Chapter 150: The Descent of Dragon's Legacy

"Fifty years? That is far too long; I cannot wait that long. What about Zhu Lan? What about getting more chips?"

Faced with Huang Tianting's words, Xu Dezheng gave a helpless shake of his head. "That is simply impossible. The chips do not belong to Zhu Lan, and according to Professor Lu's estimations, their manufacturing cost is astronomical. Even Lumi Alexander could not produce very many. For Zhu Lan to provide even a single piece is already an exceptional outcome. To demand more is virtually out of the question—unless we force him to hand over Red Queen, but is that even remotely possible?"

Huang Tianting frowned. "What do you propose?"

"When in danger, stabilize through action; through action, find stability!"

Huang Tianting remained silent, mulling over Xu Dezheng's words.

"This is where I need your help, Old Huang. Keep those brats of yours on a tight leash. If they provoke Zhu Lan, things are going to get very troublesome!"

"Those good-for-nothing brats, they are completely out of hand!" Hearing this, Huang Tianting felt a throbbing headache coming on.

"I don't care what kind of trouble they stir up, but if it interferes with Zhu Lan, don't blame me for being discourteous."

Huang Tianting sighed helplessly. "I understand."

"Since that is settled, you take charge of handling Zhu Lan's side of things. I will deal with the difficulties on my end. In a few days, I must fly to Russia to discuss the new engine project with them!"

Everything happening in Yanjing was unknown to Zhu Lan, and even if he knew, he would not have cared.

At that moment, Zhu Lan was frowning as he looked at the person sitting opposite him.

The next day, to evade the relentless reporters, Zhu Lan dumped all the media responsibilities onto Lan Tianxin. Accompanied by Kong Yan and carrying the first portable holographic projection device, he headed to Chenwen Port, where six large-scale holographic projection units were to be installed to vividly and realistically showcase the stage setup, allowing a broader audience to witness the event.

Having delegated the work to Kong Yan, Zhu Lan took Wang Sheng to a roadside cafe to rest for a while. Just then, a man walked straight up and seated himself uninvited.

Zhu Lan retained some memories of this individual—his old rival, one of the directors of the Canglong Group, and a key executive: Long Cheng, the eldest scion of the Long family.

"You look none too pleased to see me sit here."

"If Young Master Long was not enjoying the comforts of Yanjing, what brought you all the way down here to the southern seas? Is the northern sea breeze not refreshing enough?"

Long Cheng looked at Zhu Lan and laughed.

Clap, clap, clap~~~

"As expected of Zhu Lan. Such audacity is rare indeed across the entire country. To have the nerve to reject my Canglong Group and still speak to me in this manner—I must commend your courage, Young Master Long respects that!"

Zhu Lan shook his head. "Young Master Long, you and I are both intelligent men. Let's drop the pretense. I hardly think you are here for a sightseeing tour. Spare me the pleasantries!"

Long Cheng narrowed his eyes, staring fixedly at Zhu Lan.

Zhu Lan showed no signs of panic. In China, the name Long Cheng carried immense weight, but here, it held virtually no sway. The Tang family, the most powerful faction in the province, was on friendly terms with him. Long Cheng could not possibly make a move against him locally. Even if he brought men from another province, could they possibly rival the military?

Zhu Lan had zero reason to fear Long Cheng.

"Very well, straightforward it is. I appreciate direct people. My objective is very simple: the Asian agency rights for the genetic optimization fluid."

"Oh? And the price?"

Long Cheng's expression grew cold. He wanted to talk money with him?

"Young Master Long, you never intended to pay for it with money, did you?"

Long Cheng did not reply.

"Based on current valuations, a tier-one agency right is priced at fifty billion US dollars. Young Master Long, out of respect for you, if you pay me eighty billion US dollars, I will grant you the Asian agency rights!"

"Hahahaha~~~" Long Cheng burst into laughter, though his laughter was laden with intense fury.

"Eighty billion? In US dollars? Zhu Lan, you really think rather highly of yourself!"

"I happen to be a human being, so tell me, Young Master Long, if I am not a person, what am I? Your lapdog?"

Crack~~~

Long Cheng slammed his hand onto the table. "Zhu Lan, do you even know who you are provoking right now?"

Zhu Lan raised his head to look at the enraged Long Cheng. "Of course I do. The absolute pinnacle of power in China—the esteemed eldest young master of Yanjing's ultimate aristocratic circle. How is that for flattery?"

Long Cheng's face darkened completely.

"Zhu Lan, do you genuinely believe that having the military protect you means nothing can ever touch you? Let me tell you, you are far too naive!"

"Young Master Long, you have that backward. It is not that I am naive; it is that I possess absolute confidence!"

"Oh?" Long Cheng sneered coldly. "I wonder where your confidence stems from?"

"I happen to hold certain things in my hands—documents and files sufficient for the state to completely dismantle and eradicate the Canglong Group. Would Young Master Long care to see them?"

Long Cheng frowned.

"As the saying goes, the higher one climbs, the harder one falls. You and the other scions occupy lofty heights, so minor things like murder and arson are mere trifles to you, aren't they?"

Zhu Lan's tone grew increasingly serene.

"What are you trying to say?"

"At your level, there are only two ways to bring you down. First, the wrath of the entire populace; second, crossing the absolute bottom line of the state—such as trading state secrets, perhaps critical classified data related to the Dongfeng series of missiles."

Long Cheng frowned deeper.

