novelraw Chapter 76: A Plan Laid Months Ago
Chapter 76: A Plan Laid Months Ago
"After a month of continuous analysis and dissection by the Think Tank..."
"...the final conclusion is that it should be an act of goodwill."
The refined, middle-aged man referred to Su Yuan as "that person."
"Goodwill?"
Director Zhou's expression grew thoughtful.
If anyone else had received this conclusion, they would undoubtedly find it impossible to comprehend.
Goodwill?
The other party had blatantly shown up at their door to threaten them. How could that possibly be construed as goodwill?
But this conclusion was the result of a massive amount of time and effort expended by the Think Tank.
Naturally, Director Zhou gave it serious consideration."Yes, goodwill."
The refined, middle-aged man nodded. "All of that person's actions have been strictly verbal."
"He hasn't made any physical moves."
"Nor has he continued to make numerous demands."
The middle-aged man paused briefly.
He continued,
"Furthermore, regarding the batch of weapons he asked us to manufacture, our analysis suggests it is highly likely they were custom-designed based on our current industrial capabilities."
"The manufacturing difficulty and requirements of the weapons are still within our tolerable limits."
The middle-aged man said, looking at Director Zhou.
Judging purely by efficiency and outcomes...
Even if Su Yuan had doubled the required weapon quantity or halved the completion deadline...
Xia Nation would still be able to accomplish it.
However, there would have been a hefty price to pay.
Looking at it from this perspective alone, that entity's attitude was not overly malicious.
One had to realize that, considering Su Yuan held their very lifeline in his hands, even if his demands were ten times harder, they would have swallowed their pride and done it anyway.
"So that's how it is."
Realization dawned on Director Zhou's face.
The Think Tank's conclusions were built upon ample data.
For instance, combining the upper limits of their industrial infrastructure capacity with the weapon blueprints provided by Su Yuan...
...allowed them to draw much deeper conclusions.
"Moreover, that person..."
"...hasn't just appeared for the first time."
The middle-aged man stated.
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Director Zhou's spirits instantly lifted.
Over the past month, the most hopelessly powerless part of all this was knowing absolutely nothing about Su Yuan.
But now?
They had actually discovered other traces left behind by Su Yuan?
"Several months ago."
"Down in the South Sea, the 'Network Ghost' incident occurred."
The middle-aged man spoke up again.
"Network Ghost..."
Director Zhou immediately recalled it.
He had a deep impression of the matter. The South Sea Island Security Bureau's network had been silently infiltrated and taken over, without a single blip from the firewalls.
And afterward, not a single trace could be found.
This incident had caused a massive uproar at the time.
Even he had been alarmed and asked a few questions about it.
"Are you implying..."
Director Zhou's expression shifted slightly.
"The methods used to infiltrate and seize control of the South Sea Island Security Bureau's network bear a high degree of similarity to the network takeover in Modu a month ago."
"The Think Tank theorizes..."
"...that these were the work of the same person."
The middle-aged man said.
Upon hearing this, numerous details regarding the "Network Ghost" incident immediately surfaced in Director Zhou's mind. Although they knew nothing about the mastermind behind the "Network Ghost" event, post-incident analysis revealed that the various actions the mastermind took through the network were aligned with Xia Nation's stance.
This was also the primary reason why Xia Nation's Think Tank determined that Su Yuan harbored goodwill toward Xia Nation.
Furthermore, another key point was that the mastermind did not belong to The Truth Society.
At that time, the mastermind had borrowed the hands of Xia Nation's experts to deal precisely with The Truth Society's assassins.
"That is good. That is very good."
Director Zhou let out a heavy sigh of relief in his heart.
For the past month, the one thing Director Zhou feared the most was that Su Yuan had some connection to The Truth Society.
After all, the weapon blueprints provided by Su Yuan displayed technology far surpassing Blue Star. Wasn't that incredibly similar to The Truth Society?
But from the looks of it now, Su Yuan and The Truth Society were not on the same path. In fact, they might even stand on opposing sides.
"Therefore, the Think Tank's ultimate recommendation is to cooperate to the greatest possible extent with all demands put forward by that person."
The middle-aged man stated.
Facing an entity of unknown depths and origins, who held their greatest lifeline and still showed goodwill toward Xia Nation...
...naturally, they couldn't choose a path of mutual destruction.
"I understand."
Director Zhou nodded.
What Xia Nation's Think Tank and Director Zhou did not know was—
The conclusions they had drawn after expending a vast amount of time and effort analyzing...
...were entirely driven and subtly guided by Su Yuan.
Several months ago, when Su Yuan seized control of the Security Bureau's network down in the South Sea...
...aside from wanting to take away Qiao Mingyuan, it was also to leave behind clues.
Clues that would be discovered by Xia Nation's Think Tank today, prompting them to connect the dots and conclude that Su Yuan held goodwill toward Xia Nation.
How could he get Xia Nation to work for him wholeheartedly?
And focus solely on manufacturing weapons?
Naturally, he couldn't just rely on holding their lifeline as a deterrent; he also had to display his goodwill.
This was exactly what it meant to employ both kindness and severity.
However, goodwill wasn't something you could just claim to have and be believed.
For example, if Su Yuan simply told Director Zhou straight out, "I mean you no harm. Work hard for me, and you'll reap the benefits later."
That would just be painting an empty fantasy.
There was a high probability that Director Zhou wouldn't believe it. Instead, he would become even more panicked and uneasy.
The optimal approach was to let Director Zhou and the others investigate it themselves, deducing the exact conclusion Su Yuan wanted from the clues he intentionally left behind.
This was a conclusion that Director Zhou would believe unconditionally.
Modu, Lab No. 7.
Three hours later, Su Yuan opened his eyes, concluding this session of cultivation.
"Phew!"
Feeling his strength surge once again, a smile spread across Su Yuan's face.
Currently, at the Level 3 Lifeform stage, he had already completed one-eighth of the journey. In just seven more months, he would be able to cross into the bounds of a Level 4 Lifeform.
'It is a pity the human body has its limits and cannot endure continuous cultivation,'
Su Yuan shook his head slightly.
This was also the reason why he had to wait several days between each cultivation session.
The human body needed time to slowly adapt to its growing strength.
If there wasn't an adaptation period of a few days and he forcefully cultivated without interruption, the end result would be death by a gene-level collapse.
Compared to those innately powerful and terrifying lifeforms in the depths of the universe...
...the human body was ultimately far too weak.
Even evolution had to be treated with such extreme caution, and energy absorption had to be strictly governed by the body's physical limits.
Of course, while the human body was frail, its potential was unbelievably vast.
Amid his thoughts, Su Yuan's mind stirred.
Suddenly, an intricate mark composed entirely of mind force materialized before him.
It was none other than the Mind Brand.
This Mind Brand forged by Su Yuan contained a total of thirty-six Sub-Marks.
If he wished to control a lifeform, all he had to do was embed a Sub-Mark deep into their soul.
"The Sacred Method 'Mind Brand' has been successfully cultivated. It's time to make a move on The Truth Society."
Su Yuan withdrew the Mind Brand and looked up into the distance, his gaze utterly tranquil.