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After Winning The Esports Championship I’m Going To Pilot A Mecha: Chapter 93
93. Yangyuan City’s Plutocracy
The pursuit order was issued by the Calamity Control Bureau in the Upper City District of Shangjing City, while Li Li was affiliated with Yangyuan City. Therefore, strictly speaking, the two of them were not considered to be in hostile relations.
Ji Mingzhu didn’t expect to encounter Li Li in this place, and the fact that she immediately recognized him caught him off guard. Fortunately, Li Li didn’t harbor any ill will towards Ji Mingzhu. In fact, she had helped him back in Shangjing City before. Otherwise, their plans with Yao Guang would have been ruined on the spot.
“Has Yangyuan City not received the pursuit order from Shangjing City?” Ji Mingzhu asked casually as they each picked up a full plate of food from the table.
“Of course, we have,” Li Li said. “Not only Yangyuan City, but the other eleven satellite cities have also received your pursuit order. However… it’s just a formality. Every satellite city has a few fugitives on the run. There aren’t enough resources to spare for this many pursuits.”
Ji Mingzhu remained silent.
“But you should still be careful,” Li Li paused and continued, “After all, you have an S-class mech. If there’s a chance to catch you, Yangyuan City won’t let it slip by. Regardless of your intentions, you’ve saved many people in Shangjing City before. I don’t want to see you end up in prison.”
Ji Mingzhu nodded slowly.
Carrying their plates, the two returned to Yao Mingkai’s position, where several more people had gathered.
Yao Mingkai, An Man, and the others stood up, their expressions somewhat tense. Standing in front of them were several elders in formal attire, one of whom was Yao Xiangrong.
Next to Yao Xiangrong stood an elegant old lady, the protagonist and hostess of tonight’s party, Lady He.
“It’s been several years since I last saw Mingkai. You’ve grown so much,” Lady He said with a gentle smile.
“I wanted to take this kid to visit you at your place some time ago, but this child stubbornly refused, saying he was too busy with the competition,” Yao Xiangrong chuckled. “When he was younger, he used to follow you around, calling you ‘godmother’ every day. Now that he’s older, he’s become less respectful.”
Lady He shook her head gracefully. “It’s okay. Young people have their own circles. The fact that he could come to my party today is already giving enough face for me as his godmother.”
“Li Li is here too?”
Yao Xiangrong noticed the two coming in from outside and then looked at Ji Mingzhu beside Li Li. “Who is this?”
“Dad, this is my friend,” Yao Mingkai said helplessly. “I brought him in. He’s a professional trainer for our team.”
“Hello,” Ji Mingzhu politely smiled at Yao Xiangrong.
He extended his hand from his pocket and reached out to Yao Xiangrong. “I’ve heard so much about you, Mr. Yao.”
Yao Xiangrong was somewhat surprised but still extended his hand, briefly shaking Ji Mingzhu’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Their handshake was brief and seemed like a perfectly normal social etiquette. No one noticed anything amiss.
“Dad, you go ahead and take care of your business. My friend and I will stay here,” Yao Mingkai said to Yao Xiangrong. “Having you here makes us feel awkward.”
“You brat…” Yao Xiangrong gave him a stern look, but mindful of Lady He’s presence, he refrained from scolding him on the spot. “Forget it… We’ll talk when we get back.”
While father and son were talking, Ji Mingzhu put his hand back in his pocket.
The transparent glove had been removed and quietly placed in his pocket. During the handshake with Yao Xiangrong, it had already recorded Yao Xiangrong’s fingerprint data.
Mission accomplished.
Ji Mingzhu breathed a sigh of relief.
No one else noticed anything unusual. After a brief chat between Yao Xiangrong and Yao Mingkai, he helped Lady He and left together.
…
“Xiangrong.”
Lady He patted Yao Xiangrong’s hand. “I appreciate your efforts. Your company must have been quite busy, and you’ve pushed aside a lot of things just to accompany this old lady.”
Yao Xiangrong smiled. “Lady He, how can you say that? Isn’t it what we juniors should do?”
“The Calamity Control Bureau contacted me some time ago,” Lady He greeted the others and then turned back, casually mentioning it.
Yao Xiangrong asked, “What did they want from you? You haven’t inquired about Yangyuan City’s affairs for so many years. Why would the Calamity Control Bureau contact you?”
Lady He replied calmly, “What else could it be… It’s about ‘Zhu Rong.’ The limiter for ‘Zhu Rong’ is about to enter the next rotation period. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”
…….
Yao Xiangrong’s eyes flickered.
“Our financial conglomerate in Yangyuan City has been able to stand for so many years without becoming a puppet under the control of the Calamity Control Bureau like other satellite cities. Isn’t it because of this reliance?” Lady He smiled. “Now that the rotation period is approaching, the Calamity Control Bureau can’t sit still.”
“Do you agree?” Yao Xiangrong asked.
“Whether I agree or not isn’t solely up to me,” Lady He said. “I’ve called everyone together today to discuss it. But I reckon everyone’s thoughts are similar. As long as the Calamity Control Bureau is willing to offer enough benefits, we’re all businessmen, so what can’t be negotiated? What do you think?”
Yao Xiangrong forced a smile and nodded. “Of course, it depends on the opinions of others as well. We’ll vote on it.”
…
Having successfully obtained Yao Xiangrong’s fingerprint data, Ji Mingzhu was in a good mood. He chatted with Yao Mingkai and others while nibbling on the pastries in front of him.
