"Sir, we've investigated. They're all shell companies. If you really want to find the mastermind, you'll have to go to the Mountain Kingdom."
"Shanguo?"
"Yes, the legal representatives and registered offices of these companies are all in the Mountain Country. I think Lillian may be playing an important role in them, and it's even possible that the Dort family moved their headquarters from England to the Mountain Country."
Chisui explained his speculation: "You just did something big at Dort Castle, and they held a press conference right afterward. And sir, you haven't forgotten, have you? After what happened at Qushui Lake Base, wasn't Lillian assigned to Base 7 in the Mountain Kingdom?"
“That’s right. The Dort and Bethel families in the West are gone. These people must have realized some risks, so it’s not impossible that they fled to the mountain country.”
Theoretically speaking, the Mountain Kingdom is still a vassal state of England. Although the roles of primary and secondary powers have changed, Gao Ang believes that these are all superficial.
It's possible that an old, established family like the Dort family controls the mountain kingdom; that possibility cannot be ruled out.
"But what about the Bethel family? Did they run away too?"
"They haven't run away, but there are signs that the Aoli Group's funds have started to shift to the Mountain Kingdom, and these are all very large investments, totaling... almost more than 50 billion Mountain Gold, which is almost emptying the Aoli Group. The He Kingdom government has even started to make things difficult for them."
Indeed, the Royal Family and Cabinet of He Kingdom must be anxious if a large corporation that supports a third of the country's population wants to leave.
"Let's ignore them for now and turn our attention to the mountain country. It seems that what we've seen before is just the surface. Perhaps the mountain country's conglomerates are the real masterminds behind all this."
This is another high-profile guess.
Either the Dort family controls the Mountain Kingdom Parliament, or the Mountain Kingdom's wealth has infiltrated the Dort family and gained their control.
However, Gao Gao prefers the former because the technology in Dort Castle is truly advanced.
It's not that he thinks it's advanced, but rather that, given the current level of technology, it would be considered very advanced by outsiders.
While there haven't been any groundbreaking innovations, there have been groundbreaking advancements in certain areas.
For example, the Dort family carries machetes, while the Mountain Kingdom carries firewood sticks...
Of course, all of this is based on the current situation. What if the mountain kingdom is hiding something even deeper?
For example, the mysterious Area 51?
What if they really do have an extraterrestrial civilization?
"No, let's go through this step by step, Your Majesty. You analyze it for me too, and see if there's anything wrong with my deduction."
"Yes, sir."
"Assuming my trip to the Dort family to cause trouble is entirely within their expectations, that should be correct, right?"
"That should be right. There are no important figures in Dort Castle. Apart from those two wizards, everyone else is just a nobody or an ordinary servant. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an empty city strategy."
Chitose added a comment.
"So that means Natron and his companion are actually the pawns in the 'sacrifice the pawns to save the king' strategy?"
"I don't think... they can be called 'vehicles'..."
“This isn’t about whether they’re a vehicle or not,” Gao Ang glared at Qian Sui, “it’s about whether they’re the ‘vehicle’ we’re talking about, and whether they’re the ones that should be discarded!”
"That's for sure, they were definitely abandoned!"
Chitose answered in a very serious tone.
"So, these guys started plotting against me after Biob's incident? I destroyed the island base, so Biob must have had other ways to contact people. Then the big boss behind Biob found out that their intentions had been discovered. After some time, they realized that the major powers seemed to have tacitly accepted this, and with the Bethel family being wiped out, they sensed some kind of crisis, such as an existence like me that they couldn't resist."
And coincidentally, Natren possesses some kind of 'great prophecy'..."
Although Gao Ang doesn't really believe in these mysterious things and only believes in science, since this guy has said it, he might as well believe it a little.
It's called "Great Prophecy," so it's probably something like big data fortune telling.
"So the Dort family pulled off a 'ghost town' tactic, and this 'ghost town' tactic was truly a ghost town. They transferred the Dort family's core assets and personnel, possibly to the mountains, or perhaps to diversify their investments, after all, Britain had so many colonies back then."
As for the two wizards Natren they left behind, they were essentially already dead. Their radiation source element had entered a period of decline, and they would either undergo another inheritance or die directly..."
At this point, Gao Ang suddenly had another deduction: "There is another possibility: these wizards have found a new way of inheritance. Otherwise, these people who are used to wielding power and wealth would not take life and death so calmly."
"Does the gentleman mean... that wizards still exist, and that there are wizards in other places?"
Chisui chimed in.
