Chapter 127: Chapter 127: The Alleged Power
Zeng Shen, feeling amused, turned around and walked to a corner. He took out his phone from his backpack and dialed Keke Lin on WeChat for a video call. The call was answered almost immediately.
On the screen appeared Jack, Bayard, and several unfamiliar faces in suits and military or police uniforms.
"You have quite a crowd there," Zeng Shen quipped.
"Mr. Zeng, I didn't expect you to call us first," Director Jack said, aiming the camera at himself, somewhat surprised.
Meanwhile, Bayard and others signaled the communications staff to quickly trace Zeng Shen's signal location.
"Honestly, I didn't want to call, but seeing your tactics of stationing people under the street cameras near my place left me no choice," Zeng Shen explained.
"So, are you admitting defeat?" Jack asked, glancing at Bayard.
Bayard, seeing the screen showing Zeng Shen's phone signal location, nodded slightly and gestured for a delay. He quietly instructed nearby soldiers to surround Zeng Shen.
"Admit defeat? Then wouldn't the past few days of hiding have been for nothing?" Zeng Shen laughed, keeping an eye on the military SUV at the street corner.
"What do you intend with this call, or are you planning...?" Jack probed, attempting to stall for time.
Zeng Shen, however, saw through the ploy but chose not to expose it. After all, why not play along when it suited him?
Noticing the SUV start and soldiers emerging from behind it, Zeng Shen ended his banter with Jack, smiling, "Actually, I just wanted to see your reaction when you realized I was luring you away."
With that, he hung up, watching the incoming drones and soldiers before teleporting away.
"Oh no," Jack exclaimed upon hearing Zeng Shen's words, panic setting in.
Those around him quickly realized the ruse and turned to Admiral Bayard.
Bayard swiftly picked up his radio, "Leave two men at each camera near the target."
"Admiral Bayard, he's playing an open strategy. It's too late," Ella pointed at a camera feed.
Everyone looked up to see a man in a denim jacket, his hat pulled low, grin at the camera before disappearing from view.
"How is he so fast?" Bayard roared, but no one had an answer until someone guessed, "Maybe the signal source was fake from the start..."
After leaving the camera's view, Zeng Shen walked into an empty alley, turned invisible, and exited Old Gold Mountain, heading into the surrounding forests.
Once sure no one was around, he released No. 1 and Lin Keke.
"Master, should we continue around the outskirts of Old Gold Mountain?" Lin Keke asked from the driver's seat.
Zeng Shen contemplated, then shook his head, "No, plan a route to reach the main city of the neighboring state, Los Angeles, in two days. Pass through as many villages and farms as possible."
"Yes, Master," Lin Keke nodded, setting No. 1 to plot the longest route.
Zeng Shen lay down in the resting area, focusing his mind to practice his telekinesis skill, lifting a ten-kilogram bucket of water.
[Telekinesis, Proficiency +1]
He continued for eight seconds, gaining 8 points in proficiency before mental fatigue set in, prompting him to rest.
An hour later, he resumed practicing telekinesis.
As for Old Gold Mountain? Beyond the genetic research institute, there was little to keep him there.
For five days, he'd shown his face daily, fulfilling his agreement.
He'd subtly shown he wasn't alone, hinting at an "alleged power" aiding him, making Jack and others reconsider their approach.
Ultimately, his ability to make the Skull Society members honor their agreement depended on Tioya and the Brotherhood's influence in Los Angeles.
By then, he planned to smoothly undermine the top U.S. companies for a year.
But more than that, Zeng Shen felt his five days in the city were richly rewarding.
In just three days, he acquired numerous powerful tamed beasts, future intelligent species like the white foxes, milk snakes, female robots, and the yet-to-be-collected black widows.
In a sense, he'd tapped into the city's future potential significantly, leaving fewer opportunities for others.
This was only the beginning of his ventures in the U.S. He hoped to visit several major cities in Japan when time and opportunity allowed.
The next morning, Zeng Shen and Lin Keke stopped in a small town for breakfast before continuing their journey.
Back in the vehicle, instead of practicing telekinesis, Zeng Shen took out his Huawei phone.
Once out of his backpack, the phone reconnected, buzzing with WeChat messages.
Most were from Keke Lin, leaving numerous voice messages.
Ignoring them for the moment, Zeng Shen replied to messages from Li Yuqing, Liu Miao, and his parents before opening Keke Lin's messages, noticing a voice note from Jack just after midnight.
"Mr. Zeng, we must admit, you're far from ordinary."
"In five days, you showed yourself under our noses five times, yet we couldn't catch or even find you."
"We lost and accept our defeat. We hope you can meet us to discuss cooperation details and hold a press conference."
"Can you respond, Mr. Zeng?"
"We assure you, this time we won't trace your phone signal. Please get back to us."
"We're sincere about meeting you."
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