novelE2F Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86: A Little Shock for the Northern Frontier Abyss-Suppressing Army Cultivation Art Research Bureau
The moment Zhang Zhiwei finished speaking, the entire Zhang family fell into a state of frozen silence.
Even the housemaid in the distance, who had been carrying dishes over, saw the atmosphere at the table and immediately turned around and carried the dishes back into the kitchen.
She even told the others not to come out yet.
As servants of the Zhang family, they naturally had enough sense to read the room.
Though Zhang Jiuhe and Zhang Chaoyang were both deeply shaken, one was a powerful Profound Rank Martial Artist and the other a major figure in the business world.
After digesting the shock, Zhang Jiuhe beckoned to Zhang Zhiwei.
“To the meeting room. Explain everything clearly, from beginning to end!”
Then he quickly led the three of them into the meeting room.
Zhang Zhiwei told them the whole story in detail.
From the phone call Li Mu used to summon him out, to Li Mu touring the family factory, to Li Mu bringing him to meet Wang Longcheng.
Even the exact words spoken along the way, Zhang Zhiwei remembered every important point.
When they heard that the Mother Crystal of the Living Crystal vein had actually been brought back by Li Mu in person, Zhang Chaoyang and the others were all stunned beyond words.
Just a few days ago, that Li Mu had still been an F-Grade talent.
He had taken part in the Abyss First Battle and saved Zhang Zhiwei’s life.
At the time, when Zhang Zhiwei said he wanted to transfer to Blackwater High School, they had understood what was behind it.
Zhang Chaoyang and Li Ru had both felt that they ought to repay the favor.
So they had even donated an A-Grade Training Arena to Blackwater High School.
Though that was still far from repaying a life-saving debt, it at least counted as the Zhang Group watching over that young fellow named Li Mu.
And yet now— in the blink of an eye, Li Mu had delivered another heaven-shaking gift to Zhang Zhiwei.
And this time, it was the joint construction of a military-industrial enterprise.
Not contract manufacturing.
The meaning between those two things was completely different.
This very morning, when Zhang Chaoyang and the others had gone to submit their bid,
they were bidding for contract manufacturing.
The development of the Mother Crystal had to take place in the Abyss. If it were kept on the surface, the population was too mixed, military strength too scattered, and it would too easily attract the covetous eyes of those with ulterior motives, especially the Heaven Society.
The entire development process had to take place within the military district.
Contract manufacturing meant that the Zhang Group would bring its own team into the Abyss, build a factory there, and work for the military district.
Even so, the profits involved would be staggering, and as the cooperation lasted longer, the closeness between the enterprise and the military district would deepen more and more.
But in the end, you would still only be a contracted worker. The military district could replace you with another company at any time.
But joint construction of a military-industrial enterprise— that meant a community of shared interests.
Its relationship with the military district would be far closer from the outset than that of a contract manufacturer.
One could even say this: once the military-industrial enterprise was established, the Zhang family would effectively become half a military family.
That was a direct path to the heavens.
And in the business world, the label “military-industrial-grade enterprise” was a golden signboard worth more than all the gold in the world.
From then on, the Zhang family would be unstoppable in business.
It would also become the single most important springboard for the family to expand into other cities.
Of course, opportunity and difficulty always came hand in hand.
A military-industrial-grade enterprise was not something one could build with a few empty words.
The Zhang family would have to present one hundred and twenty thousand percent sincerity and go all out to the utmost if they hoped to make it happen.
Knock, knock.
Zhang Jiuhe rapped the table twice in a dull, heavy manner, pulling everyone’s thoughts back.
In a deep voice, he said, “Let’s not celebrate too early! All they asked for is a proposal!”
“They haven’t directly chosen us as the enterprise for this cooperation.”
“And the relationships behind this matter are not nearly so simple!”
“Zhiwei, do you have any news from the Ye family’s side?”
Zhang Zhiwei nodded.
“This time, the contract manufacturing cooperation is actually only the first round of screening.”
