novelraw Chapter 30 : The Power of Capital
Chapter 30 : The Power of Capital
Chapter 30: The Power of Capital
The cold notification of 【Puppet Master】’s death echoed within Lin Lan’s mind.
The Shadow faction — half of them were gone.
In just a few short days, they had lost half their members.
Lin Lan stood before the massive floor-to-ceiling window, the glass of 1982 Lafite in her hand swaying slightly between her fingers. Her face was a mask of icy stillness.
“An animal-controlling Transcendent…”
She murmured to herself under her breath.
Now she finally understood.
Within the 【Radiance】 faction, that animal-controlling Transcendent had used the citywide presence of animals to weave an inescapable web of intelligence.
As long as that Transcendent lived, she and Chen Xiang’s every move could be exposed through those “animal eyes.”
“Very well.”
For the first time, true anger ignited in Lin Lan’s eyes.
It was not only the death of her teammates that enraged her — it was that she, someone who had always pursued perfection, had suffered such a humiliating loss.
That feeling of defeat was a grave insult to her.
From the precise counter-kill of 【Cursemaster】 Wang Defa to the effortless exposure of 【Puppet Master】 Wu Ce’s hiding place —
This animal-controlling Transcendent had been using creatures across the city to monitor their every move.
As long as that person remained alive, all her and Chen Xiang’s plans could be laid bare even before execution.
Therefore, at any cost, this Transcendent’s surveillance must be destroyed!
Lin Lan immediately picked up the internal phone on her desk.
“Sophie, it’s me.”
“I want you to immediately mobilize all resources of the group.”
“Establish a charity foundation called ‘Urban Ecological Purification,’ and spare no expense in addressing the public health issues caused by stray animals.”
“I don’t want to see a single stray animal in this city ever again!”
On the other end, her assistant Sophie was so stunned by Lin Lan’s outrageous order that she was speechless for a long time.
“Director Lin… th-this amount of funding is enormous — it would drain three quarters’ worth of the company’s liquid capital in an instant…”
“And… the board will question your decision…”
“I don’t care how much it costs. Even if we have to sell the company, this must be done!”
“From now on, all of my orders bypass the board — execute them directly.”
“Anyone who disagrees can put their resignation letter on my desk tomorrow!”
Then, Lin Lan hung up the phone.
Moments later, her personal cellphone began to vibrate wildly.
The company’s chief financial officer, head of legal affairs, head of security — call after call came flooding in, every voice filled with shock and confusion.
“Chairwoman Lin! Are you sure you’re authorizing this expenditure? This could cause our stock to plummet when the market opens tomorrow!”
“Lin Lan! Have you gone mad? You’re allocating this much to a citywide ‘stray animal purge’? The board will never approve this!”
“…”
But to every one of them, Lin Lan only gave a cold reply: “Do as I say.”
“Anyone who questions my decision — get out of my company immediately.”
And so, under Lin Lan’s absolute authority, all doubts fell into silence.
……
Under Lin Lan’s reckless and extravagant financial offensive, an unprecedented “citywide cleanup” campaign began in Jiang City.
Several of Lin Lan’s subsidiary companies, under banners such as “Urban Sanitation and Environmental Management” and “Avian Flu Prevention,” invested astronomical sums of money.
Thousands of hired workers and technicians, armed with professional-grade equipment, appeared in every corner of Jiang City.
They installed tens of thousands of high-powered ultrasonic and infrasonic repellers at city vantage points, parks, and green zones.
They used airplanes and drones to spray chemicals harmless to humans but intolerable to birds and insects across the skies.
They even hired professional rodent-control teams to conduct a carpet-style purge of the entire sewer system.
Meanwhile, invoices piled up like snow, and the company’s accounts drained at an alarming rate.
Lin Lan’s personal credit cards maxed out one after another, but she simply tossed the pile of useless cards into a drawer and dialed her Swiss bank’s client line on her phone.
To Lin Lan, after all, money was merely a game in the mortal world.
And now, before the overwhelming forces of the Transcendent, the commercial empire and the astronomical wealth that once filled her with pride had become meaningless — just a string of numbers she could discard at any moment.
