Under One Person, Engage in Black Technology

Chapter 183 Tomorrow?

"By the way, you came to see me...is there something you need? Or was it just for a casual chat?"

Perhaps the previous topic was a bit dull, even someone as proud as Old Ma sighed and didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he simply raised his eyebrows and changed the subject.

As he said this, he squatted down again, channeled his Qi, and began to vigorously hammer the body of the cultivation furnace. While the 'weld points' he had hammered out were beginning to melt slightly, he began to install the remaining few parts onto the furnace.

Watching Lao Ma's actions, Liu Ke felt a sense of comfort, like watching a craftsman's video, and almost became engrossed in the craftsman's work. However, he shook his head, cleared his throat, and pretended not to understand, asking, "Has the matter with Chen Duo been settled with the company?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong paused, then shook his head and said, "How could we possibly reach an agreement?"

"The word 'companion' itself implies 'cherishing,' and since we have already recognized her as a companion, how could we abandon her?"

“Not only her, but also Zhang Chulan, Wang Ye, and you, I consider them all my comrades. If you were in my shoes and suffered a disaster or hardship, I would protect you too.”

After saying that, he raised his head slightly and said, "I thought... you already knew that we hadn't reached an agreement on this matter."

Liu Ke shrugged and said, "How would I know?"

"You should have found out about the company's temporary workers by now, right?"

"After all, that 'Southwest Cancer' is a well-known 'temporary worker' in the industry, so it's normal for him to let some rumors out."

"Well, the term 'temporary worker' might be a bit obscure, but... just like the name suggests, the usage of 'temporary worker' is pretty much the same as that of 'temporary worker' in regular companies and organizations, you know what I mean."

"As for all the things that happened in Biyou Village, they were all tasks assigned to the temporary workers by the board of directors. How could I, a 'recruited militiaman,' possibly receive any news about your conversations?"

Ma Xianhong nodded and then said, "That's right. These past few days, you've been getting up early to go fishing outside the village and only returning quietly at night. You've hardly interacted with them at all. I had forgotten about that."

"Are you avoiding them? To avoid suspicion?"

Seeing that Liu Ke didn't seem inclined to answer, Ma Xianhong hesitated for a moment before saying directly, "I did ask around, and combined with what Zhang Chulan told me..."

“If we can’t reach an agreement with the company in the end, these people will most likely try to take Chen Duo away by force. It’s only right that you avoid suspicion. If I were in your shoes, it would be very difficult for me too.”

"I should actually thank you. Looking at it this way, you probably didn't intend to side with them. Remaining neutral is already quite good."

After hearing this, Liu Ke shrugged indifferently and said, "There's nothing to thank me for. I've already said that I'm a conscripted militiaman. The benefit of this part-time job is that I have a little more autonomy in times like this."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong couldn't help but laugh, and then asked, "Actually, with your skills, I find it hard to believe that the company hasn't treated you well. These days, there are very few people who can refine weapons; I thought you would be highly valued."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke laughed and said, "They do value me quite a bit and have helped me many times. However, compared to my relationship with the company, I owe them more... a personal favor from the regional manager."

Liu Ke's visit was not purely for casual conversation; he had a specific purpose. Seeing that the topic had veered off course, he changed the subject again.

He glanced at the stove and casually said, "Like I said before, regarding Chen Duo's matter, everyone has their own version of the truth, and I naturally can't tell which way is which, so I won't interfere."

"However, if you need my help with something else, I'm also willing to speak up for you!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xianhong instinctively felt that something was amiss, but he attributed it solely to their impending battle with the company, and simply said, "You don't have faith in us?"

After hearing this, Liu Ke did not answer directly. Instead, he pursed his lips and said, "To be honest, if everyone in Biyou Village were at your level, that would be fine. The company could just close down."

"The problem is that your top talents have a dazzling array of cultivation techniques and supernatural abilities, which are wonderful, but few of them are dedicated to fighting."

