23: Chapter 23 Reverse Optimization and Tracking

The curtains blocked the view from across the street, but the feeling of being watched, like needles pricking his back, did not disappear. Lin Yuan knew very well that simple avoidance would not solve the problem. He needed a more proactive strategy, one that would ideally kill several birds with one stone—shaking off the pursuit, advancing his own plans, and causing some trouble for potential enemies.

His gaze fell on the document just completed on the computer screen, the "Remote Energy Field Collaborative Optimization Plan V1.0" designed for the "Cross-border Selection" team. A bold idea gradually took shape.

The core of this plan was to break the team's anxiety transmission chain and establish trust and an efficient cycle through a series of carefully designed online collaboration rules and "energy rituals." But what if... he were to apply an extremely covert "reverse coding" to a small portion of the rules? Not to destroy the main body of the plan, but to embed a layer of extremely faint, intentional rune patterns with reverse markers and information-misleading characteristics into certain non-core segments used for "data collection" and "status feedback."

Specifically, when the members of the "Cross-border Selection" team used the optimized collaboration tools (such as that "Energy Status Visualization" plugin), the normal functions would operate as usual, improving the team atmosphere. But at the same time, the plugin would, in an extremely secretive manner, collect some innocuous data regarding the "users' resistance threshold to irrational interference factors" or "initial emotional response patterns when facing unknown information"—these data, processed by his specially encoded intentional rune patterns, would appear to be some kind of in-depth evaluation data on the "Optimization" effect itself, filled with technical details and obscure jargon, but in reality, the core information had already been replaced or obfuscated.

Then, he needed a "channel" to let this tampered-with "data sample," along with the "seemingly plausible key parameters" regarding the "Optimization" technology that he had intentionally leaked, flow into the sight of "interested parties" in a way that looked accidental but was actually carefully designed.

Who was that "interested party"? The watcher across the street? Mr. Mo's people? Or spies from "Lingxiao Capital"? All were possible. He could even "feed" both sides simultaneously.

This created a form of risk hedging: if the other party believed this misleading information, they would form a wrong judgment about the "Optimization" technology, revealing flaws or making wrong decisions in subsequent actions against him. If the other party saw through it, at least it would consume their analytical resources and expose their channels for obtaining information. Meanwhile, the Optimization process of the "Cross-border Selection" team would basically remain unaffected.

A subtle psychological and strategic game based on information asymmetry.

Once he decided to do it, he did it. Lin Yuan immediately took action. He mobilized the Power of Faith that had just recovered a little (now about 2 points) and, combined with the newly comprehended "Authority of Order," began to embed those extremely covert, misleading intentional rune patterns at the edges of the plan's core algorithmic logic, as well as in the underlying code comments of that "Energy Status Visualization" plugin (written in a spiritual code that only he could decipher).

This process required extremely high precision and control; he could not leave any obvious energy traces or logical contradictions. He was fully focused, with fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead, and it took him nearly two hours to complete. After finishing, he felt a wave of exhaustion, but his eyes gleamed with the light of a successful scheme.

Next, he needed to choose a "leak" channel. Give it directly to the person across the street? Too deliberate. Sell it anonymously through the black market? The scope would be uncontrollable.

He thought of the stranger Boss Qian had mentioned, the one in the black market asking about the "destroyed ritual site" and the "newcomer using Order-type powers." If this person was a subordinate of Mr. Mo, then he must be extremely sensitive to information related to "children," "rituals," and "Order."

Lin Yuan logged into an anonymous communication account that had gone through layers of jumps and encryption; this account had been registered on a secret forum when he was previously researching the "ten thousand infant banner." He disguised himself as a timid middleman who had accidentally obtained some "internal materials" and, using obscure jargon that only those in the circle could understand, posted a short "sales" message in a corner of that forum:

"Selling fragments of 'raw data on special energy field intervention assessment' and associated technical parameter conjectures (Source: A case of new Order-side intervention, involving 'stitching' and 'contract destruction'), with some abnormal 'information disturbance' samples attached. Only trading for equivalent Power of Faith points or high-purity 'Clear Heart' materials. Limited time, DM me."

He deliberately used keywords like "Order-side intervention," "stitching," and "contract destruction," and implied that the data came from a "case" rather than an individual. After posting the information, he immediately disconnected and cleared his tracks.

Next was the "Lingxiao Capital" side. They were more interested in the commercial value and model of the "Optimization" technology. Lin Yuan switched to a different disguised identity and, through a marginal broker he had contacted before who had business dealings with a "Lingxiao" subsidiary (this person had once tried to poach Lin Yuan but was rejected), "inadvertently" leaked a piece of news: that recently famous "Consultant Lin" seemed to be designing an extremely complex "energy-data" dual-model Optimization system for a certain multinational e-commerce team, which involved some disruptive changes to the traditional "faith incentive" model and might impact the existing market. Moreover, Consultant Lin seemed to be short on cash and appeared to be looking for channels for "technology mortgage" or "pre-sale authorization" to cash out quickly.