"Very likely. Think about it, would the Dort family so easily abandon their core assets? We've only dealt with them once, at the Qushui Lake Base 17. They abandoned that place so readily. What does that tell us? It shows that the Qushui Lake Base isn't that important, and that's indeed the case. They also have the Mountain Kingdom Base 7, and even numerous bases in other countries and islands. Similarly, the status of Natron and his two wizards is probably similar to that of the Qushui Lake Base, perhaps slightly higher, but definitely not a core asset of the Dort family!"
Anything that can be discarded is either truly worthless or has value in being discarded.
"They can't possibly be truly trash. No matter what, Natren and his ilk are still quite intelligent. So their abandonment proves one thing: the Dort family wants us to believe what we see and hear—meaning they want us to stop here!"
Gao Ling's gaze deepened. "They want us to stop here. There are probably two reasons for this. First, we've almost touched upon their core secrets. Second..."
Ang Gao turned and glanced at Qian Sui. "I remember Natren said something before he died: 'This planet and this universe are far more complex than we can see.' The second reason is that I think the Dort family might believe that we are a more mysterious secret than theirs?"
"Sir, you seem to favor the second reason, don't you?"
"No, I'm more inclined to the first reason. They probably don't believe there's a more mysterious secret than theirs. Their global colonial plans back then have basically proven this point. Whether in the East or the West, all the lands were covered with the flag of the British Empire. If there were a more mysterious secret than theirs, they wouldn't have been so successful."
"But the British Empire is gone now, and you've studied history, sir. Modern Britain is just a declining, dying aristocratic nation."
"No, no, no, what we see is only the surface. This brings us back to the previous topic: the existence of the Mountain Kingdom. Is it a continuation of England, or a collaboration between the two? Actually, I'm more inclined to believe the latter now. The strong will only cooperate with the strong. If the Dort family were truly so powerful that the Mountain Kingdom couldn't resist, the Mountain Kingdom wouldn't have won its war of independence, and it wouldn't be the world-class hegemon it is today."
Rubbing his temples, Gao Ang felt a little dizzy. "I always feel that when these things are put together, something is missing. I always feel that some parts don't make sense, but I can't quite put my finger on it."
"Perhaps we don't have enough data and information."
The young lady promptly handed over a cup of tea.
He took a couple of sips of tea, then slumped back on the sofa, staring at the concrete ceiling above him with a wandering gaze.
"Plans never keep up with changes... We haven't even managed to take down the Ollie Group yet, and now the Dort family has popped up... Are we going against the world?"
Gao Ang glanced at Qian Sui with a wry smile.
"So what if we're at odds with the world? We'll follow you, sir, and slay any god who stands in our way!"
"Kill the Buddha if he gets in my way!"
The two brothers also came out to join in the fun...
"Alright, go about your business. Continue with the plan we made earlier. By the way, how's the operation to take down the Aoli Group going?"
He was referring to targeting the Ori Group through the pharmaceutical sector.
He previously produced several generic versions of the main drugs of the Aoli Group Pharmaceutical Company. With the existing data, it shouldn't be too difficult to replicate them.
"Dongsheng Health has already started clinical trials. I have been tracking the process, and so far it is progressing smoothly. If nothing unexpected happens, it can be launched within a month. At that time, the pharmaceutical division of Aoli Group can close down."
"Perfect!"
In the field of silicon-based chips, the Aoli Group has reached its end.
Even if the Dort family has finished 1nm chips, so what?
If their pharmaceutical revenue is also disrupted, then the Ori Group will be no threat.
The first target of the sword of justice was thus eliminated!
Just as Gao Ang was getting caught up in self-praise, Lao Wan sent him a message:
"Old Gao, great news! We've received a huge, huge order!"
You can tell from the few "big big big big" characters that Lao Wan is very happy.
How big is it?
He thought of a certain image, a certain part, which was really big.
"Huge," Old Wan had no idea that this guy's mind was starting to wander. "A super order from above, 100 Sailor Moon girls... no, 100 super robots. They're offering a really high price, almost 15 million per unit!"
*100=, an order of 1.5 billion is considered a large order.
Congratulations!
Gao Yuan dealt with it casually.
"I'll come over to your place later; I have some good news to tell you."
"What good news?"
"We'll talk when we get there. Just get me some food, I'll be there soon! I've been negotiating for the past few days, it's exhausting."
After putting away his phone, Gao Ang looked at Qian Sui and asked, "What good news?"
"I'll give you equity, a large amount of it."
Why?
