Chapter 159: The Return of Dragon Heritage

Upon capturing the operative from the mysterious organization, Qi Te immediately relayed the news to Zhu Lan. Zhu Lan simply instructed him to continue tracking the shadowy group without asking any further questions. This was merely an operative from the organization's outer periphery, and Zhu Lan harbored no expectations of unearthing valuable leads from such a source.

Right now, Zhu Lan had far more important matters to attend to.

On the fourth underground level of the Azure Base, inside a specialized room, Zhu Lan gazed at a bizarre device with a face full of elation.

"Are you saying this energy system can power the Azure for a year?"

"You are mistaken, Boss. It is not just this energy system, but the energy provided by the mineral ore itself that will allow the Azure to cruise for three years, and cruise at maximum speed for a whole year without needing a replacement!"

Zhu Lan brushed this minor detail aside. His gaze settled on the energy mineral core resting in the center of the device, and he furrowed his brow. "Truly a magnificent find!"

"Indeed it is. In human terms, this represents a whole new revolution!"

A piece of energy mineral core no larger than this could power the Azure Armor for a regular cruise lasting three full years, or a maximum-speed cruise for an entire year.

"Furthermore, this calculation is based on the Azure Mark Nine Armor!"

"What?" Zhu Lan blurted out.

He was intimately familiar with what the Azure Mark Nine represented.

Previously, the model he had used was only the Azure Mark Three. Among the future iterations yet to come were the Mark Four, Mark Five, Mark Six, Mark Seven, Mark Eight, and Mark Nine Azure Armors.

Equip one generation, research the next, and conceptualize the one after that.

This was how aircraft were developed, and this was the exact methodology Zhu Lan employed.

Zhu Lan's ultimate destination was space. The current Azure Armors were merely akin to the creations seen in *Iron Man*. Even the Mark VIII from *Avengers: Age of Ultron* would amount to no more than a Mark VI within Zhu Lan's lineup of Azure Armors.

Any Azure Armor from the Mark Seven onward ceased to be a mere powered suit and crossed the threshold into the realm of mecha.

The Mark Nine was designed specifically around the S-class power unit, constrained only by limitations in energy and materials. Forget about the Mark Nine; even the Mark Six could not be manufactured at present.

Yet Red had actually informed him that this energy mineral core had been calculated based on the specifications of the Mark Nine Azure mecha. How could this not shock Zhu Lan?

"Yes, Boss. The calculations are based entirely on the Azure Mark Nine!"

"Why?"

Instead of speaking, Red projected a detailed report.

The report indicated that the energy output of this mineral ore was extraordinarily potent. Furthermore, the energy contained an unknown element bearing some similarity to the toxic elements released by methane, particularly if utilized within a planetary atmosphere. Over time, the release of this toxic element would directly disrupt Earth's ecological balance and eventually cause the planet's magnetic field to collapse.

However, utilizing it outside a planetary atmosphere presented no such concerns, as space was a vacuum environment devoid of toxic substances and the like. Moreover, preliminary estimations suggested that the energy output of this mineral ore in a vacuum environment far surpassed that in an atmospheric environment. Simply put, this energy mineral ore was strictly suited for deployment solely within a vacuum—meaning deep space.

Precisely because of this, the output power had been calculated entirely for equipment operating in a space environment.

Because the energy mineral core was too small in volume, it could not be applied to large energy consumers like heavy spacecraft or space battleships. It was uniquely suited for mecha akin to the Azure cosmic series.

Zhu Lan frowned.

The Azure Mark Nine was a new generation of mecha developed based on the S-class technology derived from Infinite Tesseract.

Yet the energy system had always been the most agonizing bottleneck. The emergence of the energy mineral ore offered a turning point for this dilemma.

Originally, according to Zhu Lan's train of thought, absent the availability of a novel energy source, he would have needed to deeply and comprehensively develop the potential of the Arc Reactor to see if its energy output could be elevated to meet the demands of a space environment.

Super battery packs were also under development, but the technical barriers were immense. Without the infusion of entirely new technologies, developing a super battery pack would be exceedingly difficult. Rather than pursuing that path, it might be more pragmatic to develop a larger Arc Reactor.

Yet that route brought forth a different set of intractable problems.

Going back and forth, energy remained the paramount obstacle.

And now, the Mark Nine Azure mecha could achieve a one-year maximum-speed cruise utilizing this energy mineral ore?

One had to understand that the speed of the Mark Nine Azure mecha was not calculated in Mach numbers, but in cosmic velocities. According to the current operational blueprint for the Mark Nine, a round trip between Earth and the Moon could be completed in a single day.

A journey to and from Mars would take merely a week, and reaching the outermost boundaries of the solar system would require a mere seven months.

The Mark Nine Azure mecha could truly be described as a sub-stellar cruising apparatus.

"How soon can the Mark Seven be developed?"

"Boss, that is rushing things a bit. We have only reached the fourth generation so far. To jump straight to the seventh generation..."

Zhu Lan shook his head, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "Accelerate the timeline as much as possible!"

"You cannot go in there, I told you, you cannot enter!"

No sooner had the door closed than the office door swung open, and a figure barged straight inside.

Zhu Lan was about to hurl an insult, but upon recognizing the intruder, his brow furrowed.

With a wave of his hand, he motioned for Su Qi to leave. Settling back into his chair, Zhu Lan asked, "What brings you here?"

