633: Chapter 628 Contradictory Conditions

He knew that if he refused, this young man would turn around without hesitation and find the next person who could help him realize his ambitions.

And he would remain in this dark alley, a drunken cripple, until he died.

There was only one chance.

Fang Zhizhuo took a deep breath. The air was mixed with the smell of rust, machine oil, and cheap liquor.

But this breath made him feel a long-lost thing called 'hope'.

Slowly, he raised his hand, which was covered in grease and scars.

Then, he tightly grasped Shen Yan's hand.

"My laboratory must be built by the sea."

"I need to hear the sound of the tides."

This was the first sentence he spoke.

It wasn't the hoarseness of 'Lame Fang', nor the coldness of Fang Zhizhuo.

It was the first declaration issued to the world by a genius after fifteen years of silence.

Shen Yan smiled.

"Good."

"You can pick any part of the T City coastline."

Three days later, T City.

Listening Tide Pavilion, a private club not open to the public.

Ning Ke was in a very good mood when he pushed the door open.

Shen Yan had called him over this time to discuss a huge deal, one that would allow him to firmly establish himself in T City.

He straightened the collar of his expensive suit, wearing a professional, perfectly measured smile.

"Mr. Shen, why the rush to see me? Do you have another grand plan for making a fortune..."

His words stopped abruptly when he saw the person in the room.

Shen Yan was sitting in the main seat, calmly brewing tea for himself.

And next to him sat someone completely out of place.

An old man.

Or rather, a cripple.

The old man was wearing a brand-new casual suit, but it still couldn't hide the aura of someone who had spent years surrounded by machine oil and rust.

His hair was gray, and his beard was scraggly. Although he had made an effort to clean up, the look in his eyes resembled a lurking beast, inexplicably causing Ning Ke to feel a pang of fear.

Ning Ke's smile froze on his face.

He knew every notable figure in T City.

But he would stake his entire career on the guarantee that the person before him was absolutely not from T City's circles.

"Who is this?" Ning Ke asked tentatively, looking towards Shen Yan.

Shen Yan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he pushed a freshly brewed cup of tea in front of the old man.

"Old Fang, please try this. T City's Cloud Mist Tea is quite mellow on the palate."

Old Fang.

Ning Ke frantically searched his memory for that surname.

There were no major figures surnamed Fang in T City.

Wait... Fang?

A long-forgotten name, almost erased from everyone's memory, flashed into Ning Ke's mind like lightning.

His pupils contracted sharply, and he stared fixedly at the old man raising the teacup.

That unnatural leg...

Those eyes, sharp beyond reason...

Impossible.

Absolutely impossible.

That person had 'vanished into thin air' fifteen years ago.

"He... who is he?" Ning Ke's voice, for the first time in front of Shen Yan, carried an uncontrollable tremor.

Shen Yan looked up and glanced at him.

"Let me introduce you."

"Fang Zhizhuo, Professor Fang."

"The Chief Technical Officer of my new company."

Boom!

Ning Ke felt his brain explode like it had been hit by a bomb.

Fang Zhizhuo!

It really was Fang Zhizhuo!

The peerless genius who, fifteen years ago, almost overturned the entire field of energy physics single-handedly!

The madman who, according to legend, was forced into ruin by Yongsheng Group and then completely disappeared!

As a 'broker' in the business world, Ning Ke was best at gathering intelligence.

Of course, he knew about Fang Zhizhuo, and he also knew what terrifying behemoth was connected to that name.

Yongsheng Group!

That was an entity capable of manipulating power even in the capital!

Shen Yan not only found Fang Zhizhuo but also brought him back to T City?

What was he trying to do?

Ning Ke's face instantly turned pale.

This wasn't some grand plan for making a fortune.

This was tightrope walking over a cliff, with an abyss thousands of feet deep below!

Ning Ke's throat went dry. "Do you know what you are doing?"

"I know," Shen Yan's reply was terrifyingly calm.

Fang Zhizhuo took a sip of tea, seemingly oblivious to their conversation, and just offered his own evaluation: "The tea is good, but it still lacks the right touch compared to what he brewed personally."

The 'he' he mentioned, Ning Ke knew, referred to Fang Zhizhuo's mentor who was now dead.

A genius, a traitor.

Ning Ke felt his legs go weak.

He wanted to turn around and leave, to get as far away from these two madmen as possible.

But reason told him he couldn't leave.

From the moment he helped Shen Yan connect with An Ran, he had been tied to Shen Yan's war chariot.

Now, this war chariot was speeding directly towards a massive fortress called 'Yongsheng Group'.

"I need a piece of land," Shen Yan finally got to the point.

"A piece of land by the sea."

"It needs to be large enough, sufficiently secluded, and the security level must meet military standards."

"I want to rebuild the 'Spark Laboratory' there."

Spark Laboratory!

Ning Ke's eye twitched violently.

This name, which only existed in legends, was actually going to be brought back to the world by Shen Yan.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to calm down.

"Mr. Shen, do you know how much manpower and resources Yongsheng Group spent looking for him over fifteen years?"

"Building a laboratory in T City is tantamount to lighting a fire right under their noses."

"They will crush all of us as easily as crushing an ant."

Shen Yan smiled and poured himself a cup of tea.

"That's why I need you."

"Ning Ke, you have unparalleled connections in T City; you have contacts in every corner, from the underworld to the legitimate world."

"The place I need you to find isn't conventional industrial land, nor is it listed commercial property."

"I need a corner forgotten by the world."

Shen Yan looked at him, his gaze calm but carrying undeniable force.

"Money is not an issue. An Ran just approved a new batch of funding, enough for us to buy half of T City's coastline."

"I only want results."

Ning Ke's breathing became rapid.

He looked at Shen Yan, then at the silent, mountain-like old man beside him.

Fear.

Excitement.

Two completely opposite emotions intertwined wildly in his heart.

He saw immense risk, but also a crazy opportunity capable of changing the world.

To bet or not to bet?

Wasn't his entire life just one high-stakes gamble after another?

After a long moment, Ning Ke pulled a cigar from his pocket, lit it with a slightly trembling hand, and took a deep puff.

In the swirling smoke, the panic in his eyes gradually receded, replaced by a gambler's madness.

"A corner forgotten by the world..."

He murmured to himself.

"T City is coastal; there really is such a place."

Ning Ke took a full seven days.

During these seven days, he barely slept.

He mobilized every connection he had accumulated throughout his career.

From the archive clerks at the Planning Bureau, to the local bosses lurking around the docks, and even the Bank managers who specialized in handling non-performing assets.

He called every corner of T City.

Shen Yan's requirements were clear, but executing them was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Being by the sea meant the target was conspicuous.

Being secluded meant the location had to be rarely visited.

Being able to build a laboratory meant there needed to be basic transportation and utility infrastructure.

These conditions were inherently contradictory.