6: Chapter 6: Gods Do Infrastructure, the National Team is Stunned

Over the next few days, the place where Jiang Ning lived quietly changed.

She was still at the abandoned construction site, but caution tape had been put up outside, along with a "Municipal Construction" sign, and it was guarded twenty-four hours a day, turning away anyone who wanted to come and watch the spectacle.

At every mealtime, a delivery guy in uniform would arrive punctually to deliver three meals, and the food was quite good.

Jiang Ning guessed it was arranged by Director Zhao Lixin, and she didn't stand on ceremony. With someone handling logistics, she could focus on her work.

Her work was tinkering with that Spirit Gathering Array.

Now that no one was bothering her, she simply treated the waste materials from the entire construction site as her own supply depot. Professor Chen and his two assistants kept watch from dozens of meters away every day, setting up a pile of instruments, following her like they were watching a TV series, and submitting reports to The Ninth Bureau on time every day.

This report quickly became the most anticipated program for the higher-ups at The Ninth Bureau.

"Day three, the target has started smashing steel bars with her bare hands."

On the surveillance footage, Jiang Ning was expressionless as she lifted a large rock and smashed it, blow by blow, against a piece of rebar resting on another rock, just like a blacksmith.

Her movements were rhythmic, and the precision of each strike was frightening. After a steel bar was hammered, its volume shrank by a circle, and its color changed. After sampling and analysis, they discovered that the thing was harder than special military-grade steel.

In the command center, a group of engineers and materials scientists watched the video in dead silence.

"This... this isn't right!" A white-haired expert held it in for a long time before blurting out, "Smashing it with a rock at room temperature? And it can change the internal structure of the metal? Just how much strength does that take, for heaven's sake?"

No one could answer him.

"Day four, the target has started twisting copper wire."

She pulled the copper wires out of discarded cables, rubbed them into fine threads with her hands, scraped some black powder from old batteries to mix in, and wove them into a complex net, which she draped over the stones of the array.

When tested with instruments, that tattered net's conductivity for "spirit particles" was stronger than the best superconducting materials in the lab—so strong that the data overflowed and couldn't be calculated.

In the video, Jiang Ning's fingers moved so fast they were a blur; a pile of copper wires danced in her hands, and before long, they became a beautiful "fishing net."

A group of circuit experts were so shocked their eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

"This circuit structure... I don't understand it, but I am deeply shocked!" a young Ph.D. stammered, "It... it seems to be alive! Every point is adjusting itself; this is an optimal solution that no program could ever calculate!"

"Day five, the target has started assembly."

She assembled all the "parts" she had made over the previous few days. She used the hammered steel bars as a skeleton, the twisted copper wire net as meridians, and finally picked a piece of granite from the garbage pile to place in the center, drawing symbols on it that no one could understand.

As the final stroke was completed, the array, cobbled together from trash, suddenly lit up. A stable energy field several meters in diameter formed, and the surrounding air even smelled much more pleasant.

Professor Chen, ignoring all attempts to stop him, rushed over in his protective suit, the detector in his hand beeping like it was about to explode.

"Perfect! It's too perfect!" Professor Chen was so excited that tears streamed down his face, "This thing is rotating on its own, and it's effortless! It's absorbing energy! This is a miracle! It's a miracle!"

Director Zhao Lixin watched all of this silently, feeling completely numb.

Over these past few days, his worldview had been ground over and over again a dozen times, shattered beyond repair.

He finally understood now; what Jiang Ning possessed wasn't some kind of "technology," but a set of "knowledge" that was completely beyond their comprehension.

Calling it "immortal arts" was not an exaggeration at all.

"Director Zhao..." Xiao Li's voice trembled slightly, "News from the main bureau, the meeting is over, and your proposal was passed unanimously."

Director Zhao Lixin steadied himself.

"Understood."

He straightened his clothes, pushed open the car door, and walked toward Jiang Ning once again.

This time, his mindset was completely different from a few days ago. Last time it was probing; this time, only awe remained in his heart.

Jiang Ning had just finished the array and was feeling the energy, which was several times denser than before, and she was in a good mood. At this speed, it wouldn't take a month for her to accumulate enough spiritual power to attempt to break through to the second level of Qi Refining.

Seeing Director Zhao Lixin arrive again, she slowly withdrew her power and stood up.

"Have you decided?"

Director Zhao Lixin stood still in front of her, his expression serious, even slightly respectful.

He took a document out of his pocket and handed it over.

"Comrade Jiang Ning, this is the official document just approved by the highest level."

Jiang Ning took it, feeling a bit confused. She recognized all the characters on it, but it took her a few seconds to process the meaning when put together.

It was an authorization letter.

The general gist was that the country had decided to establish a top-level special task force to fully cooperate with her in developing "new energy technology." The task force had immense authority and could mobilize any relevant resources and talent in the country.

And she, Jiang Ning, was this project's... Chief Consultant for core technology.

"We agree to cooperate," Director Zhao Lixin looked at her and said, word for word, "The country has decided to give you a chance, and also give ourselves a chance."

He pointed to a larger abandoned industrial park not far away.

"That is your first 'examination hall.' The Second Abandoned Industrial Park in the south of the city, covering one square kilometer. Inside, there are ruins of a smelting plant, a chemical plant, and an electronics factory. What you need to do is use your skills to completely renovate it."

"Renovate it into what?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Into the place you described that can 'purify the environment,'" Director Zhao Lixin's tone was full of anticipation, "We want to see results. If you achieve this, all subsequent cooperation will be fully launched. The country will be your strongest backer."

Jiang Ning looked toward the huge industrial ruins in the distance; far from feeling that it was a test, her eyes lit up frighteningly.

One square kilometer! Such a huge place! And there were ready-made smelting plant and chemical plant waste materials!

This was simply a geomantic treasure land tailor-made for her!

In her eyes, all that scrap metal and chemical raw material were shining, top-tier materials!

"That works," she answered crisply and neatly, unable to wait, "But I have one request."

"Go ahead."

"I want the complete construction blueprints and geological reports. Also, a list of all usable equipment." Jiang Ning's tone instantly switched to the state she was in when commanding engineering teams at her sect, "Time is tight, the task is heavy, don't talk nonsense, give them to me now."

Director Zhao Lixin looked at her "foreman" demeanor and was momentarily dazed.

He suddenly felt that he might not have invited an immortal, but rather a... Infrastructure Construction maniac from another world.