Chapter 80: The Demon King Returns and Falls Back Into Slumber

As they were walking that way, Zhou Dongyun said softly to Xiao Ma, “Don’t hold it against him. To a certain extent, he really is a big name in the industry. In the technical field, he has that feeling of calling the wind and summoning the rain, but he’s not very successful, so he’s a little like one of those brilliant talents who never got their due and ended up self-destructive. You know the type—an extreme personality. He usually has his own logic. Others may not understand it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can’t keep himself going.”

Xiao Ma couldn’t quite follow. “So you mean he’s just mentally disabled?”

Zhou Dongyun looked awkward and shook her head. “Not exactly. But if you say that sometimes he’s a madman, that would be fair.”

“He controls two companies. Riding on the banner of a national enterprise and the current push for high-tech development, he’s quite prominent now, and for years he’s been doing outsourced work for the government. For example, this time it isn’t entirely an official matter, so Academician Zhou is only a technical consultant and can’t command him.”

That piece of gossip had been leaked by Zhen Yuqi. With the air of someone who knew everything, she went on, “You know, with a personality that hopeless at dealing with people, yet still able to support such a massive business, he must have a lot to do with his family background too. I haven’t found out exactly who’s in his family yet, but he’s probably no small fry. Also, this is sort of my second elective field, so I pay more attention to it. Back in the day, he and Zhou Dongyun had huge conflicts. They fought more than once over academic papers, practically beating each other into a dogfight.”

Zhou Dongyun rolled her eyes, somewhat displeased with Zhen Yuqi’s gossip-mongering, and thought her a shallow woman.

After giving Zhen Yuqi a glare, Zhou Dongyun smiled again at Xiao Ma. “Don’t overthink it. It’s true that he’s foul-mouthed and a little crazy, but in academic matters he’s genuine enough—he has his own unique understanding and perspective. Back then, I can’t really say we beat each other into a dogfight either. We simply had different approaches. After I raised some questions, he responded with insults. Pure insults, not an academic discussion, and I didn’t answer.”

Zhen Yuqi continued to spill the beans in the tone of an insider. “As for academia, we outsiders don’t really get it. But it’s common knowledge that his companies are all about making money and don’t have much substance. His business was obtained through connections. He was already something of a celebrity before. You remember the name Tian Jia, right? From Xiamen University—the one who spewed filth, talked nonsense in public, and ended up expelled from the Party. But he didn’t care and kept doing things his own way. Later he barely managed to keep his student status through connections. That guy.”

Zhou Dongyun cut in. “He really is someone who speaks nothing but filth. That Xiamen University speech incident was indeed his doing, but there’s no need to exaggerate it. He violated Party discipline, so of course he was expelled from the Party. But his academic achievements are real, which is why his student status was retained. That’s not the same as what you’re saying about him ‘using connections to keep his enrollment.’”

Zhen Yuqi was unconvinced, but she didn’t want to confront Zhou Dongyun face-to-face.

Taking advantage of the moment when Zhou Dongyun bent over to operate the workstation, Zhen Yuqi again leaned toward Xiao Ma and whispered, “That’s not all. He’s also a doctoral supervisor in Haizhou at a certain station, and there have been a lot of rumors that he used the prestige of advising dissertations to seduce and assault female doctoral students...”

Though Zhou Dongyun was working on the computer, her hearing was keen. She turned back, displeased. “Why are you spreading rumors again?”

This time Zhen Yuqi actually looked a little more confident. She didn’t argue, but she wasn’t backing down either. “Professor Zhou, I’m really not making things up this time. Haven’t you noticed who I am? I work in the procuratorate, and I’ve handled a case involving him. It was already almost at the stage of indictment when it was suddenly halted. That alone shows he has powerful connections. So what I just said about him ‘keeping his student status through connections’ was indeed my own speculation, but the logic is there. It’s not all about me trying to splash dirt on someone.”

Damn, Zhen Yuqi was really going all out to curry favor with Xiao Ma.

Zhou Dongyun was stunned, and couldn’t help glancing again at Tian Jia with the little mustache over there. In the past, she had only felt he was a gifted man with a filthy mouth, a bit mad. But hearing Zhen Yuqi say it, she truly felt a chill in her heart.

Zhou Dongyun knew very well that although the procuratorate was bureaucratic, it wasn’t stupid. If a case really had reached the point where indictment was about to begin, that meant Tian Jia must have had some serious problem—serious in one way or another.

She felt very disappointed by this and shot Tian Jia another look of deep contempt.

Zhen Yuqi then said awkwardly to Xiao Ma, “What I just did wasn’t flirtation with him. It was because it seemed he likes my type, so I was simulating the scene of his supposed seducing and assaulting of a female doctoral student, trying to understand what kind of person he really is.”

