The Meeting

Downtown Yangzhi City, Molan Kaolin Company Building. After entering the building, Supervisor Luo walked briskly into an elevator and quickly keyed in a string of digits on the keypad. Moments later, the elevator began to descend. As the lights flickered slightly, the digital floor indicator shifted into negative numbers. Roughly a minute later, the elevator shuddered gently and came to a halt. The display read minus twenty-nine. He had now arrived at the main hall, situated a hundred meters beneath the company building. The elevator doors slid open to either side, and Supervisor Luo stepped out. Ahead lay a corridor where overhead fixtures and a strip of floor lights illuminated his path. Flanking both sides were glass partitions, behind which lay an enclosed aquatic chamber where numerous bizarre creatures swam about. Supervisor Luo paid them no heed and strode along the corridor. The pneumatic door ahead slid open to reveal two slender women standing there. Their heads were completely shaved, and they wore no clothes; their skin was entirely replaced with fine, smooth white-scale implants that gleamed faintly under the lights. Though accentuating their bodily curves, the sight was unsettling and grotesque. As if performing a dance, the two women opened their arms, dipped their knees in a curtsy, and straightened up. In soft, melodious voices, they said, "Supervisor, this way, please. The directors are in Conference Room 3 today. Please follow us." Both attendants spoke in unison, their voices creating an overlapping, echoing effect in the hall. Supervisor Luo followed them expressionlessly. After walking about twenty meters, he stepped out of the corridor onto a metal platform shaped like a blooming ink orchid. After a short wait, a mechanical clanking sounded beneath his feet as the entire platform began to rotate. Eventually, it aligned with a door marked with the numeral "3." The digit flared to life, and the door rose upward. The two attendants gestured for him to enter. He strode across the thick metal-plated walkway. Before he even reached the threshold, voices carried from inside. "The research has reached its most critical juncture. Once we take this step, we will have viable implants ready for the market, shattering our clients' rigid preconceptions of Molan Company." "Then, Mr. Mo, how much time do you need?" "Just three more months—no, two months! I will definitely produce results that satisfy the board." Supervisor Luo stepped inside at that moment. Before him was a conference hall where five people sat behind a semicircular wooden table embedded with crystalline light strips. All of them were executive directors of Molan Company in Yangzhi City, each bearing exquisite, ornate decorative implants along their cheeks and necks. Standing before the five was an elderly man with hair dyed blue-green. Seeing him still trying to persuade the directors, Luo spoke up: "There's no time left!" Silence fell over the room. Supervisor Luo looked at the five men behind the desk. "Directors, you ought to know: we have run out of time." One director finally asked in a stern voice, "Supervisor Luo, how could such a problem have occurred? The company's previous strategy was very successful. According to assessment reports from all parties, we should have been able to stall for at least another half a year." Supervisor Luo replied in a deep voice, "This time, Zhan Yi took matters into his own hands and backed down in the Tribunal, exposing the truth of the company's strength. I share the blame for this as well." He could never admit that his own oversight had led to the misstep, yet someone had to take the fall. Thus, he had arranged for Zhan Yi to vanish on the way back. The directors stared at him for a moment. After a long pause, one said, "Supervisor Luo, you failed to keep your subordinate in check. Naturally, you bear responsibility." Supervisor Luo remained silent. Another director interjected at the appropriate moment. "At a time like this, there is no need to pursue who is at fault. Our priority is to resolve the problem. Supervisor Luo, I ask you now: if the company faces a siege by foreseeable armed forces, how long can the External Operations Division hold them off?" Supervisor Luo had clearly considered this before arriving. He replied, "Yangzhi City's indigenous forces could never compare to the company. "However, on my way back, I received word that not a single member of Wuyi's board of trustees has returned. It is very likely that people from the Center City Disposal Bureau have already arrived. At present, the identities and numbers of their personnel remain unknown, making an accurate assessment difficult. "Still, as long as the military isn't mobilized and our goal is merely to defend the company, holding out for a month shouldn't be an issue." At this point, another executive director spoke up: "Is this a conservative estimate or an optimistic one? We want a definitive answer, as well as detailed data and reports." Supervisor Luo could only answer truthfully: "This is merely my personal optimistic estimate. I will actively investigate and submit a report afterward, but..." He looked up and continued, "As long as the railway remains unrepaired, it will be difficult to deploy military forces from outside Yangzhi City in a short time. That gives us time to adjust our preparations." "Regarding the forces of the Disposal Bureau you mentioned, what if we factor in the batch of combat weapons we recently purchased? Would that be enough? If we deploy them now, could we crush Yangzhi City's existing armed forces?" Supervisor Luo weighed his words. "Perhaps. But I would advise against deploying our combat weapons. We have them, but so do Canghong Grand Canal, Yuangan Company, and the other corporations keeping an eye on us. If we expose them first and reveal our cards, they will adapt and counter us. It is not a wise choice." "What if we activate our prior arrangements in Yangzhi City?" Supervisor Luo shook his head. "The Esoteric Cult Bureau has been watching us very closely. Lei Guangcheng is an experienced esoteric ritual expert, extremely difficult to deal with. Over the past few months, he has located and dismantled many of the arrangements we set up over the years, and numerous esoteric cult personnel have been arrested. It's too late to repair the network now." "What about the resistance organizations we funded? Where are they right now? Can they be put to use?" One director scoffed, "Those people can do little more than cause some minor