Chapter 210 Begins

As night falls, somewhere near the lake in S City, a palace-style private building complex covering an area of 100 acres lights up.

The white columns and reliefs are drenched in golden light and shadow, and the luxurious buildings are neatly reflected on the lake surface in the south, sparkling and full of wealth.

A helicopter carrying supplies flew over the lake, casting a massive black shadow. It quickly passed over the towering walls, the shimmering infinity pool, and the magnificent villa's main building, finally landing on the southern helipad.

At this moment, a calm and hoarse voice sounded in the constant temperature glass greenhouse on the top floor.

"Without the board's consent, you arbitrarily misappropriated 13 billion yuan into the material machine project. I have to admit, you're quite bold. I remember I should have told you that the group's money wasn't for you to gamble with."

Qiao Yanzhi stood in front of the villa's owner with his head bowed, his voice trembling slightly, "Father..."

"I'm also doing this for the future of the group. Material machines, a technology that could revolutionize the industry, must be in our hands."

"But you failed, and failed completely." A voice with restrained anger came from in front of him.

Sitting on a cowhide-wrapped armchair was an old man in his sixties. Although his hair was dyed black, it still couldn't hide the fact of aging. The spots on his face and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes were clearly visible under the light.

In this greenhouse as bright as day, all kinds of precious and beautiful flowers are in full bloom, but no matter how strong the fragrance is, it cannot cover up the smell of decay on him.

But even when facing such an old man, Qiao Yanzhi, who was once a powerful figure in Huangtian, didn't even dare to raise his head.

He anxiously defended himself, "Father, I was simply deceived by Tianqiong and those two women... Otherwise, I would have succeeded long ago!"

The more he spoke, the more excited he became, and in the end he even clenched his fists.

How could Qiao Yanzhi have imagined that the people he dug up from the sky were not technical masters at all, but two useless people who knew nothing. They adjusted the parameters randomly and blew up the laboratory in which he invested billions.

You know, the equipment in the laboratory are all top-notch, each one more expensive than the other, but they ended up ruining it.

What’s even more hateful is that the news was immediately spread online, with even more sensational headlines:

Shocking! Emperor Tianfu spent billions researching a material machine, but the lab exploded on the spot?!

Netizens who like to watch the show came over after smelling something, and started to mock it without caring whether it was true or not.

[Is this true? God is really amazing!]

[Insider information, it couldn't be more true. Dozens of lab employees were injured and an ambulance was called.]

[Hilarious! Tianqiong spent 50 million to create a material machine, Huangtian spent 10 billion in anger, and ended up blowing up his own laboratory.]

Is it possible that Huangtian is actually developing a nuclear bomb? The material machine is just a deceptive cover [dog head][laugh]

[What else can Huangtian do besides cutting leeks? This is karma. Anyway, I won't buy his products anymore. I'm just waiting for Tianqiong's material machine.]

Qiao Yanzhi quickly had the news suppressed, but his partners still got wind of it and started to attack him, demanding huge amounts of liquidated damages.

The company's stock price responded immediately, falling a full 6 percentage points, and the board of directors and shareholders of the subsidiary even threatened to sue him.

He lost his position as CEO and the trust of the board of directors. Everything he had worked hard for many years disappeared overnight.

How could he possibly accept this?

However, Qiao Zhizhang simply didn't listen to his explanation.

He fiddled with the precious orchid at hand and said in a calm tone, "It succeeded, then what?"

Qiao Yanzhi was stunned for a moment before he excitedly said, "Then we can sell the material machine to the whole world and reap everyone's wealth, father!"

"Sell it to the whole world?" Qiao Zhizhang sneered. "Do you know what this means? This will make our oil cheaper than water. When resources can be infinitely replicated, what is the need for our capital? You're just trying to use the blood of the Emperor to fatten yourself."

Qiao Yanzhi was speechless when his thoughts were revealed.

"Go back. You are no longer suitable to stay in the company. You are not allowed to leave Floating Cloud Palace until the problem is resolved."

"What about the sky? Are you going to just stand by and watch them grow stronger?"

"Of course not. I'll have the leader push for legislation in Congress to ban material machine technology. How can such a dangerous thing be freely released into the market for public use? It's definitely better to block it."

Qiao Yanzhi raised his head and saw a pair of shrewd eyes, and his heart trembled.

It is said that capital pursues profit, but in the face of technology such as material machines that can shake fundamental interests, even someone as greedy as his father still chooses to stick to his vested interests.

He only regretted that he no longer had the ability to challenge his father or to stand up to the board of directors.

But what made him hate Shi Nian'an even more was that woman. She was just a weak little white rabbit, but she actually dared to set a trap for him one day.

Just wait, he won't give up!

Qiao Yanzhi left the greenhouse, returned to his room, and turned on the TV.

The screen lit up, and Shi Nian'an, seated in the studio, instantly caught my eye. She was dressed in a sharply tailored smoky grey suit and was being interviewed by a renowned host from a financial channel. Her youthful face radiated a confident and professional aura, dazzling the audience.

