Light Fortress
Chapter 161 - 149: Symphony of Shock

Chapter 161: Chapter 149: Symphony of Shock

About Tomb Ghost’s invitation.

Actually, it was within Gu Shen’s expectation.

At the meeting for the New World Project, Gu Shen had sensed this fellow’s unusual "will to survive"; he even dared, in front of Cui Zhongcheng, to remind him that the Huazhi might be conducting "human experiments" that violate ethics... Clearly, he was preparing to seek a new haven.

Only a very few were privy to the Genetic Act.

But a unique character like Tomb Ghost, even without having heard anything, would still harbor suspicions about the council’s news on this matter...

The only thing that surprised him today was the private meeting between Lady Lu Nanzhi and South Bay’s second in command, Ye Ningqiu.

It was a coincidence.

And it was his luck.

"Chu Ling, can you provide their conversation?"

"Yes, but it will take some time."

The voice of a young girl came from the other side of Deep Sea.

"The sounds inside the hall are quite mixed; I will try to capture all the audio data here, then isolate the tracks of those two."

"These two... how did they come to be here?"

Xing Yun looked slightly bemused.

Choosing to meet with Gu Shen in Freedom Hall wasn’t due to any special motives; it was simply his own personal preference. However, encountering the lady and Ye Ningqiu there was purely accidental.

Ye Ningqiu was a key figure in South Bay with considerable power. Her meeting with Lu Nanzhi in a non-official setting... Xing Yun’s expression grew grave; he faintly felt that the matter of the bill was not as simple as he had imagined.

The nomination for alternative council members was coming up soon.

Due to differing political stances on the bill, South Bay and Huazhi should be wary of each other. Why would the lady meet with Ye Ningqiu?

"This kid... did he know about it beforehand?"

More than the meeting of these two, what surprised Xing Yun was Gu Shen’s early reaction.

To his own "plea for help," this seemingly young boy had given a very mature response.

Obviously, this was giving him time to think and hesitate; if the bill’s implementation was not as smooth, his current situation would not be so bad.

But the question was, how did Gu Shen know?

Could it be that the Judgement Institute had received some news?

...

...

The second movement.

The soft, gentle notes spread in the warm air of the hall.

The performance was very soothing, lulling people to sleep; some of the "newcomers," "pretending to be cultured," were already curled up in their seats, dozing off.

The lighting wasn’t very bright either, causing the soft light to scatter throughout the venue.

Almost no one noticed the entrance of the two ladies; even if they did... they didn’t pay close attention to the faces of the two ladies.

So the few attentive listeners in the audience only glimpsed the arrival of two women with outstanding temperament and didn’t bother to keep watching.

Ye Ningqiu sat down, her hands laid one over the other at the position of her lower abdomen, maintaining an elegant posture.

The lace veil beneath her hat obscured her face.

"Do you enjoy listening to performances?"

She also seemed surprised by the choice of venue for the meeting. Concerts in the hall were already things of a bygone era.

"My father enjoys them," the lady said softly. "He told me that for things that are ancient, elegant, and dignified... one must exhibit respect. As times change, we should keep the essence and discard the chaff. The more outdated the culture, the more it needs to be savored with care."

Ye Ningqiu seemed a bit dreamy.

She smiled, "Do you think he’s right?"

"Not entirely." The lady spoke slowly, "Everything has two sides. Ancient things can be good or bad. The simple dichotomies of good and bad are unrelated to old and new..." "Such as?"

"Such as something that is currently supported by countless people and opposed by countless others."

Finally, they got to the heart of the matter.

"Many view the implementation of the Awakening Bill from a perspective of change," the lady said. "I believe change is not wrong, but the transformation of human society cannot be so abrupt, severing the old at the waist overnight. That would destroy both good and bad, failing to address the root issues. In the absence of established order, a newly born society would give rise to more contradictions."

"Interesting..."

Ye Ningqiu laughed, "It’s hard to imagine someone of your status voicing such thoughts."

"Tomorrow is the nomination for alternative council members." The lady spoke gently amidst the languid music, "After the nomination, I will be elected as Da Du’s third council member."

"South Bay also has the right to nominate alternative council members; we prepared more than one countermeasure in advance," Ye Ningqiu didn’t beat around the bush, smiling as she said, "But evidently... the candidates we have for South Bay are no match for you. Those countermeasures likely won’t be effective. So I came to meet you at the hall today, which is a risky decision."

"You don’t trust me, and I don’t trust you. Yet since we’ve chosen to meet... let’s try trusting each other a bit."

Lu Nanzhi spoke dispassionately, "This is a gamble. Before joining forces, I need to confirm that you are trustworthy."

"How do you want to confirm that?" Ye Ningqiu waited for a follow-up.

"The words I said earlier... I’ve already proven my sincerity."

