629: Chapter 624 I Want a Share

Shen Yan carefully rolled up the report again, wrapped it layer by layer with oilcloth and waxed paper, put it back into the bottle, and kept it close to his body.

He took out his phone and dialed the familiar number.

The call was picked up after only one ring.

"Boss Shen, good evening. Looking for me so late, is there a thorny issue?"

On the other end of the line came Ning Ke's smooth yet respectful voice.

Ning Ke was the most well-connected "broker" in City C and even the entire southern region. As long as the money was right, there was no one he couldn't find or connection he couldn't make.

"Ning Ke," Shen Yan's voice was calm and deep, "Help me find someone."

"You speak."

"Fang Zhizhuo," Shen Yan slowly uttered the name, "Former professor at Donghai University's Physics Department, disappeared fifteen years ago. I want all his current information, the more detailed the better."

Ning Ke on the other end was silent for a full three seconds.

Given his professional caliber, such silence was extremely unusual.

"Boss Shen... is there some history between you and this person?" Ning Ke's tone became somewhat hesitant.

"What, is this person troublesome?" Shen Yan countered.

"It's not trouble..." Ning Ke gave a wry smile, "It's that he's impossible to find."

"Over the past fifteen years, there have been no less than eight hundred, if not a thousand, people trying to find him. Among them were many powerful figures with immense influence, and even mysterious organizations from overseas."

"But the result was always the same."

"This Professor Fang vanished as if a drop of water merged into the ocean, leaving no trace."

"I advise you to stop wasting time and money on this."

Ning Ke's advice came from the bottom of his heart.

This was the wisdom gained from his years in business.

Shen Yan, however, just smiled faintly.

If others couldn't find him, it didn't mean Shen Yan couldn't.

"Ning Ke, I am not discussing this with you."

"Name your price."

Shen Yan's tone was light, yet carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

Ning Ke fell silent again on the line.

He could sense the determination in Shen Yan's words.

This young business magnate always conducted himself this way.

Once he decided to do something, no one could stop him.

"Alright." Ning Ke took a deep breath and stopped trying to dissuade him.

"Deposit, five million."

"After success, another ten million."

"I will mobilize my entire network to search for you."

"But Boss Shen, let me be clear upfront: I dare not guarantee the outcome for this fee."

"Money is not the issue," Shen Yan said. "I only want the person."

"Give me a time limit."

Ning Ke pondered for a moment.

"Seven days."

"Within seven days, whether I find him or not, I will give you a definitive answer."

"Agreed."

Shen Yan hung up the phone.

The sea wind continued to howl.

He stood on the reef, gazing out at the pitch-black ocean in the distance.

The message in a bottle in his pocket seemed to radiate a burning heat, transmitting through the fabric to his skin.

Fang Zhizhuo.

No matter where you hide, even at the ends of the earth.

I will find you.

I am determined to open the door to this new world.

The night was like thick ink, soaking the coastline of City T.

Shen Yan stood still until his fingertips grew icy from the sea breeze, then slowly turned and walked toward the car parked in the darkness.

The moment the engine started, two brilliant headlights pierced the night, slicing toward the distance like sharp swords.

The report from fifteen years ago lay quietly in his inner pocket, like a heart about to detonate the future.

Seven days.

Ning Ke said seven days.

But days passed, and for five full days, Ning Ke's phone was silent, as if it had sunk into the sea without a trace.

Shen Yan did not rush him.

He knew that for someone like Ning Ke to find the matter difficult, the situation behind it was far more complicated than imagined.

During these five days, he did not return to City C.

He stayed in City T, presiding over the newly established 'Singularity Technology,' personally overseeing the optimization of the 'Phantom Sound' system and the modeling of the first virtual idol.

Wu Ya displayed astonishing execution and management talent. The five billion in funds was precisely allocated by her to various R&D teams. The entire studio was like a high-speed precision machine, undergoing visible changes every day.

Her admiration for Shen Yan was almost undisguised on her face.

Whenever Shen Yan proposed a technical direction, she could immediately grasp it, extrapolate from it, and even suggest better implementation plans.

But occasionally, a complex emotion that Shen Yan could not understand would flash across her eyes.

Shen Yan did not probe further.

His entire focus now was on the man named Fang Zhizhuo.

It wasn't until late on the sixth night.

The phone screen suddenly lit up, displaying that familiar number.

Shen Yan pressed the answer button.

"Boss Shen."

Ning Ke on the other end had an undeniable weariness in his voice, and even a hint of... lingering fear.

This was extremely rare for Ning Ke, who always presented himself with composure and elegance.

"Found him?" Shen Yan's voice was very calm.

"...Sort of," Ning Ke paused on the line, seemingly gathering his words.

"I used every last connection I had, even contacting several overseas channels I hadn't spoken to in years."

"To put it this way, Boss Shen, this Professor Fang wasn't missing; he was deliberately 'erased' from this world."

Ning Ke's voice was lowered.

"All his public records were simultaneously sealed and destroyed by a powerful force on a certain day fifteen years ago. Everyone who knew him was placed under a gag order. All the people who have tried to find him over the years have met unfortunate ends."

"This time, I was walking a tightrope doing this for you."

Shen Yan listened quietly, without interrupting.

"Get to the point."

"The point is, I generally know where the person is. But how to make him talk, how to bring him out, or even how to approach him, is not my concern. What I'm giving you is just an address and an identity."

Ning Ke paused and took a deep breath.

"Also, Boss Shen, I want to change our previous agreement."

"Oh?" Shen Yan raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want that fifteen million anymore. I will refund the five million deposit."

Ning Ke's words were somewhat surprising to Shen Yan.

Given Ning Ke's greed, there was no reason for him to spit out meat that had already reached his mouth.

"What do you want?" Shen Yan asked.

"I saw your activities in City T—Singularity Technology, Artificial Intelligence. I also heard about the Dragon Kiln Base in City C, the Nine Dragons Chai Kiln, a kiln worth a thousand pieces of gold."

Ning Ke's voice carried a trace of fervor.

"Boss Shen, what you are pursuing is not this small amount of money. The card in your hand is the ticket to the next era."

"My request is simple."

"I don't want money."

"I want a standing-room spot in your future 'new world.'"

"When your ship sets sail in the future, I, Ning Ke, must have a place. Whether you are dealing in energy, AI, or anything else, I want a share, even if it's just a tiny, insignificant bit."