Succession

"Powerful active conscious entities are both builders of and participants in the Ring of the World. They can tear open fissures between the two worlds, allowing defense forces to enter the confluence zone between both worlds to fight the entities on the other side. From there, various corporations can also bring back relics, advancing technology through research." Meng Lai leaned down, took hold of the metal ladder, and began climbing down. "Follow me," he said. Meng Shu stepped onto the metal ladder on the other side, descending with care. After about three or four meters, her feet touched solid ground. She found the space down here to be far larger than it had looked from above. A sudden click sounded, followed by the clatter and hum of lights flickering on one after another, tracing a path down the tunnel below. A lift stood parked there. Meng Lai walked over and waved for her to step inside. Once she was standing securely inside, Meng Lai pulled the safety gate shut, then nodded toward the console at the side. "First open the safety latch, then pull that lever." Meng Shu followed his instructions and stepped up to the console. She pushed up the sliding key of the safety latch and reached for the lever. Finding that one hand wasn't enough to budge it, she pulled with both hands until it locked all the way down. The lift shuddered, then began descending slowly with heavy, clanking reverberations. Meng Lai continued, "In the past, Liying could only be considered an adjunct of the government. When opening the door, we had to rely on the power of the Great Shun government, requiring review and approval every single time. "And while the relics brought back from outside were placed with the company for research, in essence, they belonged to the Great Shun government. They were never truly our own. "But if Liying grows stronger, we will be able to enter and leave the confluence zone at will and dispatch fighters to seek out relics for us. The company will gain far greater prospects and momentum for growth. "This is a privilege reserved only for megacorporations and major enterprises. We at Convergence Boundary must find a way to wedge ourselves into their ranks. Only then will we have the strength to protect ourselves in the coming clash of worlds, rather than becoming pawns casually discarded or thrown out as sacrifices." Illuminated by the lights along the shaft, light and shadow flickered across Meng Lai's face and body. Meng Shu wondered if she looked the same way right now. "This decision was somewhat rushed, but it had to be made." They passed a light fitting just then, and Meng Lai's voice emerged from the shadows. "Meng Huang had placed complete faith in that entity and thrown his lot in with it. He couldn't be allowed to go on like that. And you, Shu, successfully withstood the attack he launched. That proved you have the capability to be a proper heir. To give him no time to react, I arranged this meeting immediately. "In fact, a long time ago, I already began preparing a plan to lure and trap that entity. All the conditions were already in place, so there was a real chance of pulling it off. "In my contingency plan, Aunt Yu and the sword guards were supposed to wear down its strength first. Once it reached this place, we would use the ritual and Liying's power to make the final capture and absorb it. "Yet every plan is only ever a plan. After making contact, I realized the entity that arrived was of a higher tier than I had anticipated, vastly increasing the difficulty of subsequent operations. "In fact, at that point, I had already abandoned the operation. Involving the Disposal Bureau earlier was meant to provide a safety net so things wouldn't spiral out of control. "What I didn't expect was..." Meng Lai looked at Meng Shu. "...that this entity would actually be wiped out by your classmate single-handedly, without requiring anyone else to intervene. I rarely hear Aunt Yu praise anyone, but your classmate is one of the few. I heard you gave him all the medicinal resources the company allocated to you?" "Yes." Meng Lai nodded. "You did the right thing. Only sufficient investment yields a return. Well, now that you are the heir, give him Meng Huang's share as well. Either don't invest at all, or invest all the way. "As I've said, martial force is the fundamental guarantee. Aside from active conscious entities like Liying, fighters must also be befriended and brought to our side." Meng Shu was silent for a moment before saying, "I understand, Grandfather." With a heavy clank and a gentle jolt, the lift finally settled onto the ground. Meng Lai pushed open the safety gate and walked toward the area illuminated by industrial mine lamps ahead. When Meng Shu stepped out, she noticed Liying was already standing in front of them, as if she had long been waiting for their arrival. The space below was vast. Beneath their feet lay a dense, intricate ritual diagram; as they walked across it, multicolored fluorescence flickered occasionally within the lines, as though something were flowing inside. Not far ahead, bathed in soft light, rested a flat, carved metal vat. On its left and right projected two spout-like nozzles, while its top was secured with a lid featuring a Jiaotu-ring handle. Meng Lai said, "Liying's body is stored inside there, and my body is down below." He extended a hand. "Shu, go forward and stand there." Meng Shu walked over without hesitation and came to a stop