This mad, money-burning crusade soon brought her the results she sought.
Yang Li’s animal intelligence network suffered catastrophic destruction.
Countless pigeons, sparrows, and rats fell into unprecedented panic and chaos, scattering like headless flies — unable to receive or transmit any effective information.
Facing the power of capital, Yang Li felt utterly powerless.
“Director Lin, according to reports, over ninety percent of the city’s regions have been cleared of animals.”
“At the same time, animals are showing abnormal migration patterns — a massive concentration has appeared at the abandoned Line 7 subway station in the southern district.”
“…Animals missing from the zoo… abnormal animal congregation… Yang Li…”
“We’ve found her.” Lin Lan looked at Yang Li’s profile on the screen, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips.
“But it’s not enough. Keep monitoring. I want to know who she’s contacting and all her known social connections.”
Lin Lan’s surveillance net continued to expand.
Before long, a mortician named Su Wan entered her sights.
“Director Lin, we intercepted this surveillance footage.”
Sophie handed her the tablet.
On the screen, a delicate-looking girl in a funeral home uniform was handing a parcel to a crow.
A glint of icy light flashed through Lin Lan’s eyes — she had finally located all the 【Radiance】 players.
……
However, while Lin Lan was burning through her fortune, her mad actions had drawn the attention of another power.
On Chen Mo’s desk lay a report detailing the abnormal activities of the “Lin Group.”
“Report! We’ve detected that the Lin Group is carrying out a massive citywide animal expulsion campaign — behavior that is extremely abnormal!”
“Lin Lan doing something like this within just one week — it’s unreasonable.”
“Therefore, we have reason to suspect that Lin Lan, the actual controller of the Lin Group, is deeply connected to the ‘Transcendent incidents’!”
Chen Mo stared at the data on Lin Lan displayed across the screen, his brows tightly furrowed.
This woman — he had heard of her long ago.
The youngest and most ruthless queen of Jiang City’s business world.
Why would she undertake something so exhausting yet thankless?
A bold guess rose in Chen Mo’s mind.
Could it be… she was also a “player”?
Chen Mo immediately gave the order: “Initiate top-level surveillance on Lin Lan immediately! I want to know her every move!”
“Also, check whether she has ever had any contact with Wu Ce or any other known Transcendents.”
Lin Lan’s actions had also exposed her to the authorities’ attention.
But that, too, was within Lin Lan’s calculations.
Her fingers lightly tapped the tabletop.
She knew that her reckless, no-expense-spared operation would inevitably draw the attention of the authorities.
And so, at the very moment Chen Mo gave his command, she also activated her own “plan.”
A plan capable of throwing the entire situation in Jiang City into complete chaos.
She dialed Chen Xiang’s number.
“It’s your turn to appear.”
……
At dusk, Li Zhenguo parked his car in the underground garage beneath his apartment building as usual.
Just as he locked the car door and prepared to enter the elevator, a young man in a food delivery uniform approached with a friendly smile.
“Dr. Li, right? You have an urgent document that needs your signature.”
Li Zhenguo frowned slightly but still accepted the pen and clipboard handed to him.
At the moment he lowered his head to sign, a flicker of cold light flashed in the delivery man’s eyes.
A fine needle, thinner than a strand of hair, shot silently from his fingertip and pierced into the back of Li Wenbo’s neck.
Li Zhenguo’s body stiffened violently; his facial expression froze. Without making a sound, he collapsed limply to the ground.
The delivery man calmly dragged the corpse to an inconspicuous van parked in a corner, then took the man’s ID card, car keys, and all personal belongings.
Then, gazing at Li Zhenguo’s face, his own features began to shift like flowing water.
Bones subtly adjusted, muscles subtly reorganized.
Within minutes, a brand-new “Dr. Li Zhenguo” was born.
……
Jiang City, Transcendent Affairs Bureau, National Biomedical Base.
This was the most heavily guarded place in all of Jiang City — guards every few steps, soldiers armed to the teeth, and surveillance cameras everywhere.
Zheng Wei’s daughter, Zheng Xiaoxiao, was living here in the highest-level sterile intensive care ward.
