The following six years were a whirlwind of dual agendas. Publicly, Ye Xia grew the Yun family empire into a global powerhouse, with Mo as her strategic partner. Their "business alliance" became the stuff of legend, a partnership that dominated headlines.
Privately, they were preparing for an invisible war.
Ye Xia used the [Conceptual Waste] function relentlessly. She wasted billions on concepts like:
· "A robust mRNA vaccine platform." (Result: A brilliant but ostracized scientist named Dr. Kariko suddenly received anonymous, unlimited funding for her obscure research.)
· "A global supply chain for PPE." (Result: A Yun subsidiary quietly became the world's largest manufacturer of high-quality masks and ventilators, building a massive, secret stockpile.)
· "Early warning system for zoonotic diseases." (Result: A "philanthropic" initiative funded by Mo's foundations established state-of-the-art virus monitoring labs in key hotspots around the world, including Wuhan.)
She also used [Asset Reclamation] once to retrieve the first, cheap smartphone she'd ever bought. She had it encased in crystal—a reminder of where she started.
By late 2019, the world was prosperous, oblivious. But Ye Xia's network was on high alert. The labs in Wuhan were reporting anomalous data. The pieces were in place.