This news was half-true and half-false, enough to pique the interest of those financially sharp "financial hyenas" at "Lingxiao Capital," causing them to focus their attention more on "commercial espionage" and "technology acquisition" rather than immediately taking more aggressive suppression measures.

After arranging all this, the time was near midnight. The gray-clad watcher across the street seemed to have changed posture, but still had not left.

Lin Yuan sneered. He needed to give this watcher a more direct "stimulus" to make the forces behind him move, while also testing the practical effectiveness of his new abilities.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Chairman Liu: "Chairman Liu, are you free tomorrow morning? I already have a preliminary concept for the detailed plan regarding the park's ley line conditioning and subsequent commercial restart, and I would like to discuss it with you and Boss Qian in person. Also, I might need you to cooperate in performing a 'play'."

Chairman Liu replied quickly, agreeing to meet tomorrow at ten in the morning at a private teahouse owned by Boss Qian.

Very good. Lin Yuan intended to use this meeting to set a trap.

He first contacted the "Geomancer" from the south recommended by Boss Qian and arranged to go to the Yongxin Cultural and Creative Park for an on-site inspection tomorrow afternoon. Then, he began to prepare the things needed for tomorrow's meeting—not plan documents, but a few "props."

He took out a small pinch of inert energy ash that had been collected near the newly established "Order Node" within the containment field, which had been preliminarily "optimized" and had a relatively peaceful nature, and sealed it into a special small crystal bottle. This ash was not of much use, but it emitted a faint, peculiar aura of "combed-through Order."

He then mixed cinnabar with his own blood and drew an extremely complex composite rune on a special talisman paper. At first glance, this rune looked like some profound Feng Shui technique for suppressing evil or gathering wealth, but in reality, its core was a disguised, miniature signal amplifier and tracking beacon for the Power of Faith. As long as there was a strong fluctuation of the Power of Faith (such as a deity casting a spell or dark magic being activated) or a specific energy frequency (such as the aura of Mr. Mo's black wooden tablet) nearby within a certain range, this rune would produce an extremely faint resonance and send the signal to him through the intentional link Lin Yuan had reserved. At the same time, the Feng Shui wealth-gathering effect on its surface was also real, just very weak.

Finally, he prepared a real draft of the business plan for the subsequent "Optimization and Transformation" of the Yongxin Cultural and Creative Park, which incorporated ideas like Feng Shui conditioning, business format reshaping, community operation, and cultural marketing based on the "positive energy field" concept; it looked very solid and had commercial potential.

After finishing all this, the horizon was already showing the white of dawn. Lin Yuan had only napped for less than two hours.

At nine-thirty in the morning, he put on appropriate clothes, packed the crystal bottle, talisman paper, and business plan into his briefcase, and calmly walked out of the studio. Passing downstairs, he glanced at the other side of the street as if unintentionally; the gray-clad person was still there, the brim of his hat pulled very low.

A subtle, almost imperceptible curve appeared at the corner of Lin Yuan's mouth; he reached out to hail a taxi and gave the address of Boss Qian's teahouse.

The car started. Through the rearview mirror, he saw that the gray-clad person also quickly got into a black sedan parked on the roadside and followed.

Sure enough, he followed.

Lin Yuan was unhurried, closing his eyes to rest in the car, while actually slightly spreading his spiritual sense to perceive the following distance and route of the vehicle behind him.

The teahouse was located inside a relatively quiet, high-end community clubhouse. Lin Yuan got out of the car, walked into the clubhouse, and was led by a waiter to the reserved private room. Boss Qian and Chairman Liu were already there.

After a few pleasantries, Lin Yuan went straight to the topic. He first took out the draft business plan and explained his transformation concept to Chairman Liu, emphasizing the concept of "completely reversing the energy field, turning evil into wealth, and creating a new cultural landmark." Chairman Liu nodded repeatedly; the Yongxin project was his worry and also the hope for his future transformation, and Lin Yuan's plan gave him new ideas and confidence.

Next, Lin Yuan took out the small crystal bottle. "Chairman Liu, this is a bit of a 'by-product' that I accidentally condensed while dealing with the core evil aura of the park. After special treatment, it is already harmless and instead carries a trace of the order aura of 'things turning around after reaching an extreme.' You can bury it under the core landscape node of the park in the future as a trigger for 'earth energy conversion,' which can slightly accelerate the gathering of positive energy."

Chairman Liu treated it like a treasure and carefully took the crystal bottle. The moment his fingers touched the bottle, Lin Yuan keenly felt a trace of an extremely obscure but greedy and inquisitive energy fluctuation coming from a corner of the corridor outside the private room—it was very slight, and if Lin Yuan had not been prepared in advance and had his spiritual sense highly focused, it would have been almost impossible to detect.

The watcher was nearby! And they reacted to things like "Order aura" and "evil aura by-products"! It was very likely Mr. Mo's people!

