A Maybach on a rainy night? Talk to my Levadin!

P.S.: Arguing with the landlord for ages really ruined my mood for writing. My train of thought is all jumbled up, and I feel dizzy.

Chapter 144 No Choice

Zhao Zizhan and his group were taken to a special rest area. On their way to rest, the domestic population began to wake up.

For most people, it was an ordinary day, but at No. 7 Middle School, that ordinariness was completely shattered. The campus was filled with a sense of novelty and tension, and the students of No. 7 Middle School felt very curious as military vehicles slowly drove in along the road in front of the school. Armed active-duty soldiers replaced the original security guards and stood guard at the various entrances and exits of the campus.

In places unseen, brand-new tricycles were being pushed onto the nearby streets. The protective film on the seats of those tricycles hadn't even been removed yet. They all had yellow gas cylinders, and the owners all had short haircuts.

Unlike the Yangtze River Delta region, the Sichuan-Chongqing area boasts a vibrant nightlife. As dusk falls, the older generation truly comes alive. They might sit on small stools outside teahouses, chatting idly over a steaming cup of tea; or gather with friends in mahjong parlors, playing and listening to the crisp clatter of the tiles, occasionally cheering for a good hand; or take their families to street food stalls for skewers of grilled meat and a bowl of hot and sour noodles, soaking in the lively atmosphere of the city.

Everyone was taken aback by the sheer scale of the operation.

"What does this mean? How come tanks are driving into the school?"

An elderly man holding a palm-leaf fan looked at the rumbling military vehicles by the roadside, his tone full of confusion and his brows furrowed.

"Nothing much," a middle-aged woman who had just finished grocery shopping leaned over and whispered, "I heard from the kid next door who works as a cleaner at school that there seems to be some kind of science competition going on here, and apparently they've achieved some amazing results!"

"What kind of achievement could warrant such a large-scale production? Wow, that's impressive!"

Another middle-aged man passing by couldn't help but chime in.

"Tsk tsk tsk, have they developed some kind of spaceship?"

Wow, that's awesome!

"If it's a major scientific research achievement, shouldn't a paper be published?"

"Are you stupid? If it were really good, why would you suddenly publish a paper for me to see?"

Stop ① and start the blame

Outside the school, people were speculating wildly, while inside the school, the entire organizing committee, including all the students, received a confidentiality agreement.

Now, even the discussions quieted down. There aren't many knowledgeable people these days, but those who understand are excited. Something big is about to happen!

Beijing Airport was bustling tonight, with countless passenger planes landing and a long-awaited convoy of vehicles on the ground. In addition to several heavyweight figures, there were also several renowned academic giants and technical experts from Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group's 611 Institute, Xi'an Institute of Technology's 603 Institute, 11th Academy, 3rd Academy, 9th Academy, and 60th Academy.

Many people were curious about what had happened to cause such a sudden commotion, but because they had changed their plans at the last minute, they did not linger at the airport and instead boarded a private car directly.

Due to the rushed schedule, special security measures were implemented, with guards every five steps and sentries every ten steps. Several military vehicles led the way directly to the venue. Fortunately, the capital city already had high security levels, and the locals were used to it.

……

The crackling fire in the fireplace bathed the velvet sofa in a warm gold. Angers, a half-smoked cigar between his fingers, listened to the executive officer's report, his previously lowered eyelids suddenly lifting, a hint of surprise flashing in his icy blue pupils: "You mean, Lu Mingfei and the others were all taken away by the authorities?"

"Yes, all information over there is blocked now. Our people tried to infiltrate several times but failed to find out the specific situation. Further investigation might be dangerous, so we retreated for now."

Angers silently stubbed out his cigar, then chuckled softly after a moment, turning his gaze to Chu Tianjiao, who was sipping wine beside him: "It seems those young people have really come up with something, while this old man is just too old-fashioned and missed the opportunity. Tianjiao, what do you think?"

"I think it's not bad," Chu Tianjiao said, chugging down a bottle of Angers liquor. The liquor dripped from the corner of his mouth, soaking the collar of his dark shirt.

"Hehehe, I think you believe that this way your son can stay away from the world of hybrids, the Secret Party, and me under the protection of humans, right?"

Angers was not annoyed by Chu Tianjiao's attitude and asked with a smile.

