The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

She can't tell the difference! She can't tell the difference!

Why lay the groundwork? Why create a resonance?

The man asked, puzzled.

"Isn't making a plan simply about connecting the pieces you have at hand that you can use to achieve this goal? As long as the pieces are connected, why worry about when or which move to make?"

Kasena: ?

"...Could you explain it more clearly?"

"Sigh, I think I understand what you mean. You mean to say that a plan should strictly follow this sequence: idea creation – thinking methods – placing pawns – detonating the plan, right?"

The black snake nodded.

"This is a stupid method that only people who have no pieces in their hand would use. Because they are too poor and have no capital to operate, they can only proceed in order."

Qiao Yelan didn't care at all how hurtful those words were to Black Snake, and continued talking on her own.

“A true planner never deliberately places pieces – because he has so many spare pieces that he always has usable pieces at hand whenever he wants to complete any plan.”

"In other words, all I need to do is think about the methods and then detonate the plan."

"Then how can you guarantee that it will ultimately lead to the result you want?"

Kashina asked eagerly.

"Because a chess piece is unaware that it is a chess piece."

Qiao Yelan smiled.

"Therefore, he naturally wouldn't know that every step he took was the result of being seduced—he would firmly believe that it was the product of his careful consideration, and would steadfastly continue down this path."

"But in fact, these so-called products of careful consideration are actually my will."

"If every piece can deeply embody the player's will, how could a game of chess possibly go in a direction the player does not want?"

Chapter 71 Step-by-Step Teaching

"Welcome to the Tower of Babel, Mr. Kane. I never expected that the first guest to visit me after returning to the Great Knight Territory would be you."

Qiao Yelan looked at the panting young man with some surprise, but still extended her welcome.

"Yes, I'm sorry to bother you, but I came here as soon as I heard you were back."

He grabbed a glass of water and drank it all in one gulp.

“During the time you were away, I investigated what you said—it was not a baseless lie. I heard many infected people expressing their gratitude to you, and I also saw the secret location where your staff distributed the test kits. I want to apologize for my previous suspicion and rudeness towards you.”

"There's no need for that—but now that you've already seen it, why did you come looking for me?"

"Because I still have doubts—my father told me that Babel was one of the founders of the Business Federation, and your company is indeed a vast commercial empire. But you seem to be a two-faced person. On the one hand, your pursuit of profit is exemplary, but on the other hand, your attitude towards ordinary people is completely different from others."

Kane stared at Qiao Yelan.

"You are like a contradiction, I can't find a word to describe you - your actions are two extremes, yet they appear at the same time."

Qiao Yelan laughed. It seemed that Bain did indeed have a very outstanding son.

"You say that all my actions are two extremes, half like a businessman and half not, but have you ever really understood the chairmen of these companies in the business association?"

"It is not easy for someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth to turn around and be hostile to their own class—and it is even more commendable to stand on the side of ordinary people, speak up for them, and stand with them through thick and thin."

"But have you considered whether this is the limit of what you can do for them?"

The young reporter was stunned.

"You are now a journalist, able to interview ordinary people and write about their grievances and humility in the newspaper. But I believe you should know that your reports can be published because of your position, while many more journalists' reports will never get through the editor's section."

Kane remained silent; this was a reality he could not refute.

His background has given him many advantages. From his student days to today, whether it's his defiant stance against those who make threats during interviews or his reckless behavior when writing articles, it's all because he is aware of his own identity.

He is able to oppose his own class, and the main source of his support is actually his own class.

"You've been acting as a journalist, trying to make people forget your true identity, but even you can't deny that your true identity has helped you a lot—have you ever thought that if you acted as your true identity, you could get more support for the people you want to help?"

"With my true identity... I can do more for them?"

Kane murmured in confusion, his gaze becoming longing, his thoughts becoming anxious, and he desperately wanted to get an answer from Qiao Yelan.

Just like every one of Qiao Yelan's students.

As always, upon discovering a chess piece that has yet to be claimed, the whispers of the evil spirits begin to weave a net for it, with only a small hole showing through.

Through that small hole, Kane will see the brilliance of his ideals.

However, he couldn't tell whether that radiance came from the blazing sun or from the flames of a demon.

-------------------------------------------------- ------------

Kashina pushed Qiao Yelan into a long corridor, followed by a follower with his head down, carrying a briefcase.

