Chapter Fifty-Three: Quantum Communication

ps: Many thanks to the friend Little Doll Child for the generous reward of 1888. I confess I am already dazzled—both new and old friends have shown their support, and I am truly humbled!

“Huh?” Zhu Lan’s words completely stunned Yu Dongming and Lan Tianxin.

Zhu Lan smiled. “Am I not speaking the truth?”

Yu Dongming shook his head with a wry smile. “Boss…” He was at a loss for words now.

What Zhu Lan said was indeed true, but it felt a bit like borrowing the tiger’s skin to play the king.

Fantasy Technology—or rather, from the moment the gene enhancement serum was handed over—Zhu Lan had become a state secret. After all, Zhu Lan himself embodied the living formula for the gene enhancement serum, and the nation would never allow him to fall into anyone else’s hands.

To keep certain ambitious people within the country from targeting Fantasy Technology, the company had been designated a military partner unit since its expansion.

In fact, there were many things inside Fantasy Technology that even the military couldn’t uncover.

Unfortunately, the military only knew Zhu Lan was a living gene enhancement formula, but nothing more. In recent days, they were already overwhelmed by threats from all sides and had little bandwidth to track Zhu Lan’s movements.

Zhu Lan chose to leave, to “meet his fate,” partly to test the military—to see if his value held such importance in their eyes.

He had no real concerns for his safety. With Kong Yan by his side, there were few in the world who could threaten him. Besides, if it ever became necessary, Zhu Lan could fully manifest the Mark II Iron Man suit; at that point, escape would be assured regardless of the situation.

Moreover, Zhu Lan sensed he was close to manifesting the Mark III. If he donned the Mark III Iron Man suit, perhaps even the world’s radar systems would struggle to detect him.

Recall that in the Iron Man film, the Mark III suit was only discovered by military radar after its outer shell was pierced by bullets, releasing electronic signals—at first, it was mistaken for a miniature drone. This proves how remarkable the Mark III’s stealth capabilities were. In the realm of stealth technology, if America claims second place, no one dares claim first, for the United States was the pioneer in stealth aircraft and possesses vast experience in searching for stealth vehicles.

Turning off the video, Yu Dongming and Lan Tianxin sat in silence.

“What do you think?” Lan Tianxin asked.

Yu Dongming gave a bitter smile. “What options do we have now?”

Lan Tianxin nodded. “Since that’s the case, let’s do as the boss says! If anything happens, the tall guy will handle it.”

“Alright, I’ll go arrange it immediately!” With that, Yu Dongming left Zhu Lan’s office.

Contacting Zhu Lan was a top-level secret; only his office was deemed truly secure—a fact well-known throughout much of Fantasy Technology, since it was built with special precautions from the outset.

“What are you doing? I’m from the provincial bureau! Do you believe I won’t haul all of you in?”

At the gate of Fantasy Technology, dozens of vehicles lined up, each bearing distinct insignia.

There were police, trade bureau, fire department, judiciary.

At the entrance, more than fifty security guards watched the group intently. Hearing the lead policeman’s words, they showed not a flicker of emotion.

“Who’s in charge here? Come out!”

Yu Dongming stepped forward with a cold smile. “I’m the head of security. If you’ve got business, speak up.”

“Hmph, I suspect there’s an A-level fugitive hiding inside Fantasy Technology. Move your people aside now, or I’ll arrest you all as accomplices!”

“Your company is suspected of tax evasion. I demand to inspect your accounts!” The tax bureau representative chimed in.

“There are significant safety hazards in your company—we’ve received complaints!” One after another, representatives from the fire, trade, even electricity and water departments stepped forward, each seeking to shut Fantasy Technology down.

Yu Dongming looked at the crowd, amused. Had Zhu Lan not given instructions, perhaps they might have gotten in, but now, with Zhu Lan’s orders, entry was out of the question!

“Sorry, regardless of your intentions, none of you will enter Fantasy Technology!”

“What? Who do you think you are?”

“I now suspect you’re accomplices of the fugitive. Move aside!” Eight police officers drew their guns, aiming at Yu Dongming.

Yu Dongming faced the eight firearms without fear. “I advise you to put the guns away—the consequences are more than you can bear.”

Hearing this, silence fell.

“Let me make it clear!” Yu Dongming swept his gaze around. “It doesn’t matter whose orders you’re following. Today, even if the provincial secretary himself comes, without authorization from the military or the boss, none of you will get in. Fantasy Technology is a military classified unit, containing national secrets. Anyone who tries to force entry will be treated as attempting to steal state secrets. By law, we are empowered to stop you—and even to use lethal force!”

At these words, everyone stepped back three paces.

