GBP Chapter 48 Morality and Conscience
Chapter 48 Morality and Conscience
After Mr. Yang finished speaking, although Mr. Zhao still had many questions, the three couples, including Mr. Xiao, were clearly unwilling to answer any more; they just wanted to go home and reunite with their families as soon as possible. In the end, Mr. Zhao used a special method to send each of the three couples back to their respective posts.
Subsequently, Lao Zhao's special forces launched a manhunt for Ms. Xiaoya. Having successfully obtained conclusive evidence of Ms. Xiaoya's crimes and her hiring of professionals, no matter how the high-ranking official tried to find excuses or hire lawyers to erase the evidence, Ms. Xiaoya had no way to escape this time. Ultimately, Ms. Xiaoya was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Old Zhao reported this to the central government and received some information about the space, claiming he could contact the person who cultivated the laws of space. The central leaders and senior figures in the cultivation world were incredibly excited and incredulous upon hearing this news. After all, the methods of this space cultivator had been lost for millions of years.
This discovery seemed to open a brand new door for everyone, and everyone was looking forward to learning more about the mysteries of the laws of space from this mysterious cultivator.
When Lao Zhao returned to the hot pot restaurant, Xiao Hui arrived with her children and parents. Gong Yong, Lin Yue, and their three children also came to have a meal together.
After finishing their meal, they returned to their offices. Old Xiao's parents were responsible for watching their four children play in the square. Both couples were in their offices. After turning off the security cameras, Old Zhao looked around through the window and noticed that at least twenty groups of people were watching their hot pot restaurant. Besides the ten or so people sitting inside the restaurant, there were about ten more in the surrounding area. Most of these surrounding groups were likely military personnel or security bureau agents sent by the government to stake out the area. Secondly, there were representatives from various political figures, either privately sent by individuals or from their families.
In this unfavorable environment, it wasn't a good time to discuss things. Old Zhao was worried that there might be listening devices nearby, so he hesitated to speak. He took out his pen and a piece of paper, writing on it for Lin Yue to see: "Are there any listening devices around here?" Lin Yue had a question mark in her mind. Finally, she took out the spirit stones the little mouse had dug up and placed 12 spirit stones in 12 different locations. The four of them were enveloped in this array, shielding them from everything, including listening devices. Even if there were sounds, they would only be buzzing noises, completely inaudible.
Then the four of them sat down to discuss the matter. Old Xiao said, "Today, Xiao Hui, two other couples, and I were invited to the National Security Bureau." Old Xiao then told Lin Yue about all the conversations that took place there, asking her what she thought. Should she explain to the government that she possessed this capability? How should she cooperate with the government? Was it necessary? Should Old Xiao and the others proactively inform the government, or should they wait for the government to investigate?
Finally, Lin Yue and Gong Yong exchanged a glance and told Lao Xiao that they were planning to move out of the neighborhood and wouldn't tell the government. Lin Yue said, "There are many eyes watching us around this hot pot restaurant. Right now, the ones watching most closely are Lao Xiao, Xiao Hui, and your partner. Gong Yong and I haven't been in their sights, nor have our child. To protect our family of five, we've decided not to tell the government, at least not now. As for when we'll tell the government, that depends on our ability to protect ourselves."
Lin Yue told Lao Xiao that if the country had such a need, they could exchange it with her; as for what to exchange, that was up to the country. Secondly, as for erasing the lightning magic, it was impossible to erase it. Lao Tang's chain only had thirty cubic meters, which was meaningless. She directly told the country that if they requested Lin Yue to custom-make special necklaces for them, the kind made to contribute to the country, Lin Yue told Lao Xiao she could make them according to the country's requirements; in exchange, an equivalent exchange would suffice. However, this loophole remained with Lao Xiao; they would wait for the country to contact him.
Lin Yue then entrusted this external contact to Lao Xiao. The reason for this was that entrusting it to Lao Xiao meant that his family of five would be in the safest possible situation. After all, Lao Xiao was the only one who truly knew Lin Yue's background.
As for Mr. Yang, Ms. Shen, Mr. Wang, and Ms. Li, they exchanged money for a necklace and a protective charm from Lin Yue. However, now that a security risk has arisen, the four of them are unaware of Lin Yue's true situation.
Lin Yue told Lao Xiao directly that the spatial laws he created required jade, regardless of the type; the purer the variety, the larger the space that could be created. Alternatively, the carrier could be some rare metals, which would also enable storage. If exchanging with a nation, it could be a national commitment, and it must be in writing, signed and stamped by relevant personnel.
Listening to Lin Yue's instructions, Lao Xiao nodded solemnly, fully aware of the heavy responsibility he bore.
