Chapter 10: Veiled Threats

"Dr. Wang, come with me." The Taoist Master's tone left no room for discussion.

In the hallway outside the conference room, he pointed to an inconspicuous door, motioning Haiyang to follow.

Though reluctant, Haiyang had no choice but to follow the Taoist Master into a small office. The room barely fit a desk and a few chairs, with thick curtains blocking the windows, creating a dim, oppressive atmosphere.

The Taoist Master's followers quickly closed the door, cutting off outside noise.

"Sit," the Taoist Master said coldly, taking his seat on the other side of the desk. Just as Haiyang sat down, the door opened again, and Wang Jianguo entered.

"Dad?" Haiyang looked at his father, feeling anxious. Jianguo's expression was complex, but he remained silent, standing beside the Taoist Master.

The Taoist Master smiled slightly, placing his hands on the desk and leaning forward, staring directly at Haiyang.

"Dr. Wang, your presentation today was excellent. But I have one question: have you truly decided to join the Ethereal Refinement Project?"

"Of course, I'm willing to contribute to our country," Haiyang answered cautiously, keeping his voice steady.

The Taoist Master nodded slightly, maintaining his unsettling smile.

"You should know. While the nanobots in the Immortal Water can perform various repairs and enhancements in your body, they also have a function—they can be shut down at any time." He pulled out a small remote device with several red buttons. Haiyang guessed this was the device that emitted the red light.

"If you try any tricks, I only need to press this button, and the nanobots in your body will instantly stop working, leaving you trapped between life and death, like a zombie," the Taoist Master said with a cold smile.

Cold sweat broke out on Haiyang's back. He stared at the device, fighting the urge to lunge for it.

"Don't be nervous," the Taoist Master continued. "As long as you sincerely join the Ethereal Refinement Project and contribute to both country and the Celestial Dao Society, you'll be perfectly safe. But if you have any other ideas..." He waved the remote slightly, leaving the threat unspoken but clear.

"Dad, what do you think about this?" Haiyang turned to Jianguo, hoping for support.

After a moment of silence, Jianguo avoided his gaze and said quietly, "Haiyang, you must understand, we're working for the country now. Everything is for a higher purpose. Only by complying can you better protect yourself and your family."

Haiyang felt his heart turn to ice. He never expected his father to say such things.

Seeing this, the Taoist Master's smile grew more sinister. He had his followers escort Jianguo out.

He leaned closer to Haiyang and whispered, "One more thing. If you think you can escape, think again. I have extensive evidence of your father's corruption. Where do you think the money for your privileged lifestyle came from? Without the Celestial Dao Society's protection, he'd be in prison instead of remaining Deputy Director. If you don't cooperate, the Society won't hesitate to abandon him."

Haiyang stared at the Taoist Master, his eyes full of anger and self-reproach. But the Taoist Master remained unmoved, just smirking at him.

"So, Dr. Wang, tell me now, have you truly decided to join the Ethereal Refinement Project?" the Taoist Master asked again, his voice threatening.

After a few seconds of silence, Haiyang slowly nodded.

"Excellent." The Taoist Master smiled with satisfaction, putting away the remote. "Remember this conversation. Everything we do is for the country, for higher goals. Once you're up to speed here, come with me to Laboratory B—Uncle Hu is waiting there."

With that, the Taoist Master stood, patted Haiyang's shoulder, and left the office.

Haiyang walked out, watching the Taoist Master's retreating figure with mixed emotions. He turned to his father waiting at the door, seeing resignation and heaviness in his gaze.

"Haiyang, I know you have many questions, but you must trust me—everything we're doing now is for survival. Work well here. I'll contact you if anything comes up. I must go now. Take care of yourself." Jianguo's voice was barely audible.

Haiyang didn't respond, just turned and walked slowly toward the research center.

In the main hall, everyone was busy, surrounded by the noise of instruments and phones.

Xu Jing approached the dejected Haiyang: "How was it? What did the Taoist Master say?"

"He's truly a demon. He demanded my loyalty, threatened me with shutting down the nanobots, and even threatened to go after my father," Haiyang replied wearily.

"That's typical of him. Look how he handled this huge incident, even getting the task force dissolved. I don't know what level of leadership he's connected to, but he can manage anything," Xu Jing said consolingly.

"Sigh! I don't know what to do. Oh, right, Xu Jing, I wanted to discuss something with you—your idea about applying quantum entanglement to nanobots that you mentioned in the symposium," Haiyang suddenly remembered.

Xu Jing smiled slightly and nodded: "Of course, I'd love to hear your thoughts."

They walked into a quiet laboratory.

Haiyang said, "Your proposal about using quantum entanglement to reduce external interference sounds promising, but the technical implementation seems extremely challenging. Especially in the complex internal environment, how can we ensure the stability of quantum entanglement?"

After a moment's thought, Xu Jing replied, "Indeed, this is one of our biggest technical challenges. In mouse experiments, we found that maintaining entanglement is affected by various factors, including electromagnetic field fluctuations and neural signal complexity. However, we're trying a new entanglement generation method using superconducting quantum dots to enhance entanglement stability. Preliminary results show some promise."

"Solving this would revolutionize nanobot applications in the body. But have you considered the ethical and safety implications? After all, applying quantum entanglement involves deep intervention in the human neural network—if something goes wrong, the consequences could be irreversible," Haiyang mused.

Xu Jing sighed: "Scientific progress always comes with risks. All we can do is minimize these risks and find the safest, most effective solutions."

"I don't understand—wasn't your mission to uncover the truth about your parents' death? Why are you so dedicated to helping the Celestial Dao Society now?" Haiyang asked, puzzled.

"You know, researching this is instinctive for me. Scientific exploration itself is like an addictive challenge—the deeper you go, the more fascinating it becomes. Especially with unprecedented technology and theory, though challenging, I feel it's also a unique opportunity," Xu Jing answered.

She paused, then continued: "While the research fascinates me, I've never abandoned my investigation. My parents' case remains a question in my heart and my reason for being here—not just for research itself, but to uncover the truth about the Celestial Dao Society's grand scheme."

Haiyang nodded silently: "I know your passion for research is genuine, but I also understand your doubts. We can't conflate science with religion."

"Exactly," Xu Jing lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "I must stay vigilant. On the surface, I'm fully committed to research, but I'm secretly gathering information to uncover the Society's true purpose and my parents' fate."

After a moment's silence, Haiyang asked: "What do you think are the chances of success for the Spirit Resonance experiment? Can combining Taoist rituals with nanotechnology really yield scientific results?"

Xu Jing frowned: "Spirit Resonance... theoretically, any combination of human body and technology might bring unexpected breakthroughs, but honestly, I don't believe in mixing religious rituals with modern science. Our scientific efforts are for human progress, while the Taoist Master's tricks... they seem more like control tools, using doctrine for mental control."

"Yes, I feel the same way. Now we're both trapped here," Haiyang said.

Xu Jing took a deep breath, about to speak when her communicator vibrated. She answered: "What is it? What? I'll be right there."

"What's wrong?" Haiyang asked.

"A test subject in the underground lab is having issues. I need to go immediately. You can come if you're not afraid," Xu Jing said.

"Me, afraid?" Haiyang tried to sound confident.

"Yes, I think you will be—it's about the zombies you mentioned." Xu Jing's words sent another chill down Haiyang's spine.