Lin Yuan remained calm and continued the conversation. Then, he took out the special composite talisman paper. "In addition, to ensure the smooth progress of subsequent transformations and prevent the recurrence of residual negative energy fields, I have drawn this 'Nine Palaces Qi-Guiding House-Suppressing Talisman' for you. After you go back, you can paste it above the inside of the main gate of the park's future main building. It can harmonize the internal and external energy fields, induce a virtuous cycle, and also has a certain effect of suppressing evil and calming the spirit."

He handed the talisman paper to Chairman Liu, and at the moment of the hand-over, his fingertips very slightly tapped an inconspicuous corner on the back of the talisman paper, injecting a trace of weak activation intent. The disguised beacon on the talisman paper was silently activated.

Throughout the meeting, Lin Yuan talked eloquently, Boss Qian occasionally supplemented, and Chairman Liu excitedly recorded and asked questions. The atmosphere was harmonious and full of hope.

The meeting ended, and Lin Yuan politely declined the invitation for lunch, stating that he had an appointment with the Geomancer to go to the park site in the afternoon. Chairman Liu and Boss Qian left first.

Lin Yuan sat alone in the private room for a few minutes, slowly packing up his things. His spiritual sense was like the most precise radar, scanning his surroundings.

Sure enough, after Chairman Liu left, the obscure energy fluctuation outside the door also moved a distance along with Chairman Liu (and the crystal bottle and talisman paper in his arms), and then... separated a wisp of extremely weak, spider-silk-like sensing, which quietly adhered to Chairman Liu. The main body of the fluctuation then slowly retreated and disappeared.

The other party took the bait! They were more concerned with Chairman Liu as a "carrier" and those "items" that might contain clues, temporarily relaxing their direct tailing of Lin Yuan himself (perhaps thinking he had no more value, or wanting to play the long game).

This was exactly what Lin Yuan wanted. He had successfully transferred a portion of the attention and potential pursuit to Chairman Liu. And on Chairman Liu's side, with Boss Qian looking after him, his safety was temporarily worry-free. More importantly, the beacon on the talisman paper was like a buried landmine; as long as Mr. Mo's people came into close contact or tried to analyze the "clues" on Chairman Liu, it might trigger a signal, allowing Lin Yuan to obtain valuable information.

He calmly walked out of the teahouse; this time, he no longer felt any obvious following gaze.

In the afternoon, he met with the Geomancer from the south at the Yongxin Cultural and Creative Park as agreed. The Geomancer was a lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man who didn't talk much but had sharp eyes and held an old-fashioned compass in his hand. The two carefully inspected the park, and the Geomancer pointed out several key nodes where the earth energy was chaotic and needed to be channeled, and provided a specific conditioning plan (involving earthwork, tree planting, water diversion, etc.). Lin Yuan recorded the plan and combined it with his own commercial transformation plan.

After paying the Geomancer's fee, Lin Yuan stood alone in the empty park. The setting sun gilded this once-eerie land with a golden edge. He could feel that although the energy field here was still weak, the heavy malice had completely disappeared, replaced by a slightly desolate but peaceful aura.

"Soon, this place will be different." He whispered to himself.

Returning to the studio, it was already evening. He first checked the system.

[ faith reserve: 2.101 ] (Slightly recovered)

[ divine breath countdown: 23 days 11 hours 22 minutes ]

[ Special status: Beacon activated (weak connection, target: Chairman Liu / composite talisman paper) ]

Very good.

He also checked the anonymous forum account. Sure enough, there was an encrypted private message asking for the price and verification method for the "data fragments," with an urgent tone. He did not reply for the time being, letting the other party be anxious for a while.

Next, he logged into the multinational team's collaboration platform and began to quietly deploy the "Energy Status Visualization" plugin and related rules that he had optimized (and embedded with a misleading layer). The process went smoothly.

After finishing all this, the night was already deep.

Lin Yuan stood by the window, looking at the quiet street outside. Across the street, that gray-clad person did not appear again.

But he knew that the undercurrents were far from subsiding. Mr. Mo's minions were watching in the dark, and the tentacles of "Lingxiao Capital" were penetrating at the commercial level. And he, like walking on a narrow wire, had abysses on both sides.

But in his hands, he already had a few new balancing poles: the "Authority of Order" he had initially grasped, the "containment field" that was slowly evolving, the "Optimization Consultant" network that was gradually unfolding, and the information fog he had just laid out for confusion and counter-measures.

He looked at the system interface; that line of tiny text regarding the pre-loading of the [Void God Spark] activation seemed to have jumped to 0.2%.

Void God Spark... what on earth is that?

Perhaps, when it truly ignites, it will be the moment he completely shakes off the fate of the "junk bond" godhood and truly defines his own path.

And for now, he needs to continue walking on this wire until he walks out a solid path of his own.

He pulled the curtains, blocking out the last bit of light from the streetlamp.

In the darkness, only the blood-red countdown numbers on the system interface were flashing silently.

23 days 10 hours 58 minutes.

The night passed without incident.