“Beep beep beep.”
He noticed his communicator ringing and picked it up. It was a message from Yao Guang.
“I’m going to the restroom,” Ji Mingzhu stood up and said to Yao Mingkai and the others.
“Go ahead, come back soon,” Yao Mingkai replied, his eyes a bit unfocused from drinking. “About what you just mentioned… Frequency conversion acceleration? How do you operate it? Come back and explain it to me properly.”
“Rum Frequency Conversion Grade 4 Velocity,” Ji Mingzhu said helplessly. “Okay, I’ll explain it to you when I get back. You guys have fun for now.”
With that, he signaled to An Man and the others and left for the restroom first.
Watching Ji Mingzhu’s figure leave, Li Li couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
After a moment of thought, she said, “I’ll also go to the restroom.”
After Li Li left, everyone looked at each other in confusion.
“Why… why does it feel like Sister Li Li is quite interested in our brother Tian Nan?” An Man muttered unclearly. “Although they haven’t said much to each other, the atmosphere feels strange…”
“Isn’t Sister Li Li fond of our Captain?” Someone patted An Man’s shoulder. “Two skilled pilots, a little mutual interest is normal, right? Li Li is a Titan pilot, seeing talent sparks interest. Maybe Brother Tian Nan will be recruited by the Calamity Control Bureau by Sister Li Li in a few days for a position. Haha… What do you think, Captain?”
Yao Mingkai drank in frustration, feeling a bit uneasy for some reason.
…..
“What’s wrong?”
Ji Mingzhu arrived at an empty place and answered the call.
“We’ve got a new discovery!”
Yao Guang’s voice came through the communication device. “I just investigated Lady He and some other financial conglomerates in Yangyuan City and found some unusual things.”
Ji Mingzhu perked up. “Tell me.”
“There’s something very different about Yangyuan City compared to other satellite cities, and that’s the significant power held by the financial conglomerates there. In satellite cities like Shangjing, the Calamity Control Bureau usually holds the highest authority, backed by Sky City, and has a lot of influence. But Yangyuan City is different. The financial conglomerates there even seem to have a feeling of overpowering the Calamity Control Bureau, and many important positions in the Calamity Control Bureau are somehow connected to the conglomerates.”
Ji Mingzhu rubbed his chin. “Isn’t it because the economic industries in Yangyuan City are mainly controlled by the conglomerates?”
“That’s part of the reason, but I just found some other information,” Yao Guang said. “A few years ago, it seems that the Titan, Zhu Rong, in Yangyuan City had a damaged restraint device during a battle, and the Titan almost went out of control.”
Ji Mingzhu was taken aback. “Is that even possible? What happens when a Titan’s restraint device malfunctions?”
He had heard Red Guard Commander, Zuo Quanzong mention the matter about Titans before. The cockpit of a Titan was actually the restraint device; people could only control the Titan through the cockpit, and once it went out of control, the Titan would bring catastrophic consequences.
“I’m not sure… but then the matter was covered up, and most of the information was erased. I barely managed to find some clues,” Yao Guang said.
“How was it resolved? Did Sky City intervene?” Ji Mingzhu was curious.
“No, it was the conglomerates,” Yao Guang said. “Lady He’s Baham Technology and several other conglomerates in Yangyuan City jointly invested and established a laboratory several years ago to research Titan cockpits. When the restraint device of the Titan was damaged, this laboratory stepped in for repairs, stabilizing the Titan and preventing catastrophic consequences. Later, the Calamity Control Bureau wanted to invest in purchasing the patent rights to this technology, but the two sides have yet to come to an agreement.”
Ji Mingzhu pondered for a moment. “So, the reason why the Calamity Control Bureau in Yangyuan City is weak is because this technology is controlled by the conglomerates?”
“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Yao Guang agreed with Ji Mingzhu’s statement. “Zhu Rong needs to undergo cockpit restraint device rotation every six months, and this laboratory is responsible for it. These conglomerates are closely united, so the Calamity Control Bureau dare not act rashly, leading to the current situation.”
“What role does Yao Xiangrong play in all of this?”
“I checked the shareholder information changes, and Yao Xiangrong only successfully invested in this laboratory starting from last year,” Yao Guang said. “This should be under the instruction of Netherworld.”
“It’s not surprising that Netherworld has always wanted to seize control of the Titans,” Ji Mingzhu thought for a moment and said. “Perhaps Netherworld is also preparing to obtain this technology. After all, in that case, it’s equivalent to controlling a major lifeline of the Titans in Yangyuan City.”
Suddenly, he sensed a commotion outside.
The melodious music of the party was abruptly interrupted, and several urgent screams rang out, indicating that something unexpected had occurred.
“Axiu, what’s going on?” Ji Mingzhu frowned and asked.
“It seems that someone has intruded into the party,” Axiu said. “At the moment, we can’t discern the intentions of this group.”
Ji Mingzhu’s heart sank, and he said to Yao Guang, “It seems that something is happening at the party. I’ll go check it out.”
He hung up the communication device and had just taken a step forward when a dark figure rushed out from behind!
Ji Mingzhu tensed his body and didn’t hesitate: “Axiu, activate Asura Mo…”
Before he could finish saying “Asura Mode,” he felt someone covering his mouth from behind, and then he heard Li Li’s voice.
“Shh… it’s me.”
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