Fantasy Game: Infinite City

Chapter 718 Purification Operation (Part 2)

Wei Qinglin's plan, the chairman's vision, is undoubtedly the best solution for the current New Infinite Company, or rather, the real Infinite Company. The plan involves a targeted leak of information about the corrupted creation engine appearing in the new instance, mixed with seemingly worthless intelligence—information only those who have access to the creation engine can know. This allows unrelated individuals and forces to dismiss the information as garbage, avoiding their attention, while simultaneously delivering the true intelligence to the right people. In Wei Qinglin's plan, this 'accidentally' leaked information should reach two factions, prompting them to begin simultaneous investigations.

For the currently understaffed Infinite Corporation, they certainly don't have enough subordinates with matching combat power to complete the retrieval mission. Moreover, if they act rashly, even if they don't suffer losses due to the corrupted creation engines, if they encounter Han Zu or the Ferdinand family, a conflict would be a net loss for Infinite Corporation. In Wei Qinglin's envisioned route, he doesn't intend to have any direct conflict with the Ferdinand family. His goal is to research and destroy all creation engines within the scope of human civilization and minimize the chain reaction caused by the creation engines. Although their goals are different, they are largely similar—both Han Zu and the Ferdinand family are looking for and utilizing the power of creation engines. They don't need his active intervention; they will naturally form a system of checks and balances. The remaining, severely weakened Infinite Corporation will soon be treated as insignificant, which gives Wei Qinglin the time and conditions to implement his plan.

However, Wei Qinglin understood that he would soon face a serious problem: which of the two forces fighting over the Creation Engine would ultimately prevail? Both possibilities had their advantages and disadvantages, but for the time being, he only had a way to deal with one side.

If the Ferdinand family, or more precisely, Sebastian, ultimately triumphs and eliminates or banishes Han Zu, the Ferdinand family will gain control over humanity. Given Sebastian's ambition and the Ferdinand family's modus operandi, once they acquire and understand the power of the Creation Engine, they will immediately begin to expand outwards. If things go smoothly, they might find new Creation Engines time and again, growing stronger and becoming an invincible force. However, this would inevitably attract the attention of other races and civilizations in the universe, plunging human civilization into a passive and threatened position. Conversely, if the Ferdinand family's expansion is unsuccessful, they might immediately encounter hostility from powerful alien civilizations after leaving the solar system, potentially leading to the destruction of all human civilization. This is something Wei Qinglin does not want to see. It is precisely because he understands the power of the Creation Engine that he wants to destroy all Creation Engines within the sphere of human civilization. Only in this way can humanity remain in this barren land of the universe and continue to develop safely.

If Han Zu were to win and gain his so-called power of "no longer being disturbed by anyone," the advantage would be that he has no ambition for rule or expansion; for him, he might simply continue living in some city on Earth. However, given his vengeful nature, the Ferdinand family would certainly be completely purged, perhaps even eradicated. While on the surface, Han Zu's victory might seem more beneficial to Infinite Corporation, this isn't the case. Due to Han Zu's unique and powerful nature, even if he doesn't actively interfere with human development and only cares about himself, powerful forces, races, and civilizations would still be drawn to his power and actively seek him out. For example, the exceptionally powerful alien civilization that Christina relayed—the one Han Zu and who called themselves "contractors"—was involved in the conflict.

What Merlin and Unger didn't know, or rather, what they only knew partially, was that Wei Qinglin, with Christina's help, actually knew far more about Han Zu than they did. For example, after Christina gradually gained Han Zu's trust and was taken to the contractor's territory, she told Wei Qinglin almost everything she saw and learned. Therefore, Wei Qinglin knew of the contractor and the Tig people's existence, and naturally, he also knew of an agreement between them that even Han Zu himself didn't fully understand.

The contractors' technology is at a level that human civilization may never reach. While the Infinite Corporation and the Ferdinand family were only able to dominate within the solar system, relying on various forces, the contractors had already ruled one-fifth of the universe, and they were merely a special branch of the Tig people. In the days immediately following their accurate knowledge of their existence, Wei Qinglin didn't sleep well for several nights. The overwhelming sense of helplessness and despair put him under immense pressure, preventing him from falling asleep.

However, as Christina relayed more and more intelligence, and learned that the contractors had no interest in the 'barren land' of the solar system beyond that agreement, Wei Qinglin relaxed considerably. The overwhelming technological superiority was indeed frightening, but he quickly realized that since the contractors' technology was practically equivalent to the power of mysticism in relation to human civilization, there were certainly no resources in the solar system worth their attention. Therefore, humanity posed no threat to them. Furthermore, according to Christina's assessment, the contractors prioritized efficiency and profit; destroying a completely useless civilization would only be a waste of resources for them. With Han Zu present, humanity had, in a strange way, become a vassal of the contractors' civilization, making them much safer. Moreover, given the contractors' strength, they had no external enemies, which provided a second layer of security.

However, the downsides are also obvious: the complex relationship between the contractors and their own tribe, the Tigris. According to information Christina obtained from the contractors and Han Zu, the contractors are actually a special resistance force within the Tigris. Although the contractors don't harbor much hostility towards their own tribe after the 'Great Division' (Han Zu's description, not the actual event name), the Tigris don't see it that way. While the Tigris' technological strength is currently inferior to the contractors', they have a significant numerical advantage, and the technological difference isn't actually that great. Therefore, the contractors are effectively concealing their presence to avoid direct contact with the Tigris.

