Enlightenment: Attaining the Dao at Age 8

Chapter 123: Chapter 103: The Board of Directors

Night City, Yunxiao Technology Building.

Armed guards surrounded the entire building, creating an impenetrable perimeter. Without permission, not even a fly could get near the area.

Under the watch of these fully armed security guards, a fleet of high-end, bulletproof hovercars—vehicles the average person could never afford in a lifetime—were parked at the building’s entrance.

Important figures in respectable suits, flanked by their secretaries and bodyguards, stepped out of their cars. They slowed their pace to chat with a few familiar board members before heading together into the building’s exclusive VIP elevator once it was time.

The 201st floor, a magnificent, golden conference hall.

Waitresses with full-body golden cybernetic modifications pushed carts laden with high-end delicacies like fish belly, steak, caviar, and top-tier fruits, placing them on the immaculate long table.

Dozens of Yunxiao Group board members were lined up beside the long table, an air of deadly seriousness and nobility blending harmoniously around them.

At the head of the long table, Charles sat in the seat of honor.

And beside him stood a boy of twelve or thirteen.

The boy had delicate features and wore a top-of-the-line, custom-tailored black suit. Though his expression was full of amiability and deference, a closer look revealed a hint of defiant arrogance in his eyes.

Seeing that almost everyone had arrived, Charles glanced down at his watch. He cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention, before speaking at a leisurely pace, “Esteemed elders of the board, I’ve gathered you all here today to discuss the matter of my successor!”

“My son, Bob, is now twelve years old. According to company regulations, he is eligible to inherit a portion of the company’s authority. Bob is an exceptional young man, so I would like to place him in the security department to let him begin gradually acclimating to the company’s various operations!”

Hearing this, the board members showed no surprise. They had, in fact, already been informed of this appointment before they arrived.

Under normal circumstances, when Charles decided to support an heir, the board members wouldn’t object unless they had a major issue with the candidate.

This time, however, a slight murmur of unrest rippled through the board members.

After a brief moment of whispered discussion, the youngest director on the board stood up and said, “Charles, we have no objection to you placing your heir in the security department, but have you forgotten about your other son?”

“Command of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team has yet to be recovered, and now you’re placing a new heir in the security department. Don’t you find your own actions ridiculous?!”

“Little Charles,” the one in control of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, had always been a thorn in the side of everyone at Yunxiao Group.

Over the years, the board had pressured Charles about this matter on numerous occasions.

Charles had also used considerable power trying to restrain Li Chang’an and the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team.

But compared to domesticated dogs like the NCPD, the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team was a wolf that had never truly been tamed, possessing a great deal of autonomy.

Now, under Li Chang’an’s control, not only had its finances become completely independent step by step, but its management was also firmly in his grasp.

In other words, the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team was now a completely rabid dog, on the verge of turning on its master at any moment.

Hearing the director’s challenge, Charles’s expression remained largely unchanged. He simply glanced back at the boy behind him.

Seeing this, the boy stepped forward and said calmly, “My father was able to grant command of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, and he can naturally take it back. You need not worry about that!”

At this, a supremely confident smile spread across the boy’s face. His gaze swept over every member of the board as he continued, “I, Charles Bob, can guarantee all of you that after taking over the security department, I will reclaim actual control of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team within half a month—without shedding a single drop of blood.”

Hearing his guarantee, the faces of the many board members filled with skepticism.

One of them couldn’t help but stand and ask, “This is no joke. You think you alone can reclaim actual control of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team in half a month?”

The Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team had expanded its ranks. Its numbers had likely long since surpassed three hundred, and it was already showing signs of becoming too big to control.

Aside from making the decision to gather all of Night City’s security forces and expend massive amounts of manpower and resources to eliminate them by force… the board members present could think of no other way to reclaim power from their hands without bloodshed.

Seeing that he was being doubted, a vicious look flashed across Charles Bob’s otherwise delicate face. He gave a contemptuous laugh. “That guy is nothing but an insignificant scapegoat. Everything he has is property my father will one day leave to me!”

“Father was lenient with him in the past only because I hadn’t officially started taking over the company. Now that I’m taking over the security department, the countdown on his life has officially begun!”

Clearly, he was extremely confident. Just like Charles, he had never once taken Li Chang’an seriously.

Upon hearing his over-the-top, confident promise, a minor commotion broke out among the board members. They whispered amongst themselves, discussing the veracity of his words.

Although they were all skeptical and unwilling to believe it, since Charles had dared to let his heir make such a guarantee in front of so many of them, they decided to trust him one more time and hold their noses while they waited to see what would happen.

After all, if Charles wasn’t absolutely certain, he would never have allowed an action that could shake the foundation of his heir’s position right from the start.

