"..."
In an instant, the meeting room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Ma Baoguo, however, was furious:
"Elder An suddenly disappeared, and the security team around him didn't even notice, are they blind? Drag their leader out and shoot him!"
The burly man hesitated and dithered for a long time before saying, "The security... the security team..."
"Speak freely," the lead elder noticed something was amiss.
The young soldier had to brace himself and say, "The security team... is Director Ma's..."
"..."
Ma Baoguo was initially stunned, then became depressed.
He only then remembered that it was him who insisted on sending two people to be Elder An's bodyguards back then, otherwise, he would be Elder An's personal bodyguard himself...
Many old comrades familiar with Ma Baoguo buried their heads even lower.
Without looking, Ma Baoguo knew most of them were stifling laughter.
Ma Baoguo wished he could slap himself twice and said with a stern face, "Regardless, they have failed in their duties, and as the leader, I take full responsibility for this."
The lead elder lifted his eyelids and spat lightly:
"What responsibility are you taking, damn it? Elder An is a pillar of the nation, not a homicidal maniac. The security team's role is to serve Elder An, not to monitor and limit his personal freedom, pfft."
The burly young man wanted to say something but seemed hesitant.
"If there's anything more to say, just say it." Ma Baoguo's face was redder than a monkey's butt.
The young soldier quickly said, "Academician Elder An... left a letter, saying: Sending just a few young guys here to try to watch me. Are you getting senile, Xiao Ma?"
"Pfft..."
This time, the old comrades couldn't hold back anymore, and a mouthful of spit flew out.
They clutched their stomachs, knocking over the tea on the table, staining their white shirts, and felt their stomachs twitching violently as they burst into laughter:
"Hahahaha..."
"Since Elder An is unharmed and just wanted to go out for a walk, we shouldn't meddle too much."
The lead elder made the final decision.
"Folks, falling behind means getting beaten, an eternal truth."
"Our ancestors have illustrated this with bloodshed."
"To not get strangled or choked by others, we must develop carbon fiber unique to our nation!"
All the top leaders agreed, stating that no matter the cost, they must capture carbon fiber in the shortest time!
Of course, many higher-ups knew that successfully developing this level of carbon fiber was no easy feat, or else Elder An's laboratory wouldn't have been silent for so long.
One must understand that Elder An is not only a national luminary but also has vast resources at his disposal, yet progress is still slow.
But now it's urgent; even if they break their teeth, they will gnaw down this hard bone!
"There's another way."
"Seek help from domestic private technology companies that belong to our country."
"Perhaps they have a chance."
Another elder suggested.
For the elders, there's nothing shameful about this.
As long as the private enterprises can produce the carbon fiber the country needs, he'd even bow to the company.
In the face of greater good, there's no room for individual ego!
With the consent of everyone present, the lead elder sent emails to the tech companies without any delay.
The email included various level parameters of carbon fiber, hoping the tech companies could make breakthroughs in this field.
Even suggestions would be welcome.
Simultaneously, the email mentioned that any tech company breaking through carbon fiber would receive strong support from national resources and priority consideration for military orders for the next three years.
Boom!
The email shocked all the invited tech company leaders.
Suddenly, phones were ringing all over the tech companies, and everyone was eager to immediately recall all their company's technological personnel in the relevant fields.
Even a fool could see the opportunities within!
Not to mention the enormous profits brought by military orders, just the favor from the country itself was enough to excite them.
To put it bluntly, as long as they don't make fundamental mistakes, this is even more effective than an ancient "exemption from death" token!
That day, all the top private technology companies went wild!
...
On the other hand, inside Changchun Temple.
Although Aluf was very angry and wanted to leave, he stubbornly stood his ground.
As long as his plan succeeded today, given the current popularity of Changchun Temple, it was enough to ensure he would move up a notch!
When the hype is at its peak, start a live stream to sell products.
By then, mountains of gold and silver wouldn't be far from his grasp.
Thinking of this, Aluf cautiously smiled, trying to make himself look harmless.
Since force didn't work, he'd try a gentle approach.
After all, the dream of getting rich was in the hands of Ning An; if he wasn't careful now and said the wrong thing, all previous efforts would be in vain.
Aluf, smiling broadly, sincerely said, "Little Daoist, I was wrong before. I shouldn't have been so disrespectful to the Taoist holy site. I'm willing to pay the price and apologize to the Ancestral Master."
Wow, is this the true face-changing of Sichuan Opera?
Ning An was silent, then continued after a moment:
"You say you're willing to apologize to the Ancestral Master?"
On the surface, Aluf was all smiles, but deep down, he looked down on Ning An.
Everybody knows that Daoists are generally poor. What can someone like Ning An, a bumpkin from a remote temple, say? Maybe just a few thousand dollars.
Compared to the soaring traffic afterwards, it's just a drop in the bucket.
After pondering, Aluf sincerely said, "Yes, yes, I'm willing to pay the price so that when I make a wish, the Immortal can see my sincerity."
"Since you're so filial to the Ancestral Master, I won't stop you from burning incense and making a wish."
Ning An, without even furrowing his brow, casually said, "Our Taoism never opens its mouth wide like a lion, no need for the layperson to spend too much, just gild the rim for the Ancestral Master."
Gild... the rim...
"Ah..." Aluf couldn't snap out of it for quite a while.
Looking at the direction Ning An pointed, it was precisely the largest statue in the main hall.
Gilding a statue that big, who knows how much it would cost.
Aluf's fans in the live room were left speechless.
"Damn, this little Daoist not only has a glib tongue, but his heart is also so dark!"
"Gilding a statue that big would need at least dozens of kilograms, just for burning two sticks of incense, spending two to three million? Crazy!"
"Even monks aren't this greedy!"
Meanwhile, the old fans of Changchun Temple didn't back down either.
"Is this all he's got? The so-called anti-fraud king is just that, huh."
"All flashy, I thought he was some aristocratic young master experiencing life, turns out he's a jumping beggar here to embarrass himself."
...
Whether Aluf dared to accept it or not was another matter, but Ning An wasn't in a hurry.
After all, no matter how Aluf chose, Ning An wouldn't lose.
If Aluf just left, Changchun Temple would avoid a ridiculous incident; if Aluf braved it, the Ancestral Master Statue would get a gilded rim.
"Layperson, if your heart isn't sincere, I suggest you wait until the Ancestral Master forgives you, before coming back to burn incense and make a wish."
"Otherwise, forcing a wish now might backfire, after all, immortals care about their image too."
"I..."
Aluf's expression suddenly turned a bit dejected.
But after picturing the skyrocketing traffic and daily windfalls, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Gilding the rim for the Immortal is a beautiful thing!"
"I'm willing."