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

The ethanol-2 rice is too important; the government would be the first to object to a monopoly. Since that's the case, let's join forces to kick out the other companies first. It's better to have two companies share the profits than six or seven!

In just a glance, a community of shared interests was quickly formed.

They surveyed the room and discovered that their most threatening competitor was the conference's initiator, Kang Tao.

They have the military backing and wield immense influence. They were also the first to come into contact with the mysterious research team. Even if we can't eliminate them, we must first weaken their influence.

The representative from Zhongsui Group, disregarding the fact that this was Kangtao's home turf, launched a righteous and indignant attack:

“Chairman Xu, the Chun-2 crop involves agriculture and people’s livelihood, which is different from Kangtao’s area of ​​expertise. For the sake of the big picture, why don’t you let us handle this matter?”

A representative from Dongfang Petrochemical echoed this sentiment: "That's right. With this crop, we'll have another energy lifeline and gain more influence in East Asia. Division of labor and cooperation has always been our country's development policy. We hope you'll hand over your technology and personnel to us."

Representatives from other companies watched the show from the sidelines, waiting for a more opportune moment to step in.

The Kangtao side, which was being targeted by the joint forces, remained calm and were not angered at all by the betrayal by their own people.

The reason is simply habit—it's always the same…

Xu Shiming spoke calmly, "There's no need to argue yet, we haven't brought the person back."

"They haven't brought him back yet!?"

The representative from Zhonghui Group repeated his words, but in a voice an octave higher.

"We've got the technology, so why haven't the people come back yet?! When did you guys become so indecisive?!"

"That's exactly right! With someone like that, we have to bring him back no matter what!"

Representatives from Dongfang Petrochemical echoed this sentiment.

Xu Shiming was too lazy to deal with the two friendly representatives, so he issued an order for Xihe to send out the recently processed images of Chaomeng and detailed information about Leo.

For the next half hour, Li Qixuan made a big splash: all the big shots were watching the Mewtwo video he "filmed," repeatedly watching the brief meeting at noon from his perspective.

Leo's image was naturally noticed by everyone.

Their first impression of Leo wasn't much different from that of the people of Night City:

Such a young and healthy boy is definitely the pampered son of a powerful family. Considering he can handle such important business at his age, which family or organization is grooming him as their successor?

"So, whose child is this?"

Xu Shiming raised a question.

Those present represented their respective factions and quickly relayed their questions back to headquarters, searching the internal database for Leo's true identity.

About five minutes later, all the information was summarized again.

The conclusion is—not found.

Xu Shiming frowned and asked softly, "Xihe, what about your end?"

A gentle female voice quickly replied, "I'm sorry, no information matching your image and identity was found in the population database."

The government representative also shook his head: "It's not in the classified database either."

The group exchanged glances, already having a guess in their minds.

The government and major companies are all here. Unless someone is deliberately concealing something, the most likely answer is that Leo does not have Chinese citizenship.

"Judging from his appearance, he is clearly Chinese, and there are no signs of mixed race. Is he of Chinese descent?" some people speculated.

Government officials then added:

"His registered name in the Night City Citizens' Information Database is Leonardo DiCaprio, but all other information is fake. His personal profile is very detailed, but it cannot stand up to scrutiny."

So, this name is probably fake too. Those close to him call him Leo, which might be his real name, but there are no leads based on that.

"His network intelligence is very tightly controlled and cannot be traced at all. By tracing the source of his funds, we strongly suspect that they come from smuggling high-end liquor."

In Night City, there's a middleman nicknamed "Father" who wields considerable influence among local gangs and Latinos. He likely acted as a middleman, helping Leo smuggle alcohol. However, he simply didn't have the capability to smuggle so much high-end liquor in.

Furthermore, there are rumors circulating that Leo has a close relationship with Kang Tao, and people suspect he is one of Kang Tao's men…

With everyone chiming in, they quickly opened the box for Leo.

