Chapter Seventy-Nine: Intelligent Life

"I’m very pleased to be here with all of you distinguished gentlemen."

"President Liu, we’ve been looking forward to your arrival."

"Indeed, the stocks of YeLiu Group are in such high demand these days that it’s impossible to buy them, and yet President Liu hasn’t let us in on the fortune."

"Your companies are all much larger than YeLiu Group. I could hardly compare myself to any of you."

Though Liu Yiran spoke with humility, she smoothly took the seat to Old Chen’s left, directly opposite Zhang Jun, who sat on the other side.

"Liu Yiran," Zhang Jun ground his teeth. Everyone knew he had threatened to make her pay.

Yet not only had YeLiu Group weathered the storm, its stock price had soared like a rocket. Now, this woman had secured a seat in the Space Association and, like him, held the position of Vice President. How could this be tolerated?

"Young Master Zhang, we meet again."

Liu Yiran carried herself with grace; her black slacks made her legs look even longer, and her white shirt was filled out to perfection. The eyes of all the wealthy tycoons in the room, worth billions, couldn’t help but follow her. Zhang Jun clenched his fists at the sight.

This was supposed to belong to him, yet a pretty boy had come out of nowhere.

Thinking of Ye Qiu, Zhang Jun’s jaw twitched. Was it envy or jealousy, he wondered.

"It’s only been a few days, but President Liu is even more stunning," Zhang Jun said with forced flattery, but then his expression changed. "However, while our businesses have some similarities, our goals are entirely different. We aim to develop a new generation of virtual reality space systems, while you’re focused on artificial intelligence and robotics. There’s no overlap. Even if we force a collaboration, it’ll only lead to discomfort for everyone. Gentlemen, don’t you agree?"

"Young Master Zhang is right," Peng Zhen immediately chimed in. "He’s right. Some people are just being opportunistic—seeing a stock surge and wanting to use it as a gimmick."

"Peng Zhen, watch your mouth," the executive beside Liu Yiran thundered, slamming the table and pointing an angry finger at Peng Zhen.

"I’m Old Yu, and you’re out of line. Peng Zhen never mentioned any names—why are you so agitated?" Kong Li sneered chillingly.

"Enough! Have you all forgotten your manners? If anyone is unwilling to continue our cooperation, you’re free to leave the Space Association. There’s no need for anyone to remain here against their will."

While Old Chen appeared to be chiding the group, his gaze was fixed solely on Zhang Jun. Nearly seventy, with hair turned white, Old Chen could seem the picture of kindly benevolence. But in anger, his eyes flashed with a sharpness honed by the years.

Even Zhang Jun felt a chill run down his spine.

"Well, why aren’t you saying anything?" Old Chen’s eyes swept from Zhang Jun to Peng Zhen and Kong Li, each of whom dropped their gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.

"No more words? I take that as consent. In that case, I hereby announce that President Liu of YeLiu Group will serve as Vice President of the Space Association."

"If you’d already made up your mind, there was no need for this charade. So be it," Zhang Jun snorted, standing up to leave. Peng Zhen and the others shared uncertain looks, hesitating over whether to follow him out.

"Why are you still standing there? If you’re going to leave, go; don’t wait for them to vote you out."

At Zhang Jun’s words, Peng Zhen and the rest no longer dared to linger. They rose and exited in haste.

"Miss Liu, it was my oversight that allowed you to be wronged," Old Chen said.

"Please, Old Chen, your words make me feel undeserving," Liu Yiran replied, acting both flattered and shy, which only stirred the men’s admiration further.

"I’m glad you feel that way," Old Chen said with a gentle pat on her fair hand. "Don’t worry, Miss Liu. I’ll make sure justice is done for you."

…

"Young Master Zhang, are we just going to let this go?" Peng Zhen looked back in frustration at the imposing words "Space Association" over the doorway, glancing back at every step. Truth be told, he rather wished to stay, but he was even more afraid of crossing Zhang Jun.

"Let it go?" A trace of malice flickered in Zhang Jun’s eyes. "It won’t be that easy."

He had underestimated his opponent this time, but it didn’t matter—he’d already prepared his next move.

…

"Mr. Ye, the cameras have all been installed—coverage is 360 degrees with no blind spots. Not even a fly could escape our surveillance," reported the technician.

Xue Yishou casually transferred three hundred thousand, and those in charge of the installation were overjoyed, showering him with compliments.

Xue Yishou quickly shooed the crowd away and hurried over to ingratiate himself with Ye Qiu.

"What about Liu Changjie?"

"He’s been contacted—Limhai Grand Hotel," Xue replied hastily.

"Good, well done." Only then did Ye Qiu look at him. "You’d better go back now. Things could get dangerous here."

Xue Yishou was taken aback—he hadn’t expected Ye Qiu to say something so considerate. It felt almost unreal.

He hadn’t realized Mr. Ye was capable of showing concern.

"I could bring some men, or get you a couple of handy weapons if you’d like," Xue Yishou offered eagerly.

"That won’t be necessary." Heavy weapons were out of the question, and regular firearms might not be effective against Shi Ping. Bringing in weapons could also attract the authorities’ attention, which would be more trouble than it was worth.

"If you need anything, just call me," Xue Yishou said, regaining his composure after his moment of excitement. After a couple of polite words, he hurried off.

"Master, I clearly detected a surge of emotion from Xue Yishou—so why did he leave so quickly?" asked Yunyan.

"People are complicated," Ye Qiu replied with a wave of his hand. "For someone like him to have even a moment’s genuine thought is already commendable."

"Now I really feel that humans are terribly complex."

"No matter how complex, there’s always a limit. As long as the database is large enough, humanity is still too fragile before intelligence," Ye Qiu said, pausing before continuing: "Now, you take over the surveillance. Shi Ping must not be allowed to leave Limhai."

"Master, don’t worry," Yunyan said, quickly taking control of all the surveillance feeds. Nothing that moved could escape her analysis.

Ye Qiu pulled up a chair at the door, unfazed by the passing time.

But as the colors faded from the clouds and the moon rose, Shi Ping still had not appeared.

"This Shi Ping is no ordinary man; his intelligence must be very high."

"Master, while there’s a seventy-five percent chance Shi Ping will come here for the medicine, there’s still a chance he’ll go to Jiangcheng. Should I take over the surveillance there as well?"

Ye Qiu tapped the armrest thoughtfully, about to give Yunyan permission to access Jiangcheng’s surveillance, when her voice interrupted him: "Master, movement detected, one kilometer southwest."

"Good," Ye Qiu said, rising to his feet and sprinting several hundred meters in just a few steps, heading straight for the spot Yunyan indicated.

He went at full speed, reaching the depths of the forest within minutes.