The physical body was entirely alive, sustaining every normal biological rhythm, yet the consciousness was utterly non-existent. It was a reverse mechanism of memory retention and synchronization technology.

The entire room fell into a silence so profound that the ticking of the second hand on the lavish wall clock could be heard with stark clarity. The men seated here were those standing at the absolute pinnacle of the social pyramid, individuals who had witnessed countless filthy, hidden corners of human nature. However, the concept that Felix Tate had just thrown onto the table still sent a chilling draft racing down their spines.

"Are you saying..." Kieran Talbot’s voice lost its usual playful banter for the first time, replaced by the extreme tension of a medical professional. He leaned forward, his eyes pinned to the brainwave chart on the phone screen: "Conrad Cole has essentially become an empty shell? A biological puppet sustained by machinery so that Gabriel Cole can manipulate him?"

"Exactly." Felix Tate nodded, his sharp gaze completely unwavering: "The international military once had top-secret reports regarding similar biological research projects, aimed at creating ’meat puppets’ in crucial positions. By interfering with the cerebral cortex, they can completely eradicate the host’s original consciousness, then use electromagnetic pulses to simulate basic neural activities. On the surface, the person still breathes, still opens their eyes, and can even sign documents based on pre-programmed reflexes. But in reality, the soul within has long been dead."

Louis York let out a low hiss, casually grabbing his wine glass from the table and taking a large gulp: "Damn it! This CORE faction isn’t just laundering money, are they trying to launder humanity itself? If Gabriel Cole dares to do this to his own biological grandfather, then Gabriel is truly a cold-blooded demon." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Not a demon, but a man with an ambition so manic that he is willing to sell out his humanity in exchange for absolute power." Julian Sterling spoke up, his slender fingers lightly tracing the edge of the phone. His clear eyes were now covered by a layer of cold, misty frost: "Think about it, everyone. Why would Gabriel Cole need Conrad Cole to live in such a manner?"

Ethan Caldwell gently tightened his arm resting on Julian Sterling’s waist, his thumb lightly caressing through the thin fabric of Julian’s shirt in a comforting habit. His voice dropped low, carrying a terrifying, oppressive weight: "Because of legitimacy. The Cole family’s roots run incredibly deep. The veteran shareholders in the conglomerate would not easily submit to a younger generation successor like Gabriel Cole. If Conrad Cole were to die suddenly, the will and inheritance rights would undoubtedly be dissected, and the internal factions of the Cole family would tear each other apart. But if Conrad remains alive, his health gradually declining as he personally signs partial power of attorney over to Gabriel... then the transition of power will proceed smoothly, and no one will dare to utter a word of dissent."

"And that is also when Seraphina Cole becomes the greatest obstacle." Julian added, his eyes flashing with absolute clarity: "She is so intelligent, so sharp-witted. How could she not notice the anomalies in her own father? It is highly likely that she discovered this earth-shattering secret. Or, to be precise, this scheme was developed by Gabriel Cole several years ago, and Seraphina accidentally found out about it."

Kieran Talbot frowned: "Then why didn’t she expose Gabriel Cole instead of being kicked out of the house?"

"Who knows? Weren’t Conrad Cole’s brainwaves already showing some bad signals at that time? It’s entirely possible that she wanted to expose him, but in a split second, Conrad was truly controlled and expelled her from the family. Or... perhaps she was forced to keep her mouth shut." Louis York played with his fingertips, a cynical half-smile resting on his lips: "Don’t forget, CORE is backing Gabriel Cole from behind the scenes. They have hundreds of ways to make a woman, no matter how arrogant, lose all her standing and reputation, or vanish without a trace. Being kicked out of the house might actually be the luckiest outcome Seraphina could have gotten. But knowing Gabriel’s nature, I bet he won’t let his biological aunt live peacefully on the outside."

Julian nodded in agreement. He retrieved his phone, swiftly executing a few basic maneuvers to erase the traces of his earlier infiltration into the medical system: "Perhaps we need to have another conversation with Seraphina Cole."

Ethan Caldwell looked at the calm side profile of the young man in his embrace. His eyes revealed a rare gleam of tenderness amidst the tense atmosphere. He knew Julian was brilliant, but this sheer acuity sometimes made his heart ache, for it had been forged in the fires of past traumas.