“Once the first round of quality screening for contract manufacturers is passed, the second round will be the bidding for joint construction of a military-industrial enterprise.”
“The Ye family will most likely pass.”
At that moment, Zhang Chaoyang’s mind began racing. He took a deep drag on his cigarette and said, “So this time, Wang Longcheng is going to lock arms with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Qing.”
Li Ru could not see the connection, so she looked at her husband in puzzlement.
Zhang Chaoyang sighed. Just as his father had said, this matter was not simple.
“The Ye family’s backer is Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Qing.”
“This time, they are absolutely determined to get the Mother Crystal!”
“Deputy Commanding Officer Wang clearly does not want to put all the eggs in one basket.”
“So he wants to cooperate with another family and snatch this peach away!”
“And it just so happens that your little friend Li Mu played a critical role in this whole matter, and he’s one of Commander Wang’s people.”
“It was only because he mentioned our Zhang family that Commander Wang extended an olive branch to us!”
Zhang Jiuhe nodded in approval.
“It’s good that you can see that clearly. For our Zhang family, this is an enormous opportunity.”
“At the same time, it is also a crisis.”
“To be drawn into a clash of immortals at the top level of the military district like this...”
“If we succeed, we rise straight into the clouds. If we fail, it will be an abyss ten thousand zhang deep...”
Zhang Jiuhe looked deeply at Zhang Chaoyang, indicating that he had to think this through carefully.
But Zhang Chaoyang suddenly flung out his arm.
“Dad! Haven’t we been waiting all these years precisely for an opportunity like this?”
“Opportunity and risk always coexist!”
“If we can secure this military-industrial-grade enterprise, then our ties with Commander Wang will be far firmer than any connection between the Zhang family and the Ye family!”
“These past years, I’ve already figured the Ye family out completely. Their scale is indeed bigger than ours! Their strength is greater than ours.”
“But when it comes to quality and professionalism, hmph, the Ye family is nothing to fear!”
Zhang Jiuhe smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Zhang Zhiwei also added, “Oh, right. Commander Wang did mention several times that in this matter, they absolutely must ensure fairness and impartiality.”
“They want the Mother Crystal to be handled by a truly high-quality enterprise.”
Zhang Chaoyang nodded.
“I’m calling the team together right now. We’re going to make them a military-industrial proposal that will shake the heavens!”
He strode out of the room.
As he walked, he was already pulling out his phone. He did not even bother eating anymore.
Zhang Jiuhe said with admiration, “Zhiwei, that friend of yours named Li Mu is no ordinary person...”
“When you have time, invite him to the house for a visit.”
Li Ru also said, “That’s right. I’ve heard you mention him so many times, but we’ve never had the chance to meet him.”
“No matter whether this succeeds or fails, our Zhang family now owes him two great debts of gratitude.”
“Come to think of it, this young man even shares our family name...”
Zhang Zhiwei nodded with a bitter smile.
Was that not exactly the truth?
He still had not repaid Li Mu for saving his life.
And now he owed him another heaven-sized favor.
Zhang Jiuhe also rose to his feet.
“These old bones of mine haven’t had much exercise in a very long time.”
“If the Zhang family can truly co-build this military-industrial enterprise, then I may finally be able to enter the Abyss once more.”
Zhang Zhiwei understood his grandfather perfectly well.
As a Profound Rank Martial Artist, the Abyss was where Zhang Jiuhe truly belonged.
But as the Zhang family had grown more and more prosperous, after advancing to the Profound Rank, Zhang Jiuhe had instead become unable to enter the Abyss.
His safety was directly tied to the rise or fall of the Zhang family.
Let alone dying in the Abyss—even if he were merely gravely injured there, the Zhang family would immediately become prey to covetous eyes.
A pitiful fate for a Profound Rank Martial Artist, to be tied down within the city by his own family like this.
