"Lanxi, are there any more events over the next two days?" Chen Mo asked while eating breakfast, his eyes on the holographic projection from his phone.
It was the second day of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference. Yesterday's summit forum and the unveiling of various black technologies had made the event the hottest topic on the internet.
Online, people were still buzzing about the future of AI—and especially the chilling "God Civilization" discussion from the Q&A session.
Thanks to Xiaoyu's comfort, Chen Mo had temporarily put those thoughts aside. Once his authority level in the Science and Technology Library increased, he'd be able to access answers. Until then, speculation was meaningless. No need to get lost in questions without clues.
"There's a sudden Internet Security Conference. It was added after the whole 'Clown hacks CIA' incident," Lanxi said, glancing at the schedule. "Tomorrow is the closing ceremony of the AI conference."
"Let the company send representatives," Chen Mo said. "I've got other things to do."
After taking part in the Peak Q&A yesterday, the rest of the conference didn't matter much to him. His real reason for coming to the capital—beyond attending the AI summit—was to meet with key officials to discuss potential cooperation on light nuclear fusion. That was the real focus of this trip.
Li Chengzhi had called him the night before, confirming that someone would come to pick him up today.
"Okay." Lanxi nodded and went to arrange for company delegates to attend on his behalf.
As Chen Mo finished breakfast, a tall man in formal wear approached under the escort of the Black Hawk. The man's dark skin and composed demeanor made his military background clear—his bearing was sharp, much like Black Hawk's.
"Mr. Chen Mo, Instructor Li asked me to come pick you up. Here's my identification," the man said, handing over a document.
"Liang Feng?" Chen Mo glanced at the name.
"Yes."
Chen Mo checked the ID, then returned it and grabbed his jacket. "Let's go."
Lanxi looked hesitant. This clearly wasn't something she had arranged as his temporary assistant. But since he was heading out—should she go too?
Chen Mo noticed and said, "You can come along."
"Alright." Lanxi nodded quickly, grabbed her briefcase, and followed him closely.
The car ride was silent.
Liang Feng didn't speak. Wang Hai and Black Hawk, alert as ever, scanned their surroundings with full vigilance. After the last assassination attempt, they never let their guard down when Chen Mo traveled.
Lanxi was a little nervous. She had no idea where they were going, and didn't dare ask.
To break the silence, Chen Mo glanced over. "Is there a good shopping street around here?"
Lanxi blinked. "Chairman, are you going shopping?"
"Need to pick up a gift for Xiaoyu."
"Oh! Right." She realized her question had been unnecessary and quickly replied, "There are several. Financial Street Shopping Center and the Eastern World are both great. All the major high-end domestic and international brands are there."
"You familiar with them?"
"I studied in the capital. Went shopping there with friends and classmates a lot. I know the area pretty well..."
As soon as the topic turned to shopping, Lanxi visibly relaxed. Her earlier restraint melted away, and she started chatting more freely, even sharing fun little stories from her school days.
The conversation passed the time. Wang Hai, of course, stayed stoically quiet as ever.
Eventually, the car left the bustling urban area and entered the capital's outskirts, driving down a remote road.
A large blue-and-white sign loomed ahead:
Military Restricted Zone.
Most people who saw those four words stayed well away. The surrounding area was empty and silent.
After a while, the car stopped at a gated base nestled in the wilderness between mountains. Armed guards stood alert, clearly marking the base as highly secure.
Liang Feng presented his credentials. Once Chen Mo and his group were confirmed, they were allowed entry.
As Chen Mo stepped out, he was greeted by Li Chengzhi, who smiled warmly and strode over. "Chen Mo, little brother—finally caught you!"
"Brother Li, a third bar already, huh? Congratulations," Chen Mo said, noting the insignia on his shoulder.
"It's nothing, not worth mentioning. Come on in."
Li Chengzhi led Chen Mo inside. Wang Hai, Black Hawk, and Lanxi were taken by Liang Feng to a different hospitality area—they all understood the next part was above their clearance.
Once inside, Li Chengzhi poured Chen Mo a cup of tea.
"You said yesterday you had something you wanted to talk about?"
"Yeah, but it's a bit complicated. I need to speak with someone with real decision-making authority. It's not something I can explain in a few sentences. Why don't you tell me what you wanted first?"
Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry. His own matter—nuclear fusion cooperation—wasn't something to toss around lightly. Better to hear Li Chengzhi out first.
"Alright then," Li Chengzhi nodded. "Remember that technical consultation we talked about last time?"
"Yeah."
"We've hit a bottleneck on one of our projects. We could really use your help—just some technical guidance to help speed things up."
"Can you tell me what the project is?" Chen Mo asked, cautiously. "If it's not in my area, I might not be much help. And I've already got a lot on my plate right now—my current project is taking most of my energy."
"Don't worry, it's right up your alley. It's not something we'd ask just anyone. What's hard for others might be easy for you. Take a look first—if you think it's not suitable, you can decline."
Li Chengzhi pulled a confidentiality agreement from his briefcase and handed it over.
"This is just the usual form."
Chen Mo glanced through the document. It didn't restrict his freedom—just bound him to confidentiality about the project. Satisfied, he signed.
"Alright, now can we talk details?"
"I'm not a technical guy," Li Chengzhi said. "So I can't explain it properly. And we can't bring documents out. So the best thing is for you to go in and hear it from the professionals directly."
"Fine by me." Chen Mo nodded.
"Let's go then," Li Chengzhi said, standing and tucking the agreement away. "Time to take you somewhere fun."
He led Chen Mo toward the helipad not far from the base.