Chapter 14 After the soul swap, I switched back.
"I regret the current social environment and am very dissatisfied with the current class divisions."
To have a local tyrant who has enjoyed the greatest social benefits open up about his dissatisfaction with the fact that imperial power outweighs civil rights and with the current social class system... Si Qi's words sounded utterly ridiculous to onlookers.
The sheriff hurriedly left the Si family villa, constantly wondering if he had somehow offended the Si family, causing the eldest young master, Si Qi, to personally come and reprimand him.
He got into his car, sent the suicide note he had written for who knows how many times to a colleague, and asked the colleague to pass it on to his family after something happened to him. Then, covered in cold sweat, he drove back to the station.
Whenever he saw other vehicles approaching him or sniping spots on the road, he would turn pale with fright, thinking he was about to be killed.
The blueprints that Si Qi sent him were a warning letter to the government delivered through his corpse.
The car swayed and wobbled back to the station. The sheriff got out of the car with unsteady steps, sat down at his workstation in disbelief, and was stunned for a long time, not expecting that he was still alive.
He stared blankly for a while, and after a long time, with a "what if" mentality, he opened the blueprints.
Looking at the thousands of pages of data charts and precise numerical markings, the sheriff was bewildered for a while, flipping through the contents again and again, before his heart raced as he imported them into the program and pressed the run button.
Seeing the target in the program instantly burned to a pile of rubble by the laser weapon, the sheriff was dumbfounded, his face full of doubt.
Undeterred, he ran the program repeatedly, each time with the same result. His breathing quickened, and he pressed his hand tightly against his chest. Suppressing the urge to jump, he drove to the research center that very night, urging the researchers there to work overtime to replicate the weapon.
Watching the real-world target melt instantly by the laser gun, the sheriff stared blankly at the small weapon in his hand. After a moment, his lips suddenly trembled and his eyes turned red.
The researchers nearby were stunned by the data feedback from the target. They leaned over excitedly and asked, "Sir, where did you get these blueprints?!"
The hastily produced sample in front of me surpasses the latest models on the market in every way, from its size and size to its lethality, the number of times it can be reused, and the time it takes to recharge.
The sheriff looked bewildered: "It's S—"
Almost blurting out the other person's name, the sheriff, accustomed to maintaining secrecy, quickly shut his mouth and said cautiously, "I can't say."
"Understood." The researchers understood immediately.
Similar incidents have occurred before; it's probably another well-meaning, kind-hearted person (spy) who infiltrated the conglomerate to steal information and hand it over to the authorities. Of course, their name cannot be revealed.
The sheriff was still somewhat dazed, holding the laser gun in his hand. He stood there for a long time before finally sorting out his thoughts. He took the finished laser gun and the blueprints and drove through the night to his superior.
Not long after, the boss watched the weapon test video and received the data feedback, and quickly contacted his boss. Then his boss's boss contacted his boss, and so on. Many people didn't get a good night's sleep that night.
As a result, Si Qi's name was repeatedly mentioned through a certain secret channel, and the information was subsequently sent to several elderly people with white hair.
"The heir to the Si Group... is an excellent student with a gentle personality, and is this year's top scorer in the provincial joint entrance examination..."
Many people have tried to analyze the character based on this information, repeatedly deducing why Si Qi would send this blueprint and why he would take the initiative to contact the authorities.
Is this drawing a test, a beautifully packaged lure, or a genuine pledge of allegiance from the other party?
"We'll only know after we make contact," one official said. "Whatever Si Qi's purpose is, this blueprint is extremely important to us, and it's entirely worthwhile for us to continue our contact with him."
Of course, it wouldn't be possible to take the blueprints and then leave Si Qi without giving him any response. The question was whether the response would involve further cooperation with Si Qi. Soon, everyone reached a consensus, and someone accompanied the sheriff to visit Si Qi.
"Hello, I am the governor of Qing Province, and this is Academician Fu from the research institute." The governor said to Si Qi, "It is an honor to meet you, and we are very grateful for the gift you gave us."
Si Qi gestured with his hand: "Please sit down."
After the provincial governor and his entourage took their seats, Si Qi spoke first: "How was the use of the blueprints? Are you satisfied with the results?"
"Very satisfied." Academician Fu loosened the tie he wasn't used to wearing and said impatiently, "Its power is astonishing. All the data in every aspect is perfect. I can't even find a single flaw in it!"
