"Let's not talk about this for now. Have something to eat and drink. We'll know the results soon," Cao Cheng waved his hand without offering much explanation.
If it weren't for the fact that these five were senior professors and experts, Young Master Cao wouldn’t have given them the time of day.
This wasn’t some state-owned enterprise.
Nor was it a classified institution.
Being a senior professor didn’t grant you special privileges here.
This was a private company.
From top to bottom, it was Young Master Cao’s word that ruled. If he said arrest someone, they’d be arrested. If he said hand them over to the authorities, it would be done. Who dared to object?
Of course,
that’s how it was in theory.
But truth be told, Cao Cheng did respect these professors, especially the two leading figures among them—their expertise was undeniable.
The more he interacted with them, the more Cao Cheng realized that many experts in their country truly had substance and formidable skills.
Yet, the term "expert" had been tarnished in recent years by so-called "quacks" online, turning it into a derogatory label.
That wasn’t fair.
But there was nothing to be done. The court of public opinion had been manipulated to belittle their own nation’s experts.
A form of cognitive warfare.
Subtly, it had influenced many to believe that only foreign experts were the real deal, while domestic ones were trash.
This cognitive warfare was the result of well-funded efforts.
Changing it wouldn’t happen overnight.
...
Soon,
Long Lie returned.
With a sharp glance at the five seated experts, his piercing gaze sent chills down their spines.
Too intense.
That look was far too intense.
Long Lie’s demeanor was understandable—he didn’t know if any of these five were moles, but he was aware that some among them had mentored the two who had been exposed.
By normal logic, their mentors couldn’t be entirely innocent either.
Thus,
Long Lie’s eyes held no trace of goodwill.
This was the classic case of scholars meeting soldiers—Long Lie couldn’t care less about how accomplished these experts were. If you were a mole, you deserved to die.
Only Cao Cheng knew that all five were "clean."
With a smile, Cao Cheng took the confession papers Long Lie handed him, densely filled with statements.
"Alright, Captain Long, you can leave now. Keep those two under tight watch and await further instructions."
"Yes, sir!" Long Lie stood at attention before turning on his heel and marching out.
Only after he left did the five experts collectively exhale in relief.
Cao Cheng chuckled. "Gentlemen, Long Lie isn’t one of my men. He’s..."
He pointed upward.
The five froze momentarily before comprehension dawned.
Given the nature of their recent research, it made sense that it would attract attention at the national level.
Having specialized security personnel assigned was only natural.
No wonder Long Lie was armed.
And unmistakably military.
The two men who had followed him earlier also moved with disciplined precision.
At this realization, the five no longer felt resentment. If anything, they found it reassuring—it meant greater security.
...
Cao Cheng skimmed the confessions and, within ten seconds, handed them over without a change in expression.
"Take a look."
The five huddled together, scanning the contents.
The details were straightforward:
Who they served—individuals, nations, or organizations.
When they were recruited.
Their recent tasks.
All documented.
However...
It was clear these two were small fry—outermost members of the network.
Coincidentally, they weren’t specifically targeting Cao Cheng. Instead, they were part of a broad recruitment strategy, cultivated as peripheral assets.
They had been lured in by money,
dormant agents,
rarely activated unless they later secured positions in classified institutions.
By chance, Cao Cheng’s recruitment drive and their professors’ project needs had brought them to this ecological research facility.
No sabotage had been carried out yet.
No research stolen.
After all, they hadn’t received new orders—they were still inactive.
...
After reading the confessions, the five sighed in relief—whether because they weren’t implicated or because no damage had been done, it was hard to say.
But relief was palpable.
Cao Cheng smiled at them. "Now you can rest easy. No one else will be dragged into this. That said, in the future, if you bring in students or assistants, it’s best to let me meet them first."
"Understood, Director Cao."
"We’ll be more careful from now on."
They gave their assurances.
Cao Cheng waved dismissively. "Alright, head back if there’s nothing else. The research institute can’t do without you."
Just then,
the female professor spoke up. "Director Cao, about my student—well, the girl I brought in—how will she be handled?"
"Don’t worry. I’ll hand her over to intelligence. They’ll follow the trail. If they uncover something, great. If not, no loss," Cao Cheng replied.
With that, the five departed.
But Cao Cheng never specified what would happen to the culprits.
It was a tricky situation.
Had they been targeting him directly, Young Master Cao wouldn’t have hesitated—cement shoes, river burial, problem solved.
Since time immemorial, rivers and oceans had concealed countless bodies and restless souls.
But since these two weren’t after him, just unlucky pawns, the death penalty seemed excessive.
