Chapter 88: The Peace Negotiation

The internal negotiations within the Golden Rooster Ridge Base had made no progress. Meanwhile, Jin Ming’s discussions with the Ministry of National Security were quietly unfolding. The joint investigation team, acting as the plenipotentiary representative, once again entered the Golden Rooster Ridge Base.

This time, their return was bold and public; they entered as honored guests of the Lord of the City, settling at the pinnacle of Future City under the scrutiny—no, under the rapt attention—of the masses, no longer confined to the cramped “Ivory Tower.”

In stark contrast to their comfortable existence, the negotiations themselves were exceedingly difficult. In Jin Ming’s eyes, the talks were nothing more than a display of borrowed authority, hoping to leverage a third party’s influence to suppress the arrogance of Wu Jianxue and his associates, perhaps even to use their hands for a convenient elimination.

The Ministry of National Security, on their part, aimed to recruit and extract as much information from the enemy as possible, especially internal secrets that had never been leaked.

Both sides harbored their own agendas, making consensus impossible. Yet maintaining the status quo afforded each ample time: Jin Ming could temporarily quell the rebellious factions within Future City, while the joint investigation team had all they needed to pilfer information.

For instance, after persistent hints about the mermaid experiments, Jin Ming feigned ignorance, allowing them to “steal” the relevant information—which was then declared stolen to the public.

When the joint investigation team handed the documents to Academy experts for verification, the professors confirmed their authenticity. However, the records were incomplete: they contained abundant details on the experiments but scant information about the underlying principles. It seemed that the breakthroughs had not originated at Golden Rooster Ridge; their role was merely in industrializing the process.

Even so, these documents were invaluable. They enabled reverse experimentation, paving the way for the true rescue of the mermaids. In just half a month, Academy experts devised a method to restore mermaids to human form. Clinical trials with the first group of volunteers showed only a twenty percent success rate, while many remaining mermaids chose to accept their current identity.

Of course, the Falcon Brothers had no time to concern themselves with external affairs. Their greatest trouble now was the mounting pressure from Jin Ming.

Jin Ming’s position was clear: he had already met most of the joint investigation team’s demands—allowing foreign personnel entry, providing confidential information on the Tiger Organization (known internally as the Dark Organization), and even risking exposure of one of the group’s survival secrets, the lucrative mermaid trade.

Yet, whenever he made requests, the joint investigation team insisted on reporting to their superiors and waiting for instructions. Not only had he received no response, but the promised removal of Wu had seen no progress. With Wu now in contact with the organization's leadership and preparing to act against him, Jin Ming saw little sincerity in the negotiations. Thus, he decided to detain the team members—whether to bargain with the government or to answer to the organization, it served his interests.

To appease Jin Ming, the joint investigation team pledged: within seven days, they would resolve the Wu Jianxue matter.

Truthfully, they had long wished to act against Wu Jianxue. Whether out of personal animosity or to repay Yan Ze, they felt compelled. But Wu Jianxue was a sly fox—cunning and difficult to approach.

Still, no matter how crafty a fox, it cannot escape the hunter’s grasp. Wu Jianxue’s intense self-preservation made him suspicious and difficult to win genuine loyalty from his subordinates.

Thus, the joint investigation team decided to take a gamble and began targeting those around Wu Jianxue. They weren’t foolish enough to contact his men one by one; instead, they sent anonymous letters, hinting at surveillance, isolation, targeted harassment, and rumors—some baseless. Most recipients dismissed them as jokes, barely giving them a glance.

But these seeds of discord were surprisingly effective. Ordinary words and familiar routines began to feel different under deliberate manipulation. For example, Crewcut, who had always bowed and scraped before Wu Jianxue, started noticing Wu’s aloofness and indifference. Previously, Crewcut hadn’t minded, but now, guided by subtle suggestion, he suddenly felt disrespected.

Similarly, an old professor who had followed Wu Jianxue since their days at the Great Wilderness Mountain faithfully carried out his duties. His temperament often clashed with Wu, but their recent dispute was different: the professor was deeply angered to find himself excluded from Wu’s plans to replace Jin Ming. After all these years, he felt his hard work deserved some recognition!

The scheme worked brilliantly. Within a single night, Wu Jianxue’s foundation began to crumble. Many had never truly followed him out of devotion, more as one follows an idol. When they realized their ambitions would not be fulfilled, doubts crept in. If offered a better alternative, the fence-sitters began clandestine negotiations.

Indeed, within days, some of Wu Jianxue’s people secretly approached Jin Ming, listing Wu’s many faults: stubbornness, destroying others’ research, sabotaging the Great Wilderness Mountain base, and more.

Wu Jianxue was furious at these betrayals, yet he seemed powerless to respond. He realized he had no one he could fully trust.

Despite his awkward predicament, Wu Jianxue was far from defeated. Soon, at his invitation, headquarters sent a representative—someone from Hitomi Yashirota’s faction.

The arrival of a headquarters envoy, backing Wu Jianxue, quickly shifted the atmosphere. Those who had been indignantly cursing him the day before turned around and fawned over him, brushing off his rebukes with laughter. Perhaps they did not realize that the seeds of resentment had already taken root.

In truth, Hitomi Yashirota’s envoy was not there to support Wu Jianxue. Hearing of the recent developments at Golden Rooster Ridge, he used Wu’s invitation as an opportunity to gather intelligence, hoping to profit from the conflict between rivals.