When Officer Zhao brought a leader from a special department of the central government to see Lao Xiao again, Lao Xiao took them to the hot pot restaurant office. At the same time, Lin Yue's previous magic array only took away one spirit stone and gave it to Lao Xiao, telling him that if anyone entered the office and he didn't want anyone to know, he could simply put the jade stone back in its original place.
After Lao Zhao and the leader from the special central department sat down, they quickly noticed the problem. Lao Xiao casually placed a colorful blue stone on the nearby coffee table where water was poured. The leader immediately sensed that a protective barrier had been created. The leader asked Lao Xiao, "Did you just create a formation?" Lao Xiao replied, "This was set up for me by my friend who practices cultivation. As you know, many different eyes are watching me. I'm very careful with my words now; even my phone is being monitored by malicious individuals, not to mention WeChat. So, to facilitate our conversation, my friend left this formation for me in this room, in this location."
Then they started talking. Old Xiao told Old Zhao and this special leader from the central government: "Our local friend who practices cultivation doesn't want to contact outsiders. He tells me what he needs. You want to specially customize something that benefits the country, not for private use, but for the country. The country can customize whatever it requires, but there needs to be an exchange of equal value. To make this space, you need jade, the purer the jade, the larger the space. Also, does the person carrying the space have enough spiritual power to withstand the range of this space? You know, in the past, most people who used this space and storage bag were cultivators. If you give this space-making item to ordinary people, people who don't cultivate, people with many distracting thoughts, then it will definitely only be five cubic meters in size."
Officer Zhao asked, "Then why are Mr. Yang, Mrs. Shen, Mr. Wang, and Mrs. Li's necklaces so large? And why is yours so large, Lao Xiao?" Lao Xiao replied, "Initially, my necklace was only thirty cubic meters. The reason it grew larger was because a friend gave me some good food. After eating it, my body had the capacity to bear the weight, and my whole family's health improved significantly, allowing me to bear the weight. As for my three friends, those three couples, they activated their necklaces using their soul power and life force. Soul power and life force, what does that mean? It means that if a cultivator activates this, they only need a trace of soul power. But if an ordinary person activates this, it's not so simple; it will damage their own soul power and lifespan."
After hearing this, Lao Zhao and the leader fell into deep thought. They knew that this matter was of great importance and required careful consideration.
Initially, several top leaders in the central government thought that since ordinary people could obtain such a large space, perhaps they could also get one for themselves. However, reality proved them wrong. As Lao Xiao said, ordinary people are not cultivators, and opening such a spatial treasure is truly both soul-consuming and life-consuming.
This made the leaders realize that this was not something that could be easily achieved, and that they could not blindly pursue it simply because of power and desire. They needed to consider more carefully how to rationally utilize this magical spatial treasure to bring more benefits to the country and its people without harming the interests of ordinary people.
Some leaders even had fantasies about creating a larger space to house the nation's weapons, equip the troops with them, and crush the local population. They even claimed that the United States was nothing compared to them, and that the US could be wiped out in one fell swoop. But reality dealt them a heavy blow: this device was never designed to hold weapons or drugs.
As for whether it could be assigned to special forces, Lao Xiao received a positive answer from Lin Yue. Special forces include personnel who undergo regular training and have embarked on the path of martial arts cultivation. They possess unblocked energy channels, and due to long-term cultivation, their willpower is extremely strong, and their soul power and divine sense are also very powerful. Opening a space wouldn't be a major problem for them; it would only deplete some divine sense or soul power, not their life force. However, ordinary people, especially high-ranking leaders, are just ordinary mortals. For them to possess this space would be to consume their own life force.
This reality shattered those unrealistic fantasies and made everyone more aware that everything has its rules and limitations, and one cannot act solely based on imagination and desire.
Finally, regarding weaponry, Lin Yue clearly stated that this space can only serve as logistical support for special personnel within the military. Cold weapons are acceptable, such as bows and arrows, daggers, machetes, axes, and shovels. This response implies that equipping personnel in special departments with this space is feasible and highly useful. Because it can store medicines, special forces doctors could wear this space, which can hold various medical supplies and urgently needed medical equipment, such as stretchers, miscellaneous items, and backpacks. Special department personnel only need to carry their weapons; everything else can be stored in the space.
In reality, the ammunition and other supplies inside the weapons are quite heavy. Even if you pack sleeping bags, medicine, and food inside, the space is only enough for logistical supplies. But even so, it solves a significant problem. For combat troops, this is undoubtedly an improvement. When Lao Xiao told Lin Yue about this, Lin Yue thought to herself that it was indeed very good for troops carrying out combat missions.
After further discussion and planning, this matter is expected to provide new impetus for improving the combat effectiveness of the troops.
