I write obituaries for the gods

"I guess you're hesitant because your next target is the Pinnacle Group, and you're worried... I'll tip you off?"

"I haven't considered that possibility yet," Lin Chen shook his head, "but United Concrete Group is such a large company after all..."

"Don't worry, there is no personal contact between us."

Shen Xuanyi got up, walked to the coffee machine, and filled two cups with coffee.

She placed the coffee in front of Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi, then turned around and sat down in the second seat opposite them.

“Since you have concerns, let’s make things clear first. After all, you are a benefactor of United Concrete Group, and I should do my best to be completely open.”

"About a month ago, Peak Group sent people to talk to us. Their main demand was that we cooperate with them, otherwise they would crack down on the Southern Development Zone."

"If you've passed through the Southern Development Zone before, you should have seen Peak Group's 'Locusts,' which are small drones equipped with missiles."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen nodded slightly:

"I had the pleasure of meeting you."

Back then, when the First Reaction Division was fleeing the Southern Development Zone, they were chased by this thing.

It was indeed dangerous enough, because the values ​​on their vehicles were quite high; those things were like a game-changer for ordinary armies.

"If you've seen it, then it's even easier to explain."

Shen Xuanyi twirled the pen in her hand:

"Before the war, Peak Group had many locust production bases in the Southern Development Zone. During our takeover of the Southern Development Zone, those bases were the most difficult to eliminate."

"Even though we've done a thorough cleanup, there are still several production bases operated by androids, producing drone fleets day and night."

"If the Pinnacle Group intends to invade our territory on a large scale with locusts, not to mention anything else, many people will die."

"So, my father's decision at the time was to take advantage of the situation and see what Mr. Iron Face was planning to do."

After Shen Xuanyi finished speaking, she took out a remote control from her coat and pressed a button.

A projector descended from the roof and projected a holographic image onto the conference table.

Lin Chen looked up and saw a huge, ant-nest-like structure before him, with intricate pathways and an incredibly massive structure.

He had seen videos online where bloggers poured liquid metal into an ant nest, waited for it to solidify, and then pulled the whole thing out—the structure shown in the holographic projection was similar to this.

"Mr. Iron Mask's requirement is to build him a vast underground lair that must be able to connect to all the districts of Rain City."

"As for the compensation, he promised that the entire southern development zone would become the territory of the United Concrete Group, and there would be no external interference."

"In addition, he will provide us with sufficient supplies to ensure the survival of the group's workers and engineers."

"Think about it, it provides shelter, supplies, and even solves the employment problem for workers, giving our overflowing productivity a place to be used. Why not do it?"

After Shen Xuanyi finished speaking, Lin Chen lowered his head and pondered for a while, his brows gradually furrowing.

Something's not right...

If the Peak Group were truly so virtuous, would they need to offer so many favorable conditions?

After the internal strife began, Mr. Ironface's niche in Rain City was almost at the level of the ultimate producer. If he could also swallow up the United Concrete Group, he would almost become the strongest entity under the Foundation's power.

However, he chose this decision that was "ostensibly a threat, but actually a concession".

Could it be...

"What is the purpose of the underground structure built by Mr. Iron Face?" Lin Chen asked Shen Xuanyi.

"As expected, you're so smart, you guessed the answer right away."

Shen Xuanyi nodded approvingly at Lin Chen:

"Those underground tunnels are for military purposes. In the event of loss of air superiority, that underground transportation system can quickly deploy his android army to any location in Rain City via cable cars, subways, and other means."

"Who do you think he's targeting?"

“Deal with those who control the air,” Lin Chen said softly, “Deal with the Foundation.”

That completes the puzzle.

“That’s right, that’s also what my father and I guessed.”

Shen Xuanyi snapped her fingers, and the holographic projection switched to the Rain City Star TV Tower.

"Now, most of the Foundation's influence in Rain City has been transferred to the sky. I think it's to maintain that space-based weapon?"

“Black Star Six.” Lin Chen nodded.

"So that's its name..."

Shen Xuanyi nodded slightly and said:

"Currently, the Foundation has very little influence on the ground, and the Foundation's Rain City branch, led by Mr. Z, has entered its weakest state in history."

"Thanks to the war, the Peak Group entered its most prosperous state in history. It swallowed up most of the super enterprises in Yudu and became an unprecedented behemoth."

"The manipulators of capital are ultimately just the embodiment of capital. After acquiring such great power, Mr. Iron Mask is no longer willing to be just a puppet of the foundation."

"He wants to overthrow the Foundation, take control of the Foundation, and even get his hands on the 'Black Star VI' you mentioned—this is his final step to becoming the King of Rain City."

"Oh my god..." Li Zhanyi murmured.

“That thing isn’t very big, but it has big ambitions,” Lin Chen chuckled. “Power is truly a maddening thing.”

He thought of Louis, and his old friend who climbed the ladder by any means necessary.

If you keep climbing these stairs, will there ever be an end?

"So you understand now, right? Since Peak Group can deal with the Foundation on its own, this cooperation becomes a very worthwhile task," Shen Xuanyi nodded. "Now that I've explained everything, do you think I can trust you?"

"I believe you," Lin Chen said decisively.

In fact, Shen Xuanyi's willingness to bring Lin Chen here already demonstrates the utmost trust she has placed in him.

If she had truly been infiltrated by the Pinnacle Group or the Foundation, she would have made her move somewhere after the car entered the compound, rather than sitting in this encrypted room having an open conversation like this.

She knew Lin Chen's capabilities; any lie would be hard to believe in front of him.

Even if Lin Chen trusted Shen Xuanyi from the beginning, he still had to be skeptical of everyone, even his closest ally.