"Welcome to this Business Federation meeting, [Doctor]."

The spokesperson bowed respectfully and invited Qiao Yelan inside.

The three people entered the strictly guarded meeting room, while the other party, as the spokesperson for the Business Federation, was not even allowed to enter.

"When you're walking, don't look around. When you sit down, you'll have plenty of time to observe your surroundings."

Qiao Yelan whispered her instructions.

“I understand—it’s just that this is my first time in a place like this, so it’s understandable that I’m a little excited.”

Kane quickly looked away and continued to walk behind Qiao Yelan, pretending to be her follower.

The three of them walked to their respective seats. Qiao Yelan adjusted his wheelchair slightly to fit the conference table in front of him, and Kashena and Kane sat down beside him.

"This is where the Business Federation truly makes strategic decisions. Usually, only a few top directors are qualified to initiate such decisions, and Babel happens to be one of them."

Qiao Yelan continued to explain the current situation to Kane.

“In fact, your father is also qualified to initiate this meeting, and if it were you, I believe your father would not mind you listening in beside him—if you are willing to accept your true identity.”

Kane immediately fell silent. Qiao Yelan's words were clear: if he hadn't been constantly on the front lines as a reporter and had no interest in the family fortune, then he certainly wouldn't be unfamiliar with this place.

"The business association will decide which industries will become popular in the future, how they will plan ahead, and then attract the attention of ordinary people—whether it's gold, art, cars, or housing—in short, all with the aim of further extracting wealth from the people."

"In other words, the wealth of the entire Kasimir people will be determined by this meeting—but the people are completely unaware of this and therefore have no means of dealing with it, because they cannot participate in the meeting at all."

Qiao Yelan's voice pounded against Kane's heart.

"But this time, they won't be completely unaware of this—because you've come to this venue, and you'll tell them everything that's happening here, so they won't be misled by commercial tactics and can protect their already meager wealth."

“Think about it, Kane. If I weren’t here this time, and you went to your father and said you wanted to attend this meeting as an observer, would your father mind? No, not at all. He would only be pleasantly surprised by your change of heart and then give you the opportunity to inform the people about this meeting.”

"This is something you, as [journalist Kane], could never do."

The young man lowered his head, feeling both annoyed and regretful.

He didn't care whether his actions would upset his father; he was just annoyed that he hadn't thought of this solution sooner and regretted the countless opportunities he had missed in the past.

"Open the briefcase in your hand."

Kane opened his briefcase and took out a parchment bag.

"Take a look at the documents inside; this is the proposal I'm putting forward today."

When the man opened it, the first page made his eyes bulge.

The further he looked, the more his hands trembled. In the end, he even tried to stand up, but Kashina pressed him firmly back into his chair.

"Why! Why did you propose such a motion?!"

The young man questioned Qiao Yelan with a twisted expression. If his rationality hadn't told him that he couldn't reveal his identity at this moment, he probably would have already started roaring.

"Because I didn't write this bill."

Qiao Yelan said quietly.

"You didn't... write it?"

"This bill comes from Ursus, and unfortunately, it has already been leaked. The civilian protests that broke out this month in Sterling Eagle Fortress and several other major Ursus cities were because this bill was leaked by certain people—so it probably won't be implemented publicly anymore."

"Even those barbarians from Ursus wouldn't do this, so are we, as a nation of knights, inferior to them?!"

"Listen carefully to what I'm saying—[it probably won't be publicly implemented anymore]."

Qiao Yelan patiently repeated it.

The reporter, whose thinking was clouded by anger, still had a decent grasp of language.

"No longer publicly available..."

"Yes, at least in their public statements, they say they won't implement it. But at the same time, they also claim they're going to carry out nationwide disarmament—do you believe that?"

Kane shook his head instinctively.

Ursus, a nation composed of warmongers, actually decided to reduce its military?

Even the pincers in the sewers wouldn't believe such a thing.

"If Ursus says he won't implement it, it means that the proposal has actually been carefully studied, and even all its feasibility has been verified. It's just waiting to be implemented. Therefore, this is a key to unlock the abyss of hell, and Ursus has made the method of making this key public to everyone."

"Use the part of your brain that can still think, and then tell me, do you think the Merchants' Association can refuse a bill that could provide them with hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of slave laborers?"