"Mingqiu, Wenliu, I apologize for startling you."
Following the direction of the voice, the silhouette of the highest leader, weary, appeared before the two. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Upon seeing him, Yi Wenliu couldn't help but freeze, a hint of nervousness in her voice, "Highest Leader, why have you come personally?"
In contrast, Jing Mingqiu appeared much more relaxed. While examining the robot that resembled him, he casually explained, "Yi Wenliu, looking at the situation, it seems like they plan to switch things around. Let's follow the senior leader downstairs first."
"Mingqiu is right," the highest leader nodded gently. "Wenliu, I have quite a bit to discuss this time. It's best if we let a body double attract attention first, and then we can talk in detail in the underground base."
"Mhm!"
Yi Wenliu nodded obediently, following Jing Mingqiu down the stairs. The floor closed again, and the armored vehicle restarted, taking the robot disguised as Jing Mingqiu to the school.
Afterward, the robot was led by Feng Weiguo into the principal's office, disappearing from everyone's sight.
Jing Mingqiu and Yi Wenliu followed the highest leader through an underground passage, entering a large conference room where several high-ranking officials were already waiting.
"Time is short, so let's dispense with pleasantries," the highest leader said, taking a thick stack of documents from his assistant and handing them to Jing Mingqiu. "I'm here to see you primarily for three matters."
"First, on behalf of everyone, I want to apologize. This was due to our oversight. We never imagined that Western countries would be so depraved as to dare carry out such large-scale terrorist attacks on our soil."
"For your safety, and to ensure the original plan can proceed normally, we need to temporarily assign you several personal bodyguards. Your personal privacy may suffer some losses..."
The highest leader's voice trailed off. He had promised many things, and yet here he was, going back on his word in less than a year. Although this was forced by circumstances and not a deliberate setup, he still felt a pang of guilt.
Jing Mingqiu, however, was very magnanimous about the situation.
"It's fine. Let them follow. As long as they don't disturb me, it's alright. You've already been sending people to follow me in secret. Privacy is a joke anyway. I act with integrity and have nothing to hide, so I'm not afraid of being watched."
Hearing this, the highest leader breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that Jing Mingqiu would be like the protagonists in novels, causing conflict or even a complete falling out with the country over such matters.
After a few more comforting words, the highest leader continued.
"Second, we underestimated the influence of those two prescriptions. Not only did they target you, but they also used an inside mole to burn our raw material warehouse."
Jing Mingqiu took the documents and quickly scanned them, his brow furrowed. "Hmm? That's not right! Why would you store something so important all in one place? You don't need me to tell you the simple principle of having multiple hideouts, do you?"
"Sigh!" A middle-aged man with a worried expression beside him stepped forward to explain, "We originally arranged twenty warehouses for separate storage. However, our informant within the U.S. intelligence agencies suddenly sent word that they were going to target those warehouses."
"For safety, we had to move them urgently. We didn't expect that the people we sent had already been compromised. They deliberately sent us false intelligence. We fell for the stratagem of 'beating the grass to startle the snake.' Following the traces left by the convoy, they burned all the relocated raw materials."
"We tried our best to salvage them, but the fire was too intense. The most crucial herb was essentially completely burned. Now, the warehouse only has raw materials for at most ten thousand doses of medicine. But we have to deliver a million doses next month."
"It's too late to procure more now. This type of medicine is completely banned abroad, and what little remained domestically was bought up in advance. If we cannot deliver on time, we will not only face enormous breach of contract penalties but also severely damage Longguo's credibility!"
"I'm at my wit's end now. I can only beg for your help."
With that, the middle-aged man bowed deeply.
Jing Mingqiu squinted, feigning thought, but in reality, he was secretly opening his system and browsing modification plans.
Three minutes later, under everyone's anxious gaze, Jing Mingqiu reached into his pocket, pretended to rummage for a moment, pulled out a silver USB drive, and tossed it over.
"This contains ten prescriptions. Their efficacy is similar to the two drugs released earlier, but they use completely different raw materials. Make several types, so you won't have to worry about them implementing blockades anymore."
"Furthermore, there's an opportunity to scheme against them," a cold glint flashed in Jing Mingqiu's eyes. "Dongming Grass, Qinglan Leaf, Lieguhua. These herbs are too toxic, and their dosage is usually very small."
"If they hoard them excessively, we can change the prescription later, and they'll experience what it means to lift a rock only to drop it on their own feet!"
"You officials are more adept at devising schemes, so I won't presume to teach you in your own domain," Jing Mingqiu raised an eyebrow and turned to the highest leader. "Senior Leader, what is the third matter?"
The highest leader didn't immediately address the third matter but first asked a question.
"Mingqiu, do you have any research on fighter jets, particularly stealth reconnaissance aircraft?"
Jing Mingqiu glanced at the system functions, saw the large word "Locked" and gently shook his head. "I'm sorry, I haven't started researching this yet. After the remaining nine, or rather, seven large-scale controllable nuclear fusion power plants are built, I'll try."
"Senior Leader, why are you suddenly asking about this? Do you need my help modifying fighter jets?"
The highest leader sighed. "A while ago, after our military exercise showcased the military combat mechs, the United States' military standing was challenged. In order to solidify their position as the global hegemon and the world's foremost military power, the United States invited our country to hold joint military exercises."
"On the surface, this exercise is for humanitarian aid and disaster relief. In reality, they want to use their U8 stealth fighter jets in live combat to show other countries that the combat mechs we've introduced are nothing but targets in front of American fighter jets."
"Our fighter jet development started too late. In terms of reconnaissance capabilities and stealth capabilities, we are suppressed by American fighter jets. If we lose too badly this time, not only will all the international prestige we've gained through our mechs be lost, but national confidence will also suffer a severe blow."
Hearing this, Jing Mingqiu's brow furrowed. "This is indeed a bit troublesome, but I currently don't have the capability to modify entire fighter jets. How about this, you get me a fighter jet, and I'll study it carefully to see if I can modify some parts."
"If I recall correctly, the heart of a fighter jet is its engine. Our country's aero engines still have quite a gap compared to countries like the United States, far from reaching world-class levels. I do have considerable experience in modifying engines."
"No problem!" The highest leader readily agreed. "I'll arrange for someone to take you there tomorrow. You should rest well; this place is absolutely safe..."
Just as Jing Mingqiu was about to close the system, he inadvertently caught sight of a newly displayed function, his eyes lighting up. He interrupted the highest leader, "Wait a moment!"