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

As the saying goes: Better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix!

He can only gain more room for development if he stays in Night City.

"I am very grateful for the trust of our country, but we also have our own difficulties. We... have discovered some very bad signs."

Leo knew that conventional excuses would hardly mitigate the negative impact of refusing recruitment, so he chose to change his approach and return to the track he was more familiar with.

"This world is on the verge of collapse!"

He emphasized his words, his face radiating righteous indignation.

All three pairs of eyes widened, ready to listen to his earth-shattering speech.

"We have detected an evil conspiracy targeting all of humanity, brewing from Night City. The Blue Dream Corporation has established its headquarters here precisely to confront that evil organization!"

As he spoke, he reached behind his ear and retrieved a data chip from a neural slot.

The chip was originally blank. Through a mental link, Leo had Pure White input the data he obtained from that "special corpse" into it without reservation.

That's right, his strategy was simple—to shift the blame to "Moon Mother" Lilith!

She is a super AI hidden in the space station. It's obvious that she intends to take over the European Space Agency's mass accelerator. Coupled with her technology of using AI to possess humans, she perfectly fits the image of a villainous big boss.

It's decided then and there. Let Lilith suffer a little longer; let her bear the infamy herself.

Of course, the three representatives couldn't handle the task of connecting the data chip, so Zhu Kaixuan approached again, placed the data chip into a special device, and extracted the data from it.

After the three representatives read it, they all showed thoughtful expressions.

The data extracted from the memory module, without including Leo's own spoiler-level speculation, was enough for these high-level individuals with a wealth of information to glean fragments of the truth.

Will AI invade the human brain and replace and remotely control humans?

If this technology were used to control the most powerful and resourceful groups, the consequences would be truly unimaginable.

"What else did you find out? Who is the other party?"

Xu Shiming asked in a deep voice.

Leo slowly shook his head, his words sure to be startling: "It's definitely more than what we've shown you, but we don't trust you yet and can't provide more information."

For the first time since they met, Xu Shiming frowned: "Didn't you say you wanted to establish a strategic partnership?"

"Let's keep things separate. It's true that we need Kangtao to provide armed protection in Night City, but we're still unsure whether there are any people in your upper echelons who are controlled by AI or who are actively cooperating with AI. After all... isn't one of the old network's AI's strongholds in Hong Kong?"

Upon hearing this, the three representatives reacted with varying expressions.

The diplomat and the representative from Dongfang Petrochemical exchanged a glance, then looked together at Xu Shiming, who was standing in the center.

As is well known, Kangtao's intelligent weapon technology initially benefited from support from military technology, but its leapfrog development in this area has become somewhat unclear regarding its connection to AI...

Chapter 381 The Conference That Changed the World Order! (Part 2)

Xu Shiming noticed two pairs of eyes full of inquiry and scrutiny, but he could not reveal Kang Tao's core secrets to the public, so he could only remain silent.

The idea that AI will replace humans is far from the agreement between the two parties.

The agreement was supposed to be mutually beneficial...

However, AI is divided into different camps, so this may have been the work of another AI.

In any case, this information and data has been transmitted back to China, and all leaders and key personnel will now undergo rigorous checks.

If cases of AI remotely controlling humans are indeed discovered, it will not be a trivial matter that can be quelled by the deaths of a few people.

Leo's reasons were not entirely convincing, but they were enough to warrant attention. The previous suggestion to return to China had to be put on hold for the time being, pending another opportunity.

Xu Shiming sat upright like a pine tree, unmoved by the unexpected situation.

Blue Dream Company's insistence on opening in Night City is actually a good thing for Kang Tao, because now only they can legitimately send troops to Night City, something the other three parties cannot do.

After weighing the pros and cons, he made the decision: "Alright, then the previous proposal will be put on hold for now. We also need to conduct several rounds of self-examination to prevent such things from happening again. Let's get back to the topic of Chun-2 rice. I heard you plan to transfer the entire technology and patents to Kangtao?"

Before he could finish speaking, dissenting voices arrived in unison.

"This is not appropriate. It should be transferred to the government, and then the government should redistribute it, assigning each step to a suitable company to execute!"

The diplomat spoke with righteous indignation.

"That's right. Kangtao is strong in smart weapons, robot manufacturing, and power generation, but Dongfang Petrochemical is more suitable for the refining and conversion of alcohol-2 products. That's why we're here to participate in the negotiations."

