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Chapter 533 Ethics Committee, Human Genome Project
Upon hearing this name, Fang Cheng, though somewhat prepared, still subtly expressed a hint of doubt:

"Oh, the ideal world?"

Cheng Jiashu's eyes were piercing, as if he wanted to see something from Fang Cheng's face, but the other party's calm face made him feel somewhat frustrated.

He hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked:

"Fang Cheng, let's not beat around the bush."

"Last night I heard some rumors that there was a very serious bomb attack in the eastern suburbs. It caused quite a stir and even made the news... Is this related to you?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng frowned slightly, seemingly recalling his plans for the evening.

He then shook his head, vehemently denying it:
"I drank at a bar last night, and when I got home I went straight to sleep. I don't remember anything."

"I was busy taking my friend to the competition early this morning, and I didn't even have time to watch the news."

Cheng Jiashu stared into his eyes for a few seconds, trying to detect even the slightest hint of guilt.

But Fang Cheng's eyes were clear and honest, and he didn't seem to be lying at all.

After a moment, Cheng Jiashu sighed helplessly:

"Fine, it's okay if you don't admit it."

As he spoke, he leaned back lazily:
"I just want to give you a piece of advice: if you really did what happened last night, or if you've offended someone... you'd better keep a low profile lately and not go looking for trouble at this critical juncture."

"You should know that the situation in Dongdu right now is much more murky than you think."

Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow, understanding the unspoken meaning in the words.

So he put down his teacup and looked directly at Cheng Jiashu:
"Did you receive some intelligence? Let's not beat around the bush, just say it."

Cheng Jiashu did not answer immediately. After adjusting his posture, he asked:
"Have you really not been watching the news lately?"

Fang Cheng shook his head:

"You know, being a sparring partner is very busy, and you don't have time to care about national affairs."

Cheng Jiashu smiled, not exposing the truth, but simply said:
"Then you may have missed two very important pieces of news."

"First, just before the stock market closed on Friday, the Xiao family's giant enterprise, 'Taijiang Pharmaceutical Group,' officially announced that it would fully acquire Noah Pharmaceutical's Xia Guo branch, which was mired in scandal."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flashed:
"In other words, all of Noah Pharmaceuticals' frozen assets, equipment, and even the research data and personnel from those experimental projects will be legitimately transferred to the Xiao family?"

"clever."

Cheng Jiashu snapped his fingers:

"As I just mentioned, the Xiao family was originally the Noah Organization's de facto protector in Xia Country. This transaction is essentially a left-hand to right-hand transfer, changing the name to completely launder those shady assets."

"This is quite normal in business."

Fang Cheng spoke calmly, showing no surprise:

“It’s an old trick of capital operation. As long as the procedures are compliant and legal, and the prosecutors don’t investigate further, we really can’t stop it.”

"If it's just money laundering, then that's fine."

Cheng Jiashu shook his head, his expression gradually becoming serious:

"The key is the second news item."

"Just four days before the acquisition announcement, Taijiang Pharmaceutical Group held a high-profile press conference, announcing that it had reached a deep strategic cooperation agreement with a life science ethics committee with military background, called the 'Human Genome Decryption Project'."

"The Human Genome Project?"

Fang Cheng repeated the tongue-twisting name, which was filled with a certain scientific fervor:

"It sounds like a very important project?"

Cheng Jiashu twitched the corner of his mouth and let out a soft sneer:
"This project claims to be a great cause to conquer cancer and extend human lifespan, and is dedicated to the genetic evolution of all mankind."

"Although the specific details of the cooperation are top secret, I learned about them through some special channels, and there is one core clause among them..."

At this point, a hint of disgust flashed in Cheng Jiashu's eyes, and his voice lowered slightly:
"Their experimental projects require a large amount of 'active materials,' which are living people, especially those who have just awakened their abilities."

"To this end, they have already issued a bounty on the black market in Night City to capture newly emerging ability users who are not on the government's census list and have no organization to rely on. The rewards for the mission are exceptionally generous."

Fang Cheng's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't speak; he just listened quietly.

Cheng Jiashu continued, his voice carrying a chill:
"The assassin organization 'Black Shark,' which has always cooperated with Noah, has taken on the main capture mission."

"The recent disappearances in Xia Kingdom are inextricably linked to this pack of mad dogs."

"Those missing people were mostly loners, like they vanished into thin air."

"As for the explosion that happened in the eastern suburbs last night, although the authorities are still blocking the news, I speculate that it was very likely that Black Shark's people encountered fierce resistance when they were carrying out the arrest mission."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng immediately understood.