Stealing state secrets was a grave crime. Compared to that, murder and arson were nothing.

“I’ve said all there is to say. Whether you attempt entry is your decision. Without a military-issued pass, you cannot enter Fantasy Technology. If you force entry, it’s the same as theft.”

With that, Yu Dongming turned and walked away, paying them no further heed.

Everyone stood silent, glancing at one another.

None of those present were fools—they were merely pawns in someone else’s game.

But now the problem was enormous: state secrets. Those four words alone—who would dare trespass, even if it was a bluff? Without confirmation, no one would risk it.

Almost everyone here came from the provincial capital. It was known that Fantasy Technology enjoyed military protection. Whether they had weapons, no one could say for sure. Would anyone gamble on that? Certainly not!

When Luo Guoqiang heard from Li Hongjin about the news passed on from Fantasy Technology, he was dumbfounded.

“This…” Luo Guoqiang didn’t know what to say. Fantasy Technology did indeed enjoy such privileges, but those were meant for Zhu Lan.

Who would have thought it would be leveraged now?

“Not only that, those who want to take action against Fantasy Technology are now pressuring us. Fortunately, the higher-ups are ignoring them!”

“Hmph, as if the military is theirs to meddle with!” At this, Luo Guoqiang grew somewhat angry.

Li Hongjin nodded. “Word is, the top brass are losing their temper—not clear at whom, but I suspect it’s mostly directed at Fantasy Technology.”

“Damn it, I’d better go lay low!” Luo Guoqiang realized he’d best stay out of high-level power struggles.

Li Hongjin nodded. “It’s wise to avoid offending them!”

“What about the old chief?”

Li Hongjin shook his head and sighed. “His stance is unclear.”

Luo Guoqiang sighed as well. “Ah, who knows what the higher-ups are thinking!”

“However, it seems there’s trouble brewing over there!” Li Hongjin smiled.

“Over there?”

“Yes! Moxie sent the latest report—Zhu Lan has disappeared!”

Luo Guoqiang frowned. “Is that a problem?”

Li Hongjin smiled. “The issue is, the military has detected a mysterious signal, and its other endpoint is inside Fantasy Technology!”

“A mysterious signal?” Luo Guoqiang now saw the significance. He knew about the Japanese base incident—being a border commander, he had the authority to know, in order to prevent outside organizations from causing trouble, especially since this time it involved a Japanese facility.

That the military intercepted a mysterious signal meant they couldn’t decipher it.

How could that be? Even the most advanced American communications could be deciphered by China’s military, yet now there was a signal they couldn’t crack.

And one end originated from the base, the other from Fantasy Technology. Just as news arrived of Zhu Lan’s disappearance, all evidence pointed to Zhu Lan as the source of the signal.

“Exactly. The higher-ups suspect Zhu Lan has mastered some new form of communication. Simulations show the signal resembles quantum communication.”

“Quantum communication? Impossible—how could Zhu Lan have mastered quantum communication?”

Quantum communication was the next-generation technology, fiercely pursued by nations. Even the United States had only made preliminary progress, while China was just starting—now someone claimed an ordinary person had mastered a method of communication even America hadn’t achieved? Impossible!

Li Hongjin nodded gravely. “Yes. If not for this, Fantasy Technology would have been uprooted long ago. The backgrounds of those people aren’t something even the old chief could block.”

“Interesting. So Yu Dongming’s words were really authorized by Zhu Lan?”

“I think we have reason to investigate.”

“You mean there’s relevant information inside?”

“We used to think Zhu Lan was merely a genius, but now we realize he’s not just a genius—he’s extraordinary!”

Luo Guoqiang sighed. “Indeed! The gene serum has already brought tremendous progress to the nation, saving at least ten years of research and countless resources. But now, it’s clear Zhu Lan wasn’t just working on gene serum—he must have been researching other fields as well. Still, what worries me most is something else.”

“What?” Li Hongjin was considering whether to investigate Fantasy Technology. He knew well the importance of quantum communication, and having such technology under his nose without noticing was a serious dereliction as intelligence director.

“Zhu Lan—now it seems he knew exactly what was going on. With his intelligence, he couldn’t have failed to notice that the higher-ups had set him up for a dead end, yet he went to the Japanese base anyway. Just think about it!”

Li Hongjin was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile. “If it’s the former, he’s absolutely confident. If it’s the latter, he’s a fool.”

Luo Guoqiang laughed. “Exactly. And now, it seems Zhu Lan isn’t a fool—he’s clever. That means he had his own purpose in going, and that’s why he’s now missing. He must be completely sure of his own safety. Ah, the higher-ups have misjudged him. Let’s hope it doesn’t end in the worst possible way.”