Chu Tianjiao paused in his grip on the wine glass, then looked up and stared directly at Angers, his eyes sharp as knives: "So what if he is? Do you want to drag him back into this cannibalistic vortex?"

Angers slowly shook his head, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Sigh... As an old man, I can understand your feelings of loving your child as a father, but I'm afraid things won't go as you imagine."

Chu Tianjiao abruptly stopped drinking, his glass hovering in mid-air. His expression darkened visibly, and his previously relaxed shoulders tensed instantly, like a cheetah poised to pounce: "Old Principal, what do you mean by that?"

“That’s exactly what I meant, child,” Angers said expressionlessly. “The Gattuso family heir will be enrolling next year. His bloodline has already been confirmed as Grade A, and Frost Gattuso strongly supports him becoming a subject in the Flamerne-Nibelungen Project…”

"What does that have to do with me?"

Chu Tianjiao interrupted him, her voice filled with suppressed anger.

"Yes, my child, yes."

Angers ignored his interruption, sighed wistfully, and looked out at the dark night sky.

"The Secret Party has already started investing in the next generation, while I am already old... Originally, according to my thinking, the subject of the Nibelungen Project should have been Lu Mingfei. Moreover, before Lu Mingfei, there must be a candidate who can rival Caesar to check the power within the school and prevent the Secret Party from becoming too powerful."

He turned around, looked directly into Chu Tianjiao's eyes, and said in a heavy tone, "Tianjiao, you've been in the Secret Party, you know their style of doing things. You know better than anyone what will happen if one of the Secret Party members becomes too powerful. Right now, I'm still alive and can barely hold off the pressure from the Gattuso family. But once my old bones fall apart and there's no one to restrain those ambitious people, can you still protect them?"

Chu Tianjiao stared at Angers in silence for a while. After a moment, his tense posture collapsed as if his spine had been removed: "Can't we just let Zihang go? Is the world so big that we can't do without him?"

"It's a pity, child. If I had a choice, I wouldn't be running around like this at my age..."

PS: First update of the day. I plan to leave this awful place for Guangzhou next month.

Also, I'm recommending a book to a friend.

(Sorry for my mistake, a QQ bug caused me to copy the wrong book O (╥﹏╥)O)

Chapter 145 The Meeting.

The mixed-race families acted swiftly.

Despite the military cutting off all possible channels for leaks under the pretext of "highest level information control," monitoring everything from researchers' communication devices to the social activities of nearby residents, some hybrids still managed to break through the defenses with their innate advantages: some were able to crack low-level encryption through sound wave resonance, while others were able to locate their own kind through bloodline intuition, ultimately identifying Zhao Zizhan, Chu Zihang, and Lu Mingfei as hybrids.

Actually, it doesn't take too much effort. Apart from Zhao Zizhan, the extraterrestrial demon who inexplicably awakened, Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei's bloodlines are already "open secrets" in the circle. Whether it's Chu Zihang or Lu Mingfei's bloodlines, there are traces to follow, and you can find them with a little attention.

Chu Zihang's case can be considered as a case of local bloodline nourishing the Secret Party and then returning to branch out, while Lu Mingfei's situation is more complicated.

Then the problem arises.

The power of the mixed-race people from the East is relatively dispersed, mainly in the form of various families scattered throughout the country, forming a management system similar to the ancient feudal system, with each family having its own "territorial autonomy".

The authorities had long kept records of these remnants of the old regime. The government had a special "special bloodline registration system" and contingency plans for hybrids. However, firstly, there was an unwritten rule among hybrids that they were not allowed to participate in human politics and war. Secondly, apart from occasionally using some minor abilities, these hybrids were no different from ordinary people in appearance, lifestyle, and even reproduction. There was no reproductive isolation. The authorities simply regarded them as "minorities with special cultural customs." As long as they did not cause major incidents such as "destroying buildings and annihilating streets," their existence was tacitly accepted.

But now, Zhao Zizhan and his mixed-race family have suddenly unveiled a new technology that has shocked the entire nation. Although the mixed-race families don't know what this technology is, such a large-scale event in the country can't be kept from them.

These hybrid families are now desperate to understand one thing. They don't care how powerful the drones are; they're only focused on one question: What have these kids actually figured out? Did they use alchemy?