"Let’s leave that for later." Ethan spoke up: "For now, we cannot afford to alert the enemy. Gabriel Cole and CORE currently believe we are only targeting the media scandal and the flow of laundered funds."

Felix Tate stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, the tall and imposing physique of a military man radiating a suffocating pressure. He tapped his fingers rhythmically against his bicep, speaking slowly: "Correct. We must beat them at their own game. They love playing the puppet masters, so we will sever their strings one by one. Regarding the weapons and ammunition being smuggled out, I have already cast the net. The upcoming live-fire military exercise will be the graveyard for those traitors within the military district who dare to collude with CORE."

"As for my shipment at customs." Kieran Talbot gave a cold snort: "I have already filed an application with the Department of Commerce. Those parasites at the general customs office can just wait to receive their termination notices. Gabriel Cole thinks he can seize the Talbot family’s goods by greasing a few palms? Keep dreaming!"

Louis York raised an eyebrow, reaching up to adjust his collar. Whether intentionally or accidentally, he revealed a faint red mark on his skin: "On the media front and the underground money trail, I will continue to lay the bait. Let Gabriel Cole think he is manipulating public opinion. When Gabriel reaches the very peak of his complacency, I will bring down a hammer and shatter his matrix system to pieces."

Speaking to this point, Louis suddenly paused, his gaze darting toward Julian: "But what about the variable you mentioned earlier? What is the plan for Dahlia Thorne? That girl might just be a small fry, but CORE’s stealth capabilities are nothing to joke about. Keeping a venomous bee by your side means you’ll get stung if you aren’t careful."

Hearing the name Dahlia Thorne, Ethan Caldwell’s complexion immediately chilled by several degrees. This person was truly too difficult to read. If Gabriel Cole was indeed a hunting dog for CORE, it wasn’t hard to explain why Dahlia had been placed beside Gabriel, but why had she given them so much information?

Julian raised his hand, pressing his warm palm against the back of Ethan Caldwell’s hand, which was gripping Julian’s waist, silently urging Ethan to relax.

"Don’t touch Dahlia Thorne just yet." Julian blinked, the corners of his lips curling into a cunning smile: "As you said earlier, the greatest skill of the CORE faction is minimizing their presence. They are exceptionally adept at masquerading as harmless, ordinary people. If we startle the snake in the grass and capture Dahlia right now, CORE will immediately sever the tail and plant a much more devious pawn. At that point, we will fall into a passive position."

"You mean to use her as a mouthpiece to broadcast false intelligence?" Felix Tate acutely recognized the intention.

"Not just transmitting false intelligence." Julian shook his head, his eyes glinting with the shrewdness of a seasoned hunter: "I want to use Dahlia to instigate suspicion between Gabriel Cole and the core leadership of CORE. Dahlia operates independently. She reports directly to her superiors in CORE, not to Gabriel Cole. If we deliberately leak information suggesting that Gabriel is secretly undermining CORE, embezzling funds, or intending to reverse-engineer control over the organization... Think about it, would such paranoid individuals leave each other alone?"

At this moment, Felix Tate lowered his voice and asked a pointed question: "How do you know she operates independently? Julian, why do you possess so much information regarding CORE? Including the information related to the Cole family that you just showed us."

Accompanying Felix Tate’s words was his cold, piercing gaze, which was fixed directly upon Julian Sterling. Without waiting for the young man to formulate a response, Felix continued his interrogation: "I might not know the exact intricacies, but I possess a fundamental understanding of how vast Ethan Caldwell’s network of connections is and the true extent of his subordinates’ capabilities. Do not even try to tell me that you utilized his personnel to investigate these matters. I know perfectly well whether they are capable of pulling something like this off or not. And if you claim that you unearthed this highly classified intelligence all by yourself, Julian... to be completely honest with you, I simply do not believe it."

"Who exactly is the mastermind standing behind you? What truly transpired in the hospital on that fateful day? Can surviving a single suicide attempt drastically alter a person’s entire temperament overnight, and miraculously bestow upon them such a vast array of extraordinary abilities?"