"Now it’s your turn," the lady lowered her gaze, "You can either choose to strongly obstruct during the upcoming nomination contest, be defeated by me one by one, and then completely fail in the competition over the bill, or you opt to withdraw voluntarily... and then reap the final victory of the bill."

Ye Ningqiu looked at the woman before her with a meaningful gaze.

Who would have thought that Zhao Xilai’s chosen successor... would become his greatest enemy in the legislative dispute?

If Lu Nanzhi, who had secured a seat as a legislator, opposed the passing of the bill.

Then this long-struggled "fierce battle" would come to a dramatic end.

"You want us to pull out of the competition for the alternative legislator," Ye Ningqiu said with a smile, "just on the strength of these few words, isn’t that a bit hasty..."

"As you can see, you have no advantage in the competition for the alternative legislator, and the final outcome is already foreseeable," the lady said gravely, "If you exert all your strength... then I must rely on the power of the Zhao Family, and the last vote on the bill will become an uncontrollable one. This is a lose-lose situation."

"You can only take a gamble and choose to trust me."

The lady stared directly into the eyes behind the lace veil.

"How does the saying go... the Eagle Trainer was blinded by his own eagle. What can blind one can blind a second."

Ye Ningqiu did not agree nor refuse. After contemplating for a moment, she simply asked, "I can’t understand... why would you do this? How does this benefit the Zhao Family?"

Once the bill passed.

The Zhao Family would reap too many benefits.

And when Lu Nanzhi became the new leader to take over the banner, she would also become the most influential person of the era.

Logically, no one would look forward to the new era more than her.

"Obviously, this does not benefit the Zhao Family at all."

"And my reason for doing this is very simple... because my surname is Lu," said the lady softly.

She stood up and left the hall.

Ye Ningqiu sat silently in her seat alone.

...

...

All of their conversation clearly reached Gu Shen’s ears, with a slight delay.

But it did not hinder understanding.

Chu Ling processed the data very quickly and listened to it herself, clicking her tongue in appreciation, "Brilliant... Lu Nanzhi wants to join hands with South Bay and stab Zhao Xilai and the Awakening Bill in the back..."

"It’s because of the Lion Alley case."

"Old Lu’s death has always been on Lu Nanzhi’s mind," Gu Shen said in a voice only he could hear, softly speaking, "It’s just that she is handling this case differently than her senior sister."

The two sisters both harbored hatred in their hearts.

Compared to Nan Jin leaving with a knife behind her and abandoning her home, the lady’s actions were obviously more conducive to "revenge."

After Lu Cheng’s death, the banner left by the Lu family was gradually swallowed up by the Zhao Family. True revenge isn’t about killing the true mastermind behind the curtain but about taking back what belongs to oneself...

"Just one thing I still can’t figure out..."

Gu Shen said softly, "Even if it’s about taking back the banner, there’s no need for her to tear her face off with Zhao Xilai at this point..."

The banner, after all, could be considered the lady’s now.

Why would she oppose the Awakening Bill?

Zhao Xilai changing his will, nominating legislators, everything he had done was to help Lu Nanzhi ascend to a higher throne, and even if she wanted to overturn this great ship, she should wait until she had taken over the crown.

In a moment of distraction.

The second movement had reached the last stage of its performance, and as the timpani struck fiercely, the music style drastically changed. In an instant, the layers of drumming reverberated like thunder, tearing apart the languid and soft voices echoing in the hall, startling several dozy listeners awake, leaving them unsettled.

Then the brisk minuet of the third movement began.

The drowsy listeners looked at each other, realizing they had been "played."

The atmosphere in the hall was filled with merriment.

"G major, Symphony No. 94, known as ’Surprise’."

Tomb Ghost, who had been keenly enjoying the music, now looked like a wilted eggplant. He introduced the piece to Gu Shen in a perfunctory manner.

"Surprise Symphony..."

Gu Shen found it somewhat amusing.

Was this intentionally written for those pretenders to culture to hear? Those who hadn’t heard the piece, dozing off during the second movement, would be awakened by unexpected thunder by their side.

Now Xing Yun wasn’t in the mood to listen to the performance.

He appeared conflicted.

Every time he listened to this piece, there were always a few who were startled awake by the drumming in the second movement.

That was one of the reasons he delighted in coming to the concerts at Freedom Hall—

Some of the audience were like clowns.

But this time was different; having witnessed the private meeting between Lu Nanzhi and Ye Ningqiu, Tomb Ghost felt like the clown himself. The new world project team prepared so much for the enactment of the Awakening Bill, yet, in the end, the fate of the bill might well be determined by a few words from the big shots.

Although he didn’t know what the two women talked about,

Tomb Ghost had a vague sense of foreboding.

"Congratulations, it looks like the advancement of the bill won’t be so smooth," Gu Shen said, his expression unchanged as he stood up to leave. He patted Xing Yun on the shoulder as he passed by the hall, "Don’t look so down... this should be considered good news for you."