How Am I Still Alive?-Chapter 1350 - 1336 Chips and Revenge

In a way, Big Cat had set Lu Ping’an up.

But she also (reluctantly) committed herself to Lu Ping’an.

This was her last chance, even though the timing was still not quite right, she had run out of patience to wait any longer.

She had brought Lu Ping’an onto the track, welcoming a future of unknown destruction or brilliance...

"...This is a crisis, perhaps also an opportunity; at least for now, it is my bargaining chip."

The news of the visit on that day, it seemed, had not spread widely, but the fact that two big shots had visited and then fled in a panic was visible to many.

Following that, the news of "her return" began to spread in a small circle, already known in some upper circles.

Lu Ping’an knew about it immediately, yet he didn’t deny it.

After all, Lu Ping’an was someone adept at leveraging the resources at hand, good or bad, as bargaining chips...

"...We understand the situation of your church; the current elevated battlefield indeed requires more resources, but to be honest, our situation is not optimistic,"

Deputy Director Zhang from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs skillfully wasted each other’s time using diplomatic jargon.

But what he said was indeed the harsh truth; Lu Ping’an’s party had inquired about the local conditions, and Mercury 42 was among those faring relatively well, as many large worlds were experiencing intense Plane Wars.

And most importantly, many of the world’s Plane Wars were under direct disputes of the Eastern Country’s forces, meaning that the resources and land conquered would be state-owned... so even if they really had sufficient troops, why should they invest in Mercury 42, and work for the Proper God Church.

"Personally speaking, whether this agreement passes or not isn’t much of an issue for me..."

Lu Ping’an was brought in this time because the negotiation had been stalling for too long.

After listening to two hours of meaningless verbosity, he sighed and spoke up for himself.

"...I’ve only joined Lin Nu’s Church a few months ago, while I have been a special agent in the Bureau of Anomaly Management for two years; to be precise, this was my first job in this world, and by the way, I still haven’t resigned, just expanded my jurisdiction..."

On the surface, I stand and behave as an official person, even though it might not be for your particular officialdom, but my stance can’t be too biased towards Lin Nu’s Church.

"...that world’s changes over ten years, the impact is really huge, you might still be hesitating whether it’s worth the investment...

Lu Ping’an sat there, with eighth-tier strongmen, Eastern Country power representatives, members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ core at the table, but by now, his words had enough credibility... at least until disproved by another eight or nine tier, no one would consider him a mere Quasi-God.

A Quasi-God or similar existence, capable of annihilating a nation or twisting rules with a single word, his words carried enough weight.

"...there is one thing you might have overlooked; I know you actually aren’t interested in the specialty of that world..."

From the standpoint of the Eastern Country officials, they naturally desired more benefits... but did they really care about one more resource-rich planet? Perhaps a year ago, but who knows how many large worlds they already possessed now, just an additional number, one more fixed-output planet, what could it change?

They cared, but not so much; what did they really want? At least, Lu Ping’an knew what the public officials wanted right now.

"...but this world is too special, ten years for you is increasing the risk of variables? No, this is a rehearsal, it’s an achievement that could make headlines..."

Lu Ping’an’s words, though the opponents seemed to be listening attentively, someone’s lips curled in disdain.

An additional planet making headlines? That is underestimating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or even the Eastern Country.

"...Ha, don’t believe it? Look at this eighth-tier figure, the One-Eyed Marshal from the Salvation Army, her name is Lulu, it’s my surname, it’s the Eastern Country’s surname, and currently, if the residents of Mercury 42 had surnames, most likely they would be common names like Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li..."

An additional planet’s profits won’t sway experienced officials, but Lu Ping’an knew what could.

"...on that planet, the best-selling book is called ’Mentor Theory’, a book of miscellaneous knowledge, I’ve brought it over, you can see, eighty percent... no, all of it is filled with our Eastern Country’s philosophical thoughts..." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Lu Ping’an thought it through, the "ten years" was the reason for the hesitation from the other side, but from another perspective, it also represented a unique advantage of Mercury 42.....Lu Ping’an hadn’t lied, that world had already been thoroughly soaked in the culture of the Eastern Country.

".....The language of the Eastern Country is the main language spoken locally. This isn’t something we forcibly imposed, but rather the native language these newborns come into contact with through education, work, and study. In terms of assimilating into the Eastern Country, most of them even think in the language of the Eastern Country, which allows them to understand our culture better than foreigners..."

Ten resource-rich planets probably couldn’t sway the Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently facing him, for it was part of their everyday work, achievements that happened on a daily basis.

Whether there were one more or one less, nothing could impact them.

But what about a planet that had adopted Eastern Culture, producing a large number of "pseudo-Easterners"? After ten years of cultivation, this wasn’t merely "cultural export" as described by the propaganda department, but true "cultural assimilation".

Most members of the Long Hand Clan had long lost their own culture, script, and language; the new generation had inevitably become thoroughly Easternized.

Perhaps the same was happening on other planets, but Mercury 42’s "ten years" explicitly provided a vision of the future and the answer, likely a unique case.

This was unexpected, a surprise, but also a delight, a performance indicator, the kind of sample that officials could report up the chain with joy.

In an instant, the other side became spirited, their previous lethargy and delay completely vanished.

Lu Ping’an knew public servants well; no matter how much or how well one did within one’s duties, it was expected. However, one "model," one "surprise," one "breakthrough," could become the brightest star in the year-end summary.

And this was a surprise that came right to their door...

"Is this true? Is this book really a bestseller on that planet?"

"Your Excellency Marshal, could you talk about your resume? You really are skilled in the culture of the Eastern Country....."

The other party suddenly became enthusiastic, leaving our negotiators somewhat at a loss.....and a bit annoyed and angry.

We had already given so much, mentioned so many benefits and resources, even made some substantial concessions, yet all of that seemed less significant compared to the achievements of this "cultural export"?

Lu Ping’an shrugged his shoulders and said no more, it seemed that no matter which world, some things were exactly the same.

The zeal in the negotiations reignited, and when both parties had something they needed, progress naturally accelerated significantly.

But at this moment, a carefully prepared question was thrown in front of Lu Ping’an.

"Your Excellency, I wonder how the Balance Disaster Beast is doing now? There’s some rumor that she and you have some connection....."

These matters, as the official stance, had to be confirmed.

Lu Ping’an was ready...

"I am a Contractor, I don’t.... cough, cough, Chris..... Kerdalais is dead for good, I personally killed her."

For the first time, Lu Ping’an openly acknowledged the act of slaying a god, eliciting exclamations and shocks from the other side.

By this point, the conversation seemed sufficient; the officials actually only wanted Lu Ping’an to clarify a position, as they already had numerous speculations and understandings about Big Cat’s situation.

But at this moment, Lu Ping’an felt like getting back at someone, so he casually continued.

"....Our relationship is very complex, extremely complex. But I can reveal this, in half a month, a ’daughter’ inheriting genes from both of us, should be born....."

Instantly, everyone was stunned.

The next day, the headlines were set within the industry.

The third day, most Quasi-Gods in Wanjing knew that not only had the Disaster Beast messed up, but she had also birthed a daughter to someone centuries younger than her.....

"Lu Ping’an!!" In the courtyard, a certain cat’s scream hadn’t stopped for a long time.