disruption." "No, they still have their uses. In the past, they helped us eliminate quite a few obstacles. Right now, they can at least tie down the constabulary a bit. It's better than nothing." The speaking director looked at Supervisor Luo. "Supervisor Luo, you are not permitted to leave the company during this period. You are to take full charge of all external defense matters. You may leave." Supervisor Luo nodded to the seated directors, turned, and walked out. Once he left, the directors resumed their discussion. "As for Canghong Grand Canal, we can try negotiating for their withdrawal. We could offer the past ten years of experimental data in exchange; they should be interested in that." "The chances are slim. You all know what they are after." "We have already secured several key waterway sections. If..." "Useless. After the data leak at headquarters, I suspect they may have already developed a targeted cure. Even if they haven't, achieving the theoretical dispersal effect would at most incapacitate several hundred thousand people. The scale is too small to be meaningful. They can easily afford the loss." The directors discussed for a while longer. Certain that under the encirclement of so many factions the situation was beyond saving, one of them made a proposal: "Since the Yangzhi branch can likely no longer be saved, I propose we initiate Emergency Protocol No. 3 in order to preserve the company's achievements." "Seconded." "Seconded." "Seconded." *** In the constabulary family quarters, within the Nian residence. After returning, Chen Chuan began perusing the dossier Commissioner Cao had handed him. The materials provided a brief overview of Molan Company. Such information was publicly accessible in Center City, but out here, only select professionals with the right connections could obtain it. Molan Company's founding patriarch, Sun Shang, facing the end of his natural lifespan, had entered a stasis pod, been injected with chemicals, and begun an ultimate deep sleep. The person currently presiding over Molan Company was his grandson, Sun Shu. Although already eighty-eight years of age, the photograph in the file showed a man who appeared to be in his thirties or forties, somewhere between youth and middle age. After glancing at it, Chen Chuan continued flipping through the pages. Over the past fifty years, Molan Company's headquarters had suffered three attacks. The earliest occurred forty-three years ago; because it was so long ago and many of those involved were no longer around, records were lacking and details remained unclear. The most recent incident was four years ago, when an unidentified armed force breached the headquarters, allegedly leading to the loss of substantial amounts of confidential research and development data. This incident seemed to have prompted a strategic shift for Molan Company, which subsequently shifted its focus toward its various branch divisions, with particular importance placed on the Yangzhi branch—which could even be considered... Nowadays, major corporations were all ramping up research and development into combat-oriented implants, each carving out areas of expertise. Molan Company, however, had always lagged behind in this regard; despite pouring immense capital into the field, their results had consistently been meager. Not that they lacked strengths—their cosmetic and dermal implants were unmatched, leading the industry by a margin no one could close. Yet in this era, every corporation and megacorp possessed its own armed force. Only by mastering combat-oriented implants could a company prevent its lifeline from falling into the hands of others. To maintain its military might, Molan Company spent heavily each year purchasing armed implants and biological combat weapons from other enterprises. They had even commissioned R&D teams from various corporations to tailor a private armed force known as the "Blood Molan Guard." Selected through rigorous screening, every member was a trained fighter, fully outfitted with top-tier combat implants on the market, various protective suits, and custom-made weaponry. According to the records, three squads—amounting to ninety operatives—were likely stationed at the Yangzhi branch. The combat assessment annotated in the file noted that they were capable of slaughtering an old-style military force of one to two thousand soldiers within half an hour. Their combat prowess was formidable. In addition, Molan Company had purchased large quantities of combat mantises in batches from Compound Eye Company. Based on official purchase orders, there were roughly five hundred units, though delivery had likely not been fully completed, leaving their exact current count unknown. Reading this, Chen Chuan's expression turned graver. He had encountered combat mantises firsthand and knew just how lethal they were. As biological weapons that moved at blistering speeds, possessed flight, and could coordinate autonomously, five hundred of them swarming together would be exceedingly difficult to handle. Still, since it was noted here, those above surely had countermeasures prepared. Toward the end of the dossier were profiles of key figures in Molan Company. For example, Luo Qi, Chief of the Special External Operations Division, had a background as a fighter, at least... Also requiring attention were Han Jian, head of the security department, and Cui Hong, the deputy head; these two were responsible for all internal security at Molan's Yangzhi branch. Details regarding Han Jian were sparse, and the name was suspected to be an alias; he had never appeared in public. Cui Hong, on the other hand, was a graduate of Yangzhi Wuyi. Chen Chuan recalled the Mutual Aid Society claiming they had recommended him for the post. However, there was likely some exaggeration in that claim; if he had relied purely on the Mutual Aid Society's endorsement, he would at best hold a sinecure. The man surely possessed genuine capability. As for the remaining executives and directors, most had combat implants. Though they appeared to possess martial prowess, their lack of a fighter background meant their actual combat effectiveness was highly questionable. Chen Chuan pondered the situation. Commissioner Cao had told him to await orders. He did not know what specific target he would be assigned to deal with, but this would likely be a joint operation rather than a solo endeavor. Only elite adversaries would require special attention. Thus, it was best to memorize the profiles of every individual in the dossier and be thoroughly prepared.