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Lin Chao had just wrapped up his thoughts when Takemura said, "That's right, is it convenient for a chat?"

"Sure, come to my place," Lin Chao replied.

After hanging up, Lin Chao suddenly realized something was off.

Why is it that every time Takemura wants to "chat," it's always right before dinner?

He had every reason to believe this guy was using business talk as an excuse to get a free meal.

Sure enough.

Just as Lin Chao's vegetable fried rice hit the table, the housekeeper bot brought Takemura in.

"Ah, Lin, sorry to interrupt your meal again. Don't mind me, I'll wait outside," Takemura said politely.

Even so, the look in Takemura's eyes said it all:

I haven't eaten yet. Please, be a good host.

Lin Chao rolled his eyes.

Good grief, this guy had perfected the art of polite freeloading.

Forget calling him Takemura Goro—just Takemura is polite enough.

Faced with that look, what else could he say?

"Stop. Sit down and eat," Lin Chao said, resigned.

"Thank you so much, Lin," Takemura said with a satisfied nod.

Hiccup. "Lin, your cooking is truly exceptional. Even Lord Saburo wouldn't match up."

"Well, thanks, I guess," Lin Chao replied with a wry smile.

"Heh… hearing an Arasaka dog say Saburo's not as good as you—that's rare." Johnny appeared, lounging off to the side.

Lin Chao smirked. "You should be asking whether Saburo Arasaka even knows how to cook."

"Considering how loyal Takemura is, if Saburo could cook, he wouldn't say this."

"Exactly."

Ignoring Johnny, Lin Chao turned to Takemura. "Alright, let's hear your plan."

Takemura nodded. "I've gone over the documents you gave me. Ultimately, the best opportunity for us is during the festival."

"You want to sneak into the festival float and meet Michiko Arasaka, right?" Lin Chao asked casually.

"Exactly."

That didn't surprise Lin Chao one bit.

The mission titled [Tiger's Maw and Tooth Extraction] was still ongoing in his system log. The objective was crystal clear:

Assist Takemura in meeting Michiko Arasaka at the Coaster Festival.

So, even with Hanako out of the picture, Takemura was still marching down the same story path.

In other words, hijack the float again.

Instead of ambushing her elsewhere at the festival or sneaking in before or after the event, the mission had to follow the "script."

If it hadn't been for that requirement, Lin Chao would've already grabbed Michiko and handed her over for the reward.

This whole "sticking to the playbook" was exhausting.

Unaware of Lin Chao's internal monologue, Takemura continued, "While you were handling other things, I did some digging. All the floats are gathered in Arasaka's Industrial Park for final prep."

"All we need to do is find Michiko's float and plant the virus into its systems."

Lin Chao nodded.

That aligned with how the story played out in the game.

But this was no longer a game. It was real life. Optimal solutions mattered.

After thinking it through, Lin Chao offered, "You know I've got a top-tier netrunner. We don't even need to enter the park."

Takemura shook his head. "Won't work. Arasaka's network is isolated. Completely offline."

"That's why the virus must be planted manually—once the float is moving during the festival, it'll be vulnerable to remote hacks."

"Alright then. Leave it to me." Lin Chao sighed. So much for the lazy route using Shockwave.

Still, even without Shockwave, this was child's play.

Later that night, after finishing "round two" with V, she returned to Lin Huohuo's room, while Lin Chao slipped out.

He changed, teleported straight to Arasaka's Industrial Park, and followed his usual playbook—devour someone for disguise, stroll right in, locate the float, upload the virus, and exit clean.

Nobody even noticed he'd been there.

From the moment he left to the moment he was back in bed, the whole mission barely took two hours—and most of that was just walking around in disguise.

Meanwhile, across the ocean, in Kangtao's boardroom, a heated argument raged.

This wasn't one of their larger meetings. Only seven were present: four senior board members, plus Xu Shiming, Ling Xiaohan, and Huo Yuan.

Still, they were loud enough to sound like seventy people arguing.

Once again, the topic was Lin Chao's stunt at the Military Tech HQ.

But this time, the focus wasn't the nuke—it was Lin Chao himself.

Because, aside from a select few, no one really knew what happened before the explosion.

Only three people had witnessed it.

Along with a few top leaders in the East.

And none of them had any doubt:

Lin Chao himself is far more dangerous than any nuclear weapon.

Nukes are stored, guarded, and tracked. There's always some way to secure them.

What Lin Chao has?

There's no stopping it.

He proved that in front of Military Tech HQ—when he unleashed a swarm of tentacles covering three kilometers.

It was personal. Built-in. Unstoppable.

And the worst part?

It didn't even seem to cost him anything.

Unlike a warhead, there were no side effects, no radiation, no cleanup.

He could use it again. Anytime. Anywhere.

And considering how easily he infiltrates places?

He could do this over and over. A slow grind that no company could survive.

Naturally, this became the heart of the debate.

Ling Xiaohan, Xu Shiming, the Minister, and another elder with a square jaw all pushed for Lin Huohuo to be recalled.

They didn't want to risk damaging their fragile relationship with Lin Chao.

The other three argued the opposite—keep Lin Huohuo close. Monitor him. Study him. Find weaknesses, just in case.

Even if they didn't plan to go against Lin Chao…

They needed insurance.

A safety valve in case Lin Chao ever turned against Kangtao.