Finally, Lin Yue instructed Lao Xiao and other special personnel to make adjustments, disassembling all the firearms into iron blocks, which could then be placed in specific types of cardboard boxes or metal containers to fit into the space. Loose bullets could also be placed in the boxes, as could whole boxes of bullets.
Later, they discovered some loopholes in the spatial rules. For example, drugs couldn't be placed inside, but they could be put into small glass bottles with medicine labels. However, the rules of nature couldn't be all-encompassing, involving numerous categories that were difficult to cover in detail. Although there's always a way to circumvent policies, placing drugs in the space seemed feasible, but it was impossible to equip every person in every special department with such a system.
After consulting with various departments, it was clarified that the demand couldn't be that large, nor could so many be produced at once. Furthermore, those who needed the space had to complete the final ritual in front of the cultivator. Lin Yue instructed Lao Xiao to let the country choose loyal individuals to perform this task, as any betrayal by high-ranking personnel would result in enormous losses.
After a series of discussions and deliberations, the relevant plan has gradually become clear. It is only a matter of subsequent implementation and strict control to ensure that this special capability can bring real benefits to the country and the people, while minimizing the risks.
After extensive consultations among higher-level central leaders, the top 10 frontline special operations team leaders from special departments were initially selected to conduct the ceremony. Because they required significant space, and Lin Yue stated she had difficulty providing the materials—she possessed imperial emeralds, but each piece used was a precious resource, so the government had to provide the materials itself—the government then packed some top-grade jade, such as imperial emeralds, that had been confiscated from illegal operations into a large leather suitcase and gave it to these 10 individuals to take to Chengdu.
Upon arriving in Chengdu, they first sought out Lao Xiao. Lao Xiao arranged for them to stay at a typical guesthouse in the city. After settling in, Lao Xiao went to find Lin Yue to inquire about the time and location of their spatial formation ritual. Lin Yue said it would be at a hot pot restaurant.
The next day, Lao Xiao drove the ten of them, each carrying a suitcase, to his hot pot restaurant. He first had them eat in a private room next to his office. After the meal, the ten people went to Lao Xiao's office, which suddenly felt a bit crowded. Lao Xiao had them sit on the sofas and then went outside to get some plastic stools from the hot pot restaurant, so everyone could sit down and wait for Lin Yue to appear.
At this moment, the atmosphere in the room was slightly tense. Everyone was full of anticipation for the upcoming ceremony, mixed with a touch of curiosity and unease.
As Lin Yue was about to go down to Lao Xiao's shop, Old Master Huoyun Xianding stopped her. "If you keep going like this, won't people easily recognize you?" Lin Yue looked bewildered: "Then what should I do?" "Put on some makeup and wear something else. They are important personnel from special national departments, they will recognize me at a glance."
Then, the old man from the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron spat out a large wooden box from his cauldron. Inside the box were many sets of battle robes worn by former cultivators. These battle robes were seemingly light, flowing garments, but intricately inlaid with numerous formations, providing strong defensive and protective capabilities—these were immortal robes. He instructed Lin Yue to take out a set of blue and white robes, predominantly white with blue accents on the belt and chest.
When Lin Yue put it on, she looked as beautiful as a fairy descending to earth. The old man from the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron then used magic to style Lin Yue into a fairy cloud bun, just like the hairstyles of fairies in movies. Afterwards, the old man spat out a crystal-clear hairpin from the cauldron; this hairpin was also a magical artifact. The old man first had Lin Yue bind it to him with her blood, saying he would explain the artifact's function upon their return, and then had her insert the hairpin into her hair. Below the hairpin was a gourd, with three small beads hanging from its waist—it was quite beautiful.
On her feet, the old man took out a pair of white and blue combat boots and had Lin Yue put them on. It was the first time Lin Yue had dressed like this, and Gong Yong was completely mesmerized, thinking she looked absolutely beautiful. The old man then took out a veil, similar to a Xinjiang veil, which was worn over her ears to prevent it from falling off. Once the veil was on, everything except her eyes was covered. To outsiders, it would just look like Lin Yue was wearing some kind of strange costume, like Hanfu.
This was the first time Lin Yue had dressed like this. After she was properly dressed, the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron even placed several talismans on her. The old man hadn't had time to explain what the talismans were before urging Lin Yue to hurry. Finally, the Fire Cloud Immortal Cauldron reminded Lin Yue that it would be best to hold the spatial ritual in the front garden of their newly renovated house. The garden was arranged according to the Taoist Bagua diagram, and a temporary array had been set up there. Holding the ritual there would greatly enhance the soldiers' cultivation and benefit them immensely.
Lin Yue thought for a moment and decided that since she was going to help, she might as well go all the way. So, she went to the hot pot restaurant dressed like this.