Chapter 158 - Poaching Geniuses

The high-level officials of Tianhai City were very envious of Lin Yao’s light talent.

It was understandable, as they had just suffered at the freak’s hands.

In other cities, the freaks might be strong, but they were not so strong that they were unstoppable. Therefore, although the new generation of people in power was aware of the benefits of having powerhouses, they were not in a hurry to recruit them.

The older generation of powerhouses and cities like Tianhai City, which had been ravaged by evil spirits, were different. They had seen the power of the freaks and felt the fear of being slaughtered by evil spirits, as well as the despair of being helpless in the face of evil spirits killing human beings.

A deputy mayor also came. There had been a freak attack two months ago near his house. He had personally experienced the attack and watched helplessly as humans and his relatives had died in despair. He was angry, raging, and desperate. However, his martial artist physique could not restrain the evil spirits, so he had only watched as humans and family members of his had died in front of him. The grief and sorrow were so deeply etched that even now, he still felt heartbroken when he thought about it.

‘It would be great if we also had light geniuses here!’

His relatives had died, and most of the neighbors were dead or injured. The deputy mayor was aware of the importance of having powerhouses in the city. With them around, more people would be able to survive.

The other high-level officials, who had never been attacked by freaks, were also envious of Lin Yao’s talent. One of the reasons was that they had studied the images and footage taken when freaks had attacked humans and could tell that the threat of the freaks was closing in on them. They knew there would be benefits to having powerhouses with them.

The other reason was that although the provincial patrollers had beaten the freaks who had launched these attacks, the high-level officials had been punished by the central government for the lapses in their governance. During the period that Tianhai City was being attacked by the freaks, there was an overall reorganization of the entire management of the city. Right now, regardless of whether these high-level officials were smart enough to try means and ways to keep their jobs, they feared the freaks, or they felt for the people, all of them envied Ninghai City for having such a genius.

This feeling of envy quickly changed, and some bad ideas formed in their minds.

Of course, the target was Ninghai City, not Lin Yao.

No one would be foolish enough to deal with Lin Yao. Although Ninghai City and Tianhai City were separated by a fair distance and it was difficult to go back and forth due to the freaks in the wild (tickets for armored vehicles were very expensive), they were all part of China, so they had to follow the government’s orders and help each other.

Take the last freak outbreak for example. It had resulted in a major disaster in Tianhai City, and the province had sent a gold patroller to support them, not waiting until the last minute when they could no longer resist the attacks. The patroller was very powerful and had defeated the freaks.

However, if he had not defeated the freaks and other patrollers had not arrived in time, the powerhouses in the cities nearby would have been ordered by the central government to help.

Therefore, Tianhai City would never think of dealing with Lin Yao. Only a fool would do that. In China, different cities were like brothers that helped each other out.

It might be good to have powerful brothers, but it would still be better if they were strong themselves. Therefore, one could easily guess what kind of bad ideas the high-level officials of Tianhai City had on their minds.

“Can we poach Student Lin Yao and bring him to our city?”

As soon as someone made this comment, the high-level officials of the city were no longer envious. Instead, there was a flash of shrewdness in their eyes.

Someone coughed nearby.

“Ahem, what is this talk about poaching? No law in China prohibits the interaction and movement of personnel. In fact, the country encourages us to interact. Besides, this is not considered poaching geniuses but exchanging geniuses.”

“The mayor is right. This is a genius exchange. If Lin Yao likes Tianhai City and wants to settle down here, we can’t help it, isn’t that right?”

“Well… I don’t think Ninghai City will agree to it.”

“That doesn’t mean that they can stop Lin Yao from transferring his household registration.”

“Let’s think of a plan to try our best to make Student Lin Yao stay here.”

“As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. We must collect information on Lin Yao.”

…

To Lin Yao, this evolution seemed to last for a long time. Wrapped in a light cocoon, he felt like he had returned to his mother’s womb. His entire body was being reshaped, and this reshaping process lasted for four hours and was still ongoing.

