Chapter 440: Chapter 170: Inheritance
"Powerful, active Consciousness Bodies are the architects and participants of the World Ring. They can open Rifts between two worlds, allowing defensive forces to enter the Merging Zone between them to fight the entities on the other side. This also allows various companies to bring back Lost Objects, which advance technology through research."
At this point, Meng Lai leaned down, grabbed onto the metal ladder, and began to descend, saying, "Follow me."
Meng Shu moved to the other metal ladder and carefully climbed down. After descending about three or four meters, her feet touched solid ground.
She found the space here was much larger than it had appeared from above. Just then, she heard a sound. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK... A series of lights switched on one after another, extending down the length of the tunnel below.
She saw an elevator was also parked here. After Meng Lai walked over to it, he beckoned for her to come inside.
Once she was inside and standing steady, Meng Lai pulled the safety barrier shut. He then gestured to the control panel at the side and said, "First, open the safety lock, then pull that lever."
Meng Shu did as he said, walking to the control panel. She pushed the safety lock’s slide switch up, then tried to pull the lever. Finding she couldn’t muster enough strength with one hand, she used both to pull it all the way down. The elevator shuddered once, then began its slow descent with a series of loud clanks.
Meng Lai continued explaining, "In the past, Li Ying could only be considered a vassal of the government. Opening the ’door’ required borrowing the power of the Dashun Government, and every time, it needed to be reviewed and approved.
"And although the Lost Objects brought back from the outside were given to the company for research, they were, in essence, the property of the Dashun Government. They were never truly our own.
"But if Li Ying could be strengthened, she could freely enter and exit the Merging Zone between the two worlds and dispatch Fighters to find Lost Objects for us. The company would then have far greater prospects and the power to grow.
"This is a privilege only enjoyed by mega-corporations and large companies. We at Fusion Boundary must find a way to join their ranks. Only then can we have the ability to protect ourselves in the coming collision of worlds, instead of being sacrifices that can be casually discarded or pushed to the front lines."
As the lights on either side of the elevator passed by, Meng Shu saw light and shadow sweeping across Meng Lai’s face and body. ’I wonder if I look the same right now,’ she thought.
"This decision was a bit rushed, but it had to be made."
Just then, they passed a light fixture, and Meng Lai’s voice emerged from the darkness.
"Meng Huang has placed his complete trust in and sided with that entity. We couldn’t let him continue down that path. And you, Xiaoshu, you successfully repelled the attack he launched. That proved you have the ability to be a worthy successor. To avoid giving him too much time to react, I immediately arranged this meeting.
"Actually, I started planning to trap that entity a long time ago. All the necessary conditions were already in place, so there was a real possibility of success.
"In my initial plan, I would first use Aunt Yu and the Sword Guard to deplete its power. Once it arrived here, I would then use a ritual and Li Ying’s power for the final capture and absorption.
"However, a plan is just a plan. After making contact, I discovered that the entity that arrived this time was of a higher echelon than I had anticipated, which greatly increased the difficulty of the subsequent operation.
"In fact, at that point, I had already given up on the operation. Getting the Processing Bureau involved was actually a fallback, a way to ensure things didn’t get completely out of hand in the end.
"But what I didn’t expect was..."
Meng Lai looked at Meng Shu. "That entity was actually eliminated by that classmate of yours, Xiaoshu, all by himself. There was no need for anyone else to get involved. I rarely hear Aunt Yu praise anyone, but your classmate is one of the few. I heard you gave him all the medicinal resources the company provided you?"
"Yes."
Meng Lai nodded. "You did the right thing. Only a sufficient investment can yield a return. Hmm, now that you’re the successor, you should give him Meng Huang’s share as well. If you’re going to invest, you might as well go all in.
"As I’ve said, martial strength is the ultimate guarantee. Besides active Consciousness Bodies like Li Ying, Fighters are also people we need to befriend and win over."
Meng Shu was silent for a moment before saying, "I understand, Grandpa."
Just then, the elevator let out a final CLANK and shuddered lightly as it finally reached the ground floor.
Meng Lai pushed open the safety barrier and walked toward a space illuminated by industrial lamps. When Meng Shu stepped out, she noticed that Li Ying was already standing before them, as if she had been waiting there for some time.
The space below was vast. Underfoot were dense, complex ritualistic patterns. As they walked over them, multicolored fluorescent lights flickered intermittently within the lines, as if something was flowing through them.
Not far ahead, bathed in a soft glow, sat a flat, metallic vat carved with intricate designs. Two spout-like orifices extended from its left and right sides, and its top was sealed with a lid featuring a *jiaotu* ring handle.
Meng Lai said, "Li Ying’s body is stored in there, and my body is right below it." He extended a hand. "Xiaoshu, go to the front and stand there."
Without hesitation, Meng Shu walked over and stood still before one of the orifices.
