A Handshake

Zhang Hao entered the factory building and discovered there wasn't even a light on. The windows outside were fake, plunging the interior into darkness.

No switch was needed; a single spoken command to "activate" would suffice.

Then, a rumbling sound was heard. Under Mi Feng's direction, Zhang Hao exited the factory, asking in surprise, "Is that it?"

"Yes, the machinery and electronics factories are linked. Once activated, they form an internal cycle. No workers are needed; production relies entirely on commands issued from here."

Zhang Hao asked, "Then we need to hire some security guards?"

"Yes! Security Manager, requires your handshake."

Zhang Hao understood. A handshake meant control. In reality, it wasn't him controlling them, but Mi Feng. If the company was ever endangered, these individuals would surely meet with some unfortunate accident.

Of course, Zhang Hao didn't have such thoughts. Having lived in a peaceful world, his mindset and way of being were calm. Even when arguing with someone, it was limited to that. He didn't harbor twisted thoughts like, "You insult me once, and I'll kill your entire family."

"Great God, what else do you need me to do?" Even though everything seemed arranged, Zhang Hao instinctively asked.

"Nothing else! As long as you are in Ning City, you can do as you please."

Zhang Hao immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Working with Mi Feng was becoming increasingly stressful, and he was still confused. This immense wealth weighed heavily on him.

"You can try spending it."

Mi Feng's words left Zhang Hao dumbfounded. He asked, "What do you mean?"

"Make more friends, meet more people. Perhaps you can find elite talent."

Zhang Hao gave a wry smile. "I don't like socializing, and why would I need to know those people? What do they have to do with me..."

Mi Feng's single sentence left Zhang Hao speechless.

"If they are elite talent..."

"Handshake!"

Zhang Hao let out a puff of laughter. This approach was simply brilliant.

He glanced at the prayer beads on his wrist, each one a controller. It was terrifying.

Mi Feng was forcing Zhang Hao to socialize, but Zhang Hao detested socializing. Being with strangers made him extremely uncomfortable. As a proper shut-in, he truly didn't want to, especially having to control others.

But Mi Feng was firm, and Zhang Hao felt helpless!

An image of an invitation was directly transmitted to Zhang Hao. It was an invitation for Zhang Hao and Wu Renbao to attend an investment discussion meeting. The caliber was extremely high, featuring titans of the financial world, renowned investment banks, and even real estate magnates. The attendance was small, less than a hundred people. Zhang Hao didn't know where Mi Feng had gotten it.

As soon as Zhang Hao saw the invitation, Wu Renbao's call came through.

"Mr. Zhang, there's an investment discussion meeting. Are you attending?"

Zhang Hao gritted his teeth and replied gruffly, "Yes!" It was impossible to refuse. Mi Feng had plenty of ways to ensure Zhang Hao had no room to struggle. He'd just play dumb and let Wu Renbao handle the interactions.

The investment discussion meeting was held at the Hilton Hotel in Ning City. The specifications were quite high, lasting for three days: the first day for registration, the meeting on the second day, and departure on the third. Furthermore, only those with official invitations could register for accommodation.

Zhang Hao didn't go for the registration on the first day. Wu Renbao went instead. He knew many people and followed the official agenda.

Zhang Hao arrived on the second morning. Wu Renbao met him at the entrance.

They went to sign in first, then collected a stack of materials before entering the venue.

The small conference hall had about a hundred people. There was a modest stage. Wu Renbao led the way, introducing Zhang Hao to people, mostly executives from investment banks and heads of various companies. Most of them were influential figures in Ning City.

Zhang Hao could barely remember people; he needed to meet them at least three times before remembering them, and even then, something had to happen between them. For instance, when he used to take on freelance work, he only got to know the editor who received his submissions after three design drafts. It wasn't that he had a bad memory, but rather that he never focused on people's faces. He had always been prosopagnosic.

This time was clearly different. As soon as Wu Renbao introduced someone, their face appeared clearly in his mind. He immediately understood that this was the effect of the nanobots provided by the Great God Mi Feng.

Mi Feng gave no prompts and made no sound, so Zhang Hao felt quite relaxed. He just put on a polite smile and pretended, who cared about anyone after leaving?

Zhang Hao's aloofness was evident to everyone. Although he was outwardly very polite and maintained a humble posture, that cool sense of distance could still be felt. Those attending this meeting were at least senior executives of major companies. Naturally, they wouldn't fawn over him. After a brief greeting, they would move away, treating him as if he were invisible.

Wu Renbao gave a wry smile and whispered, "Mr. Zhang doesn't seem to like this kind of event?"

Zhang Hao nodded slightly. "Yes!" He had no intention of hiding his thoughts. After sitting down, he began flipping through the pile of documents.

Some of the materials were in English. As Zhang Hao's gaze fell upon them, the text automatically translated into Chinese and appeared before his eyes.

He could even hear a voice in his ear, a standard English pronunciation at an extremely fast pace.

When he read it a second time, he understood. He marveled inwardly, a hint of excitement on his face. He turned to Wu Renbao and said, "Old Wu, have someone buy me a set of the English version of the encyclopedia."

Wu Renbao was taken aback. Regardless of his surprise, he agreed immediately. He wasn't like Zhang Hao, a poor student. He was fluent in English and French, and even knew some Spanish. Although he couldn't understand why Zhang Hao wanted an encyclopedia during a meeting, he readily agreed. The boss's orders had to be fulfilled.

The meeting began, with speakers taking turns. To Zhang Hao's surprise, he found himself listening with keen interest because he understood the content of their speeches, knowledge he had never encountered before.

However, there was still a slight issue. Although Zhang Hao could understand and comprehend, he could only do so at a surface level. He lacked his own train of thought, his own ideas.

One of the executives was showing off, speaking entirely in English. Zhang Hao was astonished to find he understood everything. It was different from before, when his English level was limited to "hello" and "goodbye," and he couldn't speak anything else. He was a little excited.

He didn't find the day's discussion meetings boring because he could understand them, which sparked some interest. When the afternoon session ended, Zhang Hao said, "Old Wu, I'm heading back first..." He then noticed a hint of helplessness on Wu Renbao's face.

"What's wrong?"

Wu Renbao said, "There's a banquet tonight, ten tables of food... Chairman, you are the host..."

Zhang Hao was instantly dumbfounded. He pointed to his nose and asked, "Are you saying... this seminar was organized by our company?"

Wu Renbao nodded helplessly. "Yes."