"And I happen to possess a fraction of such material. Someone sold state secrets, while certain individuals engaged in acts so utterly devoid of humanity and morality that they provoked the wrath of both gods and men. If even a single piece of this evidence were exposed to the public, do you think the state would let you off? Would the Canglong Group remain untouched? I think not. After all, the transport of those classified materials utilized the channels of the Canglong Group. And you, Young Master Long, as the largest shareholder of the Canglong Group, are you truly so spotless? So clean that it invites suspicion? Yet I have been investigating, and I've already uncovered the tip of the iceberg—for instance, twenty-four years ago..."

"You..." Long Cheng pointed a trembling finger at Zhu Lan, his expression shifting wildly.

Zhu Lan merely smiled and said nothing.

As the primary obstacle hindering Fantasy Technology, every single director of the Canglong Group wielded towering authority—powers so vast that even national leaders found themselves constrained when dealing with them. Among them were not only the grandsons of former chairmen and veteran generals, but also relatives of currently serving high-ranking central officials. While they might have appeared distant from active central command, everyone understood just how formidable their influence truly was.

Was Zhu Lan not worried?

He was.

Several months prior, Zhu Lan had already initiated a covert investigation into the Canglong Group.

Initially, no concrete leads turned up. However, Zhu Lan instructed Red Queen to change her analytical approach: investigate the travel history of these individuals over the past decade, cross-referencing it with records of missing persons during those exact time frames—particularly young and attractive women.

Given their positions of power, virtually all of them harbored a penchant for female beauty, especially stunning women.

Utilizing their status, they naturally left no direct paper trail.

Yet pretty women naturally commanded attention locally. A sudden disappearance might go unnoticed by strangers, but what if the missing woman had admirers who secretly harbored affections for her?

An investigation revealed disappearances; some bodies were recovered, while others vanished entirely—neither seen alive nor dead.

Matching the cities visited by the Canglong scions against the dates of local disappearances, and applying a process of elimination, Zhu Lan genuinely uncovered anomalies.

By hacking into local networks and analyzing vast archives, numerous red flags emerged.

Once these patterns were confirmed, Zhu Lan deployed an An-model robot equipped with nanobots to conduct on-site investigations. Even though time had sought to bury the past, substantial evidence remained recoverable. Combining this physical proof with digital traces, Zhu Lan unearthed harrowing details of imprisoned young women, fatal abuse, and bodies dismembered to hide crimes.

While direct evidence linking the top scions might be scarce, these atrocities were not committed in isolation; local second-generation elites had participated as well.

The robots secretly infiltrated, utilizing specialized hypnotic devices to introduce nanobots into targets' brains, effortlessly extracting long-buried details of past events. Corroborating those accounts against confirmed murder victims brought forth an avalanche of undeniable proof.

As for the trafficking of state secrets, that had been an entirely unexpected bonus discovered during the probe.

Zhu Lan understood that against adversaries of their caliber, only overwhelming public outrage could compel the state to strike decisively and mercilessly.

And that was precisely what Zhu Lan intended to orchestrate.

"What do you want?"

Zhu Lan smiled, picked up his coffee cup, and took a leisurely sip. "Young Master Long, you needn't worry about this point. Look, I have no personal feud with you whatsoever, do we?"

"You want to make money, and I want to make money. I am willing to sell, but you preferred not to pay for it with cash, didn't you? I happen to be quite wary of the Canglong Group's influence, so I naturally needed to secure a few trump cards. Your behavior terrifies me; even the military cannot entirely keep you in check. Left with no alternative, I had to spend money to acquire some information. In this world, there is no intelligence that cannot be bought with coin!"

"Young Master Long, did you know? I actually purchased your intelligence dossier from the Mount Fuji Group. It broke my heart to spend the money—those Japanese bastards really have no conscience, charging me five hundred million US dollars. But looking at it now, that money was well spent, wouldn't you agree, Young Master Long?"

"What is your game?"

"Young Master Long, do not fret. If I genuinely wished to destroy you, I would have handed these files over long ago. Would I really be sitting here talking to you? Besides, I am well aware that the material I currently hold would at best result in the dissolution of the Canglong Group, while you would likely only serve a few years behind bars. When you get out, wouldn't you still be a thorn in my side?"

"My sole objective is to conduct business and make money. On a commercial basis, I welcome anyone. But if anyone attempts to use sheer power and intimidation to crush me—pardon my bluntness, but you can turn right back the way you came. Young Master Long, it's not that I look down on the Canglong Group, but even the United States government is a power I have dared to defy. Do you think I fear your Canglong Group? Perhaps you aren't aware that the military has stepped in to smooth things over with me on more than ten occasions. You might lord it over others domestically, but on the international stage, what are you?"

At Zhu Lan's words, Long Cheng frowned deeply, sinking back into his seat as he lost himself in thought.

"You lot... you only know how to throw your weight around using authority. There is a wise old saying: a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local serpent. But when a true dragon takes flight, even the heavens cannot stop it, let alone some petty local serpent! If I truly wanted to deal with you, I wouldn't even need these files. I could simply threaten the state and relocate Fantasy Technology overseas. When that happens, who suffers more—you or I? At worst, I lose a bit of capital, which I would recoup within months of selling optimization fluid. But what about you?"

Having said this, Zhu Lan stood up.

As he reached the doorway, he paused. "Through proper, normal channels, I welcome anyone. Even the little Japanese play by the rules, and I sell to them accordingly. But if you attempt to use brute force to lean on me, I am more than happy to accompany you to the end. I can afford to play this game—can you?"

Without waiting for a reply, Zhu Lan turned and walked out, followed closely by Wang Sheng and his associates.

(To be continued.)