Damn, who knew whether she was telling the truth.

Zhou Dongyun said a little awkwardly, “I’m not his guardian, nor am I a judge or prosecutor. I’m not responsible for his moral character or behavior. This is just a business collaboration, and my relationship with him is merely that of classmates from MIT. Let’s leave it at that. I don’t want to hear any more about him. I’ll finish this consultation as soon as possible and then leave. As for how you prosecutors want to fish for suspects and solve your case, that has nothing to do with me.”

She really was no ordinary person, and even Zhen Yuqi could only stop there, nodding modestly. “I apologize for offending you, Professor Zhou. I won’t talk about irrelevant things anymore.”

“That’s not really an offense. Your personality may not be likable, but this is truly your job, and you should never apologize for doing your job.” As she spoke, Zhou Dongyun quickly tapped at the keyboard.

In the end, Zhou Dongyun said grimly, “This workstation has actually been locked by Tian Jia. Access denied? He’s blocked my permissions.”

Xiao Ma, still very much a novice, said angrily, “Damn it, isn’t that illegal?” He turned to look at Zhen Yuqi.

Zhen Yuqi looked somewhat embarrassed. “It really isn’t illegal. Did Professor Zhou not explain this clearly to you? This is a commercial operation, involving certain events that happened yesterday on the high seas. The radar and satellite communications system of the Sea God was hacked, causing them to mistakenly believe one of their ships had disappeared. But in reality that ship wasn’t sunk; it was only explained as an electronic malfunction. The Sea God side, however, didn’t accept that explanation and insisted it had been hacked.”

“Even stranger, in the same sea area, an American destroyer and a Russian electromagnetic bomber had a close ‘contact.’ It’s described as contact because there was no accidental discharge of live weapons, but there were clear signs of a powerful, weapon-grade electromagnetic pulse. The event hasn’t been declassified yet, and both the American and Russian authorities refused to comment. These incidents seem to be connected, and because they happened on the high seas without violating any country’s laws, and because the matter is rather sensitive, our officials did not formally intervene. Instead, they entrusted this commercial forum on electronic technology to ‘discuss’ it. The organizer, or rather the project contractor, is Tian Jia. Even if the authorities forcibly appointed Professor Zhou and me as ‘consultants,’ and even if he blocked our access, as long as we are present, Tian Jia will not be violating the commercial contract for this event.”

“That’s roughly what happened,” Zhen Yuqi explained, quick-tongued and logically clear.

“...”

Xiao Ma was truly speechless. Yesterday on the Sea God, he had bizarrely received a ghostly text message. He had thought the Thirteenth Aunt was just putting on airs. But after all that, the Russian electromagnetic bomber really did clash with the American destroyer?

Thirteenth Aunt was too insane. No wonder Fourth Brother Huo feared her so much.

Thinking of this, as though some specific event had triggered him, fragments began to surface in Xiao Ma’s mind, and he gradually understood a few things.

Come to think of it, the Russian strategic bomber was a pathetic, short, and ugly thing—something long outdated. But after temporary, targeted modifications and upgrades, it could still be of some use.

The Aegis system used by the Burke-class destroyers had actually been designed for them by the Demon King when he was young. Even the B2 strategic bomber, known as the pinnacle of global electromechanical engineering, had been designed by the Demon King in his youth. Even twenty years later, it was still top-tier—never surpassed, and not even approached by any other electromechanical technology.

The B2 project had actually been approved very early, but those losers had never solved the related technical problems, so the project dragged on until the Demon King helped them fix it.

Lockheed Martin, though also belonging to the Demon King, hadn’t done much either after he stopped managing things. Like Intel too, they had switched to making toothpaste and chasing quick money, and from start to finish they had achieved nothing notable.

Yet the giant tube of toothpaste the Demon King had left them in his youth apparently still hadn’t been squeezed dry even now, and Martin’s military technology still didn’t count as outdated. What an oddity.

Damn, these thoughts had given him confidence, but it was useless—absolutely useless. Worse, they made Xiao Ma feel schizophrenic again.

Now everyone looked like losers to him. Tian Jia was a nineteenth-rate loser, Zhou Dongyun a ninth-rate loser, Zhen Yuqi an eleventh-rate loser.

The MiG Design Bureau and the Sukhoi Design Bureau were eighth-rate losers. Martin, Boeing, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney, and Rolls-Royce were seventh-rate losers.

Damn.

Had he kept himself in check for a while only to become schizophrenic again after thinking of something special in a special setting?

That prehistoric little loli... well, she wasn’t a loser.

When he thought of the little girl, something felt oddly different. The Demon King’s resentment began to slowly dissipate and fell back into sleep.

Then Xiao Ma returned to normal, only to find that everyone in the room was staring at him with their mouths half open.