The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

Old An opened his mouth, but it felt like something was blocking his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Chi Zhengyang's words were like a cold and tight iron chain.

Flawless, yet devoid of any warmth.

But......

That's the logic, but from a human nature perspective, he still can't accept it.

"But the truth is, you want to take advantage of him... I can understand that, and I even support it wholeheartedly."

"But the methods you're planning to use are really..."

"It's so dirty."

Old An's voice was extremely hoarse.

Using such methods on a kid who's barely an adult, success was inevitable.

However, Old Man An could never get over the hurdle in his heart.

"Aren't you afraid that if he finds out the truth, things won't go as planned?"

"And when did you become like this?"

He closed his eyes, seemingly unwilling to look at Chi Zhengyang's cold, hard face any longer.

"Dirty?"

Chi Zhengyang let out another soft chuckle, as if he had heard a joke.

"Judging by actions, not intentions, there are no good people if you judge by intentions alone."

His voice regained its previous calmness, yet carried a chilling composure.

"The world is so big, I can't possibly take perfect care of everyone's feelings."

"If I were really faced with a choice like 'The train is coming,' I would choose the majority without hesitation."

"To achieve greater benefits with less sacrifice—that's me, and that has never changed!"

Old An suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils filled with astonishment.

That's a lot...

He couldn't believe these words came from Chi Zhengyang's mouth.

If these words were to get out, the world's positive perception of Chi Zhengyang would probably shatter.

"He's different!"

Old An stubbornly argued, this was his final stand: "His father was a hero, we owe their family something!"

"Precisely because his father was a hero, his son cannot be a good-for-nothing!"

Chi Zhengyang's voice suddenly rose, his sharp gaze like a knife, cutting off Elder An's words.

"Heroes bleed and shed tears—I might not know about such things, but if I see them, I will never allow it to happen!"

"What we owe him isn't to let him live a comfortable life as a good-for-nothing, but to give him a future worthy of his father's glory!"

"I can give him a future that everyone envies, but the premise is that he himself must also deserve it."

"And I've said it many times, from beginning to end, I never intended to hurt anyone."

Chi Zhengyang stared intently at Elder An.

"The words 'help' and 'utilize' are not contradictory in themselves."

Only children make choices; he wants it all!

The two locked eyes.

One was heartbroken, the other was resolute.

It was as if invisible electric lights were flashing and colliding in the air.

Neither of them could convince the other.

Just as tensions were about to rise, Old Man An suddenly turned his head away, not wanting to look at Chi Zhengyang's unchanging face any longer.

His gaze passed over the long table and landed on a figure in the corner with its head tilted to one side, almost sleeping under the table.

"Old Qian!"

"Old Qian!"

"Old Qian!"

Old An's voice carried a hint of urgency, as if he had grasped at the last straw.

"I can't get through to this guy, you talk to him!"

The figure in the corner stirred and uttered a few indistinct murmurs, clearly fast asleep.

Old Man An increased his strength and shouted again.

"Old Qian!"

Old Qian's figure trembled violently, and he sat up straight instantly.

He was still sleepy, his hair was messy, and he looked around blankly before finally fixing his gaze on Chi Zhengyang, who was closest to him.

"Huh? What?"

Old Qian spoke in a daze, and his first words immediately revealed what kind of wonderful dream he had just been having.

"My gene serum...it's been approved?"

He blinked, his voice still sleepy.

"Can you give it to me now?"

The tense atmosphere in the conference room, which had been almost dripping with moisture, was instantly shattered by those words.

Old An felt a lump in his throat.

He held his forehead, feeling his blood pressure soaring rapidly.

My temples are throbbing.

Chi Zhengyang didn't react much. He looked at Old Qian calmly, as if he were looking at an unreasonable child.

"I already said that."

His voice was neither hurried nor slow.

"Everything has already been prepared for you."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Qian's eyes immediately lit up.

He leaned forward abruptly, placing his hands on the table.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"Hurry up and give it to me!"

Chi Zhengyang snorted coldly.

"The things have been prepared for you."

He paused.

"But you want to get it before..."

"We must also successfully achieve genetic awakening in Wasteland Era before we can talk about it."

The joy on Old Qian's face froze instantly.

Instead, there was a sense of extreme confusion and frustration.

He slammed his hand on the table, making a loud bang.

The entire conference room shook.

"I just don't understand!"

Mr. Qian's voice rose, carrying a hint of anger.

"Why do something so pointless and unnecessary!"

He pointed to his own nose, his face clearly saying, "Are you messing with me?"

"You know how painful the process of using the basic gene serum is!"

"That was absolutely excruciating pain!"

"I'm already so old, why do you have to make me suffer twice?"

"Tell me, what did I do to offend you?"

"Are you going to retaliate against me in such a roundabout way?"

Old Qian exploded at the slightest provocation, firing off a barrage of questions that echoed throughout the room with his roars.

When faced with his questioning, Chi Zhengyang simply shook his head slightly.

"You know you're old and your body can't take the strain?"

He took a step forward, looking down at Old Qian, who was sitting in a chair and throwing a tantrum.

"Then why are you courting death?!"

Old Qian opened his mouth, wanting to retort with something.

But when he met Chi Zhengyang's cold eyes, the words he was about to say got stuck in his throat.

There was no emotion in those eyes.

It's like a stagnant pool.

"There's no room for discussion on this."

Chi Zhengyang's voice was not loud, but it carried an unshakeable power.

"This is also my bottom line."

These words acted like an iron gate, blocking all of Qian Lao's rebuttals.

Old Qian opened his mouth and made a few muffled sounds in his throat.

Finally, he gave up and slumped back into his chair.

"..."

He hesitated for a long time before finally muttering something.

"Forget it, I'm too lazy to argue with you."

He tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes again.

It looks like they plan to take another short rest.

The whole process was so smooth and fast that it was impossible to react.

Old An was completely dumbfounded.

The reinforcements he painstakingly brought in were persuaded to back down with just a few words?

No, it wasn't even a case of persuading someone to quit.

They were just there to drop by, ask some questions about their own affairs, and then went back to sleep.

"???"

Old An looked at the sleeping Old Qian, then at Chi Zhengyang, his face full of disbelief.

"What about my business?"