Chapter Fifty: One Step to Heaven

"Xiao Liao, are you certain about this?"

Zhao Fangxu wore a grave expression. Usually known for his affability, he now exuded a formidable and overwhelming authority, fixing a gaze upon Liao Zhong opposite him that made even the latter feel somewhat uneasy.

"Director Zhao, I... I believe I can be certain!" Liao Zhong stammered in reply.

Zhao Fangxu’s expression darkened with displeasure. "One is one, and two is two. This matter brooks not the slightest bit of carelessness."

Upon hearing this, Liao Zhong steadied himself, his expression shifting as he nodded heavily. "Director Zhao, I am certain, and I am willing to vouch for Meng Fan with my life."

"Vouch for him? How do you intend to do that?"

Zhao Fangxu stood up abruptly, pacing back and forth.

He instinctively reached for his phone, intending to notify the other directors, but stopped himself. This matter was simply too monumental. For the sake of security, the news must not be leaked under any circumstances.

Gazing sternly at Liao Zhong, Zhao Fangxu demanded, "How many other people know about this?"

"No one else. Meng Fan's experiments were conducted in complete secrecy; only the two of us know. Initially, I thought he was just messing around and let him be, but I never expected him to hand me such a massive surprise."

"A surprise? Hmph, more like a shock to the heart," Zhao Fangxu snorted coldly. In an extremely rare gesture, he picked up a cigarette and lit it.

Inside, he was actually burning with anxiety, feeling as though he were being roasted over a blazing fire, but he knew he could not afford to panic now.

Forcing himself to calm down, Zhao Fangxu looked at Liao Zhong and issued his directives and arrangements: "Right now, you are to return immediately. Remember, you must protect Meng Fan and that parent plant at all costs."

"Furthermore, I will dispatch people to—no, forget it. I will accompany you there myself to verify its true efficacy."

"Only after the effects have been verified will I report it upward. This matter is simply too vast; given the current scale of our Company, we wouldn't be able to bear the weight of it."

Zhao Fangxu felt a profound sense of suffocating agitation, though it was mingled with a greater measure of overwhelming joy. If the effects were truly as Meng Fan had described, then the realm of Shenzhou...

"Hah, calm down, calm down!"

Zhao Fangxu slapped himself across the face twice, forcing himself to regain his composure. Even someone like him, who had always remained unshakeable in the face of countless shifting tides and storms, could not help but feel anxious and tense.

Suddenly, noticing the look of concern Liao Zhong was directing at him, Zhao Fangxu barked out, "What are you still standing there staring for? Get moving!"

"Ah? Yes, sir!"

Liao Zhong braced his posture, then bolted back without a moment's hesitation, only to hear a voice calling out from behind him.

"Wait, I'm going with you. We're taking the private plane."

One could tell that Zhao Fangxu was practically flustered and incoherent.

And truly, who wouldn't panic in a situation like this?

---

South China Division, the Company's underground stronghold.

Meng Fan and Chen Duo were having lunch together in the cafeteria.

"Here, the braised pork belly the auntie made today is quite good."

Absent-mindedly, Meng Fan picked up a piece of half-fat, half-lean pork belly and placed it in Chen Duo's bowl, watching as she happily ate it.

Chen Duo seemed to sense Meng Fan's unusual demeanor and asked with innocent concern, "Meng Fan, what's wrong?"

Meng Fan waved a hand. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Then, casting his gaze toward the lights on the ceiling of the cafeteria, he said with profound meaning, "It's merely a premonition of the grand momentum sweeping ahead. Things are about to become turbulent."

Sure enough, before the two of them could even finish their meal, the alarm of the Company's underground stronghold began to wail—a first-level red alert.

Immediately following this, squads of operatives appeared before Meng Fan, surrounding him layer upon layer.

Recognizing many familiar faces among them, Meng Fan smiled faintly. "Brother Wang, there's no need to be so tense."

The man addressed as Brother Wang walked up and lowered his voice. "I don't know why, but just a minute ago, the boss suddenly issued a directive ordering us to protect you at all costs. People have already been dispatched to your laboratory as well, and all personnel movement there has been frozen."

"Moreover, to ensure your safety..."

Brother Wang hesitated, glanced at Chen Duo, and then continued tactfully, "You'd better return to the laboratory alone. After all, Duo'er carries a certain danger index."

Meng Fan patted Chen Duo's uneasy hand to reassure her, let out a sigh, and said, "Alright, I'll go, just to keep things easy for you guys."

As they parted ways, Meng Fan gently stroked the top of Chen Duo's head and said, "Eat your lunch obediently and don't go hungry. Don't worry, Uncle Liao is just making a mountain out of a molehill."

Chen Duo nodded obediently, sat back down, and began scooping up mouthfuls of rice. During the two years they had spent together, Chen Duo's sensible nature had always been enough to tug at one's heartstrings.

"Let's go. To the laboratory."

Three hours later.

In the secluded inner chamber of the laboratory, Meng Fan met with Zhao Fangxu and Liao Zhong, who had rushed over without a moment's rest.

"This... is this the parent plant?"

With trembling hands, Zhao Fangxu reached out as if to stroke it, but quickly pulled his hand back, terrified of damaging even the slightest fraction of it.

This was a genuine national treasure!

If the slightest mistake were made, cutting off Zhao Fangxu's head ten thousand times wouldn't be enough to pay for it.

Meng Fan smiled. "Director Zhao, it's not that fragile. The vitality of the parent plant is exceptionally formidable; otherwise, it wouldn't be able to adapt to such a wide variety of environments."

Already a heavy-set man, Zhao Fangxu now had cold sweat beading on his forehead, which he wiped away repeatedly with a handkerchief.

Meng Fan casually stroked a cluster of rice ears, pressing down on them slightly to demonstrate their resistance to lodging.

Yet this simple action scared Zhao Fangxu half to death.

My little ancestor, my living ancestor, could you please be a bit more gentle!

The two beings present right now—one was a true higher-up, and the other was a living little ancestor—neither of them was someone he could afford to offend!

"Are the effects truly as described?" Zhao Fangxu asked in a dry voice.

Meng Fan nodded. "I'm only giving a conservative estimate. The actual effects might even be somewhat better."

"And the side effects? Are there any side effects?" Zhao Fangxu asked with extreme nervous tension.

"Side effects, you ask~"

Meng Fan deliberately hesitated for a moment before saying, "If you consider people who consume it over a long period having boundless, overly abundant energy as a side effect, does that count?"

Hearing this, Zhao Fangxu let out a long, shuddering breath, feeling a mix of laughter and tears. Could they please stop toying with his heart like this?

"Does this rice variety have a name?"

"It does. I've named it: Dragon's Fang!"

"The fangs of the dragon of Shenzhou, the keen edge of Shenzhou's rise!" Meng Fan declared with a solemn expression. "Dragon's Fang Rice—may I see every person in Shenzhou become like a dragon!"

"Dragon's Fang... Named after you."

Zhao Fangxu gazed at the verdant, golden-tipped parent plant of rice, swearing to himself that he had never witnessed such a magnificent sight in all his life.

Finally, tearing his gaze away with extreme reluctance, Zhao Fangxu said, "We must report this upward. I will write the report myself and escort it personally to Yanjing."

"As for how the higher-ups decide to handle this Dragon's Fang parent plant, that is no longer something within my purview to ask."

---

Under One Person World.

September, 2013.

Above the Company, a new organization was established.

Its name: Division 139.

It was tasked specifically with a highly covert project. To ensure the smooth implementation of this plan, they began scouring for talent across all fields, granted with special authorization for enforcement!