The sales representatives from Dongfang Petrochemical also staged a performance of praising one thing while criticizing another, skillfully betraying their own teammate.

Before Leo could even speak, the negotiating alliance began fighting amongst themselves right in front of him.

Keep in mind that this was with one side absent; otherwise, the scene would likely have been even more lively.

Xu Shiming did not refute them, but his imposing aura silently intensified.

Those sent to participate in the negotiations are all shrewd individuals, skilled in various techniques of reading the room. Seeing that the military representative was genuinely angry, they stopped speaking and turned their heads away, pretending to be oblivious.

Negotiations were able to continue.

"We'll discuss the allocation ourselves when we get back. What's your transfer proposal?"

Leo submitted the prepared business plan to Zhu Kaixuan.

After repeated checks and confirmation that there were no problems, the document was presented to the representatives.

The content is quite concise, with no unnecessary words.

The requirements are clearly stated.

Party B (Kantau) shall pay Party A (Lanmeng) a one-time technology transfer and patent buyout fee of 300 billion euros.

Furthermore, in the subsequent semi-annual technology transfer phases for the awakening reagent, Party B will be required to invest an additional €100 billion, with two such additional payments scheduled for a total of €500 billion.

[Party A promises to provide Party B with comprehensive technical support to ensure that the ethanol-2 rice technology is a mature technology.]

A total price of 500 billion euros for a single technology patent is an astronomical sum.

However, this is a new type of alcohol-2 crop, and the R&D department has determined that it is possible to bypass the biotechnology company's alcohol-2 wheat patent, so the price is not so unacceptable.

Moreover, such important technology is profitable no matter what if it can be bought with money alone.

If you continue reading, you'll find the so-called "strategic cooperation agreement".

Within the territory of Night City, and provided that no war is provoked, Party B shall provide Party A with unconditional and unlimited support to ensure Party A's stable development.

Leo added, "We don't want to get involved in domestic affairs. All we want is for Comto to provide armed protection and support within Night City to counter any potential hostile actions from other large corporations."

Xu Shiming was puzzled: "The Chun-2 rice has already been resold to Kangtao, so why are other companies still targeting you? Speaking of which, shouldn't you have started the incident with the missing United Team? Do you have a grudge against Arasaka?"

Leo thought for a moment and asked in return, "I wonder how much information you know about Arasaka? They are currently developing a technology called RELIC biochip, and that's the main reason we're targeting Arasaka."

The representative from Dongfang Petrochemical looked bewildered, while the other two had subtle changes in expression.

Large companies sending spies to each other is just standard practice. Of course they know that Arasaka is making big moves, but it's unusual that the people from Blue Dream know about it and take it so seriously. Perhaps there is some intelligence that has been overlooked.

After exchanging a few witty remarks, neither side gained the upper hand, so they tacitly moved on from the topic.

After a moment of contemplation, Xu Shiming reached the same conclusion as his advisors—given the current terms, Kangtao could gain enormous benefits from this deal.

While the expenditure of 500 billion euros is indeed enormous, with a little manipulation and leveraging the huge benefits brought by the new alcohol-2 crop, the money can be recouped from the stock market.

In one round trip, it's like getting a crucial technology that others can use against you for free.

He was inclined to agree, but that's not how business is negotiated.

The think tank's negotiation team went online and quickly sent the revised "Second Edition Business Plan" to Leo.

This version includes some additional clauses, such as:

[Party B (the buyer group)'s offer will acquire all patents related to alcohol-rice, including the rights to subsequent iterative development. If Party A develops a new alcohol-2 crop, Party B will retain the right of first refusal.]

The client (Party A) should sign a strict confidentiality agreement to prevent technology dissemination.

……

There are more than a dozen points in total, but the first two are the most important.

Leo felt no emotion after reading it.

Kangtao's think tank is clearly no ordinary people; their move undoubtedly blocked the possibility of Blue Dream Company selling different alcohol-2 crops to other buyers.

As for the second point... it's completely superfluous. In today's world, large companies that have already formed complete monopolies and invisible alliances will not allow a second biotechnology company to emerge.

There is no reason or justification for Lanmeng Company to leak information about Chun-2 rice; otherwise, they would be courting disaster.

Of course, this is without considering that Leo could single-handedly dominate the entire world.

He feigned a conflicted expression, added a few clauses favorable to Lanmeng Company to the proposal, and then agreed to Kang Tao's proposed modifications.