Si Qi took a sip of tea and smiled, "Of course, this is the most suitable one I chose from many drawings."
The crowd, understanding the implied meaning, followed Si Qi's lead and said, "You mean, you have more than just that..."
“Yes,” Si Qi nodded, “You should know that the Si family is manufacturing exoskeleton mechs.”
Everyone subconsciously pursed their lips, not daring to answer casually.
This was a trade secret of the Si family, and in order to prevent it from being seized by a powerful force like the Peng Hui Group, it was not actually revealed.
But they did know about it, through some covert means.
“Don’t be nervous,” Si Qi said, “I also provided the blueprints for that mecha.”
Academician Fu couldn't help but say, "Your knowledge... truly exceeds our expectations."
The fact that the Si Group has devoted so much effort to its research and development, and even collaborated with over a dozen large enterprises, suggests that this so-called exoskeleton mecha is no small matter. It has undoubtedly been recognized by many influential figures as having significant investment value and possessing extremely high technological content.
Based on their previous investigation, Si Qi, the second young master of the Si family, was at most "excellent" or "outstanding," and certainly not to the point of being completely astonishing.
“You know, some things are just like that,” Si Qi said with a smile. “Like my grades.”
Previously, Si Qi was only first in the entire school in every exam, which was nothing compared to students from the entire province.
But in this exam, Si Qi suddenly became the top scorer in the province.
The central AI would certainly not allow anyone to cheat, and Si Qi's identity does not need the title of top scholar to embellish it.
Therefore, Si Qi could only have been hiding his true abilities before.
They didn't know why Si Qi did this, but his unusual attitude suggested he had some hidden reason. Perhaps it was this reason that led him to make this choice.
Si Qi: "I have no good feelings towards the Si family. I can teach you how to make that mecha blueprint step by step."
As he spoke, he displayed the full view of the mecha in mid-air and placed it in different simulated scenarios to fully demonstrate the mecha's combat effectiveness.
The immense, unparalleled power made the people present breathe heavily.
Si Qi played the video from beginning to end, drank half a cup of tea and ate a whole pastry, giving the other party enough time to think before saying, "So, how about it, let's cooperate?"
"...It's hard for us to refuse your invitation." The governor unconsciously smoothed the hair that had fallen onto his shoulder, gathering his thoughts as he said, "If possible, we hope you can come to our research institute for a detailed discussion... Also, we can discuss any requests you may have for us."
“Okay,” Si Qi said gently, appearing very easy to talk to. “I hope the Si family won’t know about this for the time being.”
The governor nodded. "I understand. Please rest assured."
She had poached the Si family and so many other powerful families to obtain this blueprint, so of course she couldn't possibly leak it out.
It's hard to say whether Si Qi will be unlucky then, but one or two of the people in the know present will definitely not survive.
...
After the joint entrance exams, the holiday began. There were no more discussions about Si Qi and Si Ding on the campus forum, but the number of anonymous posts related to them exploded in students' private groups.
Chu Feng observed all of this and, confirming that Si Qi had no intention of stopping it, silently watched from the sidelines, only occasionally brandishing his keyboard warrior's iron hammer at those who spoke ill of Si Qi.
Many people thus learned that a brainwashed fan of Si Qi had emerged from the school, single-handedly taking on countless students from across the entire school. He was incredibly powerful, typed at lightning speed, and spent 24 hours a day online without a break.
They weren't sure if this guy would repeat their conversation to Si Qi, so they held back online. They embellished everything they hadn't fully expressed online in the real world.
So the story spread like wildfire, and soon people from other provinces and cities learned of this amusing anecdote through social gatherings. When they returned to their own provinces and cities, they joked, "Did you know? There's an illegitimate son in Qing Province who suddenly claimed that he and his legitimate son had swapped souls."
The topic was so eye-catching that many people in the room pricked up their ears and looked over, including guests from Peng Hui Group, who asked curiously, "What did you say about soul swapping?"
Seeing everyone's interest, the person chatting recounted the gossip with great enthusiasm. After finishing, they concluded with great excitement: "If such a thing really happened, then the illegitimate child would really have gotten a huge advantage! Not only would they have gained inheritance rights for free, but they would also suddenly look several years younger!"
Upon hearing this, the people from Peng Hui Group had a sudden thought and murmured thoughtfully, "Young...soul swapping..."
He came to his senses and asked the man, "Which company in Qing Province did you say you were referring to?"
"The Si family!" the other party said with certainty.
...