Thanks to the nation’s top-tier medical resources, Xiaoxiao’s condition was visibly improving day by day.
Late at night, an elderly expert in a white coat and gold-rimmed glasses — looking about fifty years old — entered the intensive care ward.
“Dr. Li? You’re back again?” The on-duty nurse looked surprised to see Professor Li Zhenguo enter.
Professor Li Zhenguo smiled and said to the medical staff inside, “I’m here to collect the latest blood sample from the patient for genetic sequence comparison.”
“You can all step out — I’ll handle this.”
“Understood, Dr. Li.”
The nurse didn’t dare hesitate and respectfully withdrew at once.
Now, in the ward, only Chen Xiang and the sleeping Zheng Xiaoxiao remained — the girl lying on the sterile bed, tranquil under the effect of medication.
Chen Xiang stepped up to the bedside. Gazing at her innocent, peaceful face, a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
Then, still smiling, he reached out two fingers and carefully removed the slender breathing tube connected to Zheng Xiaoxiao’s body.
On the monitor, the heartbeat line began to spike violently — and then flattened into a straight line.
After finishing all this, “Li Zhenguo” even took a moment to straighten his white coat.
Then he walked to the internal communicator, pressing the button for the base-wide broadcast.
A cold, clear voice instantly echoed through every corner of the base.
“Intensive care patient Zheng Xiaoxiao has been declared deceased at 22:43 due to sudden cardiopulmonary failure.”
As chaos erupted across the base following his announcement, Li Zhenguo calmly shifted his form again — into that of a young nurse who had just rushed in in panic before being knocked unconscious — and seamlessly blended into the fleeing crowd.
……
Jiang City, Transcendent Affairs Bureau, Underground Training Ground.
Zheng Wei was assisting several researchers in conducting strength tests.
He stood bare-chested, effortlessly lifting a ten-ton armored vehicle above his head like a toy, a good-natured smile on his face.
Since joining the Transcendent Affairs Bureau, his strength — under systematic training and ample nutrition — had once again broken through to new limits.
His current life was something he had never even dared to dream of before.
He was no longer the laborer struggling for survival, but a respected “special consultant.”
Most importantly, his daughter Xiaoxiao was receiving the best treatment — she would recover soon.
As long as he cooperated with the state’s experiments, he could trade his service for his daughter’s health and a bright future.
His life felt filled with unprecedented hope.
Just then, the emergency broadcast system blared through the base.
“…Intensive care patient Zheng Xiaoxiao has been declared deceased at 22:43 due to sudden cardiopulmonary failure.”
That cold, merciless voice was like thunder from the heavens, striking directly into Zheng Wei’s mind.
His hands froze mid-lift, the massive armored vehicle suspended above him — the smile on his face vanished instantly.
For Zheng Wei, in that moment, the entire world seemed to fall silent.
He slowly turned his head toward a terrified researcher beside him and asked, word by word:
“Just now… what did that broadcast say?”
The researcher was so frightened by the sudden redness in Zheng Wei’s eyes that he couldn’t utter a word — only shook his head instinctively.
Zheng Wei stood frozen, as though a hundred thousand tons of explosives had just detonated in his brain.
Xiaoxiao… dead?
No…
Impossible…
That’s impossible!
They promised me — they said they would cure her!
The extremity of grief and rage erupted like a volcano, obliterating all his reason.
“No… no!!!!”
A roar — inhuman, filled with boundless sorrow and fury — tore from his throat!
“Boom——!”
The ten-ton armored vehicle in his hands was hurled down like a crushed soda can, smashing a massive crater into the reinforced alloy floor!
A terrifying shockwave burst outward from him, flinging every nearby instrument and piece of equipment through the air!
Researchers screamed and scrambled away in terror.
Zheng Wei’s eyes were now fully consumed by crimson — he had become nothing but a beast whose offspring had been taken, yearning only to destroy everything.
Before their eyes, his already-massive body began to swell at a visible rate!
Muscles bulged like coiling dragons, ripping apart his specially-made combat suit!
Zheng Wei — had lost control.
He was going to destroy everything in front of him!