After careful review, the think tank agreed, and both parties reached a consensus on price and patents.

The final disagreement lies in the awakening reagent.

Leo's reasoning was straightforward: Lanmeng needed to be wary of Kangtao potentially sabotaging the technology after acquiring it, and therefore needed to physically prevent the risk of technology leakage. That's why they specifically implemented an anti-theft measure.

As agreed, Lanmeng will hand over the formula for the secondary reagent to Kangtao in six months and the original formula in one year. During this period, Lanmeng will produce the secondary reagent for the awakening agent at its headquarters in Night City, which will be transported back to China by Kangtao for reconfiguration.

The buyer representatives naturally disliked this proposal, as it meant they had purchased the technology but would be restricted by Lanmeng, and would only be able to obtain the complete technical data a year later.

For a time,

The situation in Night City is unstable;

There are safety hazards in transportation;

Lanmeng's claim that retaining the awakening reagent might attract the attention of other companies is just one example of their seemingly good intentions.

Leo remained unmoved by these "well-intentioned pieces of advice."

He stubbornly remained silent, and when the negotiations reached a stalemate, he gently raised his left hand.

The glittering gems embedded in the Infinity Gauntlet attracted the attention of the attendees.

The two guards already knew that this was a "combat cybernetic body." When they saw him make any unusual movements, S.A.S. activated his power and instantly stood in front of the representatives, assuming a defensive posture.

Leo smiled calmly and reassured him, "Don't be nervous. I remember saying before that in this negotiation, we would present two mature products and showcase a groundbreaking prosthetic prototype. I misspoke then; this is actually a verification machine, and it hasn't reached the stability level of a prototype yet."

However, this is sufficient to showcase Blue Dream Corporation's achievements in weapons research.

He stood up and walked to an open space in the distance, away from the crowd.

Xu Shiming tapped the table a few times with his fingers resting on the back of the chair, then stood up to watch.

The other two representatives also stood up, not only to show respect, but also because standing was a more suitable posture for dodging and fighting.

Walking alone to the other end of the conference room, Leo calmly raised his left hand, displaying his magnificent jeweled glove:

"This unfinished piece of equipment is called the Infinity Gauntlet. We named it that in the hope that one day it will be omnipotent. Before I begin the demonstration, there's something I need to ask: are there resident AIs in the Camtau Building?"

Xu Shiming waved his hand, and a soft female voice suddenly rang out.

"Yes, my codename is Chang'e, the main AI of the Kangtao Building. How can I help you?"

Her Chinese was clear and articulate, and her tone was remarkably like that of a flight attendant.

Leo responded, "When I use the Infinity Gauntlet, it generates powerful energy fluctuations. Can you take precautions beforehand to prevent energy leakage?"

"Yes, the top-floor conference room you are in is built using Kangtao's cutting-edge technology and has complete shielding capabilities."

"Then let's do it. Turn on all the protective barriers that can be turned on. If the energy fluctuations are transmitted, it will be hard to explain."

Chang'e did not answer immediately, but instead consulted Xu Shiming.

Only after receiving permission did she activate the highest level of protective measures.

Without a sound, the entire conference room was enveloped in a light blue energy field. This energy field was composed of countless tiny streams of light, flowing endlessly like liquid, completely isolating the conference room from the outside world.

"The protection measures have been fully activated. If energy fluctuations are detected to exceed the threshold, the backup plan will be activated automatically."

“Very good…” Leo’s lips curled up uncontrollably. “Next, you will all witness the latest research and development achievement of Blue Dream Company—the Gravity Singularity Bomb.”

As he raised his left hand, the six gems embedded in the surface of the Infinity Gauntlet lit up one after another like stars, and streams of dark blue and crimson energy surged wildly along the metal patterns, converging in his palm to form a dazzling sphere ten centimeters in diameter.

The sudden change!

Centered on Leo, the space around him began to distort, as if being violently pounded by a pair of invisible giant hands, producing a crisp sound like shattering glass.

The pale blue energy field rippled under the distorted gravitational field, and in an instant it was on the verge of collapse.

"Warning!! Ultra-high energy reaction detected, abnormal gravity parameters detected, detected..."

The energy sensor instantly spiked, and Chang'e's voice suddenly rose, issuing a series of sharp alarms.

The two battle-hardened guards instantly sensed an unprecedented and deadly crisis and turned to lead Xu Shiming away.