Chapter 181: Taking Sides
"Li Mofu committed suicide, the research institute lost more than half its personnel, and Huaxia annexed several southern countries, forming the Huaxia Federation?" Upon returning to a scarred Tianqing, which was just beginning its reconstruction, Bai Mo immediately learned of these major news items.
"It really feels like I've only been gone for a few days, yet I've been abandoned by the times." He sighed, unable to connect to the internet as his phone had absolutely no signal at high altitudes.
As a key figure in the subsequent distribution of power, Bai Mo was reported upon immediately after his return to Tianqing. Those engaged in the tense institutional restructuring were compelled to discuss their strategy concerning him.
From Ye Zi's perspective, he had not chosen a side, so naturally, he shouldn't be given a seat in the Seven-Person Council during the post-war allocation of interests. However, their internal philosophy was to distinguish status by power, and Bai Mo, by all accounts, was part of the system and entirely deserving of such a position, which left her in a dilemma.
From Cheng Mu's perspective, they found it difficult to curb the rapid expansion of the ability user faction and needed someone of comparable standing to counterbalance Ye Zi.
"So, what do you intend to do?" That afternoon, Bai Mo, who had been summoned to an emergency meeting, was simultaneously asked this question by both parties present.
There was no embellishment, only a plain and direct recounting. From the mouths of the individuals involved, they narrated the events of the past three days.
"Aside from the heavy casualties at the research institute, do any of these other matters concern me?" After hearing the story, Bai Mo said, resting his chin on his hand.
"The allocation of seats in the Seven-Person Council is your concern. The existing system management authority is already sufficient for me; I don't wish to involve myself in anything else." He decisively rejected the council seat assigned to him.
"That's all I have to say. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave." With that, Bai Mo himself instantly teleported out of the meeting, leaving only a mirage that slowly dissipated on the spot.
The ability users nearby watched the gradually vanishing phantom with grave expressions, for they had not sensed the exact moment Bai Mo left the conference room. This also implied that he could launch a sneak attack before they even had time to react.
"Instant teleportation, illusions... is he demonstrating his power to ensure his neutrality to us?" Although Ye Zi was well aware of the immense benefits associated with controlling this system, if maintaining the status quo could resolve the major issue of Bai Mo, then a compromise might not be out of the question.
In her view, the authority of a single system was negligible compared to the billions of people in the entire Huaxia Federation.
Whether it was the reconstruction of Tianqing or the reorganization and handover work of the Huaxia Federation, all these matters were deemed insignificant by Bai Mo and cast aside.
Although the redistribution of power was a grand feast for those involved, in his eyes, as a lone wolf, his existing resources and wealth were more than enough for ten lifetimes. The power he possessed was also sufficient to ensure his neutrality, making it utterly unnecessary to step into such a great vortex.
After completing the Spirit Picture, his current focus was on some core research achievements exchanged from the United States.
"Spirit energy machines are material structures that utilize spirit energy to achieve their intended functions, and Spirit Hubs are also structures that utilize spirit energy to achieve their intended functions. In essence, they should be no different... One shouldn't fixate on materials; metal and biological materials are merely different ways to achieve the same function..."
Just as Bai Mo was holed up in his basement, immersed in study and research, a rumor began to spread—from where, nobody knew—that he was the actual controller of the contribution point system. What was originally a secret known only to a select few in the upper echelons gradually became common knowledge among the majority.
As the system matured, countless individuals recognized the immense hidden profits it offered. Previously, they had held back, deterred by the fact that it was the shared grand prize of the Seven-Person Council ruling the Federation. But once the news leaked, revealing that the "cake" had been devoured by a single person, greed instantly surged, and people immediately began to stir up trouble with various small maneuvers.
Especially when neither of the two high-level factions had clearly declared Bai Mo as being on their side.
"Caught a little mouse." After injecting the captured person with Spirit-Severing Flower extract, Bai Mo tied her up in the laboratory.
Just as he was reading, his divine sense, which enveloped most of the testing ground, suddenly detected a sneaking figure. Without much thought, he had his avatar bind her and bring her over.
"Chen Xi, who do you think it is?" He asked, pointing at the girl tied up like a zongzi.
"How would I know where you tied someone up from?"
"Just upstairs, not far from where you usually sit."
"She can turn invisible?! But for someone to bypass the military defenses outside and sneak in, haven't you already figured it out?" Chen Xi was startled by her presence, especially after learning that the person had actually been quite close to her when captured.
"An optical stealth field, capable of simulating light's penetration through transparent conditions, while simultaneously reducing the wavelength of reflected light to move it beyond the visible spectrum, thereby achieving invisibility. Of course, theoretically, bribing you would also allow for a quiet entry..."
"I still want to live a few more years!" She exclaimed, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"I already know who it is," Bai Mo suddenly said.
"You asked the question, and you answered it too."
"I just forgot some things for a moment and just remembered. Do you want to stay and keep watching?" He then pointed at the zongzi-like figure beside him.
"No thank you. There aren't many people who can come in here and leave normally alive."
"Suit yourself," Bai Mo shrugged.
Although Chen Xi felt the girl before her looking at her with pitiful eyes, she still had no intention of pleading with Bai Mo, as it would be utterly futile.
This man's ruthless nature had been fully revealed that very night; what he determined would never be swayed by any emotional obstruction.
After Chen Xi left, Bai Mo continued to stare at the girl he had bound with emotionless eyes, watching her until her hair stood on end.
"What are you staring at? Do whatever you want, kill me or torture me, I accept my fate, but I will absolutely not reveal any information." At first, she could still glare back, then spoke in a defiant, sacrificing tone.
"I don't need your confession. I already know everything I need to know. I'm just thinking about the best way to deal with you."
"Impossible! Don't think you can break me down with this method!"
"Cui Mengdie, 23 years old, affiliated with the original Huaxia Nation's now Huaxia Federation's secret ability user intelligence organization 'Hua Ying,' codenamed 'Nether Butterfly,' serial number HY00021. Contact person is 'Dragon Sparrow,' codenamed..." He began reciting various pieces of information extracted from her and other organization members' communication records via the ability Sky Net.
"Enough!" She was stunned by this even crueler truth; what she had held onto so fiercely was truly worthless. She couldn't understand why the other person seemed to know her even better than she knew herself.
"Having a map-hack is really boring after all... there's no fun in interrogation anymore," Bai Mo muttered to himself. "Why did my parallel-world self kill everyone and forcefully abandon this cheat-like ability?"
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