couldn't serve his boss with absolute loyalty, he would consider himself an ingrate.

"Th-thank you, Boss," the ghost driver said, fighting back his tears, trying to keep his voice as normal as possible.

"Hehe, I'm glad you like it," Chen Mu said. "Then, for our next stop, take me to the city museum. They say it has become a ghost zone—the Mist Museum."

"Yes! I pledge my life to the boss!"