But the official attitude was quite amicable: Get lost, don't get involved.

Even if this technology is not tainted by any dragon technology and is a pure and innocent new technological product, what can you do even if it is tainted by alchemy?

Moreover, the flight control system and its algorithms for this drone have become crucial to the future rise of the nation and are now classified as top secret. How could they possibly be given a copy?

These mixed-race people are so loose-lipped, their families are suspicious of each other, and there are always people secretly colluding with the Western secret society. Once they find out, the secret society knows everything the next day.

Therefore, this opening must absolutely not be made.

Even so, the authorities still gave Zhao Zizhan and his group a good night's rest.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the guard knocked on the door, carrying warm soy milk and a cup of tea: "Comrades, after breakfast, we should go to the conference room."

When Zhao Zizhan and his companions finished packing and followed along, they discovered that the once spacious corridor was now filled with heavily armed guards. The elevator went straight to the third basement level, and when the heavy steel doors opened, a solemn atmosphere carrying the scent of paper and ink wafted out.

As soon as they entered the conference room, the three of them were taken aback by the scene before them. The room, which was not very large, was filled with people sitting on both sides of the long table. Most of them were elderly people with white hair, with an average age of sixty or seventy. The eyes of these elderly people were fixed on them like searchlights. There was no scrutiny in their eyes, but rather an uncontrollable eagerness, as if they were looking at rare treasures.

Lu Mingfei subconsciously shrank behind Chu Zihang.

"Everyone, everyone has arrived. Let's have a meeting first, and then we can do academic discussions."

An elderly man in a Zhongshan suit, seated at the head of the table, set the tone, and the atmosphere became serious again. Only then did Zhao Zizhan notice that there were also many military and political representatives present.

"Comrade Xiao Zhao, the physical evidence of the quadcopter drone you brought, as well as the detailed theoretical paper, have been reviewed by our experts overnight."

The elderly man in the main seat leaned forward slightly, his eyes full of approval. "These technological breakthroughs have filled the gap in our country's field of drone swarm warfare. On behalf of the country and the people of the whole country, I thank you for your contributions."

As soon as he finished speaking, applause rang out in the conference room. The applause from the elderly was not loud, but it was exceptionally sincere. Zhao Zizhan and the others were stunned for a moment, and then quickly straightened up.

101②2８Э○9８

"There are two main things I wanted to discuss with you today."

The old man paused, then opened the documents in front of him. "Firstly, I would like to ask you to explain the research and development details of this technology in more detail, such as the core logic of the flight control algorithm and the selection of materials for the drone's fuselage. These are crucial for subsequent mass production."

"Secondly, and most importantly, the country has decided to focus on you and expedite the implementation of the drone industry research and development and production plan. We cannot allow such a good technology to remain only in the laboratory."

An elderly man wearing glasses next to him took over the conversation, adjusted his glasses, and said, "Last night, we organized an emergency meeting between the R&D department and the military leaders. We also considered the solutions you proposed and initially determined the direction of implementation."

He pushed a printed plan in front of Zhao Zizhan, which was covered with red annotations.

"First, we need to establish an office for the research, development, production, and scheduling of the entire drone industry chain."

The elderly man in the main seat continued, his tone slightly relaxed, "Fortunately, we already had a similar architecture in order to promote the development of the aviation industry. We only need to make slight modifications to suit the characteristics of drones so that it can operate quickly."

"The organization has decided to appoint the head of the original Rainbow series UAV R&D and communication department as the director of this office. In addition, we will also add a group of key personnel to this office." The old man recited a string of names, and for each name, someone raised their hand to indicate that it was a decision that had been finalized, including some high-ranking military officials.

"The task of these people is very clear: to coordinate the efforts of research institutions, manufacturing enterprises, the military, and other parties to ensure that our plans are implemented step by step."

The old man's gaze returned to Zhao Zizhan, his tone softening slightly. "As for Comrade Zhao Zizhan, regarding your proposed cooperation method of establishing a private company and accepting state investment, we have some questions after discussion. Okay, but considering your mixed-race backgrounds, this idea might lead you to face dissenting voices from within the mixed-race community. These voices could be sharp, even dangerous, and your personal safety might not even be guaranteed..."

