Chapter 297 - 255: Missing

Chapter 297: Chapter 255: Missing

"That’s easy! Just tell me which factory needs power, and I’ll send someone to reroute the circuit for you. Then it won’t go through the official power grid, and you’ll save some money."

The price of this private power would be rock-bottom, even lower than residential rates, while industrial power from the grid was the most expensive.

The difference could be twofold.

For a large factory, the savings on electricity bills alone could amount to several million a year.

"Alright, Director Sun. I’ll have to trouble you with this next part. My factory’s circuits... need some modifications. I’ll have my people send you the detailed plan. I won’t keep you for dinner today; in a little while, I have a few more friends to introduce to my brother here... I know you love red wine. I was in France last week and specifically brought back two bottles of an ’80 vintage from a private estate for you. Secretary, please put these in Director Sun’s car."

"Oh, oh, my! President Yin, you’re too kind! Forget the wine, just having the chance to meet and chat with you is a pleasure in itself!"

"Hehe. We’ll be in touch, Director Sun."

Yin Shuangyang stood up, watched his secretary see Director Sun out, then sat back down. Looking at Yu Dong, he said, "This 150 million kilowatt-hours of electricity... I’ll convert it into usable power. Power to light up this apocalypse."

"President Yin... Truly an impressive move."

This was exactly why Yu Dong had risked so much to find Yin Shuangyang.

Because not only could he operate in both legitimate and shady circles, he was also a magnate—the richest man in Yanhai City, capable of mobilizing vast resources.

If Yin Shuangyang hadn’t told him, he would never have even known that such a massive offshore solar farm existed off the coast of Zongshan District.

A short while later, two more people arrived.

"Let me introduce you. This is Director Tang of the Huangtong Railway, part of the West-East Coal Transfer project. He mainly works near Huangyang Port. Director Tang, why don’t you tell my brother here about our dedicated coal line."

"Ah! President Yin, the Huangtong Railway isn’t just a dedicated coal line anymore. We run passenger trains as well; that’s an old impression you have... The Huangtong Railway starts in Coal Province, cuts through our Yan Zhao Province, passes through Kyoto, and finally reaches us here in Yanhai City. It’s 653 kilometers in total. From the docks at Huangyang Port, the coal is then shipped to the southern provinces... It’s a crucial hub for our nation’s West-East and North-South coal transport initiatives."

"Excellent. So, could I charter a train to transport some cargo?"

"If you’re asking, President Yin, then of course it’s possible. We can just schedule an extra run for you. All you have to do is load the cargo at Huangyang Port, and it’ll be ready to go."

"Hehe. As for the finer details, I’ll have my people follow up with you. Secretary..."

The secretary escorted Director Tang out as well.

The railway!

’Yin Shuangyang is going to use the railway?’

’So this is the ’transport capacity’ he was talking about...’

Yu Dong was starting to understand what Yin Shuangyang was planning.

Seeing the surprise on Yu Dong’s face, Yin Shuangyang gave a faint smile.

"Once the apocalypse begins, the normal roads will surely be impassable. But this railway... I doubt zombies can block a train, can they?"

"Yeah, unless they want to cosplay as speed bumps."

Next, Yin Shuangyang introduced Yu Dong to the head of a general aviation airport in Zongshan District. It wasn’t a commercial airport for civilians, but one specializing in agricultural drones, short-haul cargo, emergency rescue, and air logistics.

Finally, Yin Shuangyang introduced him to a director from the Shanship Heavy Industries Shipyard.

Once everyone had left, Yin Shuangyang looked at Yu Dong and said, "Now, our logistics problem is solved. With access to sea, land, and air, we can go wherever we please."

If the 150 million kilowatt-hours of electricity was the first time Yin Shuangyang had stunned Yu Dong with sheer numbers, then securing transport by sea, land, and air was the second time he had stunned him with the sheer scale of his reach.

To Yin Shuangyang, this world was full of paths...

It was just that most people only ever saw the highways.

Yu Dong had to admit, Yin Shuangyang’s perspective was on another level; he could see much further ahead.

These were grand plays that he himself could never have pulled off.

"As for firepower... Brother Yu, what kind of weapons did you use in your past life?"

"A spear, a tactical knife, a compound crossbow, and an Explosive-Proof Shield."

Yin Shuangyang’s mouth twitched, and he had to fight back a laugh.

He clapped Yu Dong on the shoulder. "In this life, I’ll show you what real weapons are... In this new age, firepower is king. Since order will collapse after the apocalypse, that means we can use guns freely. Let me tell you something... Firearms are common commodities in other countries, easy to buy and not expensive. Ammunition is even cheaper—you can buy several rounds for a dollar. And me? I have all the money in the world."

"Good! I always regretted not being able to acquire firearms from overseas in my past life. President Yin, that’s another reason I came to you—because you have that capability..."

