From Gotham to Night City, my infamy is known to all.

"Enough with the small talk, we've been quite busy these past few days. What's up?"

Leo's lips curled into a smirk: "Take ten minutes to meet. Let's meet at the Kangtao Building. I'll head over there now and be there in about ten minutes."

Li Qixuan's expression changed: "It's...that matter?"

He didn't dare to be too direct, because this was still a little secret between him and Leo, and it might lead to some wild speculation...

"Yes, I'll bring the item to you. You'll understand after just one look. Oh, and could you please come down and pick me up yourself? It wouldn't be good if someone else saw this item at security."

“So mysterious…” Li Qixuan frowned. “Okay, come over here. Give me the vehicle identification number, and I’ll process your temporary access permission. I’m in the company building now. See you in the internal parking lot later.”

After hanging up the phone, Leo patted V's head lightly: "Drive, baby, let's get things done first."

V snuggled in his arms for a while, then obediently returned to the driver's seat.

"Shall we drive this limousine? Quite a few people know it's your car now."

"What's there to be afraid of? The partnership with Kangtao will be made public soon, so there's no need to hide it anymore."

V nodded and started the vehicle.

Leo then studied Deep Blue's telepathic abilities and successfully established a mental link with it, enabling them to communicate telepathically.

Having just started using the new feature and not yet familiar with it, he occasionally loses control of his thoughts and reveals his true feelings.

For the sake of family harmony, he decided to hide this ability for now and bring his friends in once he had mastered it.

Throughout the journey, he communicated with his two assistants via a telepathic connection, preparing dozens of emergency plans to deal with unexpected events.

I just hope Kang Tao is reliable and doesn't push him to the opposite side right away.

Ten minutes later, the luxury car drove into the underground parking lot of the Kangtao Building. After a quick scan to confirm that it was not carrying any dangerous items, it entered the internal personnel-only area.

Li Qixuan was waiting here with several elite bodyguards. When they saw him, they strode over.

"Still so high-profile, as if you're afraid no one will see you, huh?"

Leo got out of the car and shook hands with him with a smile: "I'm too dazzling, like gold in the sand, I can't keep a low profile even if I want to."

Li Qixuan shook his head speechlessly: "Whatever. Where's what you're talking about? Let me see it. I need to know what it is before I can bring you into the office."

"There's no need to go to the office. I'll give you the things, and it's better to talk to the person in charge tomorrow."

Leo beckoned him to the back of the carriage, casually pointing to the bodyguards.

"Tell them all to stand back, or they might lose their heads."

Li Qixuan hesitated for a moment, then waved to his confidants.

This is Kang Tao's headquarters in Night City, and he's really not afraid of the other side making any underhanded moves.

The bodyguards silently retreated ten meters away, keeping a watchful eye on the situation.

Leo and Li Qixuan entered the extended limousine alone and began a private conversation in the soundproof cabin.

"Here you go, everything's here. The password is eight eights."

Leo pointed to the huge silver suitcase in the carriage.

Li Qixuan glanced at him, checked the inside of the car first, and then reached out and pulled the suitcase.

Click——

After entering the password, the suitcase automatically pops open, revealing its contents.

A cultivation box filled with rice, and a standard-sized black suitcase.

After seeing these two things clearly, a look of confusion flashed in his eyes.

He had guessed what Leonardo would bring out beforehand—perhaps a high-tech creation, or perhaps an internal secret of a large company—but he never expected this.

A box of rice...?

"What does this mean? Please explain."

He raised his hand at Leo, his expression already showing some displeasure, as if he had been tricked.

Leo smiled frankly: "I would like to collaborate with Comto on this research result regarding Chun-2 rice."

"Alcohol-2 small... rice..."

Li Qixuan was stunned for a while, then suddenly felt a surge of heat in his body and subconsciously took off his sunglasses.

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"Of course, while we were researching alcohol-2 wheat at a biotechnology company, we accidentally grafted a new alcohol-2 crop, which is the alcohol-2 rice you see in front of you."