The personal information that Chunbai filled out casually back then couldn't withstand scrutiny at all. Putting aside everything else, his academic credentials were obviously fake—those schools did exist, but there was no such person as him.

He is a completely undocumented person!

"So mysterious..."

The video of Chao Meng was played again, and Li Qixuan, one of the protagonists, was reciting this sentence, which resonated deeply with the audience.

"So, this really isn't someone's secret talent being groomed?"

The government representative looked around at the crowd once more, hoping they would "confess".

Unfortunately, the doubt on everyone's faces was genuine; at least those present probably didn't recognize Leo.

"Are those liquors collected? Could they have been smuggled out of China?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to the face of the representative of Zhongsui Group—large-scale, all-natural wine; only Zhongsui, which is in charge of agriculture, could possibly produce such a thing.

The female representative frantically shook her head in denial: "We've also bought some samples of the Saint-Nos wine they sell. Food testing confirmed it's a completely natural wine. This kind of wine is only available for special supply in China; it's impossible for it to be resold!"

She spoke with great conviction, but the audience's attitude remained ambiguous.

People can't see into each other's hearts. If they had secrets, they wouldn't be spreading them around. Let's just take it as fact for now.

"So, Leo isn't one of Kang Tao's people either..."

The government representative quickly glanced at Xu Shiming, his mind racing.

Kangtao was already expanding to an uncontrollable extent. With this incident involving Chun-2 rice, it would be best to separate them and support other companies to create a new balance.

Xu Shiming, who has been able to sit in the top position of Kangtao for so many years with unwavering stability, is no simple person. He saw through the government representative's ulterior motives at a glance.

To be honest, he understands. He's also a leader of a large company and knows how difficult it is to manage a team.

but--

Damaging Kangtao's interests is unacceptable!

Everyone is eating from the same pot, yet Kang Tao watches others eat?

Even if you're in the wrong, you should still argue your case, let alone when Kang Tao is in the right!

"Leo may not be one of Kangtao's men, but he could be!"

Upon hearing this, the audience members immediately displayed a variety of expressions.

Xu Shiming continued, "Judging from his behavior, he is clearly a pure Chinese who has received a Chinese education. He does not yet have nationality or identification documents, but we can issue one for him. He and the mysterious research group behind him are people we must win over, and I think there should be no dispute about that."

Such an obvious truth naturally has no objection.

Xu Shiming, taking advantage of his high status, made a strong decision: "We know very little about the Leo Group right now, and even if we wanted to forcibly arrest them, we wouldn't know where they are. Since they have shown sincerity in cooperating and have extended an invitation for a meeting, I might as well go and meet them."

“Zhongsui Group also needs to send representatives. We are responsible for agricultural planting, which concerns Chun-2 rice. Our people must be present!”

"The same goes for Dongfang Petrochemical; the reasons are self-evident!"

Without a sound, a new community of shared interests was formed.

Since it's impossible for the two companies to split the profits, they'll team up with Kangtao, kick out the other competitors, and then split the profits among three companies!

After a brief period of "lively discussion," a preliminary agreement was finally reached with the coordination of government representatives.

Kangtao, Zhongsui Group, and Dongfang Petrochemical each sent three representatives, along with the undisputed government representative, to participate in the negotiations for Chun-2 rice.

The leader was Xu Shiming, who was the highest-ranking person present, and Leo specifically asked to see him.

It's easy to arrange for a government representative; sending a diplomat to accompany them is both reasonable and won't arouse suspicion.

The other two companies, however, faced a dilemma.

First of all, it's absolutely impossible for the three top executives to go together, even if Chun-2 rice had that kind of value. Putting aside everything else, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs couldn't come up with a suitable reason to explain the absurd idea of ​​three major company chairmen going to Night City together.

Xu Shiming himself is already quite eye-catching, so it's best if the other accompanying personnel hold lower positions so as not to attract the attention of the "local big companies" or scare them away.

During the heated discussion, someone volunteered to raise their hand.