While Lin Yao was sleeping and being transformed by the Celestial Tree, the think tank in Tianhai City quickly analyzed the door-knocking freak. China’s think tank was indeed very strong, and they discovered a lot of information in a very short time. Although the living dead transformed by the door-knocking freak could survive, they could only stay in their room and do nothing but sleep.

Soon, the police used the surveillance cameras of the Skynet to search for humans who had been hiding indoors for a long time and conducted targeted investigations on them. At the same time, the situation there was reported to the province.

While the middle and lower management were busy, some of the high-level officials also gathered to collect information on Lin Yao through various channels.

The high-level officials might be experienced and seasoned, but they were shocked after collecting and reading through the information on Lin Yao’s talent.

Upon seeing that Lin Yao was surrounded by a light cocoon, they’d initially thought that Lin Yao was simply a light genius.

However, as they received more information on him, they realized they had underestimated him.

“Hey, he has advanced from an ordinary person to an advanced martial artist in little more than a month, he has light and thunder abilities, and he is undertaking Project Thunder God every day, with each session lasting more than half an hour. Is he really human?”

“He is such a terrifying genius. He must be a diamond genius. In fact, he is the top genius among diamond geniuses.”

“Fortunately, he awakened not too long ago. It has only been one month, and he has yet to fully unleash his potential. Otherwise, we would have had no chance of poaching him.”

The cities were only capable of poaching gold geniuses. People who were top geniuses among diamond geniuses would not be attracted by the very few resources offered by the cities. Even if they did not go to super cities like Shanghai, Beijing, or Chonqing, they would still be a provincial official at the local level.

Of course, this applied to diamond geniuses who had fully developed, and Lin Yao still had a long road ahead of him to reach that level.

However, although he did not meet the standard, he already had the momentum to take off.

Lin Yao’s diamond talent had not yet been recognized by the country. The high-level officials in Tianhai City made use of their personal connections to obtain Lin Yao’s talent data, as well as the evaluation and analysis of his personality.

This was considered a piece of important information. After all, this was an orderly country. In addition to strength, the country also placed importance on one’s character.

China would never grant a large number of resources to violent madmen, people who believed in anti-humanity, or people who felt that powerhouses were superior to others.

People who were not as powerful would not need to go through so many tests. The more talented one was, the more detailed the inspection would be. This could not be helped. The more powerful one was, the greater the damage they could cause.

Therefore, a personality check was indispensable. This also used to be done in Lin Yao’s previous life and had been commonly known as political investigation.

Nothing would happen to people who passed the political investigation in this world. They would get a large number of resources and protection. If they failed, the country would not stifle their development but would guide and educate them first. If changes were made in the process, they would get the same resources as the others. If they failed, the resources would be reduced, and the areas where those people were would also be closely monitored.

If they bullied their companions and did not treat ordinary people as their equals or killed others, they would be arrested.

If they did not cause any trouble but did not change their personality and mindset and kept believing that martial artists must have special privileges, China would not give up on them as long as they did not turn their words into actions. After all, they were considered an important combat power.

However, they would not be allowed to stay in the main territory of China. They were, after all, hidden threats. Therefore, these people would be transferred to the chaotic land around China or to the mystic realms.

Over there, they could claim dukedom and be kings of vassals. This was the most that China could tolerate.

It was also due to this kind of policy of transferring hidden threats to various places that the main territory of China could be peaceful, and more kind-hearted geniuses could grow in this peaceful environment.

Based on this policy, the central government attached great importance to the character of super-geniuses, and the local high-level officials would also pay attention to them, as they were afraid that their investment would not be fruitful.

The high-level officials were reading Lin Yao’s character analysis. Of course, it was not accurate to say that they were reading it. In fact, it was the various psychologists who were carrying out the modeling and analysis of Lin Yao’s character.

After looking through the information, the psychologists had a good understanding of Lin Yao. They communicated with each other several times, and a young man stood up and spoke to a group of high-level officials.

“Ninghai City has a very complete collection of information on Lin Yao, and there are many analyses as well, but there are three main characteristics that we can zoom in on.