The intruder was none other than Long Cheng.

Showing no trace of politeness, Long Cheng pulled up a chair and sat down. Noticing an object on the desk, he picked it up, inspected it briefly, and popped it straight into his mouth.

"It seems Young Master Zhu is not particularly welcoming of my visit?"

Zhu Lan offered no immediate response. There was only one possible explanation for someone who could bypass the security perimeter and enter the executive office building directly: they were a state operative.

If that were not the case, regardless of how prominent one's background might be, breaching the security clearances of Fantasia Technology was an absolute impossibility.

The perimeter of Fantasia Technology featured a triple-tiered security detection system. The first tier was human surveillance.

The gates of Fantasia Technology were manned twenty-four hours a day by six security guards, with a twelve-man patrol squad conducting sweeps every half-hour. In the event of an emergency, one hundred fully armed guards could be mobilized within two to five minutes, given that the security department headquarters was located right beside the main gate.

Furthermore, military personnel were integrated directly alongside the security forces. Even if someone managed to storm the gates fully armed—should the regular guards fail to intercept them—they would encounter the second tier: the weapon control system.

The third tier consisted of a network scanner, a specialized device embedded within the walls of the main gate capable of instantly scanning every individual passing through and cross-referencing minute biometric features to verify their identity.

This scanning array integrated multiple advanced technologies, making it impossible to slip through even by employing legendary disguise techniques. Beneath the masonry of the gate lay an independent intelligent unit designed to assist Red in shouldering the burden of visitor screening.

It was safe to say that anyone lacking official authorization or failing to meet pre-established criteria was barred from passing through the gates.

Even Zhu Lan's own parents would trigger a notification from the front-gate guards rather than bursting in unannounced.

Yet there was one distinct category of people exempt from these hurdles.

Military personnel who successfully cleared the gate's intelligent screening system. The higher their rank, the easier the passage. Naturally, every military operative was aware that for newcomers, unless their rank was division commander or above, entering without notifying Zhu Lan in advance was prohibited.

There was also a prerequisite: the visitor had to be part of a small party. Had a heavily armed squad approached, Zhu Lan would have been alerted instantly.

It was precisely for this reason that Zhu Lan was utterly astonished to see Long Cheng standing here. It appeared his identity was far less straightforward than surface appearances suggested.

"Young Master Long carries quite an impressive aura, managing to waltz right into my office. You certainly aren't ordinary!"

Long Cheng merely chuckled.

"Zhu Lan, my purpose in coming here today is to propose a partnership with Fantasia Technology!"

Zhu Lan regarded Long Cheng with skeptical eyes. In his view, whatever partnership the man had in mind was completely unnecessary.

"Don't look at me with that gaze. This time, I am representing the Canglong Group in proposing a formal partnership with Fantasia Technology—no, correction, it should be the Fantasia Group, shouldn't it, Zhu Lan?"

Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes. His curiosity regarding Long Cheng's true background deepened by the moment. Although the preparations for the Fantasia Group were not shrouded in absolute secrecy, outsiders had no possible way of knowing about them. The mere fact that Long Cheng was aware of this compelled Zhu Lan to view him in a completely different light.

"Oh? Then I am all ears for Young Master Long's sincerity."

Long Cheng remained unruffled by Zhu Lan's cold tone.

"The same old proposal: I want the exclusive Asian agency rights. As a condition, I will offer you absolute sincerity. That sincerity consists of sweeping away every single obstacle currently facing Fantasia Technology, including all the problems confronting you at this very moment."

Zhu Lan shook his head. "I'm afraid, Young Master Long, your sincerity fails to impress me. The so-called troubles currently facing Fantasia Technology are of no consequence to me. Whether it is smear campaigns in the media or slander on other fronts, I couldn't care less. Granted, the situation at Chero Harbor might be somewhat troublesome, but I believe others will step in to resolve it. That is not something I need to worry about. Therefore, I see no substance whatsoever in your proposition."

Yet Zhu Lan did not shut the door on the conversation entirely. Compared to their previous encounter, Long Cheng felt somewhat different this time. According to intelligence reports, the Canglong Group had evidently undergone a radical overhaul—its board of directors had been more than half replaced. Aside from Long Cheng, only four individuals remained unchanged, and all four possessed elite backgrounds spanning Beijing and the highest echelons of China. As for the rest of the newly appointed directors, each possessed a formidable background. Four former directors had seen their assets seized and homes raided, three had been forced to abruptly contract their market operations—incurring losses exceeding one hundred billion within a mere week, an amount rivalling the total assets of an international corporation—and five had voluntarily stepped down from the board for undisclosed reasons.

The original seventeen directors of the Canglong Group had been trimmed down to seven, while new faces continued to be quietly integrated. Red had yet to unearth useful dossiers on these newcomers, a testament to the fact that they were far from ordinary figures, capable of effectively shielding their backgrounds from detection.

Moreover, in terms of capital flow, the Canglong Group had divested shares in over a hundred and forty companies with immense potential over the past week, consolidating massive assets exceeding one hundred and forty billion. Combined with the group's preexisting capital, their liquid funds now amounted to at least two hundred billion.

For Long Cheng to descend upon Fantasia Technology under such circumstances reeked of ill intent. Yet he had chosen not to arrive under the banner of the Canglong Group, but rather through an alternate capacity. Was this intended as an intimidation tactic, or...

(To be continued.)