161: Chapter 161 Let's use the downgraded version to fool them first.

"Fine." Elder Wu nodded, not pushing further.

"As long as you know what you're doing."

"I didn't come here today to take your things."

Speaking of which, he paused, his expression becoming uncharacteristically serious.

"And no one else will take them, either."

"You can rest assured about that."

Lu Li glanced at Elder Wu.

In truth, he hadn't been worried about this from the start.

He trusted this country.

He also trusted the people before him.

But trust was one thing.

The stronger, more core version had to remain in his own hands first.

As for giving it to the country?

Of course, he would.

Just not now.

And it wouldn't be this complete version of the Mark 45 in the true sense.

Lu Li already had a plan in mind.

In a few months, when the situation calmed down and the relevant material systems and industrial chains were more mature, he could easily create a separate, downgraded version.

With slightly worse performance, a bulkier propulsion system, and more restrained firepower.

The mobility and intelligence levels would also be dialed down a notch.

It would be similar to the version Tony Stark eventually handed over to the military.

Strong enough.

Intimidating enough.

But the most core elements would still be kept in his own hands.

This way, he could boost the country's overall combat capabilities significantly without revealing his true trump cards all at once.

Elder Wu clearly didn't know that Lu Li had already calculated his escape route in his head.

He just looked at the kid's lazy demeanor and sighed.

"You," he said.

"You really make me both relieved and frustrated."

Lu Li chuckled.

"That just goes to show my balancing act is pretty good."

Elder Wu glared at him.

In the end, he couldn't help but glance at the briefcase again.

That look was just like an old general seeing a legendary weapon; he said he wasn't in a rush, but he was itching to see it inside.

"Little Lu," he said.

"One last question."

"Is it really possible to mass-produce this thing of yours in the future?"

Lu Li pondered for a moment, not closing the door on the possibility.

"Theoretically, yes."

"But not now."

"Materials, energy, control systems, industrial precision—it wouldn't work if any of those were lacking."

"And if we really want to head toward mass production, we'd have to release a weakened version first, otherwise the costs would be absurdly high."

Elder Wu's eyes lit up instantly.

This sentence was enough.

What he feared most was Lu Li telling him directly: it's one-of-a-kind, handmade, and never going to happen.

Now that he had said "theoretically possible," it meant this wasn't just a dream.

It was only a matter of time.

Elder Wu looked at Lu Li deeply and suddenly smiled.

"Fine."

"Then I'll wait for the day your conscience kicks in."

Lu Li carried the briefcase and replied lazily:

"You say that as if I'm usually heartless."

Elder Wu snorted.

"Whether you have a conscience or not, you know that yourself."

After saying this, he paused, his gaze slowly darkening.

"However, the incident on the bridge will not be let go just like that."

"Daring to use guns on the main thoroughfare of Mingzhu City, and aiming it at you..."

"Some people think we are too easy to talk to."

Lu Li listened, his eyes dimming slightly.

His anger over this matter had already been vented in part by those two shots on the bridge.

But that didn't mean he would stop there.

Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment.

Chairman Fan Jianguo.

And that certain country behind them that wanted him gone.

None of them would escape.

The cold white light of the underground garage shone down, casting long shadows of the two men.

A moment later, Elder Wu patted Lu Li on the shoulder.

"Alright."

"You go on up first."

"Qingxue is still waiting for you."

"Leave the rest to us."

"Rest assured, not a single member of the Fan Family will get away."

Lu Li nodded, grabbed the briefcase, and turned to walk toward the private elevator.

His silhouette remained lazy.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Inside the CEO's office.

The door was gently pushed open.

That familiar figure, carrying the black briefcase, walked back in.

The heart that Su Qingxue had been holding in suspense the whole way finally settled back into place.

She didn't speak at first.

She just watched Lu Li walk from the door to her, her gaze sweeping over him lightning-fast, from head to toe, confirming that not even a corner of his clothes was disheveled, before she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"Are you done looking?"

