Chapter 347 - 240: The Summit’s Final Result (2)
Lin Qi followed the crowd back to the Circular Hall.
Along the way, quite a few researchers were still discussing their respective designs.
"How many types did you use? I only used twenty. I’m not very confident—less than a ten percent chance—but what if it succeeds!"
"I was a bit braver than you. I used twenty-five!"
"And your chances?"
"Basically zero!"
"Impressive! But like I said, there are no consequences for failure. And what if it actually works!"
The researchers from the smaller companies didn’t feel much pressure, especially those who had already confirmed their collaboration with United Pharmaceutical.
The real pressure fell upon the four major, established pharmaceutical corporations.
Their words grated on the ears of the larger corporations’ representatives.
’What if it works?’
’What if?’
’Then we’d be finished!’
Shortly after returning to the Circular Hall, Lin Qi saw the two representatives from Kudou Human Body Engineering Company speaking with each other.
"What’s the academic portion of the summit about?"
"Preparation of non-standard materials? What rank do you think you’ll get?"
"Probably top three? That’s good news, then..."
Kudou Gen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this.
If that was the case, Kudou Human Body Engineering Company still had a chance to secure a final ranking in the top five.
Even if it was only fifth place, he would at least have a chance to save his own skin when he got back to the company.
...
"How did it go?"
Liu Xuan looked at Lin Qi with concern.
Lin Qi nodded. He didn’t say much, only, "Let’s wait for the final rankings to be tallied."
This wasn’t the place to talk. Integrating 299 materials was just too shocking.
It was an Ability that simply shouldn’t belong to an A-Class Researcher.
Fortunately, the scores of the top three would be hidden, so Lin Qi didn’t have to worry about being exposed.
Lin Qi looked at Liu Xuan and asked, "How did things go on your end?"
Liu Xuan seemed to be waiting for Lin Qi to ask. A smile instantly spread across her face.
This was the first time Lin Qi had seen Liu Xuan smile so happily since arriving in Alliance City.
"United Pharmaceutical has locked in first place for one of the main categories."
For Liu Xuan, this was a pleasant surprise.
In terms of pure skill, Liu Xuan couldn’t have beaten Jin Shanghe. That cunning old man’s abilities were truly top-tier.
But plans rarely survive contact with reality, and Liu Xuan had too many allies in the simulation.
Coupled with the summit’s emphasis on "fairness," her allies had played a crucial role in the early and middle stages.
They had been instrumental, whether in helping Liu Xuan or obstructing Jin Shanghe and Kudou Gen.
Without those hundred-plus allies, Liu Xuan most likely would not have been able to defeat Jin Shanghe.
As the representatives from the various companies were conversing, a sound came from the lifting platform in the center of the Circular Hall. The entire room instantly fell silent.
All eyes focused on Qiao Xi.
A moment later, the platform landed smoothly, forming the central dais of the Circular Hall.
Qiao Xi began her announcement. "We will now release the final scores and rankings for the strategic layout portion. The academic scores still require approximately one hour for verification. The summit committee will be assisted in their evaluation by an S-Class Researcher from the Eastern Alliance’s Nanyun Potion."
As Qiao Xi spoke, a new chart was displayed for everyone to see.
[1st Place, United Pharmaceutical, Score Hidden]
[2nd Place, General Biological, Score Hidden]
[3rd Place, Dawn Pharmacy, Score Hidden]
[4th Place, Moore Potion, 73.9 Points]
[5th Place, Rotor Pharmaceutical, 61.1 Points]
...
[63rd Place, Kudou Human Body Engineering Company, 31.8 Points]
...
The moment the scores were revealed, a huge commotion erupted.
Many people could hardly believe the rankings.
’Who the hell is Rotor Pharmaceutical? How did they end up in fifth place?’
Those who had been eliminated early had no idea what had happened in the later stages.
Kudou Gen’s face was horribly dark, and the academic representative beside him shot him a look of utter disbelief.
If Kudou Gen’s blood ties to the company’s chairman weren’t closer than his own, he would have screamed right then and there. ’You damn fool! Are you trying to ruin Kudou Human Body Engineering Company?!’