"The rest of the mediocre bunch, it would be an exaggeration to say they're useless, but they're all exhausted. They're fine for fighting and fooling around, but if they really get hurt or crippled in a fight with those tough guys, they'll be screaming in pain, which might actually ruin your peace of mind."

At this point, Liu Ke changed his mind again and said, "I heard that you previously sent Chen Duo to capture an old lady from the Quanxing Sect."

Seeing Ma Xianhong stiffen for a moment, Liu Ke quickly said, "Don't worry, I know that Quanxing are considered 'red-name monsters' in the 'circle,' they like to both kill and be killed. It's a mutual choice in life, and I can't interfere..."

"To put it bluntly, I have no objection to you arresting that person, and I have no interest in why you arrested her."

"I tend to be long-winded when I talk, and I like to use examples. I just wanted to use that old lady as an example."

At this point, Liu Ke cleared his throat, then clenched his teeth, and continued, "How is Biyou Village to Old Lady Jin Feng any different from... Nadutong to Biyou Village?"

After hearing this, Village Chief Ma couldn't help but snort, but after that snort, he sighed and said to Liu Ke, "Thank you, but I still have confidence in us. There are only seven of them."

After saying that, he frowned, glanced at Liu Ke again, and said, "Zhang Chulan said that he wants to find another opportunity to talk to me in the next day or two. I guess the company will take action after we finish talking tomorrow."

"In that case, after today, I will have the top-tier talents ready day and night, and make sure the village is on high alert."

When Liu Ke heard Ma Xianhong utter the word "tomorrow," he couldn't help but tense his facial muscles again, deliberately keeping his face stiff so as not to show any abnormality.

After all, the group from Na Du Tong was going to make their move tonight, while Old Ma's side was completely fooled by Master Bi Lian's 'peace talks' rhetoric and misjudged the timing.

Knowing this, Liu Ke was afraid he would have to keep his composure and complain out loud if he didn't manage his expression well.

Once his face had regained some composure, Liu Ke nodded and patted Lao Ma on the shoulder.

He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't utter a word, only feeling a little ashamed. For no reason, in that instant, he felt a deep admiration for the scoundrels of Liangshan Marsh.

He just wanted to be a 'rain that wasn't timely' and he felt uncomfortable about it. I really don't know how that 'Brother Song Jiang' could be so cold and ruthless.

……

Liu Ke and Lao Ma talked for about twenty minutes, after which he left the workshop where the body-cultivating furnace was made and returned to the small house that the village had assigned to him.

After lying down on the bed, he closed his eyes, letting the black wall watch over the village affairs while he waited quietly.

What he was waiting for was nothing more than the 'temporary workers' making changes, the failures of the top talents, and most importantly—when Old Ma showed signs of weakness. This process took place at night, and since it was 'staying up all night,' it inevitably took some mental effort, so Liu naturally needed to rest first.

Just as his mind began to wander and he was about to drift off to sleep, he received a notification from the black wall in his mind—someone was calling him.

Although Liu Ke would definitely be a little annoyed to be interrupted just as he was about to fall asleep, four or five o'clock in the morning is not a normal time to fall asleep, so he naturally wouldn't get grumpy in the morning.

"Hello, it's me. What's up?"

As he replied, the person on the other end said, "Nothing, just letting you know that the thing you prepared to send into space a few days ago, uh, is now in place."

The caller was none other than 'Crested Ibis'.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke's sleepiness dissipated somewhat, and he said, "That's fast! I thought... arranging the tracks and dates would take quite a while."

The crested ibis on the other end replied directly: "Anything you produce now will be given the highest priority for verification. What's more, this launch alone can verify six technologies."

After hearing this, Liu Ke said directly, "Indeed, it's hard to find such a good thing that kills six birds with one stone. By the way, how was the process? No problems, right?"

"Crested Ibis" replied, "Of course, it went incredibly smoothly. I've heard from those scholars that stealth was the first thing to prove successful."