…

The many board members present were all busy people with limited time.

Therefore, after concluding the main agenda of the meeting, several directors prepared to stand and leave.

But just then, the clear, melodious ring of a phone suddenly echoed through the room.

Every board member present fell silent at once, their eyes instinctively turning toward the source of the sound.

To prevent the meeting’s contents from being monitored by pervasive hackers, the 201st-floor conference room of Yunxiao Technology Company had been shielded from all external communication signals since the day it was built. Even board directors had to remove all communication devices before entering.

And what was ringing now was the only encrypted communicator in the conference room capable of contacting the outside world.

Obviously, all the board members were curious as to what could have happened to make this device—which rarely rang even once a year—suddenly receive a call.

Charles frowned and walked over to the communicator.

To avoid arousing the board members’ suspicion, after glancing at the display and seeing the internal call was from the security Captain, he answered it and switched on the speakerphone. “What’s wrong?”

Under normal circumstances, the security Captain would never have dared to call at such a critical juncture.

But since the call had come through, it meant something must have happened in the security department that required his immediate decision, prompting the Captain to dial this internal number before the board meeting had even ended.

On the other end of the line, the security Captain’s voice was trembling. He was silent for a long moment before speaking, “Lord Charles, Little… Little Charles is here. He’s asking for… for you to grant him permission to enter the building!”

Hearing the Captain’s words, Charles was visibly stunned. A moment later, he frowned and asked, “What did you say?”

The security Captain stammered, “Lord Charles, Little Charles is downstairs right now. He says he wants to attend… attend the board meeting!”

After asking twice, Charles finally confirmed he wasn’t hallucinating. He almost laughed in anger. “Is he alone?”

The security Captain’s voice was on the verge of tears. “There are two of them! Besides Lord Little Charles, there’s also a girl who’s maybe ten years old!”

Charles hung up the phone. He glanced back at the board members, who were all staring at each other in confusion. After a moment of silence, he replied, “Let him come up. I’d like to see what he’s planning.”

Hearing his answer, the security Captain audibly breathed a sigh of relief.

After the call ended, Charles’s face was as dark as water. The board members who had been about to leave were in an uproar once more. Clearly, none of them had expected Li Chang’an to show up so suddenly at a time like this.

Along with their shock, a sense of foreboding settled in their hearts.

Time passed, second by second.

When a knock came from outside the conference room, the entire boardroom fell silent.

All eyes turned to the door, ready to see for themselves the young man who had recently become the most discussed topic on Night City’s network.

Behind Charles, the expression on Bob’s face grew even more arrogant.

In Bob’s eyes, this nominal older brother of his was nothing more than a dog his father had raised to conceal his own existence. Now that he was officially beginning to inherit the family business, the other man was clearly not long for this world.

At this moment, he too couldn’t wait to see how utterly furious Li Chang’an would be when he learned he was nothing but a disposable substitute.

The door slowly swung open, and a young man with fair skin and a handsome face walked in with a smile. He didn’t exude any sort of heart-pounding, oppressive aura.

From a distance, he seemed like a gentle spring breeze, putting people at ease.

Following behind him was a girl who also looked to be thirteen or fourteen.

The girl wore a well-tailored little women’s suit jacket on top, a short black skirt on the bottom, white stockings, and small black leather shoes. She looked just like a Princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

It could be said that among the cunning old foxes of the board, the sudden appearance of this excessively young pair seemed utterly out of place.

Yet, the young man effortlessly suppressed this feeling of discord with his calm and nonchalant demeanor, to the point that no one present dared to underestimate him.

Looking at this young man before him, who was both familiar and strange, Charles wore a complicated expression. After a long moment, he said, “You have already lost your status as an heir. You are not qualified to be here, but I have given you this chance anyway…”

“Hand over control of the Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team, swear to serve the Charles family and the Yunxiao Group board from now on, and I can spare your life…”

His voice was light, but his tone was unquestionable.

Although this “son” of his had recently made a huge name for himself in Night City, eliminating several major gangs in just six months and making countless gang members piss themselves in terror at the mere mention of the name “Li Chang’an” or “Anti-Terrorism Mobile Team,” in Charles’s eyes, Li Chang’an’s status had never changed.

Just as he had said from the very beginning, if he could grant Li Chang’an life, he could naturally also have him killed.

To Li Chang’an, he wasn’t just a father in name.

He was also his creator, his God.

Li Chang’an glanced at him, then at Bob, who stood behind him with the same apathetic expression, seemingly waiting for a good show to start. He smiled and said, “Father, this child doesn’t seem to be as talented as you imagined!”

…