Chapter Sixty-Six: JW-002 Anthropomorphized as Zhu Lan

The Phoenix Twin Opera House was now a sea of people. Not far from the Opera House, along the seashore, over a thousand luxury cars were parked, with hundreds of police officers on guard. If any car enthusiast were here, their jaw would surely drop. Cars valued at over a million were everywhere, those worth over ten million appeared every dozen cars or so, and even custom-made models valued in the hundreds of millions could be seen—it was practically a gathering of the world’s finest automobiles.

Above, two police helicopters circled the modest island. A keen observer would notice several figures on the roof of the Opera House, equipped with binoculars and sniper rifles. Out at sea, patrol boats moved back and forth, intercepting any approaching vessels. The only way to the island was a narrow bridge, less than two hundred meters long, with a checkpoint manned by police and special forces at the far end, scrutinizing every entrant and their belongings.

Today, the Phoenix Twin's security detail was at its highest level, the kind only seen during major events. In the province, a force like this would only be assembled for the annual Spring Festival Carnival.

A plain Mazda stopped at the entrance of the Opera House, where a crowd was already waiting. Zhu Lan stepped out of the car, greeted immediately by Lan Tianxin. "Boss, you must be tired from the journey!"

Zhu Lan smiled. "Was everything smooth?"

"All smooth. Everyone arrived on time, and the provincial government cleared the way for us. No outside force can get close."

Zhu Lan nodded.

"Mr. Zhu, it’s been a long time!" An elderly man approached, hand extended.

Zhu Lan shook the hand with a smile. "Governor Liu, I’m sorry for all the trouble today. Once it’s over, let me host a dinner—don’t turn me down this time!"

The old man was none other than Governor Liu Binghe of the province, a man who had made tremendous contributions. Under his leadership, in just eight years, the province had risen from outside the top twenty to seventh nationwide. It was rumored that four years ago, Liu Binghe could have moved to a central government post as a deputy minister, but for reasons unknown, he stayed on. Under his direction, the province’s economy soared year after year, now ranking seventh in the country, not by tourism but by maritime trade—especially after Liu Binghe personally spearheaded the African shipping route, exporting goods to Africa and importing resources in return.

"Thanks to you! Don’t worry, I’m definitely staying this time. Today, you’re the star of the show!" Liu Binghe laughed heartily, clapping Zhu Lan on the shoulder.

Zhu Lan smiled and nodded.

They had met only twice before—once over Fantasia Technology’s land issues and again regarding taxes. The central government couldn’t easily intervene, and sending officials of too low a rank would risk complications due to bureaucratic inertia. Since Zhu Lan’s affairs were above the pay grade of most, only Liu Binghe himself could resolve the matter.

"Let’s go in. Everyone’s waiting for you."

"You go ahead, Governor Liu; I have a few things to arrange."

Liu Binghe simply pointed at Zhu Lan, shook his head with a smile, and walked inside.

Once Liu Binghe was gone, Zhu Lan’s expression turned serious. "Notify the company to close the net."

Lan Tianxin nodded, took out her Samsung phone, and operated it. "Boss, the notification’s gone out."

Zhu Lan sneered. In fact, he had not left Fantasia Technology by the front door; he had slipped away through a secret passage unknown even to the military. The figure who had exited Fantasia Technology was only a Model-002 humanoid robot.

As a humanoid robot, Model-002 was built to perfectly mimic human form, though its structure appeared like a mechanical skeleton. Zhu Lan had fitted it with a realistic synthetic skin and 3D-printed his own likeness to cover Model-002. He considered using Model-001, but feared the military might learn of it, so he kept it back—Model-002 was more than sufficient. Zhu Lan’s embedded chip had been removed by Kong Yan for an upgrade, so while Model-002 appeared to be an autonomous robot, Zhu Lan could remotely control it or transmit his voice through it at will.

"Let’s go. It’s time to meet the world’s giants."

Lan Tianxin said nothing, following close behind Zhu Lan.

The doors swung open with a click, and the bustling hall fell instantly silent. Zhu Lan, holding Lan Tianxin’s hand, entered slowly, followed by four bodyguards. The crowd was puzzled; bodyguards were not permitted here since security was handled by the elite forces of the Chinese military.

"Isn’t that the general manager of Fantasia Technology?" someone soon recognized Lan Tianxin, whose photo was easy to find given her role in the company.

