First Contact with Du Kao

After seeing Angel Yan off, Leina said she was going to pick up the Super Soldier Company members and took her leave as well.

But in reality, Leina first contacted Mao Shen. It was not as though she understood nothing—when a god suddenly appeared on Earth, she naturally had to ask the old folks back home whether they knew of Wang Lei.

Meanwhile, under the arrangements of the other staff, Wang Lei was led through twists and turns to a combat command room deep underground.

When he entered, he found quite a full house: Du Kao, Lianfeng, Yu Qin, Jess, and Huang Lao were all there. A large number of staff members were also watching him with curious eyes.

Wang Lei was entirely unfazed. The people here held high positions, but in truth, not one of them could threaten him. They were the ones who should be afraid.

Upon seeing Wang Lei arrive, Du Kao warmly walked over to shake his hand and greet him.

Wang Lei extended his hand as well; one did not slap a smiling face. He gave a dry laugh and shook hands with him first.

Once the customary pleasantries were over, Jess led everyone into a small meeting room within the combat command center. After everyone sat down, the room immediately fell silent.

Wang Lei wanted to see what Du Kao intended to say first. In any case, he was not afraid of awkwardness. Even if he dug out a three-bedroom apartment beneath his feet, as long as he did not feel awkward, it was everyone else who would be embarrassed.

Du Kao did not dare speak first either. Wang Lei clearly despised him, and he was afraid they would start arguing the moment he opened his mouth.

In the end, Huang Lao spoke first. "No one's saying anything? Honestly. If no one will speak, then I will. Wang Lei, can you tell us exactly what is going on with you? What has been happening on Earth lately has been reshaping our worldview every day. Aliens, angels, demons—these legendary beings have all appeared. Don't tell me you're some kind of immortal cultivator."

Hearing that, Wang Lei inwardly remarked that Huang Lao was surprisingly humorous for someone his age. He answered amiably, "Don't worry, Huang Lao. I'm not some immortal cultivator. In principle, I'm just a slightly unusual Hua Xia citizen. I had a little bit of good fortune."

As he spoke, he raised his right hand and held his thumb and index finger a tiny distance apart.

Lianfeng was clearly dissatisfied with Wang Lei's answer and said directly, "Wang Lei, male, twenty-four years old. Household registration: Juxia City. Before the age of eighteen, he was much like other children his age, with relatively outstanding academic performance. His hobby was finding a rooftop to sunbathe on. At eighteen, he won one hundred thousand yuan in the lottery, refused to continue his university education, and left home. Near Xijing Road, he earned the capital to open a shop by running a stall. Over the following years, he became a world-renowned culinary master, traveling around the world to challenge chefs everywhere and maintaining a perfect record. After returning to the country, he rapidly accumulated wealth through investments in stocks and funds, relying on his sharp financial instincts. His current total assets stand at 2.4 billion."

Seeing that Wang Lei did not challenge the information, Lianfeng closed the file and continued, "Wang Lei, your life would already count as legendary among ordinary people. But now you have become a god and earned a place in the universe. That is no longer something mere good fortune can explain."

Wang Lei shook his head, brought out the excuse he had prepared long ago, and spoke bluntly.

"I won't beat around the bush with you. I won't tell you what my good fortune was. Your Deno No. 3 leaks like a sieve. Telling you would be the same as telling the angels, demons, Styx, Blazing Sun—everyone. You only need to know that I am now an Interstellar Merchant. An Interstellar Merchant from beyond the known universe. I can acquire miraculous items that cannot be found in the known universe, and I can call on friends from other universes for help. As for exactly how I do it, none of you need to know."

Wang Lei's words left the people from Super God Academy looking rather unhappy. Deno No. 3 was already the most powerful computer they could build at present, yet Wang Lei spoke of it as though it were worthless.

Huang Lao, on the other hand, seemed as though he had heard good news. Smiling, he said, "Oh. Then doesn't that mean we can buy equipment from you?"

"Of course, but those people from other universes do not accept RMB. They only accept rare materials or energy. More precisely, in that place, energy is the currency of trade. Oh, and Huang Lao, you can just call me Xiao Wang. I really am only twenty-four."

With that, Wang Lei exchanged for a battery used to charge an Exoskeleton and handed it over, continuing, "You can regard the energy contained in this battery as ten dollars, while the God's Eye I gave Angel Yan earlier costs ten thousand dollars."

The people in the meeting room exchanged glances. Lianfeng picked up the battery and examined it carefully from every angle before making a preliminary assessment.

"I can't tell which civilization in the Milky Way produced this. The energy content inside needs to be tested. Chief, I request permission to leave and determine this battery's energy level as quickly as possible."

As the highest-ranking official present, Huang Lao nodded. Lianfeng then hurried out. Huang Lao turned back to Wang Lei and continued, "All right, then I'll presume upon my age. Xiao Wang, I heard that you and Old Du have some misunderstandings. Can you tell me what you think?"

At that, Wang Lei immediately sneered and looked at Du Kao. Only after making the other man's scalp prickle did he speak. "It isn't a misunderstanding. The De Nuo Remnants fled to Earth during the Tang Dynasty. Before that, their civilization was destroyed because General Du Kao, who is sitting across from me, started a war. Oh, and I heard he repented for ten thousand years before coming to Earth. His purpose in coming to Earth was simple: to recreate the De Nuo Civilization here. Their methods back then were not much different from the Demons' genetic implantation. Their methods were simply gentler. Tell the ancients of that time that you have a way to turn their descendants into gods, then demonstrate technological methods beyond their comprehension—how could they refuse? Even in modern times, plenty of people would agree."

Du Kao could not refute him. They truly had initially intended to recreate the De Nuo Civilization on Earth, and the genes had indeed been distributed at that time. Even Wang Lei's description of their methods was correct.

Seeing that Du Kao did not refute him, Wang Lei continued. "However, the development of Super Genes requires energy support. Clearly, there are no resources around Earth sufficient to sustain Super Soldiers. Even the current Super Soldier Company was only established with aid from Blazing Sun. So over the past thousand-plus years, the De Nuo Remnants, who were no different from ordinary people, have instead been almost entirely assimilated by Hua Xia. Things might have remained that way. Although I resented the De Nuo Remnants for drawing cosmic powers here, I would not have thought you harbored ill intentions. But after investigating your dealings with the government over the years, I became certain that even now, you still do not regard Earth as your second homeworld."

Du Kao could no longer endure it. He slapped the table and said, "No, Wang Lei. I acknowledge everything you said before this. A thousand years ago, we did indeed consider turning Earth into a second De Nuo. But things are different now. I love this planet. I love this people. I have been assimilated by Earth. I am now willing to die for Earth at any time!!"