Lu Li set the briefcase aside casually and spoke lazily.

"Yeah."

Su Qingxue nodded, her voice unconsciously softening a bit, "Confirming that you're still alive and kicking."

Lu Li chuckled.

"CEO Su, that's not a very auspicious thing to say."

"Whether it's auspicious or not doesn't matter."

Su Qingxue stood up, walked over to him, and very naturally straightened his collar.

Her voice was calm, though a lingering trace of fear was still pressed deep in her eyes.

"What's important is, stop treating these things as lightly as having a meal."

Lu Li looked down at her, the corners of his lips curling up slightly.

"Then what else should I do?"

"I can't exactly get cornered by people with guns and then come cry to you, can I?"

Su Qingxue looked up and glared at him.

"Less of your cheek."

That's what she said.

But seeing Lu Li looking so relaxed and able to joke, the last bit of tension in her heart finally completely released.

Her movements as she straightened his collar paused, and she suddenly asked in a low voice:

"Those two people on the bridge... were they sent by Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment?"

"It's highly likely."

Lu Li pulled over a chair and sat directly in front of her desk, his posture as casual as ever, as if he had just returned from buying a drink at the convenience store downstairs.

"Even if Chairman Fan Jianguo didn't find them himself, it definitely has something to do with his side."

"And it's not just him."

He raised his eyelids slightly, his tone dimming a bit.

"There are people behind him."

Su Qingxue's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Overseas?"

"Yeah."

Lu Li nodded.

"With Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment's size, they wouldn't dare pull something this big on the main thoroughfare of Mingzhu City on their own."

Su Qingxue was silent for two seconds, her fingertips resting lightly on the tabletop, her expression turning cold bit by bit.

She was never a soft person to begin with.

Over these years in the business world, what kind of tactics hadn't she seen?

But business warfare is business warfare.

Blocking a bridge, holding M16s, carrying explosives, conducting an assassination on the street in broad daylight during the morning rush hour—this was no longer competition.

This was completely crossing the line.

"This matter will not be let go just like that."

Her voice was not loud, but it was as cold as ice.

Looking at her like this, Lu Li couldn't help but smile.

"Rest assured."

"When has your man ever suffered such a loss?"

Hearing this, Su Qingxue looked up at him.

Lu Li leaned against the back of the chair, as lazy as if he had no bones, yet his words were very light.

"Chairman Fan Jianguo won't get away this time."

"As for those people behind him..."

He paused, a trace of extremely faint coldness flashing in his eyes.

"I will keep track of the debts, one by one."

Su Qingxue looked at him and said nothing more.

Because she knew that when Lu Li said he was "keeping track," it basically meant he had already written the ending for the other party.

...

Over the next few days, the weather in Mingzhu City was consistently bad.

The clouds hung low, and the air carried a gloominess like a storm was about to break.

But more suffocating than the weather was the trend in the entire internet and capital market.

Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment began to collapse.

It wasn't a collapse of slow decline or gradual bloodletting.

It was a collapse where everything, from the inside to the underlying logic, was being peeled back layer by layer.

The Penguin Group made their move.

After Guanghui Technology bowed their heads, Ma Huateng completely solidified his identity as a hired thug.

All traffic entry points under Penguin, as if rehearsed in advance, suddenly began pushing all kinds of past dirt on Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment across the entire platform.

Tax evasion.

Yin-yang contracts.

Data fabrication.

Exploiting outsourcing teams.

Even the gray data and violation records of Tianqiong Mobility over the past few years were dug up one by one.

The actions were fast, the rhythm was ruthless, and the materials were so complete that it was as if someone had prepared a full set of knives long ago, just waiting for this moment to collectively stab them out.

Many people in the industry thought it was someone setting a trap when they first saw it.

But the more they looked, the more alarmed they became.

Because these things were too real.

So real that there was absolutely no room to spin it.

In an instant, the entire public opinion field exploded.