"Place your hand there," Meng Lai said from behind her.
Meng Shu tentatively raised her hand and placed it in front of the orifice. She felt a slight sting, as if something had bitten her. She instinctively pulled her hand back and looked at it, seeing a tiny wound in the center of her palm.
Meng Lai said, "This allows her bodily tissues and your blood to be exchanged. In the future, within a certain range, you’ll be able to find her at any time to have her serve you and transmit information and commands."
Meng Shu lowered her hand and looked at Meng Lai. "Grandpa, I have a question."
"Ask."
"Grandpa, you’ve been plotting to strengthen an active Consciousness Body all this time. Weren’t you afraid the Processing Bureau would find out?"
Meng Lai smiled. "If we had succeeded, eliminated the entity from the other side, and allowed Li Ying to grow stronger, the Processing Bureau wouldn’t have said a thing. There would be some lingering resentment, of course, but they would be even more cautious when handling matters related to us.
"If we had failed, I would have subsequently announced my retirement and had you, Xiaoshu, take over the company. That would have been my way of giving them an explanation."
Meng Shu looked at him and said, "I’ve always wanted to ask, Grandpa, why did you choose me?"
Meng Lai said, "Among the younger generation, you are calm and rational in your actions. You listen to others’ opinions and are decisive at critical moments. You dare to make a resolution even when you know it will be difficult.
"But these are not traits that the other descendants lack. So besides these reasons, there is another, more important one. A special Consciousness Body doesn’t maintain closeness with just anyone. Even if you can command her, the results will vary greatly depending on whether or not you are compatible with her.
"And among all the descendants, only you and Meng Huang were the most compatible with Li Ying.
"And now, you are the only one left."
Meng Shu had no way of confirming if this was truly the case, but she had to accept his answer. So she asked another question:
"Grandpa, you said Li Ying is fundamental to the company’s continuation, and that no one in the company is irreplaceable, including yourself. I assume that includes me as well. In that case... who is the company for?"
Meng Lai smiled. "There are some things you might find difficult to understand right now, but it won’t be long before you do. As the company’s successor, you will always be the one closest to the answer. Before that, you just need to do as I say."
「Meanwhile, in a certain high-rise building in Yinglu District...」
A capable-looking woman with a short, shoulder-length bob was dangling a cigarette from her lips, her legs crossed, communicating with someone on the other side of a Realm Token.
A voice came from the Realm Token: "Sister Huan, the higher-ups are very unhappy with us. The loss of the Gongshi’s important shipment has already forced us to activate the second plan. Now Meng Huang is finished, too, and without his cooperation, the second plan can’t move forward. The higher-ups are demanding an explanation."
Sister Huan said, "An explanation for what? What does this have to do with us? Gong Zhanyi failed to deliver the item himself. And Meng Huang’s failure is even more laughable—that was basically his own damn mess. When have we ever not cooperated with him? We did everything we could. You can’t pin this on us."
The voice from the Realm Token said, "But Sister Huan, arguing is pointless. Because the plan has stalled, the higher-ups are doubting our action team’s ability to execute. They’re already discussing replacing us with another team."
Sister Huan twirled a strand of hair around her finger and gave a faint laugh. "Fine. Let whoever wants to take over, take over. I’d love to see who could possibly be a better fit for this than us right now."
The voice on the other end paused, then said with a hint of helplessness, "But Sister Huan, this can’t go on. The patience of the higher-ups has its limits..."
Sister Huan said, "Spit it out."
The person in the Realm Token immediately stopped hedging and said in a low voice, "Due to the lack of progress, the higher-ups are ordering us to carry out targeted eliminations based on the list of targets provided by ’Wu Qi’."
Sister Huan raised an eyebrow. "Wu Qi?"
"I know you hate Wu Qi’s recommendations, Sister Huan, but the plan isn’t progressing, is it? So the higher-ups have no choice but to try Wu Qi’s proposed solution first."
Sister Huan stood up from the sofa, paced a couple of steps around the room, and said, "The targets?"
The person on the other end seemed to let out a sigh of relief and immediately sent over a file. A list of profiles and information instantly appeared on the light screen in front of Sister Huan. Among them, one file stood out—it was Chen Chuan’s.
She paused when she saw Chen Chuan’s file and said, "This handsome kid... isn’t he the one who defeated Wei Wusheng?"
"Yes. Meng Huang’s failure this time was related to him. Wu Qi believes that he will be one of the people who will obstruct the company in the future, and that the potential danger he poses is significant. Therefore, early elimination is recommended."
Sister Huan was dismissive. "The future? I’ve never believed in any of that nonsense. But, whatever." She walked to the window and looked out. Right there, practically within arm’s reach, a massive Ferris Wheel was slowly turning. She said, "Since it’s an order from the company, I’ll take the mission."
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