“One of them is arrogance. Classmate Lin Yao is very proud. After awakening his talent, he separated himself from ordinary people.”

When that was said, many people present frowned.

Arrogance was nothing when everyone was equal. At most, it could only be regarded as a personality defect. However, in this world, where one was powerful enough to wipe out an entire corps, being arrogant could easily develop into imperialism and centralization of power. Even if that was not the case, that person would also consider themselves a privileged or powerful aristocrat. This was very troublesome, and it was also the most flawed personality trait of a talented person.

In this regard, China would not stifle their growth. Most of the time, they would guide and educate them or exile them. Both outcomes would not be good for Tianhai City.

As the leaders of Tianhai City were thinking hard about this, the young psychologist felt that something was wrong and quickly added, “His personality might be arrogant, but Lin Yao’s arrogance is different. He considers himself the savior and thinks that he will eventually become the savior and will be the strongest person who will save the world. For this reason, he took the initiative to enter a mysterious land when he was at a low level. He even took the initiative to participate in patrols. After detecting the freak today, he was the first to stop it without any hesitation.”

“Well…”

Following the explanation provided by the young psychologist, the high-level officials of Tianhai City, whose images were projected at the venue, looked speechless. They had never imagined that Lin Yao would be arrogant in this aspect.

Although there might be a problem with such a personality, China would not give him a negative evaluation.

While many people were speechless, a slightly younger middle-aged man among the high-level officials said in a dazed tone, “Middle School 2nd-Year Syndrome!”

“What is that?”

“An immature state of mind. See for yourselves.”

After reading the description of the Middle School 2nd-Year Syndrome, everyone thought it was very appropriate to use it to describe Lin Yao.

“Let’s talk about his second personality trait. Middle School 2nd-Year Syndrome is nothing, but it needs to be guided and reported to the province.”

“We don’t need to do that. Ninghai City must have reported it.”

The city and state officials within the same state were all connected.

Under normal circumstances, Tianhai City, which was at the same level, could not get any information from Ninghai City. They made use of the connections within the state and would naturally give a copy of the information they obtained to the state.

When the higher-ups were done with their discussion, they resumed Lin Yao’s analysis. “In addition to arrogance, Lin Yao’s second characteristic is kindness and responsibility. He used to volunteer in an orphanage when he had yet to awaken. Even afterward, he went there every day, come rain or shine, and participated in patrols. During this time, he borrowed money and spent a vast sum of it to help renovate orphanages and schools. Of course, according to our analysis, Lin Yao did this to serve his own purpose. Doing good deeds must be beneficial to him, and this may be connected to this advancement.

“Although he has a motive for doing good deeds, we judge people by what they do, not their purpose. Otherwise, there would be no perfect man. Student Lin Yao has been doing good deeds, and it is very likely that he will continue to do so afterward. This will make him a good person. At the same time, the environment can also change a person, and doing good deeds for a long time will also make people feel good. However, we need to pay attention to this. People will only continue to do good deeds if they feel happy about it. If he is slandered, accused, or the public opinion is manipulated so that the public who doesn’t know the inside story insults him, this will have a negative impact on Lin Yao’s mindset.”

One’s mindset and moral values were not static. Some people had been kind from a young age but would become shameless when they grew older, while some people came to their senses in the latter part of their lives. Among the various conditions that affected one’s mindset and personality, the environment was definitely the most important one. A good environment made people do good, and a bad environment turned good people into evildoers.

“Needless to say, if one slanders others, one will be punished by the law.”

In this world, China was considered a good environment. Their discussions would also save Lin Yao some trouble. Although he did not care if people knew that he was rewarded for doing good deeds, no one would like people to insult them. It was better to avoid it.

Seeing that the high-level officials had made a decision, the young psychologist revealed Lin Yao’s last characteristic. “His third characteristic is lust. He likes beautiful women and has taken a fancy to many girls. He is ready to strike a deal with beautiful girls by using power and money.”

“Is he inclined to force others?”