Its yield is higher than wheat, and its genes are quite different from those of Alcohol-2 wheat, making it entirely worthy of a new patent. This briefcase contains the genetic template for this rice variety, along with our anti-theft measures. The usage instructions are already written in the data chip; your technicians will understand it at a glance.

"..."

His casual words silenced Li Qixuan.

“I hope you can pass these documents up the chain of command, preferably directly to the board of directors or core executives of Kangtao. Then please pass on a message to Mr. Xu Shiming, saying that I hope to meet with him tomorrow to discuss this big deal. Right here, in Night City, at the Kangtao Building.”

After he finished speaking, Li Qixuan remained silent for a long time.

The carriage fell into a deathly silence; even the sound of breathing seemed jarring.

After a long while, the head of the security operations department shuddered, as if waking from a dream.

"This matter... cannot tolerate any lies or deception; people will die—"

His voice was low and dry, and his throat would throb involuntarily after he finished speaking.

Leo's reaction was completely different from his, exuding confidence and relaxation: "I'm not stupid, Director Li. The fact that I'm handing this over to you means there's absolutely no problem with it."

He pointed to the box of rice plants at different stages of growth: "If you're not sure, find a technician to check if there's any alcohol-2 in the rice seeds. It should be easy to tell."

Seemingly inspired by his words, Li Qixuan reached out and plucked a few ripe rice grains without saying a word, then crushed them in his palm.

He hesitated for a moment, then dipped his fingertip in the mixture and put it in his mouth.

It's very sweet and has a certain stickiness. When you gently puff out your breath, an incredibly familiar aroma spreads throughout your mouth.

No doubt about it, it really does taste like 2-Crop. One of the military rations uses 2-Crop wheat flour as a raw material. A small packet, the size of an instant coffee, can replenish a whole day's energy.

He also picked immature grains and leaves from plants at different stages and found traces of alcohol-2 in them.

True Alcohol-2 rice, as its name suggests…

I've often heard people talk about Night City being haunted, but I never imagined that he would actually see a ghost here today...

Chapter 373 Leo: "Please invite Mr. Xu Shiming to Night City for a chat!"

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Leo clapped his hands loudly to prevent the person he was talking to from getting distracted again.

Sigh~ Old Li's mental fortitude isn't what it used to be. He'll say a few words, move a little, and then freeze for a while, just like someone with dementia...

“I say, Director Li, this is a good deal, isn’t it? I think it’s worthy enough to invite Mr. Xu Shiming to meet us.”

As he spoke, Li Qixuan's sharp gaze was fixed on his face. After a while, the prosthetic eye that had been lit up dimmed and looked back at the incubator.

"The quantity might be enough, but do you know how much of a stir this will cause? Biotechnology will go crazy, other big companies will follow suit, and then they'll—"

He spread out his palms, showing the sweet, sticky residue in them.

"Crush them into pieces like these few grains of rice!"

Faced with his intimidation, Leo laughed instead: "Yes, yes, you're right, I know. So, do you want to hear my thoughts?"

Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke around, Li Qixuan was truly impressed. His big heart was indeed extraordinary.

"Stop rambling. This is not the time for jokes. I've already had the Kangtao Building sealed off. How many people know you're here? I see you brought a driver. How much does she know? Is she an insider?"

Seeing his serious expression, Leo abandoned his joking thoughts and said solemnly, "Don't rush. Not many people know I'm here, and even fewer know what I brought with me. It's just me and my lover."

"Alright, get ready and come back to China with me right away. This is a very important matter; I have to bring you back with me, otherwise it would be a dereliction of duty."

Li Qixuan revealed his true intentions.

Leo's lips twitched. Even though he had anticipated the reaction, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

Don't be ridiculous. If you go back to China with him, you'll never be able to legally step out of the country again. You'll likely be confined to some secret area and strictly monitored 24 hours a day.

"I refuse—"

"I don't accept rejection, this isn't something I'm discussing with you!"

This was the first time Li Qixuan had shown such a tough attitude since they met, displaying the imposing presence of Director Kang Tao.

Leo sighed and said slowly, "Let's put it this way, you can't lock me up, and you can't keep me here. I can leave whenever I want. Besides, we're not researchers, so what use would you be to take us back?"

