Chapter 126: The Miraculous Method

"This is where we are going. However, for the section ahead, Mr. Cao, your friends cannot follow. Let them wait here for now. I will accompany you. If all goes well, we should be out shortly. You need not worry about their safety; unlike the predatory settlements in the outside world, we at the Celestial Pillar are different." Lu Yuan’s attitude was uncharacteristically firm this time; bringing anyone to the corridor outside the reactor was already an exceptional concession.

Cao Fusheng knew that pushing for more would be overstepping. The area where the Celestial Pillar’s energy was replenished must be a core facility, and he knew they would never let outsiders enter it lightly.

"Director Lu, lead the way. I understand."

"Good, then I can rest easy."

Lu Yuan let out a silent sigh of relief. *You understand? What could you possibly understand? If you really understood, I wouldn't have had to bring your people here in the first place!*

It was fortunate that he had received explicit instructions from the Boss; otherwise, he would never have dared to make such a decision on his own. From the moment he met Cao Fusheng, he had been in constant communication with the other directors and the Boss.

In the conference room, all the directors were present, save for Tong Yueting, who was busy treating Chu Wei. They all fixed their gaze on the virtual ecological screen; whatever Lu Yuan could see and hear, they could as well.

"This man... he looks familiar... Cao Fusheng...?" Bian Qiu tapped his fingers rhythmically against the conference table, murmuring to himself. He felt the man on the screen was incredibly familiar. A certain memory was slowly unspooling, and he was only a hair's breadth away from recalling where he had seen him.

The virtual avatar asked curiously, "Uncle Bian... does the Director recognize this man?"

The avatar subconsciously glanced at the other directors, but seeing them focused intently on the screen as if they had noticed nothing unusual, he silently exhaled.

Bian Qiu regained his composure as the others looked at him with curiosity. "I wouldn't say I know him, but I feel like I've seen him somewhere. If I actually knew him, I wouldn't be struggling to place him."

"Brother Bian must be mistaken. There are plenty of people in this world who look alike. Some people even mistake me for Tingting all the time," Ruan Luoluo giggled.

Xun Xin retorted sarcastically, "Give me a break. Someone could mistake you for Director Tong? I don't think even a blind man would make that mistake."

"..."

Veins popped on Ruan Luoluo’s forehead. She clenched her dainty fists, grinding her teeth in frustration, but chose not to lash out on the spot, instead giving Xun Xin a look that clearly said, *you know what's coming.*

The habitually lethargic Director Xun shrank his neck, not daring to provoke this "volcanic" enchantress any further.

"Cao Fusheng... Cao Fusheng... The First Security Division? No, no. The Zhonghai Operations Bureau? There’s no one by that name... It’s my fault for having been retired for too long. I stepped down after training the last batch of students at the Central Direct Military. Wait... the Central Direct Military?" Bian Qiu’s eyes widened sharply. He had finally remembered who the man on the screen was.

After deducing the man’s true identity, a playful smile appeared on the corner of Bian Qiu’s mouth. This was far too interesting.

This man was supposed to be dead.

And he was a dead man he particularly disliked. Though they had never interacted directly, that did not stop him from taking a dislike to someone.

***

Celestial Pillar Energy Reactor.

After passing through nine security doors, Cao Fusheng finally arrived at the heart of this legendary structure.

It was a reactor, hundreds of meters tall, standing right before him, supporting the operation of the Celestial Pillar. Yet, the energy that should have been burning fiercely now flickered like a dim, dying light, as if it were about to extinguish.

As the head of the Planning Department, Lu Yuan had seen the reactor many times, but it never failed to deliver a staggering visual impact.

"This! This is the Celestial Pillar’s energy reactor! It sustains all those who live within this pure land. As long as the reactor does not die, the Celestial Pillar will last forever!"

Cao Fusheng stood momentarily stunned. He had seen many things similar to a reactor, but compared to this titan, which looked like an armored superman, those were merely mosquitoes to an elephant. There was no comparison.

"Tsk tsk, 'as long as the reactor does not die, the Celestial Pillar will last forever'? The way you recited that line, I almost thought you were a cultist," Cao Fusheng remarked calmly, looking at Lu Yuan, who was still lost in his own fervor. One had to be deeply conditioned to have such a fanatical, obsessive reliance on the Pillar.

"Mr. Cao, if you’ll pardon my bluntness, what is this miraculous method you speak of? The Celestial Pillar’s energy replenishment requires metallic substances, and you don’t seem to have anything on you," Lu Yuan asked the question that had been bothering him. Even if a person had metal on them, how much could they possibly carry?

However, the Boss kept sending him messages, telling him to let Cao Fusheng do as he pleased, to see what kind of trick he could pull off. In any case, he wasn't worried about the reactor being destroyed; the material was identical to the outer walls of the Celestial Pillar and was impervious to external damage.

The question Lu Yuan asked was also the one that concerned the bigwigs far away in the top floor.

"Director Lu, holding such a high position, surely you must be more knowledgeable than a man like me. Tell me, have you ever heard of metal that falls from the sky?" Cao Fusheng said with a faint, sidelong glance.

Dozens of meters ahead of him was the intake portal—a massive, thick, transparent door that resembled glass. Yet, its heat resistance and hardness were incomparable to anything currently found on Earth. When the reactor was in operation, it could release temperatures of tens of thousands of degrees, none of which could penetrate the furnace shell or that transparent door.

"Metal that falls from the sky? Could it be... extraterrestrial matter?" Lu Yuan stared in shock at the man, who remained utterly confident.

Extraterrestrial metal—the Celestial Pillar possessed a small amount of it. It was based on this substance that they had researched and refined a similar material known as "Krypton Gold." The current "Krypton Gold" series equipment was forged from this very material. The Gravity Bodies were made of an even higher concentration of such metal, making them significantly more powerful.

However, such metal was rare and impossible to seek out. Many people inside the Celestial Pillar had held status in the Old Era, and even by pooling their collective strength, they had obtained very little extraterrestrial metal. Most of it had been used for research.

"But that can't be right. You were searched when you entered the Celestial Pillar. If you truly had it, you couldn't possibly be carrying it on your person. I hope you are being sincere, Mr. Cao, and not playing games with me." Lu Yuan immediately realized the flaw—where could he have any metal? He had previously assumed the "mysterious method" was some sort of innate ability. It seemed he had been watching too many science fiction movies.

Lu Yuan couldn't help but shake his head. There was no such thing as superpowers in this world.

Cao Fusheng stared deeply into Lu Yuan’s eyes, as if looking through them to see the people debating in the conference room.