Given this situation, if the main force of the Tig people discovers and confirms the existence of the contractors, a brutal war that human civilization might not even be able to imagine will break out. Regardless of which side ultimately wins, human civilization may face annihilation. Although the solar system is located in the most barren of barren lands within the power division between the contractors and the Tig people, no one can say for sure what will happen. And most importantly, Wei Qinglin has no solution to this problem.

Mutual checks and balances with contractors or the Tig people? Wei Qinglin wasn't that arrogant. He believed this method didn't exist, at least not in the short term. Controlling Han Zu? Even if it were possible, Wei Qinglin's only bargaining chip was the contents of an agreement whose full scope even Han Zu himself didn't yet understand. And if Han Zu's uniqueness wasn't unique to the contractors, they might abandon him. Based on Wei Qinglin's judgment, to avoid a direct confrontation with the Tig people, the contractors would logically erase all traces of their interactions with other intelligent races, thus reducing the possibility of their existence being leaked. Given their principle of efficiency above all else, erasing traces was less desirable than erasing the entire civilization.

Regarding the Ferdinand family, especially Sebastian, Wei Qinglin had a way to keep him in check. Although the Ferdinand family was large and powerful, their core was ultimately Sebastian himself. If Sebastian were eliminated or exiled, this leaderless Ferdinand family, operating on a large family model, would quickly perish without external intervention; its members would fight each other for power. After all, according to Merlin's intelligence, there was no second Sebastian in the Ferdinand family, neither in terms of prestige nor personal strength.

The instability of the contractors has become Wei Qinglin's biggest problem to solve. Although he currently lacks the means to solve it, he is not entirely without ideas. Han Zu is the answer to this predicament.

Given Infinite Corporation's current methods, acquiring sufficient technological strength to counter the contractors is clearly impossible. While obtaining power from the mystical side might be sufficient to deal with, or even surpass, the contractors, the cost is unknown, extremely expensive, and highly unstable. Han Zu represents a relatively mild compromise between these two extreme approaches.

Maintaining this strange alliance through Han Zu is both difficult and easy. It's easy because as long as Han Zu continues to grow stronger, his status as an ally among the contractors will rise, eventually making him an equal and undeniable force. The difficulty lies in the fact that the way Han Zu acquires power is not easy for anyone else besides himself. Furthermore, it's unclear whether the contractors will allow Han Zu to grow stronger or eliminate him at some point. Although Christina's intelligence indicates that the relationship is currently in a honeymoon phase, with Han Zu wielding considerable power among the contractors, no one can predict whether he might be discarded after his usefulness is over.

However, there is a somewhat unstable method that might allow Han Zu to have a way to defy the contractors' power before they decide to discard him after using him. That method is the Creation Engine.

According to the intelligence relayed by Christina, the magnitude and intensity of Han Zu's power after each 'evolution' are random. An evolution might simply result in some enhancements to his existing physical condition, while another might grant him a sudden, all-encompassing power capable of 'killing his past self.' Although there's no clear pattern, Christina's intelligence indicates that in Han Zu's memories, each time he came into contact with the Creation Engine, even a corrupted or incomplete one, he gained a significant amount of power. Similar changes also occurred after he came into contact with and absorbed mystical powers.

A clear idea emerged in Wei Qinglin's mind, perfectly aligned with his goal: to use Han Zu to eliminate the creation engines. Wei Qinglin wanted to destroy the creation engines because they would incite conflict among other forces, threatening humanity's survival. However, if he could use them to strengthen Han Zu, this combination of Han Zu internally and contractors externally would be enough to ensure humanity's survival in the 'Barren Land'. Furthermore, this was a subtle way of currying favor with Han Zu; even if he discovered his actions later, he wouldn't object.

After parting ways with Merlin and Unger, Wei Qinglin returned to his room in his residential area. He sat in a chair and pondered for a long time. After weighing the pros and cons, he ultimately chose to help Han Zu. Just then, a face that Han Zu might be very familiar with appeared before Wei Qinglin. It was the elf-like figure that Han Zu had seen many times within the range of various creation engines.

“You are different from the other two. He wants to obtain, use, and dominate, but he has no ambition. You, on the other hand... seem to completely reject this power, even though you are using it.”

Seeing the suddenly appearing elf, Wei Qinglin finally snapped out of his thoughts, picked up the unfinished cola, and took another sip.

"I am neither as ambitious as Sebastian, nor do I possess the powerful will to wield the Creation Engine. The wisest course of action is to keep my distance. I only use this power out of necessity."

Hearing Wei Qinglin's words, the elf took a few steps towards him, stood in front of him, and bent down to look him directly in the eye. Wei Qinglin did not flinch and looked back without flinching. The two stared at each other for a moment, then the elf stood up again.

"You also have considerable ambition to preserve a race and its civilization, and you have the same will as him to avoid being corrupted by the power of the creation engine."

As soon as he finished speaking, a pink bicycle suddenly appeared beside the elf. He rode on it, and the space in front of him suddenly underwent a huge change, turning into a passage made of flesh and blood.

"Do you always have to be so comical every time you leave?" Wei Qinglin chuckled, biting his straw as he spoke.

"Personal hobby".

The elf didn't turn back, comically disappearing through the flesh tunnel. After his figure vanished from Wei Qinglin's sight, the flesh tunnel quickly disappeared, as if nothing had happened in the room.