Downtown Yangzhi City, Molan Gao Ling Company Building.

After entering the building, Manager Luo strode into an elevator and rapidly keyed in a long sequence of numbers on the keypad. A moment later, the elevator began to descend. As the lights flickered faintly, the rolling digital floor display switched to negative numbers.

About a minute later, the elevator shuddered gently and came to a stop. The display read -29. They had now arrived at the main hall, one hundred meters beneath the company building.

The elevator doors slid apart, and Manager Luo stepped out. Ahead of him was a corridor. The overhead lights and a strip of lights on the floor illuminated, revealing glass walls on either side. Behind the glass was an enclosed body of water, where many bizarre creatures swam about.

Manager Luo paid them no mind and continued down the corridor. A pneumatic door opened ahead, revealing two slender women. Their heads were shaved, and they wore no clothes. Their bodies were covered in an Implant of fine, smooth, white scales that shimmered under the light. Though it accentuated their curves, the sight was strange and grotesque.

Like dancers, the two women spread their arms and curtsied before straightening up. In soft, beautiful voices, they said, "Manager, this way, please. The directors are in meeting room three today. Please follow us." The two attendants spoke in unison, their voices creating a layered, echoing effect in the hall.

Manager Luo followed with a blank expression. After about twenty meters, he exited the corridor and stepped onto a metal platform shaped like a blooming Molan orchid.

After a brief wait, the platform beneath his feet began to make a CLANKING sound as the entire structure started to rotate. It finally aligned with a door marked with a "3." The number suddenly lit up, and the door rose upward.

The two attendants gestured for him to enter. He walked forward along the sturdy metal walkway. Before he even reached the door, he could hear voices from inside.

"The research has reached its most critical stage. Once we clear this hurdle, we’ll have a mature Implant ready for the market, and we can change the public’s perception of Molan Company."

"So, Mr. Mo, how much time do you need?"

"Just three more months—no! Two months! I can definitely deliver results that will satisfy the board of directors."

Manager Luo walked in at that moment. It was a conference hall. Seated behind a semicircular wooden table inlaid with crystal light strips were five people, all of them executive directors for Molan Company in Yangzhi City. Each had exquisite and ornate decorative Implants on their cheeks and necks.

Standing before the five was an old man with cyan-dyed hair. Seeing that he was still trying to persuade the directors, Manager Luo spoke up. "There’s no more time!"

The room fell silent.

Manager Luo looked at the five people behind the table and said, "The directors should know that we are out of time."

One of the directors demanded sternly, "Manager Luo, how did this happen? The company’s previous strategy was very successful. According to the assessment reports we received from all sides, we should have been able to stall for at least another six months."

Manager Luo said gravely, "This time, Zhan Yi acted on his own authority and conceded at the Judgement Court, exposing the company’s true situation. I also bear responsibility for this matter."

’He couldn’t admit it was his own negligence—a single misstep—but someone had to take the blame. So, he’d had Zhan Yi "disappear" on the way back.’

The directors stared at him for a moment.

After a long pause, one of them said, "Manager Luo, you failed to control your subordinate. Of course you’re responsible."

Manager Luo remained silent.

Another director spoke up at the right moment. "This isn’t the time to assign blame. We need to solve the problem first. Manager Luo, I’m asking you now: if the company comes under siege by a foreseeable armed force, how long can the External Operations Department hold out?"

Manager Luo had clearly considered this question before arriving. He replied, "Yangzhi City’s original forces are no match for the company.

However, on my way back, I received news that none of Wuyi’s school council members have returned. It’s highly likely that people from Central City’s Processing Bureau have already arrived. The number and type of personnel they’ve sent are unknown, making an accurate assessment difficult.

But as long as they don’t mobilize the army, if we’re only defending the company building, we should have no problem holding out for a month."

At this, another executive director spoke. "Is that a conservative estimate or an optimistic one? We need a definite answer, along with detailed data and a report."

Manager Luo could only answer truthfully, "That’s just my personal optimistic estimate. I will conduct a thorough investigation and submit a report shortly. But..." He looked up. "As long as the railway isn’t repaired, it will be difficult for the army outside Yangzhi City to mobilize quickly. That gives us time to adjust our deployments."

"What about the Processing Bureau forces you mentioned? If we add our newly acquired batch of combat weapons, will that be enough? If we strike now, can we destroy Yangzhi City’s existing military power?"

Manager Luo weighed his options. "Perhaps. But I don’t recommend deploying our combat weapons. We have them, but so do Canghong Celestial Canal, Yuan’an Company, and the others watching us. If we reveal our hand first and they learn our true strength, they’ll be able to counter us specifically. It’s not a good option."

"What if we use our prior arrangements in Yangzhi City?"

Manager Luo shook his head. "The Esoteric Bureau is watching us too closely. Lei Guangcheng is an experienced specialist in Esoteric Rituals and very difficult to deal with. Over the past few months, he has found and dismantled many of the arrangements we’ve made over the years. Many of our Esoteric Buddhism personnel have also been captured. It’s too late to repair the damage now."

"What about the resistance groups we’ve been funding? Where are they now? Can they be utilized?"

One director said dismissively, "Those people are only good for a bit of sabotage."