I did indeed arrange for Xiao Sa and Xu Hao to anonymously spread information about Bai Xiao and Ideal Land, intending to confuse the public.

However, in such a short time, the news obviously didn't reach Cheng Jiashu's ears so quickly.

It's highly likely that the commotion from last night's battle, coupled with the fact that many witnesses saw the explosion in the air, made this "old comrade-in-arms" smell a familiar scent.

He connected himself to the bombing, mistakenly believing that the Xiao family had issued an arrest warrant for Bai Xiao.

The Black Shark organization hunted White Owl for a bounty, which triggered that earth-shattering battle.

They might even feel that, with their strength surpassing that of ordinary S-class individuals, they have likely provoked the utopia hidden behind the scenes.

Cheng Jiashu guessed half of it correctly, but he didn't know the whole story.

In reality, this was a counterattack initiated by Fang Cheng in advance, a precise hunt targeting the core members of Ideal Land.

Of course, Fang Cheng had no intention of revealing the truth.

After all, this matter is very sensitive and involves many of my personal secrets, so there is no need to explain it too much to outsiders.

After a moment of contemplation, Fang Cheng raised his head and asked:
"Is the life sciences ethics committee you just mentioned a department or agency under the Special Investigation Team?"

"No."

Cheng Jiashu shook his head, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips:

"They belong to the military forces, or more accurately, they are defense research institutions established with the direct authorization of the Presidential Office."

Fang Cheng was somewhat surprised upon hearing this:
"The military would actually choose to cooperate with a powerful family?"

It's worth noting that both Ma Jianguo and Shi Chengyi had explicitly stated this point before.

There is a fundamental conflict between powerful financial groups and high-ranking government officials; they are inherently adversaries vying for control of the country.

Seeing that Fang Cheng seemed unaware of the intricacies, Cheng Jiashu patiently explained:
"Over the years, the Special Investigations Unit's power has expanded to an extreme degree, gradually deviating from the scope of a simple law enforcement agency and becoming a huge independent kingdom."

“They not only have independent law enforcement powers, but also control a large amount of military resources. Even the presidential palace sometimes has to act according to their wishes.”

"This is a political imbalance that those in power absolutely cannot tolerate."

"Therefore, the Life Sciences Ethics Committee came into being; it is a sharp tool specifically designed to check and balance the Special Investigations Team."

"As far as I know, this committee has been planning genetic modification projects for several years, secretly conducting human experiments in an attempt to mass-produce controllable super soldiers."

"Currently, the military's two most elite special operations units, 'Shadow Blade' and 'Steel Bone,' are mostly composed of members from this committee's super soldier cyborg project. They are extremely powerful, and even the special search team is wary of them."

At this point, Cheng Jiashu's smile faded, and his expression became more serious than ever before.

He leaned forward slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Fang Cheng's eyes: "Fang Cheng, you're a smart man, you should understand what this means."

"The Xiao family represents the financial magnates and the business community, Noah belongs to the underground civilian organization, and the Life Science Ethics Committee represents the military and the political community."

"These three forces should have been checking and balancing each other, and engaging in open and covert struggles."

"But now, they are able to put aside their prejudices and disputes, and actually sit at the same table to work together."

"In this world, there is only one force that possesses such terrifying power to bring these three together."

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly, and he softly uttered three words:

"Utopia?"

"Correct."

Cheng Jiashu nodded heavily, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes:
"The infiltration of the Ideal Land organization into the upper echelons of the Xia Kingdom government has long reached an alarming level."

"The peripheral forces they control are deeply entrenched, like a malignant tumor. Noah Organization, Black Shark, and even the Xiao family, strictly speaking, are all just pawns they have laid out."

Cheng Jiashu took a deep breath, seemingly trying to suppress the chill in his heart:
"In the eyes of ordinary people, the Xiao family is unapproachable and can command the wind and rain."

"But in the face of the ideal world, even a powerful family with three S-class experts is at best a slightly stronger watchdog, or a wallet that provides funds."

"That organization is like an invisible ghost, with tentacles all over the world. No one knows where their headquarters are or who their leader is. All those who try to uncover their secrets eventually disappear without a trace."

At this point, Cheng Jiashu gazed at Fang Cheng, his tone becoming unusually sincere:
"That's why I'm reminding you, if you don't have enough preparation and overwhelming strength, it's best not to provoke Utopia."

"Especially right now, with undercurrents surging in Dongdu, if we are targeted by such a powerful organization, even S-class ability users like us could die without a burial place."

A brief silence fell over the lounge.

