The Final Piece of the Puzzle: The Complete Form of the Jinling Group!

Jiang Xiaoci, upon hearing the words, turned to look at Wang Chen but did not speak. Her meaning was clear: she had no control over Wang Chen. Talents like Dongfang Zhiyuan and Wang Chen were at the top of their class, and only Mike had the authority to deploy them. They had considerable autonomy within their respective areas.

"Alright, I'll go with you," Wang Chen said, standing up. The God of War was easy to approach, and as he walked up to Chen Dafeng, he said, "Let's go. Lead the way."

"Hey, Wang Bro, let's walk," Chen Dafeng grinned, his tone becoming a lot more polite. "With you by my side, I feel so much safer."

"You don't need to be so polite," Wang Chen said as he walked beside him, still speaking with that indifferent tone. "When I make friends, I don't care about strength. I focus more on whether we get along."

"Now you're making me feel like I'm the one being impolite," Chen Dafeng laughed. Wang Chen's demeanor was cold, but his words were sincere, and they made Chen Dafeng's eyes brighten as he relaxed.

"Still, I should be polite. If I started calling you 'little Wang,' even if you didn't mind, I'd still feel uneasy."

"Let's go, Wang Bro. We've got work to do," Chen Dafeng said, casually slinging an arm around Wang Chen's shoulders. When he saw no reaction, he chuckled. "By the way, Wang Bro, you always look so serious. Don't you have many friends?"

"Not really," Wang Chen nodded.

Chen Dafeng let out a sly laugh. "So, am I one of your friends now?"

Wang Chen shook his head. "Not really."

Chen Dafeng was instantly displeased. "Then what am I to you?"

Wang Chen paused for a moment, then hesitated. "Just a colleague."

"Colleague?" Chen Dafeng lowered his head, taking a deep breath. "Fine, looks like you're a bit of a tough nut, huh? No problem! Tough nuts will eventually team up, and we'll be friends sooner or later."

Mike switched to Chen Dafeng's perspective but didn't pay much attention to their conversation. Judging by Wang Chen's demeanor, he was approachable, perhaps due to his immense power, which made it impossible for those too weak to feel his true strength.

But it was fine like this; at least Chen Dafeng's bad temper wouldn't trouble him, and having someone to keep the unpredictable Chen Dafeng in check was a good thing.

Mike switched his focus to the broader situation in Guangling. Through various staff members and talent organizations, Mike had confirmed that the situation in Guangling had indeed entered a stalemate, just as discussed in the big meeting.

Mike didn't believe Jiang Xiaoci was constrained by her reputation and a sense of justice. If she wanted, she could have found countless excuses to take military action in Guangling, and Mike could still cover for her with the higher-ups.

The only reason Jiang Xiaoci would want to maintain the current deadlock was what Chen Xun had guessed: she was trying to draw out the mastermind behind it all.

More accurately, Jiang Xiaoci's plan had likely already evolved into a form of open strategy. Both higher-ups from the enemy and their own side would easily spot the core interests hidden beneath the surface of the stalemate.

"She's probably using the stalemate as an opportunity to probe and gather more information on the mastermind's schemes in Guangling. She'll likely follow the trail to uncover more details," Mike murmured, contemplating the situation. He couldn't think of a better way than how Jiang Xiaoci was handling it.

With Jiang Xiaoci stationed in Guangling and top warriors like Wang Shi, Wang Chen, and Chen Dafeng backing her, the outcome for Guangling was already set.

Mike no longer needed to worry about what would happen there. In fact, the longer the stalemate lasted, the more time he had to develop.

"Now, whether it's me or the mastermind, both of us will likely be watching the situation in Guangling closely," Mike thought. "This way, his attention will be focused there, and I can take advantage of the delay to speed up my own development. The longer this drags on, the better for me."

Mike was sure that if the mastermind made another move, it would still revolve around Guangling and Dantu. He was certain the mastermind wouldn't take action against Jinling and Xinchang.

On the surface, it seemed like Jinling's main forces were concentrated in the Guangling area, which could leave Jinling vulnerable. However, the smarter ones wouldn't see it as an opportunity.

Feigning weakness was a common strategic principle. If Mike were the mastermind, after everything that had happened in Xinchang, he would never underestimate his opponent. If the enemy moved their main forces away from their core base and created a situation of apparent internal weakness with external strength, he would see it not as a chance but as a trap.

Mike suspected that Jiang Xiaoci had deliberately created the deadlock with this in mind—she knew the mastermind wouldn't dare act against Jinling.

Even if the mastermind predicted this and dared to act against Jinling, Jiang Xiaoci had no fear. After all, Wang Chen, unknown to others, was Mike's greatest trump card. He could swiftly travel between Guangling and Jinling, undetected.

And then there was Old Master Dongfang Zhiyuan, a potential SSS-level powerhouse. Though he claimed to dislike getting involved in combat, if someone threatened Jinling, Old Master would definitely act.

If the mastermind moved against Jinling, he would only be digging his own grave. If he didn't, Guangling would eventually fall. If he acted against Guangling, Jiang Xiaoci would trace his movements and expose him.

It was a perfect situation for Mike. The longer the stalemate lasted, the better it was for him to develop.

"I think I've already won!" Mike chuckled, running a hand through his hair. He felt a little bored. "Xiaoci is too capable. I shouldn't have sent her to Guangling; the situation's become a bit dull."

Mike quickly realized he might soon fall into the same state of boredom he'd faced before.

The next day, Mike found himself with nothing to do. The district-level science base was under the control of the research institute, and Old Master Zhiyuan supervised everything. Mike only needed to place the Heart of Technology in the right area in Jinling's outskirts to establish a temporary industrial zone. It only took him half a morning.

As for the rest of the tasks, Mike couldn't intervene. The management of Jinling and Xinchang was in the hands of Old Master and Liu Wenbo, with the third apocalypse no longer a threat. The two cities' citizens had united and were now promoting the slogan of "Building a new home for humanity in the apocalypse and experiencing peace early."

There was no longer any threat or pressure to worry about. The biggest loss to the two cities was minor injuries from the fog when clearing outside the city. In fact, no one had even died.

Thanks to Old Master's training program, no one in the fog area had to worry about survival. Mike didn't need to do anything in terms of technological development or city management. There was nothing left to worry about, so Mike quickly grew bored.

Jiang Xiaoci, still managing the standoff in Guangling, even found the time to reorganize Dantu's management team. She relocated new personnel from Jinling and Xinchang to Dantu and personally designed a sound management framework for them. This not only sped up Dantu's integration into the Jinling Group but also demonstrated Jinling's strength in front of the people.

However, one flaw in Jinling's greatness was its lack of logistics capacity. They couldn't afford to spend resources recklessly. But this didn't bother Li Aiguo, who, as the last piece of the puzzle, saw Dantu's integration as the final step in forming the most powerful version of Jinling Group.

"Let's do it! Let's trade what we don't need to secure Jinling's protection!" Li Aiguo declared, rallying Dantu's citizens.

And with that, Dantu's population happily accepted Jinling's leadership, beginning a new chapter.

Mike was aware of the situation but wasn't bothered. After all, the people of Dantu, like all others in his domain, were those he was meant to serve.

As long as he was able to serve them well, it was a good thing for him.