"Youâre back! Where are Sister Qingyan and Sister Ying?"
"Shen Ying is in seclusion, and Qingyan is around Phoenix Mountain seeing patients," Lu Zheng replied. "We also have some business here."
"What business?" Lin Wan asked curiously, thinking about the minimal needs for Blue Star.
"We need to find a printing factory to print a batch of imitation ancient books." Lu Zheng patted the gourd and took out the newly compiled âBarefoot Doctorâs Manualâ by Liu Qingyan.
"No need to apply for an ISBN, just print ten thousand copies," Lu Zheng said.
Lin Wan nodded, "Just say itâs game merchandise, not for publication or sale, so itâs fine if the text doesnât match."
"Okay, by the way, have there been any news outside in the past month?" Lu Zheng asked.
Lin Wan laughed, "You were away for a month and missed quite a bit of drama."
Lu Zheng showed interest, "Tell me more."
"The West Coast of the Lighthouse Country is in chaos. Various forces, including the military, FBI, CIA, government agencies, major financial groups, Skull and Bones Society civilian consortium forces, and agents from other countries, almost fought to the last brain cell." Lin Wan laughed.
"So chaotic?" Lu Zheng asked curiously, "Why did they fight?"
"Because they believe they have evidence of this secret event," Lin Wan said.
"What? Impossible?" Lu Zheng exclaimed in surprise.
The incident was handled by Si Lingxi, everyone involved was burned to nothingness, not even ashes left, no evidence of any sort. Did they discover any traces through monitoring or clues?
Thatâs not right. If we were discovered, Lin Wan wouldnât be this happy.
Si Lingxi also looked curiously at Lin Wan.
Lin Wan didnât keep them guessing, couldnât help but laugh as she said, "Those âevidenceâ turned out to be various religious sects fabricating âmiraclesâ or âHoly Artifactsâ to fool the public into believing."
Lu Zheng, "..."
Si Lingxi, "..."
"Seriously, do those professionals have brains like dogs?" Lu Zheng shook his head.
"Of course not." Lin Wan shook her head, her eyes squinting slightly, "Because even the Lighthouse Country reacted with panic later and swore to allies, hence more people believed the Los Angeles incident wasnât controlled by the Lighthouse Country."
Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, given the Lighthouse Countryâs previous notorious record, many people remain skeptical," Lin Wan said. "However, the Lighthouse Country has deployed many forces in California, so other countries had to secretly follow suit, after all...
If itâs a mysterious event, they would prefer not to let the Lighthouse Country take the lead, at least they want to be involved."
Lu Zheng couldnât help but laugh, but upon reflection, he understood.
If this event was as some conspiracy theories suggest, controlled by viruses and microchips, it would be a scientific incident. While other national forces might fear it, it remains manageable, as thereâs a trace to follow, and they can comprehend it. At worst, whether stealing, kidnapping, or developing antidotes and electromagnetic interference to disrupt the chips, they know how to defend.
But if itâs a mystical event, itâs entirely beyond scientific explanation. Should the Lighthouse Country grasp it, theyâd be at a loss for comprehension and defense, reduced to helpless prey against a butcherâs knife.
Thus, if some secret sect managed to fabricate a âDivine Artifact,â even if they were ninety-nine percent sure it was fake, they wouldnât risk that one percent chance.
Naturally, everyone rushes in, competing against each other, fighting tooth and nail until even discovering itâs just a wooden carving wouldnât matter.
Thinking this, Lu Zheng found the situation amusing, "The Lighthouse Country practices religious freedom, there must be tens of thousands of various sects of all sizes, right? In cases like this, theyâd all pop out to make themselves known, wouldnât they?"
Lin Wan shrugged, "In this month alone, countless new sects have been established. The smarter ones create their identities and make a âDivine Artifact,â while those agents canât blatantly target them, as it might induce panic among the civilians."
What would civilians think if government agencies forcibly seized these artifacts when the sects hadnât violated any laws?
It proves the sects were telling the truth!
"Howâs the higher-upsâ response?" Lu Zheng was curious.
Logically, Hua Countryâs top officials should know the truth, but if they didnât send anyone over, would it seem a bit aloof?
"Every now and then, they issue proposals suggesting inspections of the Lighthouse Countryâs laboratories," Lin Wan couldnât help but laugh, "Saying we should believe in science, insisting itâs all man-made with traces, while bringing up the Lighthouse Countryâs past deeds to mock them."
"As for the Lighthouse Country, no traces of our agents have been found in Interpolâs channels," Lin Wan said, "Of course, this fits our persona. On the surface, thereâs always nothing to critique."
"Oh? On the surface?"
Lu Zheng raised his eyebrow, understanding Lin Wanâs hint, "Is there some underground movement?"
Lin Wan smiled slightly, "Itâs nothing significant, just numerous discreet parcels being sent abroad from home recently."
Lu Zheng blinked, puzzled.
"The Lighthouse Country customs intercepted oneâit was a silver cross with a high-energy battery installed inside, using echo circulation technology, broadcasting Bible chants, creating an omnipresent ethereal feel indoors and outdoors."
Lin Wan laughed, "Apparently, the cross contained enough power to continuously play for a year."
"Wow." Lu Zheng was speechless, "High-cost custom, mechanical divine intervention, is this in case the Lighthouse Country gets too occupied?"
Lin Wan smirked, "Could those culturally ignorant locals concoct anything divine?
Addresses and contact info of those sect leaders arenât secret, their promotional materials are all over the platforms and easily traceable.
In the past ten days, the frequency of âmiraclesâ and âHoly Artifactsâ appearances has skyrocketed, and I canât even guess how much originated from our research institute."
The Lighthouse Countryâs officials, consortiums, Skull and Bones Society, religious forces, foreign agents, international powers...
Plus who knows how many forces are stirring up trouble, like Hua Countryâs mischief.
Genuine, fake, a mixed crowd...
Lu Zheng shook his head, smacked his lips, "A whole month and still not quiet?"
"Surfaces have quieted down; at least Los Angeles has returned to normal, and general law and order has even improved." Lin Wan smiled, "The only downside is the drastic drop in tourist numbers, but thereâs nothing to be done."
Lu Zheng shrugged, "Indeed, they protest and riot at the drop of a hat; itâs normal for tourist numbers to fall. Whatâs it got to do with us?"