Chapter 204: The Mysterious Clan
"When was the last time your Light Brains were inspected?" Yael Lowell asked the others in his department.
"Last week. They were all sent in together."
Everyone else remembered too and started nodding. "That’s right, it was last week."
Lily Hart sensed something was wrong. "Why do they need to be inspected?"
Yael Lowell answered, "The signal towers are often damaged by mutated animals and plants, so they basically have to be sent for inspection once a month..."
As he said this, they exchanged a look. Lily Hart hesitated. "Could it be that during the last inspection, someone tampered with the Light Brains?"
"But why would they do that?" Yael Lowell wondered.
’Was it just to make sure Lily Hart’s "Online Supermarket" app couldn’t operate in Central Command?’
’But this is obviously a good thing for the survivors. Who on earth is trying to sabotage it?’
In an instant, countless names flashed through Yael Lowell’s mind, but who had that much power?
"Who knows what kind of games you people at Central Command are playing," Lily Hart said with a shrug.
Yael Lowell immediately protested, "What do you mean, ’games’? I don’t know anything about this!"
Lily Hart just stared at him. Yael Lowell started to feel guilty. At the end of the day, it was the deeply entrenched factions within Central Command that were causing trouble.
"I’ll go back and investigate this right now," Yael Lowell promised.
Lily Hart gave a noncommittal nod, then turned, picked a cucumber, and held it out. "Here. For you."
Yael Lowell took it, flattered and stunned. "Re-really?" he stammered. "This is for me?"
"Mhm," Lily Hart replied indifferently. She could certainly afford to give away one cucumber.
The other subordinates from the logistics department stared intently at Yael Lowell, the demand practically written on their faces: "Everyone who sees it gets a share!"
Yael Lowell instinctively tried to hide it, but then he gritted his teeth, broke the cucumber in half, and kept the longer piece for himself.
He shoved the shorter half at the person next to him. "Here, here. You guys split this."
Yael Lowell couldn’t bring himself to eat his piece. He carefully took out a clean bag, placed the cucumber inside, and sealed it shut.
"One bite a day," he muttered. "This could last me a week."
Lily Hart was speechless.
She turned to leave. Yael Lowell and Stan Sterling hurried to catch up. After exchanging glances, the group of employees followed as well.
Back in the RV, Yael Lowell didn’t stay long. He took his people and returned to Central Command.
He was determined to get to the bottom of this.
The first thing he did upon returning to Central Command was to find Logan Holland. He got straight to the point: "Open your Light Brain."
Logan Holland, being on good terms with him, instinctively opened it and saw the link Yael Lowell had sent.
He was puzzled. "The Online Supermarket? I have the app. You don’t need to send it to me."
Yael Lowell rolled his eyes. "I know you have it," he said sternly. "Just open it."
"It’s open," Logan Holland did as he was told.
Yael Lowell plopped down beside him and craned his neck to see. "What the hell? You can actually use it? Didn’t you get your Light Brain inspected last week?"
Logan Holland thought for a moment before answering slowly, "Last week? I went to see Lily Hart, so I missed the inspection. I was planning on sending it in next time. Why?"
Yael Lowell said nothing, simply opening his own Light Brain and tapping the link from Lily Hart.
The screen was completely blank, a stark contrast to the page displayed on Logan Holland’s Light Brain next to him.
They looked at each other. Neither of them was an idiot; in an instant, several possibilities flashed through their minds.
Yael Lowell powered down his Light Brain. Seeing this, Logan Holland powered down his own as well.
Only then did they both breathe a sigh of relief. "What’s going on?" Logan Holland asked.
Yael Lowell recounted what had happened in the vegetable fields, concluding, "Now everyone in Central Command knows Boss Hart has arrived."
Logan Holland grew worried too. He had always wanted Lily Hart to come to Central Command and benefit the people here.
But he didn’t have the power to protect her. That said, he wasn’t actually worried about her safety.
He had seen with his own eyes that no one could stir up trouble near her lottery shop without her permission.
"I’m worried The Mysterious Clan has a hand in this," Yael Lowell said, lowering his voice.
Logan Holland immediately held his breath. He shot Yael Lowell a wary look, then carefully glanced around.
This was his own home, so it was relatively safe. He glared at Yael Lowell and hissed, "Are you crazy?! You can’t just say things like that!"
Yael Lowell clapped a hand over his mouth, looking a little sheepish. "Fine, I won’t say it. But it was definitely them! You believe me, right?"
"Of course I believe it. How many things have they ruined?" Logan Holland said resentfully, curling his lip.
Yael Lowell asked, "Then why do you think they did it?"
"What other reason could there be? It cuts into their profits," Logan Holland said confidently. "The Shaw Family supplies water to the major bases, the Rivers Family supplies food, and they control ninety percent of the Crystal Cores in Cathaya."
"Lily Hart is a wrench in their works. The number of Crystal Cores ending up in their hands will only decrease. If you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you do something to stop it?"
Yael Lowell nodded without hesitation, then immediately shook his head. He started to speak, but trailed off. "But..."
"Forget ’but’," Logan Holland said, his spirits sinking. "There’s nothing we can do about this."
"But..." Yael Lowell wanted to argue, but then he thought about it more deeply. The power of The Mysterious Clan wasn’t something he and Logan Holland could ever hope to challenge.
Even the top brass at Central Command were nothing in front of The Mysterious Clan.
They both sighed. "So that’s it?" Yael Lowell asked, unwilling to accept it. "We do nothing?"
Logan Holland didn’t answer. He silently powered on Yael Lowell’s Light Brain. "Try opening it again now."
"Hey, it actually works!" Yael Lowell said, surprised and delighted. "Was it that simple? A reboot?"
"They probably didn’t do anything too fancy," Logan Holland theorized. "Just installed a virus that automatically blocks unfamiliar programs. But the Light Brain runs its own antivirus scan every time it powers down, so it’s a simple fix. How long has it been since you last shut yours down, anyway?"
"I haven’t turned it off since I got this new Light Brain. Who has the time to just—" Yael Lowell trailed off as he understood.
’That’s exactly the mentality they were counting on.’
"I don’t care anymore!" Yael Lowell said excitedly. "I’m going to tell everyone right now!"
Logan Holland grabbed his hand. "Wait. Don’t be impulsive. You’ll get caught."
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yael Lowell fumed. The feeling of having something this great right in front of him but being unable to use it was agonizing.
While they were having their heated discussion, Lily Hart was getting ready to call it a day.
They had arrived at Central Command late to begin with, and after all the commotion, it was now past midnight.
Nothing was more important than food and sleep. She first checked the surveillance feed on her Light Brain.
The area in front of the factory was still a chaotic hub of activity, with everyone clamoring to buy boxed meals. Seth was getting overwhelmed.
He had told them countless times to come back tomorrow, but the crowd just wouldn’t listen.
Left with no choice, Seth slammed the door shut and retreated, almost as if fleeing, into the already dark convenience store.
The bustling crowd in front of the factory gradually quieted down. People found corners, unrolled their bedding, and went to sleep right there.
Meanwhile, the bath center and the Dawn Hotel had long since closed for the night.
Seeing this, Lily Hart closed up the RV for the night and went upstairs to sleep, her mind at ease.
Little did she know, her arrival at Central Command had ignited a silent war.