But if the Zhang family could stand shoulder to shoulder with Wang Longcheng this time and claim victory in the end, then the Zhang family would become Wang Longcheng’s absolute confidants.
That was precisely the powerful military backing they had dreamed of.
And it would be the sort of backing that arrived in one step, almost unbelievably perfect.
At that point, Zhang Jiuhe would be free.
He could once again enter the Abyss to explore resources, improve his strength, and perhaps even join the Abyss-Suppressing Army in battle.
All of that would bring even greater benefit to the Zhang family, and he would no longer have to fear sacrifice.
He had considered joining the Abyss-Suppressing Army before as well, but if a Profound Rank Martial Artist joined and then merely hid in camp, no matter what position he held, he would never earn much prestige.
If that was the case, he might as well not go at all.
At the same time, far away, over a thousand li away in Bloodpool City, within the largest Bloodsea Military District, there stood a pitch-black building like a beast crouching in the dark of night.
It lay beneath the entrance to the Abyss, coiled like a dragon and crouched like a tiger, staring down into the Abyss.
On the building were several great characters shining in golden light:
Northern Frontier Abyss-Suppressing Army Cultivation Art Research Bureau.
At that moment, inside the top-floor office of the bureau, more than twenty white-haired, white-bearded old men sat at the conference table, concentrating completely on the documents in their hands.
In front of each of them was a towering stack of books and materials.
The oldest among them looked well over a hundred years old.
At that moment, the only sound in the silent meeting room was the rustle of pages turning.
Several old men in military uniform, around fifty or sixty years old, sat there as well, flipping through the materials.
One of them read for a while, then rubbed his eyes and set the book down.
He instructed a subordinate, “Go prepare a cup of clear tea for each of the professors.”
Then he turned to the professors and said, “Seniors, you really must pay attention to balancing work and rest. We’ve already been reading continuously for more than six hours.”
“Please take a break and have some water.”
But very few of the old professors responded to him.
Many of them did not even seem to hear him at all.
Each one had his brows tightly drawn, and none of them looked particularly pleased.
The middle-aged man sighed and shook his head helplessly, but did not continue insisting.
Another uniformed middle-aged man beside him sighed and said, “This time, there are more than sixty submitted Paper-Format Cultivation Art Improvement Plans.”
“In addition to the ones from the major military districts, there are also submissions from the major Cultivation Art Research Departments.”
“And up to this point, not a single one has met the standard.”
“Forget these old diehards—even I’m getting fed up with this!”
The middle-aged man drew in a deep breath.
Improving cultivation arts was not something easily done, and this time the assigned task was to achieve a five percent increase.
Many departments had even submitted two or three cultivation arts.
So it was hardly surprising that none had met the mark.
But just then, one old man opened the Paper-Format Cultivation Art whose cover read: Pearl Military District Paper-Format Cultivation Art Improvement Plan, Falling Leaf Saber Art.
After only a single glance, the old man’s brows knit tightly, and he let out a low “Hm?”
Because this Falling Leaf Saber Art was clearly nothing like the Falling Leaf Saber Art he knew.
But after reading only a few hundred characters, the pupils of his eyes slowly began to widen.
By the time he had read seven or eight thousand characters, Bang!
The old man suddenly slammed his palm against the table with a thunderous crack.
The elderly men who had been deeply absorbed in their reading were all startled so badly that they jumped violently.
An old man beside him immediately cursed, “Damn your ancestors, you old turtle! Are you some undercover Heaven Society spy or what?”
“There are nearly two thousand years of life sitting in this room altogether! Are you trying to slap a few of us straight into the grave!?”
Quite a few old men were so startled that the books in their hands flew out.
At least six or seven of them had turned pale, clutching their chests as they fumbled in their pockets for medicine.
But the old man who had stood up was flushed red with excitement.
He completely ignored the elder cursing at him.
His eyes seemed glued to the cultivation art in his hands, yet he shouted to everyone else,
“The Pearl Military District! Falling Leaf Saber Art! Read it! All of you, read it now!!!”