in front of one of the nozzles. "Hold your hand out to it," Meng Lai said from behind. Meng Shu tentatively raised her hand and placed it before the nozzle. A slight prick of pain struck her palm, as if something had bitten her. She instinctively pulled her hand back and looked: in the center of her palm was a tiny puncture. Meng Lai said, "This exchanges her bodily tissue with your blood. From now on, within a certain range, you can locate her at any time, summon her to serve you, and transmit messages and orders." Meng Shu lowered her hand and looked toward Meng Lai. "Grandfather, I have a question." "Ask." "Grandfather, you've been scheming to strengthen an active conscious entity all this time. Aren't you afraid of the Disposal Bureau finding out?" Meng Lai smiled. "If we had succeeded, destroyed the entity on the other side, and allowed Liying to grow stronger, the Disposal Bureau wouldn't have said anything. While some friction would remain, they would become far more circumspect when dealing with matters concerning us. "If we failed, I would subsequently announce my retirement and hand the company over to you, Shu. That would serve as an explanation to them." Meng Shu looked at him. "I've always wanted to ask—why did you choose me, Grandfather?" Meng Lai replied, "Among the younger generation, you are calm and rational in your conduct, open to the advice of others, and decisive at critical moments. Even when aware of the difficulties, you dare make hard decisions. "Yet those traits aren't entirely absent in the other juniors. So besides those, there is a more important reason: special conscious entities aren't naturally close to just anyone. Even if you can command her, whether you are attuned with her makes a vast difference in the outcome. "Among all the younger generation, only you and Meng Huang were the most attuned with Liying. "And now, you are the only one left." Meng Shu had no way to verify whether that was truly the case, but she could only accept the answer. So she asked another question: "Grandfather, you said Liying is the foundation of the company's survival, and that no one in the company is irreplaceable. You said that includes yourself, which surely means it includes me as well. In that case... who is the company actually for?" Meng Lai smiled. "There are some things you might find difficult to understand right now, but you will realize soon enough. As the heir to the company, you will always be the closest to the answer. Until then, just do as I say." *** At that same moment, inside a building in Yinglu District, a capable-looking woman with shoulder-length short hair sat with her legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from her lips, communicating with the party on the other end of her boundary credential. A voice came through the credential: "Sister Huan, the higher-ups are very dissatisfied with us. The loss of the important item transported by the Gong family forced us to initiate Plan B. Now Meng Huang is finished as well, and without his cooperation, Plan B can't move forward either. The higher-ups want an explanation from us." Sister Huan said, "Explain what? What does any of this have to do with us? Gong Zhanyi couldn't deliver the item properly himself. And Meng Huang's failure is even more laughable—that was basically his own doing. When didn't we cooperate with him? We did everything we could; they can't pin this on us." The voice in the credential said, "But Sister Huan, making excuses won't help. Because the plan has stalled, the higher-ups are doubting our team's operational competence. They're already discussing replacing us with another operations team." Sister Huan twirled a strand of hair around her finger, let out a faint chuckle, and said, "Fine by me. Whoever wants to take over can take over. I'd like to see who's more qualified than us right now." The voice on the other end paused, sounding somewhat helpless. "Still, Sister Huan, we can't just leave things like this. The higher-ups' patience has limits..." Sister Huan said, "Cut to the chase." The person on the credential fell silent for a second before whispering, "Since there's been no progress, the higher-ups want us to carry out targeted eliminations following the list of marks provided by 'Wu Qi.'" Sister Huan arched an eyebrow. "Wu Qi?" "I know you hate Wu Qi's suggestions the most, Sister Huan, but since the plan has stalled, the higher-ups have no choice but to try Wu Qi's proposed scheme first." Sister Huan stood up from the sofa, paced a couple of steps across the room, and asked, "The marks?" The other person seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and immediately transmitted a file. A light screen sprang to life in front of Sister Huan, displaying dossiers and information on several individuals. Among them, prominently featured, was Chen Chuan's dossier. She paused upon seeing Chen Chuan's file. "Isn't this handsome boy the one who defeated Wei Wusheng?" "Yes. Meng Huang's failure this time is related to him. Wu Qi believes that among those who will pose an obstacle to the company in the future, this person is on the list—and could be a major threat. So he recommended eliminating him as early as possible." Sister Huan scoffed. "The future? I never believe in that crap. But whatever." She walked to the window and looked out. Just a stone's throw away, a massive Ferris wheel was slowly turning. "Since it's the company's arrangement, I'll take the job."