Homo Sapiens

America.

Florida, Orlando City.

On a lakeside property north of the nearby Walt Disney World.

Within a low-key, private estate.

A dozen or so members of the City of the Council were gathered in the estate’s winter hall.

Thomas Morgan held a glass of champagne, standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows and gazing out at the shimmering lake.

”Thomas, James is here,” Thomson Mellon reminded him from the side.

Not far away, a middle-aged man in a vested suit with a faint smile on his face was walking toward Thomas.

”Thomas, long time no see.”

The two clinked glasses. Thomas took a sip of champagne, his eyes narrowing slightly. ”James, it seems you’ve made a decision?”

James Rockefeller set down his champagne. ”And what does your clan think?”

”The Gold Standard... a wonderful thing!” Thomas Morgan flashed a bright, toothy smile. ”A pity they don’t have the strength to back it up. This will only hasten their demise.”

”Heh, it seems we’ve reached an agreement,” James Rockefeller said, his face wreathed in smiles.

But Thomas shook his head and offered a reminder. ”James, have you thought about how to handle Shan State? It’s too close to East Asia, after all. I have no desire to open up another An Nan-style quagmire.”

”Of course. We don’t have to enter Shan State, but the Qingye Group must disappear. All industry in Hongsawaddy must be completely dismantled. That is our bottom line.” A sinister, murderous glint flashed in James Rockefeller’s eyes.

Thomas Morgan nodded. ”Okay. Now, let’s talk about how we’re going to carve up the pie.”

Several servants of the Mellon Clan placed a map of Asia on the round table.

Everyone took their seats.

As the host, Thomson Mellon took a long pointer and indicated Hongsawaddy on the map.

”Gentlemen, let’s begin our discussion on the disposition of Hongsawaddy...”

A servant quickly handed a document to each attendee.

”Hongsawaddy currently possesses 532 tons of Gold. As per Mr. Morgan’s proposal, after setting aside 120 tons for the military, the remaining 412 tons of Gold will be divided into 30 shares according to our agreement...”

”Acceptable,” Kevin DuPont was the first to speak. Gold was something they weren’t overly concerned about.

When the City of the Council was first established, the distribution of authority and spoils of war had been clearly defined. Although there had been some changes through the ups and downs over the years, these were merely reflections of shifts in power.

Currently, the core of the City of the Council consisted of the Morgan-Wall Street Financial Group and the Rockefeller-Petroleum Military Industrial Complex.

Of course, this didn’t mean the two great clans could act completely unchallenged. While their power was a tier above the others, they couldn’t withstand the combined strength of the other clans if they were to unite.

According to the distribution ratio, the Morgan Clan would receive 15% of the Gold, while the Rockefeller Clan would get 13%.

After the Gold was allocated, Thomson Mellon continued, ”Next are Hongsawaddy’s mineral, agricultural, and industrial assets.”

”DuPont wants the Qingye Group’s pharmaceutical division,” the shrewd and calculating Kevin DuPont immediately declared.

”I have some interest in that large iron mine...”

”The automotive industry in Chiang Mai...”

No matter how civilized their attire or how polite their speech, nothing could conceal their true nature as robbers.

Perhaps, to them, this was just life as they knew it.

To call these robbers despicable and shameless would be a compliment.

After more than an hour of haggling, the City of the Council finally concluded its meeting to divide the spoils.

After most of the council members had left.

Thomas was still at the Mellon private estate.

”Thomson, why do you think Hongsawaddy and Luzon have risen so suddenly?”

After lighting a cigar, Thomson took a calm puff. ”HAAH... Who knows? Once we take down Hongsawaddy, we can naturally investigate its secrets.”

Thomas gave him a profound look, then smiled and adjusted his collar. ”The Superman Project has recently entered its third phase. There are too many humans; it’s inevitable that some geniuses will pop up unexpectedly.”

Hearing this, Thomson took another drag from his cigar. ”HAAH... You suspect that naturally mutated superhumans exist in Luzon and Hongsawaddy?”

”A backward region with no foundation suddenly catches up to us technologically in just a few short years. Isn’t that suspicious?” Thomas stared at the calm lake in the distance.

Thomson looked astonished. ”Is that why you agreed to James’s call for war?”

”That’s part of the reason. And I already have a target in mind. If he truly is a naturally mutated superhuman, then with the talent to propel Luzon and Hongsawaddy through a technological leap in a few years, his genes would be absolutely perfect.” A flicker of excitement crossed Thomas’s eyes.

Thomson considered this and realized that, indeed, a large number of new technologies had emerged from Luzon and Hongsawaddy in recent years.

If these new technologies truly were the work of a single, naturally mutated superhuman, then that person’s genes would be incredibly valuable.

For years, the Knight Organization, subordinate to the City of the Council, had never stopped its research into the human genome.

They had conducted over sixty years of research using natural mutants scouted from all over the world.

The DuPont Clan, in its quest to breed Superman-like offspring, had even resorted to inbreeding within the clan, attempting to cultivate descendants who surpassed ordinary humans.

Especially with the maturation of third-generation gene-recombination technology, the various clans of the City of the Council could no longer hold back and were preparing to use it to create superior offspring.

In fact, even before this, several biological labs under the Knight Organization had secretly conducted experiments on genetically modified infants.

However, the number of test subjects was too small, and the feedback data was insufficient. This made the great clans uneasy, as the technology they wanted—genetic modification without serious side effects—was the only kind they would ever apply to their own descendants.

Of course, Thomas, James, Thomson, and the others weren’t betting everything on genetically enhanced offspring. They were also investing heavily in various life sciences, trying to find a method for achieving eternal life.

Thomas suspected that Luzon and Hongsawaddy had naturally mutated superhumans. This, combined with his Wall Street Financial Group’s disdain for Hongsawaddy’s Gold Standard, and the fact that the Qingye Group had recently swindled them over Ceylon’s foreign debt, made for a potent mix.

It was a matter of both new and old grudges. Therefore, when the Rockefeller Clan made its proposal, Thomas chose to go with the flow and give it a push.

And as a member of the military-industrial complex, the Mellon Clan would naturally not oppose a war. For them, war was a golden opportunity to make a fortune.

Thomson thought for a moment. ”If such a powerful superhuman truly exists, then that person’s genes are indeed very valuable.”

”Moreover, the development speed of Hongsawaddy and Luzon is getting out of control. I’m worried that if we don’t suppress them now, they’ll soon be researching nuclear weapons, and then we’ll have a real problem on our hands.” Thomas’s sense of crisis was palpable.

Thomson agreed with Thomas’s assessment and nodded.

”We certainly can’t let this continue. Even if it means letting Latin America fall into chaos for a while, we must divert our strength to completely crush Hongsawaddy. As for Luzon, I hope they’ll recognize reality when the time comes. Otherwise, they’ll have no one to blame but us...”

The two spoke in private for over twenty minutes before Thomas secretly left the estate, returning to New York under the escort of his security personnel.