With that, everyone understood. Then, who was the man beside Lan Tianxin?

The owner of Fantasia Technology?

Everyone present was a billionaire entrepreneur, no fools among them. It didn’t take long before they guessed that the man beside Lan Tianxin was the legendary founder of Fantasia Technology, creator of the Gene Enhancement Serum—Zhu Lan.

"Everyone, don’t just stand there! Please take your seats. Today, you are my guests!" Zhu Lan walked onto the stage. Though he held no microphone, his voice seemed to reach every ear clearly.

"Thank you all for taking time out of your busy lives to attend the Fantasia Technology Gene Enhancement Serum Agency Conference. My name is Zhu Lan. I imagine none of you know me, so let me introduce myself—I am the owner of Fantasia Technology."

Though they had guessed as much, actually seeing him still shocked the crowd. Yet these were clever, seasoned figures, and they quickly composed themselves and sat.

The hall was arranged in banquet style. Each table seated two to six, with name cards for each group. Well-known companies were seated nearer the front, and the number of chairs matched the number of attendees each had registered.

"I know that for you, every minute is worth hundreds of thousands. In business, I am but a junior."

His words drew good-natured laughter; some had been worried about what kind of man Zhu Lan would be.

"President Xiu of Baisheng, do you have a question?"

"Mr. Zhu, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I am very busy—can you speed things up?"

Zhu Lan frowned. The visitor was clearly not friendly.

"Mr. Zhu, I want to know—does the Gene Enhancement Serum truly live up to your claims?"

Zhu Lan sneered. "Everyone, quiet please!"

Others wanted to chime in, but at his command, they fell silent.

"The doors are right over there. If you have any doubts, any concerns, don’t believe in the Gene Enhancement Serum, don’t trust me, or simply don’t want to listen to my speech—the doors are open."

His words stirred the crowd, and many immediately stood and walked out, showing Zhu Lan no courtesy. But Zhu Lan hardly expected any; Fantasia Technology was still a fledgling company, not even an apprentice who’d paid their dues. Everyone remaining was a battle-hardened veteran of the industry. Zhu Lan’s reputation? Perhaps in another few decades.

Soon, of the original 180-plus companies, fewer than 67 remained. Among them, less than sixteen were domestic.

Zhu Lan was surprised to see as many as sixty-seven stay behind; he’d expected perhaps thirty at best.

"It seems you are all discerning people."

"Gentlemen, Sakura Group holds your product in the highest regard. Please, be sure to give us a chance," said a stunning woman, her eyes sparkling as she winked at Zhu Lan.

Japanese? Zhu Lan was caught off guard, but quickly recovered and replied with a friendly smile.

"Now, I have helped you eliminate some of your competition. Let’s get to today’s main topic. I assume there’s no need for me to explain the Gene Enhancement Serum in detail. Those of you who remain are convinced of its value, regardless of how much you control."

"Mr. Zhu, how will the bidding proceed?"

"Excellent question, Manager from Sentinel Group. Our bidding process is quite simple."

"There are only three open markets: Europe, Asia, and North America."

The audience nodded; these were the hottest markets for the Gene Enhancement Serum, with Europe leading in both usage and value. North America, influenced by Europe, had seen some use, and information was plentiful, with experts making statements on all sides. The Asian market was more ambiguous, filled with rumors but lacking concrete evidence of anyone using the serum—though notably, the serum was produced in China.

"Mr. Zhu, do you mean all markets are open?" asked the CEO of Tulip from France, narrowing his eyes.

Zhu Lan shook his head. "Production capacity for the Gene Enhancement Serum is still limited. Today’s event is not for primary agency rights, but for secondary agency rights."

"Secondary agency rights?" Many frowned. Those who remained knew the serum’s immense value and were determined to win. If not for China’s protection, they would have resorted to more aggressive tactics long ago.

"That’s right. Though I know it, and you know it, most people can’t understand. Originally, according to Fantasia Technology’s market plan, we were to issue only tertiary agency rights, not secondary. The gene market is notoriously difficult—you’ve all done your research. Our plan was to proceed gradually, but some people, knowing the market better than I, made their move first."

"So, seeing that one person can’t monopolize everything, I invited you all—this greenhorn—to negotiate."

Though Zhu Lan did his best to humble himself, the people in attendance were no fools. Fantasia Technology was already under China’s protection—hostile takeovers were out of the question. And this gold mine’s potential was obvious to anyone with sense.