"More than ten years ago, a scavenger almost touched our monitoring system."
"Her ability was dangerous; it had evolved into a heaven-defying power that allowed her to find a solution to anything she encountered."
"After she died, the program completely erased that ability, ensuring no scavenger would ever possess it again."
Lan An’s nonchalant words fell into Wen Xiang Yuan’s mind like a massive boulder crashing into the sea.
That person seems to be Shen Nian.
She remained composed, pretending to be ignorant of the matter as she asked curiously.
"Was that ability very dangerous? It seems like it would be quite practical for the purification project."
Lan An nodded and added a sugar cube to his black tea.
"It was practical, but also very dangerous. These bottom-tier trash artificial humans—you shouldn't give them too much importance, but you can't completely ignore them either."
"Back then, they actually tried to explore the alternate world they were in. Because that person’s ability was so unique, they actually managed to travel quite far until they eventually encountered an operating system failure."
Wen Xiang Yuan’s heart tightened. "An operating system failure?"
Lan An nodded. Seeing Wen Xiang Yuan’s interest, he didn't mind sharing more.
He had never paid attention to this granddaughter before, so they had no emotional foundation.
While Lan An didn't believe in emotions and only trusted power, he believed that women were easily swayed by their feelings.
If he could make Wen Xiang Yuan feel a sense of kinship toward him, it would only benefit him.
"The Scavenger Purification Project started with my generation. It has been running for over forty years now. About ten years ago, there was a system malfunction, and the world operation monitoring systems were exposed in the alternate world."
"It wasn't a big deal initially, just a data leak. But those scavengers happened to see it and even managed to speak with the project manager through the operating system."
Wen Xiang Yuan swallowed hard. "What did she ask?"
Lan An shrugged. "The usual things. What is this world, who are they, and who are we?"
"The project manager rectified the leaked data immediately and provided no response. However, when the issue was reported, the information of the person who initiated the dialogue was included."
Wen Xiang Yuan understood. "That was when the Federation learned about her ability."
Lan An nodded. "Later, to avoid causing a panic among the scavengers and slowing down the purification speed, we locked their coordinates and paralyzed their movements."
Wen Xiang Yuan fell silent. So Shen Nian and the others hadn't given up, nor had they failed to find their way back.
They had touched the truth. They had known the truth of the world many years ago.
But they had no way to tell their compatriots.
Especially when they were destined never to return.
Even Shen Nian, with such an ability, could not break the deadlock under those conditions.
This was no longer a fair contest; it was a struggle across different dimensions.
Therefore, the only solution they could provide was to let the scavengers remain "ignorant."
Only through ignorance could they live longer.
Only through ignorance could they avoid a confrontation with the Federation that would bring total destruction.
Only through ignorance could they preserve the spark of hope.
"Without her ability, they never would have made it that far."
Lan An frowned slightly. "Zhao Xiang is a fool. I told him long ago that the genes of the artificial humans used in the Scavenger Purification Project needed to be screened multiple times and monitored regularly. No situation should ever exceed our control."
But the Scavenger Purification Project was already past its prime. It had once garnered the support and cheers of all the financial magnates, but now it was merely a dull, routine project.
Dingshi Group was no longer willing to expend energy on it.
They were like fish chasing the waves, already focused on the next big tide.
"The Zhao family... is becoming quite disobedient."
Wen Xiang Yuan knit her brows. "And they have been getting far too close to my brother lately."
"Oh?"
Lan An gave no reaction, making it impossible to tell if he was indifferent or simply uninterested.
"However, it seems my uncle places great importance on the Scavenger Entertainment Project. I even saw an internal press release a couple of days ago."
Lan An’s hand paused as he rubbed the teacup, a movement Wen Xiang Yuan caught.
"He should be coordinating with my brother. It is just that we haven't reached an agreement with the Dong family yet..."
Most importantly, Lan An had not yet given the final word.
Even if this project was insignificant and Lan An didn't truly care about it.
Even if it was just a small ploy to get closer to his granddaughter, Lan An did not allow anything to exceed his control.
For instance...
A project that should have been proposed by the Wen family was now being attributed to the Zhao family.
Lan An was the actual wielder of power in the Wen family. Although his surname was not Wen, every financial magnate in the Federation knew that the current Wen family should actually be named Lan.
Zhao Xiang had never been in Lan An’s good graces. To him, the entire Zhao family—including Wen Xiang Yuan’s late father—were useless.
If it weren't for the fact that their group's research group possessed artificial human and genetic modification technology back then, he never would have chosen the eldest son of the Zhao family to marry into the family.
To this day, although the Zhao family remained in-laws to the Wen family, Lan An had long since looked down on them.
"You say Zhao Xiang is still in contact with Gan Ting?"
Wen Xiang Yuan nodded obediently.
Lan An set his cup down with a sharp clink.
"The Scavenger Entertainment Project is a project you want to do. I have said I will fully support it. You must take your own projects to heart. Do not just focus on contacting the Dong family; remember that you share a blood relation with the Zhao family."
Wen Xiang Yuan listened quietly, her face showing a mix of urgency and joy.
Such an expression made the corners of Lan An’s mouth curl upward.
"Go on then."
Wen Xiang Yuan left.
Lan An looked at the empty chair, pondered for a moment, and then gave instructions to the butler standing behind him.
"Investigate what Gan Ting has been up to lately."
...
At the same time, Wen Gan Ting was at Dingshi Group. He was pacing anxiously in Zhao Xiang’s office, lacking his usual high-spirited and calm demeanor.
"Nephew, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy."
"How many times do I have to tell you? I will not support Yuan'er. She’s a woman; what does she know about investment opportunities? Mr. Lan is just giving you a warning; he won't actually hand the Wen family over to her."
Wen Gan Ting suddenly stopped and turned to look at Zhao Xiang.
"Uncle, did you find the genetic and tracking information for that scavenger I told you about, Nan Yue?"
An impatient look appeared on Zhao Xiang’s face. He didn't understand why his nephew was so obsessed with such a trivial matter.
"Are you going to take it to Mr. Lan?"
In the past, if things were truly dire, Wen Gan Ting would have leaked this information to Lan An.
But he knew Lan An. Lan An was the type of person who never acts without profit in mind. He would not use Nan Yue’s ability to find a once-and-for-all method to solve the pollution.
What he would more likely do is simply have Nan Yue killed, nipping all danger in the bud.
Rate on N.U.