The host smiled, but his eyes were sharp. "It's said that just after Huangtian Group loudly announced the upcoming release of a new material machine, an explosion occurred in the laboratory. Even more dramatically, CEO Qiao Yanzhi was urgently dismissed by the board of directors that very night. As the inventor of the material machine, what does Ms. Shi of Tianqiong Technology think of this accident?"

Shi Nian'an said calmly, "First of all, I express my sympathy to the staff members injured in this accident. I hope they can recover soon. Scientific research is an adventure. Tianqiong welcomes anyone interested in the material machine."

She raised her eyes and looked directly into the camera. "Of course, if Huangtian needs technical support, we're also happy to provide...safety guidance."

The studio suddenly erupted in cheerful laughter.

The remote control in Qiao Yanzhi's hand suddenly broke into pieces, and his breathing became rapid, with his chest heaving.

These words were like a whip, slapping him hard in the face, making him feel ashamed and angry.

He seemed to have returned to the day when he was abandoned by Mi Wanlan. At that time, he had not yet been valued by his father. He felt so inferior in front of the rich girl that he had nowhere to stand. He dreamed of seeing her fall from a height, but she kept climbing higher and higher, and walked further and further away.

And now, he has fallen into the mud again, while the woman on TV, on the contrary, has become more and more outstanding.

Forget about Mi Wanlan, but she, Shi Nian'an, is from a small family. How could she, how dare she, step on his head and criticize him?

Qiao Yanzhi's face darkened. He picked up his phone and made a call. "Help me kidnap this person and bring him to Floating Cloud Palace."

The person on the other end of the phone refused.

Qiao Yanzhi sneered, "You tell me you don't want to? Seventeen, who do you think you are? A man-made monster, not even worthy of basking in the sun. If you don't want to be sent back to the lab, then do as I say!"

There was a response from the other end of the phone.

Qiao Yanzhi curled his lips in satisfaction, "Oh, why didn't you agree earlier? This is what my good sister is like."

————

In the early winter evening, the cold wind blows fiercely.

The security guard on duty in front of the Tianqiong Company's gate was wearing a thick down jacket and sitting in the security booth drinking hot water.

Suddenly, she saw a row of black business cars slowly approaching and stopping in front of the company's gate. She put down the thermos cup in her hand and frowned in confusion. Who was this important person coming?

The front door opened, and a man in a suit with shiny leather shoes got out of the car and walked to the security booth.

He looked arrogant and waved his ID card, "I'm from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Open the gate."

Security guard Sister Wang sat still. She had no idea what the Chinese Academy of Sciences was. She routinely asked, "Do you have an appointment? Company regulations prohibit entry without an appointment."

The man in the suit's eyes widened. How could a lousy security guard dare to treat him like that?

"Do you know who's in the car? And you even made an appointment? You can't be held responsible for delaying something important!"

Security guard Sister Wang rolled her eyes at him. "What's the rush? You have to let me make a phone call and ask. Otherwise, if I violate the rules and let you in, and I lose my job, you'll be responsible for it, won't you?"

Under the unfriendly gaze of the man in the suit, she calmly picked up the intercom and said, "Yes, more than a dozen cars have arrived... They say they are from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but they don't have an appointment... Okay, OK."

After hanging up the phone, Sister Wang raised the door bar and raised her chin. "Go in, visitor registration at the front desk."

Register? They're the only ones who need to register? The man in the suit turned pale. Never mind. He wouldn't argue with uneducated people!

The man in the suit turned around with a cold face and returned to the car.

The cars drove to the front of Tianqiong Company, and men in suits and ties surrounded a man in his forties with sparse hair and entered the company.

The receptionist welcomed them into the conference room and served them tea.

These people were very dissatisfied with Tianqiong's behavior of making them wait. Normally, the president himself should come out to greet them, right?

The man in the suit complained to Lin Jie, the leader of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: "Academician Lin, the people in this company are too ignorant!"

Lin Jie smiled gently, "It's okay, researchers are all very noble."

This wasn't his first time doing this sort of thing; he'd seen it all before and was completely familiar with it. Even if the staff were reluctant at first, they eventually surrendered their skills.

Besides, it’s not that they took the technology without paying, it’s just a matter of mutual consent and convenience.

Besides, he himself was also very interested in material machine technology, so it wouldn't hurt to wait a little longer for this.

The man in the suit was about to say something when footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door. He looked up and saw several unfamiliar women in professional attire walking in swiftly. The one in the lead was wearing a black coat and a gray shirt buttoned to the top. Her expression was cold and hard, and her aura was astonishing.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhou Fanyi, the president of Sky Dome Technology, and this is attorney Du Xiao. You should know her. She's one of the country's top experts in intellectual property and administrative law. She's never failed a case she's taken on. I'm here to provide legal support for Sky Dome Technology."

The middle-aged woman next to him smiled gently, "Mr. Zhou, thank you for your praise."

Lin Jie's face changed slightly. What happened? Did Sky Dome Technology get the news in advance? Wasn't it a covert operation?

This is a bit difficult.