Therefore, we propose a compromise.

"The government will provide policy support and funding to allow you to continue focusing on technological research and development without interference from administrative affairs. However, we also hope that you can join this office as consultants, providing assistance to the best of your ability in terms of technical direction and research and development progress. Is this acceptable to you?"

"Duty-bound"

P.S.: I slept for a while, so the update is slow. I'll see if I can write another chapter as compensation later.

Chapter 146: End and Beginning.

"This...is it over?"

Xia Mi was still in a daze as she walked out of the underground base. To be honest, she was terrified when she saw so many people there. She was afraid that she might accidentally show her fear and be dragged out as an outsider.

Heaven have mercy, our little shrimp has only been awakened for about ten years, and is completely unfamiliar with human technology and life. Over the years, she has been careful and kept a low profile, and there is absolutely no problem with her studying hard and making progress every day.

Although she knew some information in the Dragon Clan world, at this stage, having only awakened ten years ago, she was too far removed from this world. Some top-secret information had absolutely nothing to do with her, not to mention the risk that that information might become outdated.

The scene just now was the biggest she had ever seen since her awakening. Her temples were still throbbing, and her legs felt like they were walking on cotton.

“It’s over now, we’re all out,” Zhao Zizhan replied from the side.

"No, I'm so nervous!"

Xia Mi turned her head abruptly, her tone full of disbelief, "Why didn't you react at all? I was worried sick for you when those big shots were staring at you!"

"Yeah, Senior Brother Zhao, you're amazing! You chatted and laughed with so many big shots without even stumbling!"

Lu Mingfei said with some admiration.

"Bullshit! My legs are completely numb, come help me up!"

"Oh, Father, your daughter is here!"

Xia Mi reacted the fastest, rushing forward in three steps and carefully taking Zhao Zizhan's arm. Now Zhao Zizhan was her big sugar daddy, so she had to serve him well. She hadn't received the company shares she was promised before, so this was the key moment to win his favor.

She deliberately softened her voice, with a hint of coquetry: "These are just small things, just say the word and I'll take care of them for you, I promise I'll make sure you can hold them steady!"

"You treacherous villain! How could you be so despicable!"

Lu Mingfei watched in stunned silence, his little hands trembling with anger. "Godfather clearly summoned me!"

Xia Mi playfully stuck out her tongue at Lu Mingfei, tilting her chin slightly, looking like a smug little fox: "Sorry, Lu Mingfei, the struggle for the crown prince has always been like this!"

"Senior Brother Chu, please speak up for me!"

Lu Mingfei then turned to Chu Zihang for support.

"I think it would be better for Xia Mi to support him." Chu Zihang ignored Lu Mingfei's pleas. Sorry, Mingfei, food is the most important thing for people, and eating melons should be a higher priority!

At this moment, Lao Chu was a pure Sigma man. His relationship with Xia Mi had not yet begun, and he could eat anything!

The junior sister and the domineering senior brother part is great!

Zhao Zizhan supported Xia Mi, and the little Xia Mi had great strength; she supported him quite steadily.

Zhao Zizhan leaned against Xia Mi, and using this position, he whispered in her ear, "You heard it too. We do have the freedom we wanted now, and the higher-ups have given those aristocratic families a public explanation, but there will be no shortage of trouble coming up. There will likely be all sorts of problems, and you have neither bloodline nor the power of words..."

“Furthermore, all three of us brothers bear the Nibelung mark, you…”

"rest assured!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xia Mi interrupted, her eyes sparkling, and patted her chest to promise, "It's just a Word of Power, I'll awaken one for you tomorrow! The Nibelungen Mark is easy too, I'll just make one for myself later, it'll be a piece of cake! Don't worry, leader, I'll definitely stick with the team and never seek special treatment. I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"

After saying that, she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "But I still don't understand, why do you insist on starting a company? I think it's better to stick with humans and follow them around to pick up some dragon king bones, crosses, and scrolls of incantations. Isn't that better than working yourself to death?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zizhan glanced at her, his tone tinged with helplessness: "If we just stay cooped up in the military base every day, we'll be safe, but what about your brother? Don't you want to visit him there more often?"

"Oh, right!"

Xia Mi suddenly slapped her head.

Hey, Teacher Da Ye, you need to be more careful!