"The second and third phases each experimented with a different energy source, and the effects were different, but both were very effective."

"Then there's... the overall design? I think that's how it's called? And those two things inside."

At this point, 'Crested Ibis' paused, seemingly after signing a document, before continuing to say to Liu Ke, "Finally... that thing you requested to bring today has been launched and is now operating on its own."

After hearing this, Liu Ke rubbed his eyes and said, "Thank you very much. It just so happens that it can be used today. I can test the effect of the 'rapid response' configuration. If there are no problems, we can start mass production."

"As for what to load later, that's fine too."

Then, seemingly more lucid, Liu Ke asked, "By the way, now that the relevant experiments have been completed, when do you plan to go to the moon?"

The crested ibis replied, "We plan to stay in our current orbit for ten days to collect some data, and then we'll arrange to fly over. Those academics told me to tell you that they've decided to collect a few kilograms of lunar soil at the designated location."

"If there are no more problems, we'll prepare to send someone to the moon next time."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke's eyes darted around a few times before he asked, "Uh... I wanted to ask, is it just my imagination, or...?"

"Is your plan being implemented that quickly? I originally estimated that it would take another two or three months before the spacecraft could take off, and it would be at least next year before we could send people to the moon."

Upon hearing his question, the crested ibis sighed, and then the sound of a lighter being turned and smoking could be clearly heard from the other end of the phone.

Almost half a minute later, Liu Ke heard the other person say, "What you felt was actually not wrong; the speed has indeed increased."

“Originally… according to the plan, there was no need to rush. But every piece of your work became a success, and as the results were delivered to him and the think tank, each one accelerated the potential of the plan.”

"What was originally a fifty-year plan may now only take thirty-five years? If you bring something else out, it may only take twenty years, or even less."

At this point, the crested ibis's voice trembled slightly with emotion as it said, "It's obvious that the other person is tempted."

"That's quite normal. Compared to sweeping across the land, who would really want to be the remnant of the fallen?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke couldn't help but take a deep breath and said, "So, if I'm not mistaken, the manned lunar landing plan is about to be revealed?"

The crested ibis replied directly: "Yes, I guessed right, there might even be a global live broadcast to boost the morale of the remaining 'us'."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ke was also quite excited. After calming down for a few minutes, he said, "There's nothing wrong with it, but we still need to play it safe. There's a difference between sending living people and sending machines."

Upon hearing this, the crested ibis smiled and said, "I understand, I'll pass it on to them. By the way, are you planning to stay in Liupanshui for a few days? Is it going to be a lot of trouble?"

Liu Ke raised an eyebrow and said, "Trouble? What trouble could I possibly have? It's just a little slow. But after it's over, I should be able to bring back something... something that's good for health, quite useful."

"I remember...aren't there a few elderly people at the top with health problems? If you're willing, we can give it a try. By the way, leukemia can be controlled."

Upon hearing this, the crested ibis's voice clearly became interested, and it asked, "Seriously? Leukemia too?"

Upon hearing Liu Ke's affirmative "hmm," the crested ibis immediately said, "Good, good, good! Don't worry, do whatever you want! We'll cover for you no matter what happens."

Liu Ke said, "What are you talking about? We've already avoided it all. Besides, I've already learned the skills; now all I need is a good assistant to take back with me."

Then he asked, "Uh, about that 'solar energy' related material I sent back before, could you talk to those people in the internal research department about it? The most basic part after deconstruction can be appropriately distributed to our car companies."

"To avoid a shortage of electricity and oil in two years."

……

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Yaoxing Society.

Inside this multi-story building, in the innermost room on the fifteenth floor, sat two people.

One of them is Qu Tong.

The other one was the female cadre who had previously worked on adjusting Ma Xianhong's condition.

"are you ready?"

As Qu Tong asked the question, she placed her hand on the female cadre's head.

(End of this chapter)