’No wonder Kudou Gen was so obsessed with the academic scores,’ he thought. ’He completely blew it himself!’
Over at the Rotor Pharmaceutical delegation, Xiao Gu was staring at his chairman in a daze.
’When did he get so badass?’
’He just took down a major corporation to break into the top five?’
’How did he manage that?’
"Did you... use a cheat?" Xiao Gu asked.
"Keep it down, keep it down..."
The chairman of Rotor Pharmaceutical was beaming, flushed with excitement. This was, without a doubt, the proudest moment of his life.
...
Lin Qi was quite surprised by the rankings as well. He glanced over at the Rotor Pharmaceutical delegation before turning to Liu Xuan. "This wasn’t your doing too, was it?"
Lin Qi knew Liu Xuan wanted to get even with Kudou Human Body Engineering Company on his behalf, but he hadn’t expected her to make such a drastic move.
Liu Xuan was frank. "It wasn’t just me. I only helped push Kudou Human Body Engineering Company toward an early elimination. The decision to prop up a new company to further suppress them came from the representative from General Biological. I just went along with it."
Lin Qi nodded after she finished.
’I see.’ That was certainly a move you’d expect from the leader of a major corporation.
Even at a time like this, they were still thinking about crushing their rivals.
If Kudou Human Body Engineering Company’s overall ranking fell out of the top five, they were in for some very difficult times ahead.
Their decline was only a matter of time.
As for when the whole edifice would finally come crashing down, that would depend on the machinations of the other major corporations.
And Lin Qi didn’t think it would take very long.
The Circular Hall was buzzing with activity as everyone whispered amongst themselves.
At some point, the dais had silently ascended back to the 400th floor.
As a permanent council member, Qiao Xi couldn’t be expected to wait with everyone else. She would only reappear once the final results were ready.
The fact that she had shown her face to announce the proceedings was already a sign of great respect.
Lin Qi and Liu Xuan chatted casually as they waited for the time to pass.
...
About half an hour later, Lin Qi suddenly saw a message from Capitalist pop up in the Highest-Level Mercenary Corps’ temporary chat.
Capitalist: "@Wizard, that Pharmaceutical Researcher from United Pharmaceutical has caused quite a stir. He’s one of yours, isn’t he? I can help you contain the news, limit it to just me and the people from the Eastern Alliance."
Seeing this message, Lin Qi knew the final scores for the academic portion were in.
’My A-Class Potion design must have received a perfect score of 145.5 points.’
Lin Qi had originally planned on asking Capitalist for help, so he was surprised she had taken the initiative to contact him first.
This was consistent with her usual way of doing things.
She was willing to grant favors, but she always made sure the recipient acknowledged the debt. Otherwise, collecting on it later would be a hassle.
Lin Qi immediately responded in the temporary chat.
Wizard: "I’ll owe you another one."
He hadn’t directly answered her question, but his reply was a tacit admission.
’That doesn’t count as deceiving a teammate!’
After all, Lin Qi had never claimed he *wasn’t* Wizard!
Capitalist sent another message.
Capitalist: "Based on United Pharmaceutical’s current score, they don’t even need my help. No matter what tricks the permanent council members backing the other four big companies pull, they can’t change the final comprehensive score. United Pharmaceutical’s lead is just too big."
She was being generous, telling him the truth and only asking for a single favor in return.
Her help was no longer needed to influence the comprehensive score’s Weight.
First place in three categories and a top-five finish in another.
In one of those first-place victories, they had beaten second place by more than a hundred points.
Unless those permanent council members were prepared to be utterly shameless, there was no way they could prevent United Pharmaceutical from taking first place in the overall score.
At the end of the day, this was a "fair" summit.
The scores were the most fundamental rule; no one could tamper with them. That was the bottom line of this game.
As for adjusting the Weight?
There was only room for that kind of maneuvering when the scores were close. It required the relevant permanent council members to engage in a quid pro quo to influence the final outcome.
But when the absolute difference in scores was this large, not even the permanent council members could subvert this "fair" rule.
In the clashes between great corporations, abiding by the rules—and exploiting them—was the core strategy.