Only the quartz clock on the wall made a "click-clack" sound.

Fang Cheng knew very well what was going on.

Cheng Jiashu deliberately kept me behind today and revealed so many secrets; it was definitely not just a simple reminiscing.

Although it's unclear from which source he obtained this information, the fact that he chose to tell me everything at least shows that he had good intentions.

Fang Cheng even had a vague feeling that the other party seemed to be seeking some kind of potential ally.

These words were both a test and a warning, as well as a pledge of allegiance.

"Do not worry."

Fang Cheng raised his head, his pensive expression vanishing instantly, replaced by a relaxed smile.

"I'm terrified of death and never do anything I'm not sure I can handle. I'd rather avoid such a behemoth than provoke it."

"Right now, all I want is to get into graduate school smoothly, take good care of my family, and live a stable life."

After speaking, Fang Cheng straightened his back and nodded seriously to Cheng Jiashu:

"However, I still want to thank you for reminding me; this information is very important to me."

Cheng Jiashu stared at Fang Cheng for a long time, then a bright smile appeared on his face:
"A wise choice; who wouldn't want a peaceful life?"

Then, as if remembering something, his expression became somewhat strange:
"Actually, I've been wanting to contact you privately to tell you about these things."

"But for some reason, when I try to establish a mental link with you recently, it always ends in failure. It seems that your mental state has undergone a huge change."

Fang Cheng's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless:
"Oh? What's changed?"

Cheng Jiashu recalled that feeling, his brows furrowing slightly:
“Your mental barriers were strong before, but at least people could still perceive the boundaries.”

"But recently, as soon as my consciousness got close, I felt an extremely hot and domineering force shutting me out."

"That feeling... was like staring directly at the midday sun, blinding and scorching, and it almost backfired on my spirit, so I had no choice but to give up."

Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly.

That's the automatic defense mechanism of the "Sun Heart Network".

It seems that as he devoured the Crimson Eye and successfully created his inner world, his mental defense strength has far surpassed that of before, and even Cheng Jiashu, an S-rank, cannot easily detect him.

This is indeed a good benchmark for measuring one's own strength.

Fang Cheng immediately looked apologetic and offered a few words of explanation, half-truthfully and half-jokingly:
"It might be a problem with my cultivation recently. My spiritual realm is undergoing internal renovations and is quite messy, so it's not convenient to receive outsiders for the time being."

"Once things have stabilized for a while, I'll invite you in for a visit."

"understand."

Cheng Jiashu smiled and didn't dwell on the issue.

He then took out a business card from his pocket and pushed it in front of Fang Cheng:

"This contains my personal number, which is available 24/7. If you encounter any trouble or need help, you can contact me for anything."

Fang Cheng instinctively wanted to refuse.

But on second thought, when faced with such a behemoth as the ideal world, having one more ally is always better than having one more stranger.

So he reached out and took the business card, nodding:
"it is good."

After putting away the business card, Fang Cheng stood up to say goodbye, but suddenly remembered something and casually asked:
"By the way, you mentioned before that you've been searching for traces of Jiang Chen's rebirth in Xishan. Have you heard anything recently?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Cheng Jiashu seemed to have heard some forbidden incantation, and his body trembled slightly.

Immediately afterwards, the idol star, who had always been smiling, turned red in the eyes, and his handsome face became noticeably distorted.

Despite his best efforts to control his facial expressions, Fang Cheng could still clearly see that the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

A dark and violent aura flashed through his body.

Although it lasted for less than half a second, the feeling of losing control in that instant was truly terrifying.

Fang Cheng's gaze sharpened slightly, and he immediately asked:
"what happened to you?"

"fine……"

Upon hearing Fang Cheng's question, Cheng Jiashu took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he had already forcefully suppressed that strange emotion.

Only a thin layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, revealing the pain he had just endured.

Cheng Jiashu picked up the tea, which had long since gone cold, and took a sip. His voice was a little dry.

"It's just an old problem that's flared up again. It'll get better with time."

Having said that, he seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic any longer, and quickly added:
"There have been a lot going on lately. We haven't found anything definitively in Xishan yet. That thing is very well hidden. But I will intensify the search efforts and contact you as soon as I have any news."

Fang Cheng looked at Cheng Jiashu, whose face was pale, and seemed to be deep in thought.

Just mentioning the name "Jiang Chen" can cause such a strong physiological reaction?

It seems that this glamorous superstar has just as many secrets hidden within her as I do.

"Okay, I'll wait for your message."

Fang Cheng nodded, stood up, and took his leave.

(End of this chapter)