"Me! Me! Let me go! Since it involves alcohol-2 crops, you need to bring a researcher! When it comes to the field of botany, no one is more suitable than me!"

The speaker was a young woman in her twenties, wearing a researcher's white lab coat. She went straight to the lab table as soon as she entered and had just returned.

The representative of Zhongsui Group introduced her to everyone: "This is Yuan Tinglu, a senior researcher in our group. She is very accomplished in the field of grasses and is a relative of Professor Yuan."

After the female representative finished her introduction, she also felt that Yuan Tinglu was very suitable, so the personnel from Zhongsui were finalized.

Later, Dongfang Petrochemical also selected a suitable candidate from its headquarters and gave him a nominal position as a business representative.

The negotiation team has now been formed.

The team was led by Xu Shiming, and the accompanying personnel included diplomats, researchers, and business representatives. On the surface, such a small team was at least acceptable.

Once the candidates were finalized, it was time and place to decide.

Xu Shiming glanced at the time and decisively ordered, "Set up a temporary line for me. I'll call that young friend. Let's start with courtesy before taking action; it'll show our sincerity."

Volume 1: Fame Spreads Throughout the World

Chapter 377 A transnational phone call from the East!

Five p.m.

A long-distance international phone call pulled Leo from his reverie.

There was no phone number, but the caller ID clearly displayed the name – Xu Shiming.

Kang Tao's reply has arrived, and it's quite significant!

Leo sat up abruptly from the bed. V's arm was a step slower, but she still managed to wrap her arms around his waist.

"Wait a minute, there's an important call."

"whispering sound…"

V withdrew his hand, setting him free.

Without thinking twice, Leo got up and rushed into the bathroom, quickly washed his face, then found a set of casual indoor clothes to put on before answering the phone.

A real-time image of the upper body of a middle-aged man appeared in the AI's vision.

He has a square face that exudes authority even without anger, with strong features and a neat, short military haircut, giving him a very military bearing.

Thanks to highly advanced prosthetic technology, this retired army colonel, who is at least seventy years old, looks only forty, like a robust middle-aged man.

Xu Shiming!

You can see news and pictures about him simply by visiting Kangtao's official website; you definitely won't mistake him for someone else.

The top leader of Kangtao called – a perfect start!

Leo composed himself, turned on his live feed, and greeted him politely: "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Xu Shiming."

The middle-aged man scrutinized him carefully, and after a few seconds, nodded slightly: "It's a pleasure to meet you too, young man. I heard you'd like to talk to me?"

Leo stated frankly: "On behalf of Lanmeng Company, I hope to reach a strategic cooperation agreement with Kangtao Company, the first of which is the Chun-2 rice."

"The first item..." Xu Shiming said calmly, "So, you have other products?"

"Of course, in this negotiation, we will present two mature products and showcase a groundbreaking prosthetic prototype, which we are confident will not disappoint you."

After a brief exchange, Xu Shiming remained silent for a moment.

It's obvious that during a call between such a high-ranking person, there would definitely be multiple people listening in, and Kang Tao's think tank would likely be having a rapid discussion.

After patiently waiting for about ten seconds, I received a reply.

"Sure, we've always adhered to the principle of win-win cooperation and welcome new friends at any time. Let's set the meeting time for tomorrow morning at nine o'clock at the Kangtao Building in Night City. I'll send a hovercar to pick you up, and we can discuss the specific terms of cooperation in person."

"No problem, then I'll wait at home."

After exchanging a few more polite words, the two ended the call.

After hanging up the phone, Leo recalled the conversation and had a fairly good impression of Xu Shiming—he was a very pragmatic and decisive person who hardly talked nonsense and didn't test people. He felt that they could get along!

"nailed it?"

Seeing that his prosthetic eye had returned to normal, V wrapped himself around him from behind again.

Leo replied in a good mood, "Yes, everything went very smoothly. I'll be able to see Kang Tao's boss tomorrow."

"Xu Shiming, the head of Kangtao..."

When V uttered the name, his expression inevitably became somewhat dazed.