They got lucky.
Cao Cheng reined in his bloodlust.
Yet soon, he caught himself.
Why was he so quick to kill?
Had he ever killed before?
No.
But the thought of dumping them in the river hadn’t given him pause.
This...
Sipping tea in his chair, it took him a while to figure it out.
Environment shapes temperament.
Standing at the top, you see farther—and piss farther—but you also start seeing those below as ants.
A shift in mindset.
No one is immune. Everyone goes through it.
The difference lies in how they handle it.
Some grow increasingly arrogant, floating into the clouds, treating lives as playthings.
Others turn inward, reflecting on themselves.
Young Master Cao was the latter.
He had always been one for self-reflection.
Examining himself daily, without fail.
...
Evening.
Cao Cheng left the ecological park, heading home.
Time to check the emotional "temperatures" of his other sisters.
He was curious.
Especially about The Fourth—that lunatic.
If hers wasn’t at least 90, he’d kick her.
Always acting so clingy, pretending they were close. The others scoring below 90 was understandable, but if The Fourth didn’t hit that mark, it proved her two-faced nature.
As for Third Sister,
no explanation needed.
90 was the baseline. He was confident.
After all, she doted on him the most.
...
On the ride back,
Cao Cheng’s fascination with the "Parent-Child Lock" hadn’t faded. He kept checking readings along the way.
Most fluctuated between -10 and +10.
Occasionally, higher extremes appeared.
-20!
Or +20!
Still, all strangers.
The only explanation was that these were either his fans or haters.
"Sigh."
Cao Cheng shook his head. "Seems my influence is still too weak. Not enough fans—or haters."
Cao Cheng did some quick calculations. Most of the people passing by—excluding the elderly and children—were just ordinary young netizens, neither fans nor haters. Their data was utterly unremarkable.
They wouldn’t provide any emotional feedback either.
That was a huge loss.
And the fans and haters combined made up less than 1% of the crowd!
In other words, out of a hundred passersby, fewer than one would be a fan or a hater.
His influence still wasn’t strong enough.
"Keep pushing, Yanzu," Cao Cheng silently cheered himself on.
After obtaining the Parent-Child Lock, Cao Cheng realized he couldn’t afford to slack off anymore. He had to keep working hard.
All these strangers were potential sources of emotion.
He had to find a way to make them either adore him or despise him—either was fine!
……
"Huh?"
"Wait—"
"Holy shit~~~"
While passing through the CBD, he suddenly spotted a woman wearing a mask. Above her head, the virtual display of the Parent-Child Lock flashed a "+60" value.
Sixty.
That was the level of someone close to him.
For example, his bodyguards started at this number.
There was no way a stranger would register this high.
Hmm…
He wasn’t sure if obsessive fans could reach this level, but 60 definitely meant she wasn’t just a random passerby.
Cao Cheng studied her.
Even with the mask, his sharp eyes caught every detail in the split second as the car drove past.
It was like a computer scan.
From head to toe.
Beep beep beep—
Data flooded his mind as he cross-referenced her appearance with the faces stored in his memory.
He checked Eldest Sister, Third Sister, The Fourth…
None matched.
He even ran through the women he’d met before—still no match.
Until…
"It’s her."
Cao Cheng suddenly remembered. The half-covered face and figure triggered a match in his memory.
"Shen Xinran?"
"That’s her."
He’d never spoken to her before.
The first time he saw her was in a video, where she was hypnotizing Eldest Sister.
Their second "interaction" was when Ren Fanxing got jealous over nothing.
And now, this was the first time he’d seen her in person.
But he never expected their bond… to be at 60 points!
Seemed like she had a very favorable impression of him.
Cao Cheng mimicked the mannerisms of a protagonist—rubbing his nose, stroking his chin, scratching his head, then massaging his temples…
Yep.
He was definitely the chosen one.
"See how textbook-perfect these moves are?"
Plus, a woman he’d never even met had such a high bond with him. Imagine what would happen if they actually interacted.
But Cao Cheng had no intention of stopping the car.
After all, as the chosen one, fate would ensure they crossed paths again.
It didn’t matter how big Zhonghai was or how many people lived there.
Even if the city had a billion residents, destiny would pull the right people together.
Whether it was at a hospital, a parking lot, or some shady alley—if there weren’t at least a few damsel-in-distress scenarios, he wouldn’t even qualify as the chosen one.
Without stopping,
he drove off, planning to check The Fourth’s bond level later.
If it wasn’t at least ninety, he’d beat her to death!
"Xiangmei~"
"Judgment is coming~~~"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