This was very important. If he did not force anyone, he was merely a playboy. It was simply a trade between money and sex. It was not a big deal if both parties were willing. Otherwise, it would be a crime.

“Not for the time being, and Lin Yao has a sense of responsibility and kindness. After deciding to use money and power to trade with others, he distanced himself from Yan Yan, who was close to him. I suppose his future targets will be materialistic girls.”

“Mr. Xiao, thank you for your analysis.”

…

After ending their consultations with other people, the high-level officials of Tianhai City quickly gathered and glanced at each other.

In the end, the leader spoke up.

“Do voice your opinions.”

“There is nothing to say. We must put Lin Yao in an important position. According to the three analyses, Lin Yao has a sense of responsibility and kindness. He is just lecherous. No, this is actually an instinct of teenagers, so it’s not even considered a character flaw.”

“Being lecherous is indeed a problem. The point is that he didn’t hide it.”

“This is really bad. If he can’t handle his familial relationships, he can’t serve as an important military general or state official, but he can still serve as a patroller, dojo master, mystic realm guardian, or commander of the night guardsmen.”

“The key now is not whether we can recruit him but how. Can we retain a diamond genius?”

When that was said, everyone was silent. This diamond genius was powerful, and such a powerful existence indeed would not stay in Tianhai City. Their city was still too small for a diamond genius.

While everyone was silent, this remark did not seem to bother the new high-level official from Tianhai City.

“We don’t have to make him stay. All we need to do is befriend him. Regardless of whether he becomes a patroller or a dojo master, having a powerhouse as a friend can make our life a lot easier.”

“Indeed. If he becomes a patroller, he will return to our province. Then, he will make a few more trips to our city based on our relationship with him. He could help us clear away some dangers in advance. If we encounter danger in the future, we can also ask him for help.”

“It will be good if he is a dojo master as well. He can build a bigger branch here.”

Everyone agreed with the plan to befriend the powerhouse, and they would indeed benefit from it.

When the freak disaster had broken out last time in Tianhai City, the reason the patroller had arrived so quickly was because the deputy mayor knew that person.

Although more than half a million people had died in the end, the loss was already considered small given that the mysterious land and reality had merged. If the patroller had come any later, more than half a million people would have died.

The reason the deputy mayor had not been dismissed or transferred away like others was also this incident.

After the analysis, everyone was aware of the benefits of having a close relationship with this powerhouse. Winning Lin Yao over would be inevitable. The only question was how they could do so.

There was no need for another analysis. People who had managed to climb up the social ladder and had been poached by others naturally knew the basic secret of poaching geniuses—money, treasures, and women.

They looked at each other and knew what was on one another’s minds. Of course, they were government officials after all, and they could not do these things blatantly.

After a few short discussions, the city’s high-level officials went offline, and then the telephones in several wealthy areas of Tianhai City began to ring.

“Yes, I understand. I will be able to pool 100 million yuan of working capital tomorrow, but my daughter is still young…”

“Wan Chengfu, this is not so your daughter will serve others. This is your opportunity. An opportunity for you to become more successful. If it weren’t for your sister, I wouldn’t have shared this with you.”

“Director, the funds are ready. I will go there now.”

“It’s not a gift, it’s an investment.”

“Don’t consider this an illegal affair.”

“General, this seems to be inappropriate.”

“Of course it is inappropriate. However, you are a businessman. Is there a problem with investing in a genius and his future development?”

…

The government officials needed to maintain their integrity. Bribery was illegal, but it was different for businessmen. They were seeking profit on a regular basis. Therefore, the high-level officials worked hand in glove with the businessmen.

Several businessmen in Tianhai City were awakened from their sleep at midnight that day and left for the police station in a bid to get closer to Lin Yao.

Then, they ran into Qin Ya, who was guarding Lin Yao in the house.

Qin Ya was a businesswoman as well. She might seem gentle, but there was a cold sharp edge in her eyes as she looked at the smiling businessmen and the beautiful girls around them.

‘You thinking of poaching my genius? Come on, I dare you!’