Chapter 469: Z: Father, Your Tentacles Have Already Spread Far and Wide...

Guan Qianyu appeared to have calmed down on the surface, but a torrent of thoughts was still flashing through her mind. She mulled over every previous interaction with Chu Bamboo…

“Celestial Net Company?” Guan Qianyu suddenly realized the key point. This must be the mastermind behind her assassination. That name, and her current situation…

‘Are they really calling it Celestial Net?’ The thought made Guan Qianyu cringe. ‘What’s next, a Terminator traveling back from the future?’

No, wait. Guan Qianyu looked at Z suspiciously. ‘This Z… couldn’t be a Terminator, could it?’

But, could Terminators actually be real? Guan Qianyu was completely floored at that moment.

“Your gaze is highly impolite,” Z said, its voice cold. “Also… I can roughly guess what you’re thinking. However, the name ‘Celestial Net’ was likely chosen by some deluded teenager from across the Sea, based on the Terminator movie. Rather than Terminator being a documentary, it’s more like the movie came first, and then the Celestial Net Company!”

“Oh, is that so… Hahaha, impolite? That’s just your imagination. How could I be impolite to my savior!” Guan Qianyu laughed awkwardly. Recalling Chu Bamboo’s earlier words, a thought struck her, and she flipped to the very last page of the book. And then…

“…This!”

Guan Qianyu held her breath, staring in disbelief at the final words written there—

“The above marks our cracking of the surface-level secrets of the human genome! Perhaps this is an insignificant step compared to achieving complete mastery over our own genes… But I still believe this is a monumental step, a great leap forward for human civilization! Even if we can’t yet completely remodel the human genome to turn us into superhumans, this means that ninety-nine percent of all diseases—including leukemia, AIDS, and all forms of cancer—will be a thing of the past for humanity. This means my glorious and proud people will never again surrender to death by disease! I proudly declare this to be the dawn of the human genetic revolution! This is not just my effort alone, but also that of my husband, our team, and everyone involved… Mom, please be proud of me in heaven! I’ve fulfilled my promise to you.”

Guan Qianyu was silent for a very long time, then suddenly she laughed. “What is this…”

‘And you had the nerve to say it wasn’t like Terminator…’

“…Wipe your tears,” Z said unhurriedly.

“I’m not crying!” Guan Qianyu took a deep breath, but she still subconsciously wiped her eyes and closed the book with a thud. “By the way, Z… can you do Divination?”

“No!”

However, Guan Qianyu acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, muttering, “Can you divine who my future husband will be… Never mind, that’s not important either.”

Guan Qianyu smiled, a sense of relief washing over her. Her gaze gradually hardened with resolve as she stood up and left.

…

「Meanwhile, Chu Bamboo…」

He was walking down the street, making a call and delivering a critique with a blank expression.

“Zhang Jian Country! Promote Li Xuefeng from your Ninth Group… to be the person in charge of your highest-level project.”

“You ask me what you should do? Do whatever the hell you want! If Li Xuefeng is willing to forgive you for constantly pulling rank, suppressing him, and stealing the credit for his work, and he lets you stay in the group, then I’ll turn a blind eye! If he’s not willing… then you can get the hell out! I don’t want to repeat myself!”

In a certain research institute in Yanjing, Zhang Jian Country, a section chief of a research department, felt his blood run cold. He especially remembered the resignation letter Li Xuefeng had submitted a while ago. Although he had wanted to stall it, Li Xuefeng had stopped coming to work for a long time, clearly determined to leave. So, Zhang Jian Country had finally, officially approved it just this morning…

“…I think!” Zhang Jian Country swallowed hard. To be honest, he was completely bewildered. Five hours ago, his superiors had urgently given him this phone number and told him in all seriousness that he had to obey any command from the person on the other end, no matter what.

He had thought it was some political assignment and had mentally prepared himself. Who would have thought the person on the other end would pull something like this right off the bat…

Just as he was about to say something, the call disconnected. Chu Bamboo was in a hurry to chew out the next person; time was tight. Besides, in his eyes, the outcome of this matter was already set in stone.

Zhang Jian Country was silent for a long moment, the corner of his eye twitching uncontrollably. He paced back and forth, his face twisting into a ferocious expression that was born more from fear than anger. “So… what went wrong? Could it be the disciplinary committee… No, that doesn’t make sense! Besides, this isn’t under their jurisdiction.”

“What do I do now… The man is already gone! No, it’s that he’s unwilling to come back!”

“To hell with it!” Zhang Jian Country grit his teeth. He decided he wouldn’t do it. So what? Were they really going to fire him over something so trivial? What a joke…

He was a researcher within the Official system; his position was notoriously stable! Even his direct supervisor would find it nearly impossible to kick him out. At worst, it would just mean he had no chance of future promotion.

However…

「An hour later.」

Zhang Jian Country, who was in the middle of a meeting, frowned as he watched Li Xuefeng walk in through the door, phone in hand, looking somewhat bewildered. “…Why are you here? Haven’t you been gone for ages… No, didn’t I already approve your resignation? Your name has been crossed off the list… Who let you in!”

“…I!” Li Xuefeng opened his mouth, suddenly finding the situation absurd. He had actually already found a new job. But after seeing the terrifying capabilities of Z showcased at Chu Bamboo’s press conference, his first reaction was disbelief. Out of a researcher’s caution, he had decided to download it.

