Hiss!
With that explanation from Ning An, Aluf instantly realized he'd gone too far this time.
According to his own plan.
First, use the power of the Daoist Association to pressure, then hypocritically burn incense and pray.
In the end, regardless of whether the wish was fulfilled or not, he would firmly claim it wasn't.
Everything was planned perfectly.
But who could have anticipated.
This Daoist would reverse the situation, leaving him speechless.
"The azure sky is dead, the yellow sky will stand! The year is Jiazi, the world is in great luck! I, Zhang Jiao, earnestly invite the Han to meet their end!"
"This little brat, has he forgotten what kind of lunatics Taoism consists of? From ancient times to the present, officials' families have always first appeased Taoism. When it comes to rebellion, these Daoist Masters charge full force."
"Actually, Aluf's plan was quite sound, even using the direct leadership unit, Daoist Association. Normally, nothing would have gone wrong, but which normal Daoist Temple would care about such things?"
Just when Aluf was seething with anger.
In a hidden building on the outskirts of Kyoto.
A few elderly men with graying hair were locked in a heated debate around the table, all looking furious.
Because just yesterday.
U Country, along with other Western Countries, directly imposed sanctions on some of our nation's technology.
This included high-grade carbon fiber. Any company from Western countries selling this material to our country would be dealt with as if committing treason.
Under such pressure, many foreign manufacturers preferred to pay hefty compensation fees just to break contracts.
Though this was expected, given U Country's status as a superpower, no sane capitalist would oppose such a superpower.
"Can't win, so you flip the table, damn, absolutely shameless."
"Purely nauseating."
Everyone present looked grim, as if water could drip from their faces.
The issue even alerted higher-level leaders, prompting the Foreign Ministry to severely condemn such unethical behavior and pressure Western countries to lift the blockade.
After all, high-quality carbon fiber is incredibly important. Without it, all aerospace-related fields in our country would grind to a halt.
"Our space endeavors are at a crucial stage of development, and we can't afford to give up!"
"Easy for you to say, that dog of a U Country demands tons of our rare earths for the high-grade carbon fiber. Such a wolfish ambition must be stopped!"
"Having someone grab us by the throat, it really burns! Secretary Wang, what does Elder An say?"
The few old men present wore no uniforms.
Yet, the pressure emanating from their every move lowered the temperature of the entire meeting room.
With security personnel all around, it was clear this was a very important place.
The middle-aged man known as Secretary Wang sat in the expert seat, his work attire in disarray.
He stood up, his face ashen as if he hadn't slept for days and nights.
He supported himself on the table, tears streaming down his face.
"Crying? Like a woman!"
"Can you make it happen or not? The country is waiting!"
An elderly man with a temper, leaning on a cane, was so furious that he was snorting with anger.
In his day, when he fought against monkeys and lost a leg to an explosion, he didn't cry like this.
Smack!
The elder in the primary seat furrowed his brows and slapped the table hard.
"None of you are young anymore, why such fiery tempers?"
"With all this energy, why don't you go and do the research? Whoever succeeds can have my seat!"
The noisy meeting room gradually quieted down.
At this moment, the elder in the main seat looked at the standing Secretary Wang and spoke calmly:
"Secretary Wang, give us the details. With so much national funding invested, we should at least have the right to know."
"Besides, with Elder An overseeing, even if there are challenges, you shouldn't be this out of control."
In unison, everyone looked at Secretary Wang.
"At first, progress was very rapid, but…"
Secretary Wang wiped his tears and smiled bitterly:
"Elder An… doesn't have much time left."
"Without a leader, it would take just us two or three more years."
"Two or three years? By then, our country's blood will have run dry, what's the point of developing!"
It was that fiery old man again, raising his cane and cursing.
"Ma Baoguo, sit down!"
The elder in the main seat's expression sank, and Ma Baoguo gave a forced smile and obediently sat back down.
Everyone present could understand his feelings.
Because everyone in attendance shared his thoughts.
"It's not that I, Ma Baoguo, am too anxious, it's that U Country's wolfish ambition is immense."
"You all know how ruthless they've been over the years, now they want to block our aerospace with carbon fiber, Grandpa might bear it, but Grandma cannot!"
"How infuriating!"
Ma Baoguo's complaints weren't loud, but they ensured everyone heard them.
After all, past experiences serve as lessons for the future.
Everyone's expressions grew heavy once more.
At this time, someone spoke gently:
"Elder An, what do the doctors say?"
Secretary Wang gripped the table tightly, his voice hoarse:
"Incurable, medicine can't help, the teacher… doesn't have much time…"
Instantly, the entire meeting went silent.
After all, in materials science, Elder An was a world-class authority.
Without such a leader, high-carbon fiber would truly be far off.
After a half moment, the elder in the main seat spoke in a deep voice:
"Even though we have developed alternatives for some high-function carbon fibers, neither the weight nor the strength is nearly enough."
"In the field of technology, we cannot fall behind."
"Secretary Wang, you carry a heavy burden."
The elder spoke meaningfully to Secretary Wang.
"Leader, this…"
Before Secretary Wang could finish speaking, a rapid knock on the door interrupted him.
"Report!"
"Come in."
A sharp-looking soldier strode in, saluted respectfully, and then said:
"Reporting to all leaders, just now while the nurse was making rounds, they discovered Elder An is missing…"
Before he could finish, several people stood up menacingly.
"Bastards, it's bad enough to block our technology, now they're going after our researchers, damn it!"
"These bastards are playing dirty!"
"What are you waiting for! Go check! Go find him! Ensure Elder An's safety at all costs!"
Ma Baoguo couldn't wait any longer, grabbing his cane to make a call:
"Go, mobilize all my people, I'm authorizing their actions immediately!"
Many elderly present all looked murderous, having crawled out from piles of corpses, who's afraid of whom!
They weren't afraid of being dismissed, but of the country being perpetually choked and insulted, which was more unbearable than being killed!
The scene directly scared this young soldier witless.
He knew none of those present were weak.
With such explosive aura, how could he as a mere soldier withstand it?
"Don't panic, let me ask, has Elder An been found yet?"
Although Secretary Wang was anxious too, he was shrewd enough to ask the critical question.
After all, he couldn't believe that in a national base, a spy could sneak in.
The young warrior was almost crying:
"L-Leaders, Elder An isn't missing… he just went to burn incense…"