"No, they’re still useful. In the past, they helped us eliminate quite a few people who got in our way. Now, they can at least tie up some of the Patrol Bureau’s resources. It’s better than nothing." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

The director who had spoken looked at Manager Luo and said, "Manager Luo, you are not to leave the company building for the time being. You will be in full charge of the company’s external defense. You may leave."

Manager Luo nodded to the directors on the dais and turned to leave.

After he was gone, the directors continued their discussion.

"We can try to negotiate with Canghong Celestial Canal to get them to back off. We can offer to exchange the last ten years of our experimental data. They should be interested in that."

"It’s a long shot. You all know what they really want."

"We already control several key water sectors. If..."

"It’s useless. After the data leak at the head office, I suspect they may have already developed a specific cure. Even if they haven’t, at the theoretical deployment effect, we’d only be dragging a few hundred thousand people down with us. The scale is too small, it’s basically meaningless. They can afford the loss."

The directors discussed for a while longer. Concluding that the situation was unsalvageable with so many factions moving against them, one of them proposed, "Since the Yangzhi City branch is likely lost, I suggest we initiate Emergency Protocol 3 to preserve the company’s work."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

"Seconded."

「Patrol Bureau Family Area, Nian Residence.」

After Chen Chuan returned, he began to look through the files Specialist Cao had given him.

The files contained a brief on Molan Company. This information was public in Central City, but outside, only professionals with the right connections could access it.

Molan Company’s original founder, Sun Shang, was facing the end of his natural lifespan. He had now entered a sleep pod, been injected with drugs, and begun an extreme deep sleep.

The one currently in charge of Molan Company was his grandson, Sun Shu, who was already eighty-eight years old. However, according to the photo in the file, he looked like a man in his late thirties or early forties.

After a quick glance, he continued reading.

In the past fifty years, Molan Company’s headquarters had been attacked three times. The first was forty-three years ago; due to the passage of time, many of those involved were no longer around, resulting in missing files and unclear information. The second was a small-scale bombing fourteen years ago, which wasn’t worth mentioning in detail.

The most recent incident was four years ago, when an unknown armed force infiltrated the headquarters, and it was suspected that a large amount of classified R&D data was lost.

This event seemed to have triggered a strategic shift for Molan Company. Afterward, they began to focus on their various branches, with the one in Yangzhi being especially important—it could even be called their second headquarters.

These days, all the major corporations were ramping up R&D for Combat Implants, each having their own areas of expertise. Molan Company, however, had always lagged behind in this field. Despite massive investments, their results were consistently meager.

It wasn’t that they had no strengths. The company’s cosmetic and dermal Implants were in a class of their own, holding an untouchable lead in the market.

But in this day and age, every corporation and mega-corp had its own armed forces. Only by mastering Combat Implants could they ensure their lifeline wasn’t in someone else’s hands.

To maintain its military strength, Molan Company had to purchase large quantities of armed implants and biological combat weapons from other corporations every year.

They had also specially commissioned R&D teams from various corporations to tailor-make an armed force called the "Blood Ink Guard." The guard’s members were all rigorously selected Fighters, fully equipped with top-of-the-line armed implants, various types of Protective Clothing, and custom weapons.

The files indicated that there were likely three squads, totaling ninety men, currently at the Yangzhi City branch. Their combat rating stated they were capable of slaughtering an old-world army of one to two thousand soldiers within half an hour. Their strength was formidable.

Additionally, Molan Company had purchased a large number of Combat Mantises in batches from the Compound Eye Company. Based on public orders, the total was over five hundred, but they had likely not all been delivered yet. The exact number they currently possessed was unknown.

Chen Chuan’s expression grew serious as he read this. He had seen a Combat Mantis before, and they were truly powerful. As a bioweapon that was incredibly fast, capable of flight, and could coordinate its own attacks, five hundred of them gathered together would be extremely difficult to deal with.

But since it was noted here, he believed his superiors must have already made preparations.

The latter part of the file contained profiles on several important figures within Molan Company.

For example, Luo Qi, the director of the Special External Operations Department. He was a Fighter by trade, with strength at the Third Limit at least. However, he didn’t seem to have many Implants. Such people were often harder to deal with, as it indicated a strong will and absolute confidence in their own martial skill.

Also of note were the Head of the Security Department, Han Jian, and the Deputy Head, Cui Hong. These two were in charge of all internal security for Yangzhi Molan.

Specific information on Han Jian was unknown, and the name was suspected to be an alias. The man had never appeared in public.

Cui Hong, on the other hand, was a graduate of Yangzhi Wuyi. Chen Chuan remembered what the Mutual Aid Association had said—that they had recommended him for the position. ’That’s probably an exaggeration, though,’ he thought. ’If it were purely their recommendation, he’d have gotten a sinecure at best. This guy must be genuinely capable.’

As for the other executives and directors, most had Combat Implants. Although they appeared to have some combat ability, they weren’t trained Fighters, so their actual combat effectiveness was highly questionable.

Chen Chuan thought for a moment. Specialist Cao had told him to await orders. He didn’t know who his target would be this time, but it was supposed to be a group operation, not a solo mission. ’They’ll probably only need me to handle the elite targets,’ he mused. ’I’d better memorize everyone in these files and be fully prepared.’

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