He understood that he had no room for error.

"My second requirement is to hack into the Rain City Star TV Tower and obtain the high-power subspace transmitter."

“A high-powered subspace transmitter? That’s a really rare thing,” Shen Xuanyi frowned slightly. “This kind of thing is most likely hidden on the 75th floor or above, and it’s not easy to get in.”

"Is there any way to sneak in?" Lin Chen asked.

Shen Xuanyi thought for a moment and said:

"Getting into the Rain City Star TV Tower isn't difficult with my connections. After all, Thomas Lin's identity still exists, and as a business partner, I can introduce you in."

"However, I'm afraid you won't be able to get to the 75th floor or higher now. The top executives of major corporations are currently being held captive there by Mr. Iron Face, and even his own confidants can't get in."

"We'll deal with whatever they say as it comes, and if all else fails, we'll just flip the table," Lin Chen nodded slightly. "As long as we can get inside Rain City Star, I can take them down."

With Lin Chen's current abilities, he is not afraid of small-scale direct confrontations.

The power of a Beta-level being is no joke.

However, if a large-scale conflict were to break out, even Lin Chen would find it difficult to escape.

Mr. Iron Face happens to be the kind of person who commands a large military force.

"Then I'll pull some strings for you and see what the best approach is."

Shen Xuanyi stood up:

"Huihui and Liti, when are you planning to send them over?"

"In the next few days."

Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi also stood up.

"Is it too late?"

"There's still time. I'll prioritize meeting your needs," Shen Xuanyi chuckled.

"Thank you so much," Lin Chen breathed a sigh of relief. "You've worked hard, Xuan Yi."

Don't be shy.

Shen Xuanyi smiled and glanced at the two of them, then looked at Li Zhanyi:

"By the way, we just produced a batch of top-quality beef and mutton today. Most of it has already been distributed to the workers, but I still have some left over at home. Would you like to come and try some?"

"I want to eat!" Li Zhanyi's eyes lit up. "Wait, why are you asking me?"

"When the car passes by herds of cattle, you can't take your eyes off them."

Shen Xuanyi tapped Li Zhanyi's nose and waved her hand:

"Let's go, my dad's cooking today, let's have a simple meal."

"Okay! Let's go!"

Li Zhanyi excitedly grabbed the somewhat embarrassed Lin Chen and followed Shen Xuanyi out of the encrypted room.

"Finally, we'll be able to eat something other than instant noodles... What a miserable life..."

"How dare you..." Lin Chen smiled helplessly, "You've suffered with me."

"Oh, that's not quite right. Anyway, let's go! I want to eat meat!"

And so, after a long time, Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi enjoyed a hot meal of fresh meat.

Shen Tianhu cooked a table of dishes, and the four of them set up a table on the small platform on top of the bunker.

Outside the platform, the sun shines brightly, a gentle breeze sweeps across the fields, and the scent of grass wafts in the air.

Stir-fried beef with greens, mutton soup, beef slices with dipping sauce, garlic lettuce... After eating one home-style dish after another that suited the tastes of Easterners, Lin Chen felt somewhat dazed.

He inexplicably recalled the past. In the residential area affiliated with the Investigation Bureau, Section Chief Jiang would often bring a bowl of sweet and sour pork ribs to their home, turn on the TV, eat, drink a little wine, and chat.

Is it possible to go back to that kind of life?

"Your new director of the Investigation Bureau is really not doing a good job. He's too domineering and doesn't show any mercy. There's still a curfew in Xiwang District. Our transport team was stuck there for one night."

Shen Tianhu served food to Lin Chen while speaking in a nonchalant tone.

"They've come up with a whole host of charges against you, like defecting from the Bureau of Investigation and assisting the Foundation. But anyone with eyes can see that it was he who was assisting the Foundation."

“One of my engineers, Xiao Wang, went to Xiwang District to purchase goods a while ago. The locals knew about your relationship with us, so they came to ask when that Director Hua was coming back. They also said that the young man named Lin Chen from the First Rapid Response Division is definitely okay; they've met him before, and he's very helpful.”

Shen Tianhu patted Lin Chen on the shoulder earnestly.

"Keep going, young man. You have to get through the bad times. Good will always come. Evil will never prevail over good, you know?"

"Mm." Lin Chen nodded.

"To be honest, that new director named Louis is really incompetent," Shen Tianhu muttered. "He fabricated a criminal record, fine, but then he comes up with this secret party thing, this historical collapse plan... It's ridiculous, like science fiction..."

Shen Tianhu no longer looked like the CEO of a large corporation; he seemed more like a civil engineer, much more down-to-earth.

But he didn't show any of the resentment of someone who had fallen from grace; on the contrary, he seemed quite cheerful.

The optimism of people from the East is always quite infectious.

“…”

After the meal, Shen Tianhu showed Lin Chen around the various weapon platforms on the bunker:

It has conventional firepower, as well as a thing called the "Azure Power Cannon".

“These weapons are enough for us to face any invading enemy,” Shen Tianhu patted the cannon, “We’ll blow everything, whether it’s in the air or on the ground, to smithereens!”

Lin Chen enthusiastically browsed through all the weapons on the platform, and several hours passed in the blink of an eye.

Afterwards, Shen Xuanyi personally drove Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi away, and even gave them two boxes of compressed dried meat.

"Although it can't compare to fresh food, it's at least fresher than instant noodles, so it's a nice change of pace."

At the foot of the city wall, Shen Xuanyi waved to Lin Chen.

"Contact us anytime if you have any news. We can pick up Huihui anytime."

"Okay, definitely."

Lin Chen stepped forward and shook hands with Shen Xuanyi.

"See you soon," he said.