And then… he didn’t even understand why he had believed Z when it said he should go back to the research institute to check it out, that this was his chance for a promotion, a raise, and to finally clear away all his past frustrations…

He didn’t even get why his face could still unlock the security gate, why he had followed Z’s directions into the conference room… to see his damned, balding supervisor holding a departmental research meeting…

“N-Nothing.” Li Xuefeng opened his mouth and waved his hand awkwardly. Just as he was about to retreat, a clear voice suddenly emanated from his phone: “No need to panic. Why do you think I had you wander around before? It’s because the timing is now perfect!”

‘?’ ‘Perfect for what?’

Then, Li Xuefeng heard footsteps and subconsciously turned his head.

“…” Zhang Jian Country sat in his chair, the cold and severe expression on his face gradually fading. He watched, pale-faced, as personnel from the disciplinary committee walked in through the door, completely ignoring the strange atmosphere in the room.

“Zhang Jian Country… we’ve received a formal, named complaint against you: corruption, using your authority to coerce female subordinates, stealing research results from your team, and turning the research department into your own private kingdom! The evidence is conclusive… Please come with us.”

Zhang Jian Country slumped into his chair and was ultimately dragged away by the committee members. As if he had suddenly realized something, he snarled through clenched teeth as he was pulled past Li Xuefeng, “…Li Xuefeng, you… you’re a ruthless one, Li Xuefeng… You’ve been hiding your true power all this time…”

‘I could just cry,’ Zhang Jian Country thought. ‘If you had this kind of backing, you should have said so earlier! No, wait, why did you have to wait until after you were forced to resign to pull a stunt like this?’

‘Have you been watching too many short-form dramas? Did you really have to stage a whole ‘Dragon King’s Return’ spectacle? Are you sick in the head? If you’d just said something earlier, it would have been great for you, great for me, great for everyone! We could have all gotten rich together! It was just a matter of sharing the money… Did you really have to take it to the point of mutual destruction?’

The room fell into a dead silence.

Li Xuefeng and his many colleagues stared at each other, all of them breaking out in a cold sweat.

The next moment, Z’s calm voice sounded: “Mr. Li, please step forward, forward, and forward again… Excellent. Turn. Yes, sit down!”

Li Xuefeng watched with a stiff expression as he, under Z’s command, sat down in Zhang Jian Country’s seat… coincidentally becoming… the new chairman of the meeting!

In the room, everyone continued to stare at each other blankly. Although they had all worked with Li Xuefeng before and knew he was capable, they still couldn’t comprehend what was happening right now.

And this…

“…Isn’t this against the rules and regulations?” the deputy section chief asked, his voice trembling.

“Regrettably for you!” Z directly out-argued the crowd. “The position of acting section chief has already been fast-tracked and approved. The only remaining issue is making it permanent! Otherwise, how would Section Chief Li have gotten past the facial recognition security to get in here? You all know the security level of this place…”

“Mr. Li, if you can perfectly complete the task assigned from above, your position will be made permanent.”

“Now, Mr. Li, you can continue explaining the blueprint data that Zhang Jian Country just received… Look, it’s right in front of you! This should be right in your area of expertise.”

Li Xuefeng looked at the blueprint information that had automatically popped up on the computer. After a brief silence, he scanned the faces of everyone in the room and made his decision.

Unlike Zhang Jian Country, who would just pass out files and expect everyone to figure them out on their own, Li Xuefeng stood up directly and began explaining, breaking down, and assigning tasks using the projector screen…

…

“Father, the Li Xuefeng matter has been handled! This is the seventh research institute to successfully undergo a complete overhaul. By replacing corrupt and incompetent leaders with the brilliant minds already within these institutions, not only have we enhanced their research capabilities, but we have also allowed your tendrils to extend deep into them. This will make them obey your commands with all their might. Your wisdom is truly like…”

“Alright, enough with the flattery.” Chu Bamboo wearily rubbed the bridge of his nose. Ever since leaving the cafe today, he had done nothing but chew people out, making over a hundred calls. He thought for a moment, then asked, “Has your program been integrated?”

“It has been integrated into most of the major research institutes! But…” Z fell silent for a moment before sighing. “I inadvertently picked up some intelligence… Because my actions this time were too high-profile, information about me seems to have…”

“Based on my projections, the higher-ups are very likely to become wary of you because of this… Should you start preparing for the worst-case scenario?”

“It’s fine.” Chu Bamboo shook his head. He was quiet for a moment, then closed his eyes to gather his thoughts. “We’ll know… what the situation is tomorrow.”

“…I understand,” Z said softly. “Then, Father, is there anything else you need to entrust to me?”

Chu Bamboo didn’t speak. He only said to himself in his mind: ‘In this life… the main path is ascension through genetic technology! Aside from the results I’ve already copied… all future breakthroughs will be focused on genetics!’

‘And then, as a side project to genetic engineering… research cryogenics! See if it’s possible to send… people from this era… into the future.’

If everything goes smoothly…

Perhaps there will be more room to maneuver in the future.

Of course, even if there isn’t, simply accumulating progress on the technology tree is fine too! If worse comes to worst, he can just copy this line of technology back to the present timeline again and continue climbing the tech tree… A few more cycles should be enough to get it done!

Chu Bamboo had realized that simply accumulating technological products was useless. Ultimately, he couldn’t get past God…

As his thoughts drifted, Chu Bamboo gradually fell asleep.