In the villa area, let's rewind to an hour earlier.

"I know why you've come."

After Old Master Shen and the others left, Shen Nanxing looked at everyone and slowly spoke.

"In short, benefits must be exchanged for interests."

Before you talk to us, think about whether you have enough leverage.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Fu Tian, ​​hoping he would speak on their behalf.

"Nanxing, since you know why we've come, we'll be frank with you."

Under the expectant gazes of the others, Fu Tian had no choice but to accept the heavy responsibility of negotiating.

“We do want to trade with you for some obedient mutant beasts.”

The military wants some flying beasts that can gather intelligence, or small beasts like mutated rats that can operate underground, the more the better.

Others want stronger mutated beasts, but the demand is smaller, with each family having only one or two.

"Right now, all we can offer for trade are resources and crystal cores. You... name your price!"

"We can do this deal with you, but we need to discuss the specific price before we can give you a definite answer."

Shen Nanxing's gaze swept across the faces of each representative, a slight smile playing on his lips. "See you at the Shen family tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock."

Fu Tian and the others knew they wouldn't get any results that night, so they didn't linger and took their leave.

"Are we really going to make a deal with them?"

Jiang Nian'an leaned against the door, watching the departing crowd.

Several of these companies are actually the Bi family's hidden informants.

"Well, it's free supplies and crystal cores, so why not take them?"

As for whose orders this mutated beast takes, that's up to us.

Shen Nanxing chuckled and put his arm around Jiang Nian'an's shoulder as they walked into the villa.

"Anyway, they can't understand the mutated beasts' language, which gives us a legitimate opportunity to plant spies in their homes."

"Since they dared to come to us to do this business, they must also want these things."

Jiang Nian'an pulled him to sit down on the sofa, her expression serious. "Aren't you afraid of losing more than you gain?"

"I'm not afraid."

Shen Nanxing leaned back, his eyebrows slightly raised, exuding a sense of confidence.

"Because all I need is for them to bring the mutated beasts into their homes."

"Huh?" Jiang Nian'an asked, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Shen Nanxing took out a mini box the size of a fingernail from his pocket, opened it, and handed it to Jiang Nian'an.

"What's this?"

Jiang Nian'an took the box from his hand and looked down to examine the contents of the box carefully.

A tiny, transparent worm, only half the size of a mung bean.

"I'll show you."

Shen Nanxing took the transparent insect out of the box and flicked it out gently.

The transparent insect vanished from Jiang Nian'an's sight in an instant.

Even though she used her special ability to sense the entire villa inch by inch, she still couldn't find it.

If she hadn't still had the box containing the insects in her hand, she would have thought that what she had just seen was an illusion.

"Brother Shen, where did it go?" Jiang Nian'an hurriedly asked Shen Nanxing.

Shen Nanxing smiled without saying a word, and then took out a palm-sized square screen from his pocket.

After turning on the switch on the side, a gentle tap on it will bring up clear images of the two people on the screen.

You could even hear their faint breathing.

Jiang Nian'an also found the transparent insect by following the perspective on the screen.

It lay quietly on the sofa opposite the coffee table, its body now the same color as the sofa.

Like a chameleon.

"What an amazing thing."

Jiang Nian'an walked to the opposite sofa, squatted down, gently picked up the insect, and then walked back to sit down next to Shen Nanxing, waving the insect in her hand at him.

"Brother Chen, what exactly is this thing?"

"A miniature surveillance system powered by supernatural abilities is a new product from the research institute. It can perfectly evade detection by supernatural energy."

Shen Nanxing flipped the screen controller over, revealing a small bulge on the back.

He pressed gently on the protrusion.

With a click, a groove popped out next to the screen controller, in which a level-one crystal core was embedded.

At the same time, the transparent worm in Jiang Nian'an's hand suddenly became limp as if the power had been cut off.

"Currently, it can only be driven by a single-level crystal core, and one single-level crystal core can keep it running for about two days."

After Shen Nanxing reinstalled the crystal core, the transparent bug immediately came back to life, and the screen lit up again.

He then tapped a few more times on the screen.

The insect actually broke free from Jiang Nian'an's grasp as he moved.

It jumped onto the coffee table and then moved back and forth following the path that Shen Nanxing touched on the screen.

Just like a character in a game controlled by buttons.

"The research institute has produced a total of 150 sets so far, and I have taken one-third of them. I'll take this opportunity to test how well they work."

"The research institute is being so generous this time?"

They actually gave you a third of their research materials all at once!

Jiang Nian'an was shocked.

"After all, they need our help."

Thinking about the military's intentions, a glint of ambiguity flashed in Shen Nanxing's eyes.

"They need our help? Is it about the flying beasts and the mutated rats?"

Jiang Nian'an found the agile insect interesting and took the screen controller from Shen Nanxing with great interest. She controlled the transparent insect to move around and asked Shen Nanxing questions.

"Yes, but that's only one aspect."

Seeing Jiang Nian'an having so much fun, Shen Nanxing's expression softened even more. "Fu Tian's visit to the Shen family today wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was premeditated, and it was the result of my prior discussion with them."

"oh?"

Jiang Nian'an paused in her work, tilting her head to look at him. "So, does that mean he instigated those people who came today as well?"

"My An'an is so smart!"

A hint of admiration flashed in Shen Nanxing's eyes, but he remained noncommittal. "The military has always wanted to consolidate the power of these small families, but they just won't cooperate."

Therefore, we need to find a way to gather some dirt on them, and then use that as a pretext to concentrate their power.