"Exactly! I’m the only one with this capability and this audacity! No one else could pull this off! Coming to me was absolutely the smartest move you’ve made in all your reincarnations. I understand the value of your ability better than anyone! Yu Dong, you must tell me everything. Hold nothing back... Remember, from a purely self-interested standpoint, I have absolutely no reason to harm you. Do you understand? Whatever you want, I’ll give you."

He looked intently into Yu Dong’s eyes. This was his promise.

He understood one thing: there was no way to verify a Reincarnator’s past life. He had to make Yu Dong trust him and be willing to share his knowledge.

Betraying Yu Dong was out of the question; it would gain him nothing.

At this moment, Yin Shuangyang’s demeanor was different from his earlier, polite enthusiasm. Now, he was completely sincere and passionate. Yu Dong could feel it...

"I understand... President Yin, let’s work together from now on."

This meeting with Yin Shuangyang had gone far more smoothly than Yu Dong expected. Now, using Yin Shuangyang’s platform, he could finally make his move!

This time, it was the power of capital!

...

9:15 PM.

The lottery numbers were being drawn.

Yu Dong and Yin Shuangyang were laughing and chatting about their plans for the next few days, casually watching the lottery drawing.

This was the final point of confirmation for Yin Shuangyang.

If it turned out to be false, he could at least still back out.

"28... 31... 18..."

As the lottery numbers were revealed one by one, the looks on Yin Shuangyang’s and Yu Dong’s faces slowly changed.

"The winning numbers are 28, 31, 18, 09, 14, 33, and the special number is 12! Let’s congratulate our lucky winners!!!"

Yin Shuangyang looked at the line of numbers Yu Dong had given him: [14 01 16 11 05 19 08].

Not a single one matched.

They looked at each other. In that instant, the air seemed to freeze.

"Did you buy a ticket?"

"No..."

Yu Dong’s face darkened. He realized... something had gone wrong!

Today was the day his chosen leaders were supposed to activate their respective members. Each of their Triple Keys was tonight’s lottery numbers!

’Damn it!’

’The world line has shifted!’

’Someone must have bought a ticket with those numbers!’

’All my early plans had been perfectly successful. Yin Shuangyang had even joined me faster than I’d expected...’

Yu Dong looked at Yin Shuangyang. The man’s eyes were closed and his hands were clasped, his index fingers tapping rhythmically against the back of his other hand.

"President Yin, have you ever heard of... the butterfly effect?"

Yin Shuangyang didn’t answer. The silence stretched for a long time... Finally, he stood up, a smile spreading across his face as he clapped Yu Dong on the shoulder.

"Don’t worry, Brother Yu. A prophecy can fail for many reasons. But after spending this day with you... I believe that you’re a Reincarnator. We’ll get back to work tomorrow. We have to see this path through to the end! Go home and get some rest."

And with that, Yin Shuangyang left.

Yu Dong watched Yin Shuangyang’s upright silhouette, unable to tell whether he was just putting on a brave face or was genuinely willing to continue...

But now, he was in too deep to back out.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the office, Yin Shuangyang went to his private quarters.

He had just had a sudden realization about why Yu Dong’s prediction might have failed.

’Assuming Yu Dong is a Reincarnator... what if he doesn’t understand the mechanics of the lottery, and was being naive about it...’

"Yu Dong told someone else the lottery numbers."

...

「Wednesday Morning.」

Zhao Wenjie dialed Xufeng’s number, only to find the phone was turned off.

"Huh? How is he still sleeping? We’ve been reincarnated, who has time to sleep! Damn it! He should have just followed my lead. I’ve read at least a thousand apocalypse novels, you know!"

Elsewhere, Sun Yu and two other blond punks had been waiting at a breakfast joint all morning, but Zhao Youcai never showed.

"Shit! Where the hell is the ’Reincarnator’? We don’t have money to pay the bill..."

Zhang Wei listlessly washed his face and got himself ready. He was planning to go pick up Lin Zhixue—not from the airport, from her cruise ship. ’The apocalypse is coming, but that doesn’t matter,’ he thought. ’Brother Qiang said Lin Zhixue survives in the future. I’ll go make an impression now. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a shot with her after the world ends?’

He glanced at his phone. Huang Zhiqiang hadn’t called him either.

A neatly dressed Jiang Zhuoyu stared at his phone. He had tried calling the ’Reincarnator’s’ number several times, only to be met with a ’powered off’ message. A grim look appeared in his eyes.

"Something’s wrong..."

The same scene played out for Zhou Jian Country, Yan Yikai, Shen Xinyi, Liu Ye’ye, and the others.

On Wednesday morning, the core members of Yu Dong’s team discovered that the ’Reincarnator’ who had activated them the day before... had vanished.