"Didn't you give up on becoming a Holy Grail Person before? Why do you want to become one again?" No. 13, with only a head remaining, asked Sun Jack with a peculiar expression.
In response to the other party's question, Sun Jack, who was smoking, didn't panic at all; he lifted his foot casually to lean it on the table, "Can't I change my mind? I don't want to store Sun Zizhan's memories, I want to become a Holy Grail Person on my own terms. What's it to you?"
That kind of reasoning was not without rationale; since Guan Sanke wanted him to return to the main plot, touching the Holy Grail was something that had to be done, and Guan Sanke would neither stop nor could stop him.
However, after making contact, how to utilize it would be his own choice, and at any rate, he had to keep Guan Sanke too busy to intervene.
He wasn't afraid of the Priest; what he feared was that if he didn't give Guan Sanke trouble, for the sake of viewer ratings, the jerk might just resurrect the others who had died, which would be a real problem.
Facing Sun Jack's question, No. 13 fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
The higher-ups at Gaofeng Technology remained quiet as well, but Sun Jack knew without a doubt they were constantly communicating through their internal channels.
"Even though I own the largest share, these guys aren't on the same page as me. I need to find a way to teach them a lesson."
As Sun Jack mulled over this, he suddenly came up with a good idea.
Not long after, before Gaofeng Technology could come up with a countermeasure, lam, the CEO of Sharp Flash Technology, burst through the door.
He walked in from outside; compared to his previous down-and-out appearance, he now looked full of vigor and confidence, "Mr. Sun, you don't need to ask them. You can do it yourself. As the real power holder of Gaofeng Technology, Ruishan Technology, Weike Medical, and Utopia Security, you have enough strength to become a member of the Metropolitan Federation."
"Once you become a member of the Federation, the path to ascension to Holy Grail status will naturally be open to you."
"How did you get here?" Sun Jack glanced at him.
Although lam really wanted to say, "Didn't you ask me to come?", he did not say so.
"I was worried you'd be at a disadvantage, so I made a special trip to help you out!"
"These people have installed apps like lie detectors, micro-expression predictors, and heart rate monitors in their systems. You have to be extremely careful when dealing with them; it's easy to let them deduce what you're thinking if you're not careful."
As he spoke, he opened his right hand, and from the gap in the palm of his hand, several grey metallic strips flew out and approached Sun Jack.
"These are the cutting-edge products of Sharp Flash Technology, guaranteed to keep all your personal information secure."
After letting his Digital Personality and Tapai check for any problems, Sun Jack quickly attached the metal strips to his prosthetic body. As his system granted access to the prosthetics, the strips cracked open quickly, turning into Mechanic Spiders that swiftly crawled over Sun Jack's body.
They rapidly dismantled and modified the shell of Sun Jack's prosthetic body, embedding themselves into the prosthetics, and instantly began to function.
Accompanied by a faint sizzle, Sun Jack's facial features twisted slightly before settling down again, and at that moment, the top executives of Gaofeng Technology could no longer fathom Sun Jack's inner thoughts.
"This thing isn't bad. Thanks."
"Not at all. You're the benefactor of Sharp Flash Technology. Without your help, I would have become a homeless vagrant long ago," lam answered with utmost respect.
However, having dealt with this guy for such a long time, his character—through the choices he made—had been fully revealed. He wasn't trying to please Sun Jack; he was after the money in Sun Jack's hands.
Whenever there's an issue within the group, this guy is always the one to run the fastest.
But Sun Jack didn't plan on replacing him, just as long as he ensured his own money and power exceeded the other's, he would always be the most loyal.
And such a person was most suitable to go head-to-head with Gaofeng Technology.
Sun Jack shifted his gaze, moving his eyes from lam's face to Number 13. "Sharp Flash Technology is in shambles, find a way to get Gaofeng Technology to lend a hand, to help Ruishan Technology and Weike Medical recover their vitality as soon as possible, and if necessary, consider yielding part of the market."
The executives of Gaofeng Technology, including Number 13, immediately looked terrible upon hearing these words, feeling like they were cutting flesh off themselves to feed a former enemy. "Gaofeng Technology has also suffered huge losses after this battle."
"What? Are you the boss or am I the boss? Didn't you just say I could take full responsibility for Metropolis matters? Or were you lying just now?"
"But this doesn't benefit the company at all, if this news gets out! It could even affect the stock price!"
"As the boss, don't you think I know that? As a boss, my vision naturally has to be long-term. Of course, I have to think about things strategically; I can't be like you, only caring about the immediate, insignificant profits," Sun Jack said, then stood up and patted lam on the shoulder. "Let's go, take me to this Federation."
He, of course, knew this would hurt Gaofeng Technology's interests, but only if the two groups under him were in opposition and equally matched would he, as the nominal boss, be secure in his position.
Upon seeing Number 13's expression, lam lifted the corner of his mouth in pride and led Sun Jack outside. "Mr. Sun, this way please, please take our company's Hover Shuttle."
The cone-shaped floating aircraft was parked on Gaofeng Technology's helipad; as soon as Sun Jack arrived, a gentle traction beam lit upon him, pulling them up into the Hover Shuttle.
Under the beautiful music, Sun Jack slowly reclined in the fully enclosed lounger, listening to the flattery coming from lam's lips.
"Sharp Flash Technology's situation is much better now, right? I see its stock has risen considerably," Sun Jack casually flipped to the stock interface.
"It's all thanks to your efforts. No one dares to compete for Sharp Flash's lost market."
"Really? What about Weike Medical?"
"Their situation is not so good; after all, they were decimated by Gaofeng Technology. The executives are either dead or brain-damaged."
"Find a way to help them reorganize. If they need money, borrow interest-free loans from Gaofeng Technology. If they ask, just say I told you to."
Tapai noticed the signs. "Weakening some, pressuring others, you play this game well."
"Don't worry about how to play, as long as it's effective, that's what matters. If we're going to play with them, naturally we have to be more cunning than they are," Sun Jack retorted.
Sun Jack knew that simply holding the majority stake wasn't enough to ensure Gaofeng Technology's compliance.
Since Gaofeng Technology was not on the same page as him, naturally he had to suppress Gaofeng Technology and rally the weaker Sharp Flash Technology and Weike Medical to his side.
Only if Sharp Flash Technology and Weike Medical didn't want to be outdone by Gaofeng Technology would they have to align with him.
It was only when he could direct Utopia Security, Weike Medical, and Sharp Flash Technology that a company like Gaofeng Technology, which didn't line up with him, could really be considered part of his power base.