As soon as he finished asking, Gao Ang nodded. "I know. Sigh, talent and looks make me so different from others, like the morning star in the dark. It's hard not to be noticed."
The three brothers exchanged glances. "Sir, wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to say that?"
"..."
...
Soon, Lao Wan arrived at Changming Island, and Gao Ang had to pick her up.
As soon as he got off the jet ski, Lao Wan circled around him, even making a gesture to touch him, but Gao Ang stopped him:
What are you doing?
Good grief, they started touching me inappropriately as soon as we met, that's going too far.
"No, where's your hair? I remember you had hair on TV."
Old Wan still looked him up and down suspiciously, "A wig?"
"Well, being bald isn't really appropriate for that occasion!"
Gao Feng replied in a muffled voice.
"Hahahaha." Old Wan burst into laughter, completely losing her ladylike demeanor. After she had finished laughing, she continued, "But to be fair, you were quite handsome with hair."
"He's handsome whether he has hair or not, it has nothing to do with his hair, it's natural good looks!" Um, that phrase seems a bit inappropriate...
"Yes, indeed, he's good-looking and talented, he really is very handsome."
In the end, Lao Wan was practically clutching his heart with both hands...
"Alright, stop bragging, just tell me, what's up?"
Once on the motorcycle, Gao Ang, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, changed the subject, asking a question he already knew the answer to.
"What's the rush? Let's get to your place first!"
The two sat down, and the old man served tea. Old Wan took a sip and exclaimed, "Excellent tea!"
Good my foot! Xinyang Maojian is good tea?
Gao Ang rolled his eyes inwardly; something was off about this woman.
"Here's the thing, I've talked to my family and discussed it with the board of directors. You deserve immense credit for this order, and we'll need your help for the future development and optimization of our intelligent program. So, we're planning to let you contribute your technology as equity."
After much deliberation, Lao Wan explained her purpose.
"oh."
"Oh??" Old Wan was a little confused. "Don't you have any questions or surprises?"
"No, it's normal. It's technology-based equity investment. I understand."
He spread his hands, looking quite innocent. "I know all about these things. What can I do?"
Should I feign gratitude or pretend to decline?
Old Wan's train of thought was immediately interrupted by Gao Yang's arbitrage strategy, causing him to completely lose focus.
Seeing the usually shrewd woman in a state of shock, Gao Feng gave her a way out, "How many shares are you planning to give me?"
Old Wan finally snapped out of his self-doubt and said, "Oh, I'm planning to give you 40%, that is, 40%."
"Not much," Gao Ang muttered, then picked up the tea set and brewed the tea again.
"It's not much, but there's more to it than meets the eye..." Old Wan clenched his fists, looking somewhat nervous. "Your 40% stake makes you the largest shareholder. Besides..." Old Wan pointed upwards, "that side holds 35%, while we original shareholders only have 25%..."
"So you feel like you were taken advantage of?"
Gao Ang asked, amused.
"No, not really. I just feel... a little resentful, but it's acceptable. In fact, I'd even feel a little smug, hehe."
Old Wan recovered quickly, and even became a little playful.
"When doing business with higher-ups, especially in heavy industry, how much equity do you expect a small private factory like yours to get?"
"We knew that, so we just accepted it obediently."
Old Wan feigned helplessness, shrugged, and then asked, "What I didn't expect was that they would give you 40% of the shares. That's a higher percentage than the other company."
Isn't that obvious...?
Gao Ang rolled his eyes. They were trying to use benefits to bind me to them.
The old man's familial affection, the general's national sentiment offensive, the binding of interests, and the three-dimensional scale of the sea, land, and air operations—it's all an attempt to firmly tie Gao Feng to this ship.
"Do you think I shouldn't take that 40%?"
He raised an eyebrow and asked Gao Feng in return.
“Of course I should,” Old Wan slapped his thigh, the large, visor of which was so bright it was almost blinding. “If it weren’t for that part, I would have given you 60%.”
"Alright, alright, Lao Wan, stop being so deliberate. Can't you be normal for once?"
Gao Ang couldn't stand it anymore; he had felt something was off about this woman from the moment she boarded the ship.
It's all affected and pretentious, completely lacking its former shrewdness and elegance.
"Stop," Old Wan said, his expression changing to serious as he made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand. "Now that we've finished discussing the important matters, how about we chat about the rest while we eat?"
Seeing that Lao Wan had returned to normal, Gao Ang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He was afraid of losing this good friend he had known for two or three years because of various conflicts of interest.
From online dating to meeting in real life, and now to being entangled in mutual interests, he finds it all very strange and is deeply immersed in this relationship.