Li Qixuan was taken aback, realizing that it seemed to be true.

He has been closely monitoring Leonardo DiCaprio's whereabouts, and he certainly doesn't have time for scientific research.

His immortality team is another story—they're good-looking and strong, but their educational background is questionable. The top performer is a high school graduate, and the second best is Leo, a high school student—the kind of low-education group who would be immediately rejected if they wanted to work at Kangtao.

These people are clearly not the genius researchers who developed the alcohol-2 rice; they are just henchmen... no, judging from Leo's attitude and performance, he is more like the person in charge, someone with considerable influence.

Seeing his relative hesitate, Leo seized the opportunity to say, "Why don't you listen to my thoughts first? I want to transfer all the technology and patents of Chun-2 rice to Kangtao."

One second Li Qixuan was thinking about a surprise attack, subduing Li Ao and forcibly bringing him back to China, but the next second his thoughts were disrupted by his words, and his mind went blank.

“You…” He hesitated for a long time, “…Do you know what you’re saying? You’re going to transfer the Alcohol-2 rice technology to Comtasia? The value contained in this…is enough to trigger the Fifth Corporate War.”

Leo scoffed: "Of course I know. This technology can no longer be measured in money. This crop, which yields even more than ethanol-2 wheat, will be the new lifeline of energy. Whoever owns it will kick biotechnology down from its pedestal and become the new energy oligarch."

"Then you still-"

Leo raised his hand to interrupt him and continued:

"The potential profits are too great, far beyond what our small, soon-to-be-established company can handle. Therefore, we have made the difficult decision to transfer this crucial technology to Kangtao."

In this way, the outside world will only know that Kangtao developed the Alcohol-2 rice and owns all the patent rights; we just want to make a little money from it. How about that, to you, it's practically free, right?

Li Qixuan lowered his eyes, finally abandoning his plan to launch a surprise attack, and his tense body slowly relaxed:

"That sounds wonderful, like a fairy tale. But I'm an adult now, and I know—free things are often the most expensive. Let's be frank, what do you want?"

He didn't get a reply for a long time after he finished speaking. When he looked up, he saw Leo looking at him like he was an idiot.

"...What's with that look?"

Leo sighed: "Of course we have something to ask of you, but are you sure I should be talking to you instead of Mr. Xu Shiming?"

Upon hearing the name again, Li Qixuan was startled.

Yes… he shouldn’t have said those things; he overstepped his bounds. Even in the Night City branch, he wasn’t the highest-ranking person and couldn’t make that decision.

He subtly activated a mild sedative in his bio-monitoring prosthetic, using the drug's effects to regain his composure: "Hmm, that makes sense. So... what's in this black briefcase?"

Leo waved his hand casually: "The password is eight eights. Just open it and see for yourself."

The answer was reasonable and normal, but it put Li Qixuan in a difficult position.

Is he really going to open the briefcase?

Seeing the new alcohol-2 crop with my own eyes is already a big taboo; any further contact might lead to him being detained in the country and prevented from returning…

but…

There's no turning back once the arrow is released. As the person in charge, he had to confirm what was in the box no matter what, otherwise he wouldn't be able to explain himself to his superiors.

This is really trouble...

He exhaled deeply; this was the first time he had experienced such a rapid, uncontrollable heartbeat and extreme mental tension since leaving the front lines.

The password is eight eights...

Click——

The black suitcase was successfully unlocked.

He pressed his hand against the side of the box, hesitated for a long time, and then slowly opened the lid.

Upon closer inspection, the items inside were neatly arranged, and there weren't many of them.

Three glass bottles, each with a capacity of 1 liter, are filled with an unknown reagent.

There was a transparent chip box with a combination lock containing four data chips. He dared not open it again, otherwise he would have no way to explain it.

Leo introduced in a friendly manner:

"The bottle contains an activating reagent. Rice seeds can only germinate successfully when activated by this reagent, which serves as our anti-theft measure. The usage instructions are stored in the chip and need to be reconfigured before use."