When the people in charge of Penghui Group heard the news and focused their attention on the Si family, especially Si Ding, Si Qi took advantage of his vacation to immerse himself in the federal government's experimental facilities, disappearing from the public eye for more than half a month.
At first, Si's father thought that Si Qi simply didn't like seeing his mother, sister, and Si Ding at home, so he lived outside to avoid them. Later, when school started, Si's father saw Si Nan looking dejected at the dinner table and cautiously stammered, "Where's my brother... Si Qi?"
Only then did Si's father realize that Si Qi had not been to school and that he had not seen Si Qi for more than two weeks.
Si Ding sat beside Madam Si, and upon hearing this, a hint of smugness appeared on his face.
Under Mrs. Si's influence, he was no longer in Si Ding's original class, but instead returned to the senior year of high school.
In recent days, many students in the class have tried to get in touch with him. He openly revealed his identity as "Si Qi" and clearly explained the details of his past interactions with these students.
Many were shocked, yet began to believe that he was indeed "Si Qi," their classmate of three years. Si Qi's disappearance, in everyone's eyes, became irrefutable proof that he was deliberately avoiding them and dared not show his face. Si Ding once again became the undisputed "emperor" of the school, and everyone began to fawn over him as before, afraid to offend him.
To prove that even in the body of an illegitimate child, he was still superior to everyone else. And to better intimidate those around him and prevent them from looking down on him, the underling who had previously beaten him up during class became the first scapegoat used by Siding upon his return.
Knowing he had offended Si Ding, the younger brother hurriedly begged for forgiveness, kneeling at Si Ding's feet in front of his classmates and weeping bitterly, saying he had been deceived by the fake Si Qi. Si Ding ignored him, only saying that his wounds were still throbbing. The surrounding students, of course, understood perfectly and were more than happy to be Si Ding's pawns. Thus, the younger brother's school life thereafter was even more miserable than the original owner's; he was tortured beyond recognition in just a few days.
The evil he had inflicted on the original owner of this body returned to him tenfold, a hundredfold. He finally understood the vicious things he had done to Siding in the past and began to feel genuine regret. Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets. Powerless, he could only watch helplessly as he was bullied to the point of wishing he were dead, just like "Siding" had been.
The misery of others pleased Si Ding greatly, and his smooth progress made him increasingly proud. He felt that he had a chance to replace Si Qi again and regain his status as the young master of the Si family. Therefore, he announced to the outside world in a more high-profile manner that "I am Si Qi, the heir of the Si family".
Many eyes were drawn to him, but he didn't care. He openly allowed people to observe his every word and action to determine whether, as he claimed, the soul of another person was actually inside him.
Including the moment when he was sitting in the Si family restaurant, smugly watching Si Qi disappear.
A pair of eyes lurked in the shadows, watching the reactions of Si Ding and the rest of the Si family. When they saw Si's father, upon hearing the news that Si Qi hadn't been to school for the past few days, his face darkened and he warned Si Ding and his wife, "Don't try anything funny."
Madam Si's face was full of anger: "What do you mean!"
"That's your son!" Mr. Si slammed his fist on the table.
"He wasn't raised by me!" Mrs. Si retorted loudly.
The person secretly observing felt a chill run down their spine, realizing they had uncovered important intelligence. They quickly and secretly filmed the conversation and sent it to Peng Hui Group, which was located in another province.
Father Si noticed the fleeting smugness on Si Ding's face and warned with a dark expression, "I've told you before, don't say you're Si Qi in public, and don't even think about taking Xiao Qi's place!"
Madam Si stepped forward to defend Si Ding: "He is Xiao Qi, so what's wrong with saying something!"
"Don't you think things are troublesome enough already?!"
"It's just some gossip," Mrs. Si said nonchalantly. "What can it be?"
The people from Peng Hui Group watched through the projector as Mrs. Si's expression remained indifferent. Their gazes then shifted to Si Ding, and they tapped their fingers on the table.
Reflecting on Si Qi and Si Ding's situation, considering Si Qi's recent disappearance, the Si family's immense power in Qing Province, and Si's father's obvious intention to protect Si Qi and hand the Si family over to him...
The man summoned his subordinate, pointed to the projection in front of him, and ordered, "Go to Qing Province and bring him to me."
The subordinate looked up, his gaze fixed intently, carefully memorizing Siding's face.
A note from the author:
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Stings are creatures adept at digging their own graves. [Thumbs up]
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