It's not friendship, nor is it love... more like a confidante?
Old Wan opened a file folder, took out a bunch of things, handed over a pen, and said, "Sign here."
What else can I say? It's not a bad thing, just sign it...
In this way, Gao Ang easily acquired 40% of the shares of Dong'an Intelligent, which was owned by Lao Wan, with the help of a simple smart mini-program.
"You're going to be my boss from now on. All this hard work of mine is just to work for you?"
Old Wan put the documents away, looking utterly dejected.
"Working people, working souls, those who work are all superior people, be content, Qiansui," Gao Ang shouted towards the kitchen, "Is dinner ready yet?"
"Almost done, just one soup is needed."
...
During meals, Lao Wan would hold Xiao Hua on his lap and give her whatever he was eating.
Xiao Hua's smug look made Gao Ang's teeth ache.
"I'm telling you, just eat your food, why bother with a perverted cat? It's not like it can't eat by itself..."
Seeing Xiao Hua lying on a pair of ivory thighs, rubbing his cat face contentedly against her, Gao Ang was furious.
"I think Xiaohua is great. She's very sensible and doesn't cause any trouble. She's much better than my husky."
Old Wan picked up another piece of braised fish, carefully removed the bones, and then fed it to Xiao Hua.
"A husky?"
Gao Ang was stunned. "You dare to keep a husky? Well, unless your family owns a mine, nobody dares to keep one of these things..."
"I'm thinking of giving my husky away, it's too dumb. I'm going to get a cat, just like Xiaohua, so well-behaved, mua!"
You're feeding him, fine, but you even kissed him...
What's even more infuriating is that Xiaohua gave Gao Feng a smug smile.
This isn't laughter; it's mockery, sarcasm, and provocation!
"Little Flower, that's enough, otherwise... I'll show you why flowers are so red!"
Gao Ang glared at him fiercely.
Not only did he fail to scare Xiaohua, but Lao Wan slapped his arm instead, saying, "What are you doing? Why are you scaring Xiaohua?"
Then she lowered her head and gently stroked Xiaohua's little belly. "Don't pay any attention to him, does it feel good?"
"Meow," that feels good, I want more!
Screw you!
...
After dinner, Chitose prepared some fruit, and the two of them and the cat snuggled up on the sofa to watch TV.
"At Dong'an Intelligent..."
"Oh dear, can we not talk about that anymore?" Old Wan said gruffly. "At home it's business, and here it's still business. Can't we talk about something else?"
"Other things?" Gao Ang was taken aback. "What are we talking about? You wouldn't understand the technology if I told you."
"Old Gao, have you gone crazy from all this research?" Old Wan held Xiao Hua, her beautiful eyes fixed on his face, and said seriously, "You weren't like this when you were streaming. You would occasionally check out other streamers or say a few flirty things. It hasn't been that long, and you're like a completely different person. If you didn't remember when I sent you your first airplane, I would have suspected that you had been possessed by aliens."
Possession... This woman's thinking is quite unpredictable.
"He's not stupid, maybe... he's just grown up?"
Gao Ang scratched his head, reflecting on his past life, which had indeed undergone tremendous changes.
Back then, I just lazed around, playing games, watching streamers, and chatting frivolously—it was pretty good.
Now, people are starting to care about national affairs, and even planetary events.
I also have to solve cases, catch the masterminds behind things, punish some bad guys, and even invent things...
But to be honest, life seems much more fulfilling than before!
“You’ve grown up…” Lao Wan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What kind of answer is that… But to be honest, I’m really curious, what exactly happened to you that could change a streamer so much?”
Old Wan propped his chin on his hand, staring intently at Gao Yuanjun's handsome face, as if trying to see through him.
"Don't ask, he's a genius!"
"I can't believe your nonsense... a genius..." Old Wan rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "Can't you just tell me? I think you can trust me. I promise I'll keep it a secret. I won't even tell my own parents. I swear."
As he spoke, Lao Wan raised his right palm to the sky, making a vow-making gesture.
"Sigh, what they say on TV is really true, nobody believes you when you tell the truth..."
Gao Ang didn't want to dwell on this topic, so he asked instead, "It's getting late, it's almost ten o'clock."
As he spoke, he held up his phone and showed the time to Lao Wan.
"Okay, I know, you don't have a guest room..."
Old Wan packed up and then left the island.
The next day, Xu Qing and his group arrived at Changying Island.
The reason is simple: Gao Feng stood them up during their trip to Kyoto!
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