I Can Control Resources

’Damn that whole "a brick for the Alliance, to be moved wherever needed" crap.’

Li Tiannan didn’t believe a single word of it. But under the circumstances, he had no choice but to put on an act, as if to say, ’I believe you completely.’

In fact, among those present, anyone who knew Gao Neng well—like Wu Qingjing and Zhang Hongying—didn’t believe a word of it either.

But Gao Neng didn’t care.

The outcome he was aiming for wasn’t for them to *want* to believe him, but for them to have *no choice* but to believe him.

"Captain Gao, please tell us about this ’evolutionary energy.’ What is it, exactly?" Chief Liu seized the opportunity to press on with the key issue.

This in itself was telling.

Of everyone present, Chief Liu was clearly the most professional when it came to conducting an inquiry.

"To put it simply, this evolutionary energy allows life forms to evolve!" Having made up his mind, Gao Neng no longer saw any reason to stall.

"And how does it make life forms evolve?" Chief Liu pressed.

"First, after I connected to the Magnetic Heap using Gao Xiaomeng as a medium for the first time, I myself underwent an evolution," Gao Neng replied.

"I see. And what was the result of this evolution?"

"Everyone has seen the results. My talents are extraordinary. I possess unbelievably immense power. You could call me a genius among geniuses—unmatched in the entire Alliance!" Gao Neng said with a shrug.

"..." Silence.

Although everyone knew it was the truth, hearing it come from his own mouth just felt... off. ’Couldn’t you be a little more humble, for crying out loud?’

"A question for Captain Gao," another one of the administrators spoke up after the silence. "Was your evolution a one-time event, or did it happen in stages?"

"That question requires a two-part explanation. First, the evolution of my body and my talents was a one-time event. However, my control over the evolutionary energy was not." Gao Neng knew that if he wanted to truly control the narrative of this "negotiation," he couldn’t just answer their questions.

He had to guide them into asking the questions he *wanted* them to ask.

Only then could he navigate this hearing like a fish in water, respond with ease, and ultimately, secure victory.

And the outcome was unfolding exactly as he had planned.

When Gao Neng mentioned controlling the evolutionary energy, everyone’s expressions changed. A fervent gleam even appeared in their eyes.

Gao Neng had obtained evolutionary energy and evolved.

Everyone was well aware of this fact.

But he was just one person. The truly tantalizing question was whether this evolutionary energy could be widespread—or if it could be used to benefit more people.

The administrators exchanged glances, and once again, Chief Liu was the one to speak.

"Captain Gao, you said your control over the evolutionary energy wasn’t a one-time event. Could you elaborate on that?" As soon as Chief Liu asked the question, everyone’s attention sharpened.

Everyone wanted to know the answer to that question.

"The medium!" Gao Neng knew the time was ripe. He needed to bring his story full circle, pulling everyone’s train of thought back to his original point.

"The medium again?" A wave of confusion washed over the room, but it was different from their earlier disbelief.

This time, their confusion was tinged with more curiosity and puzzlement than outright denial.

"That’s right. I’ve been continuously gaining control through the medium, Gao Xiaomeng!" Gao Neng nodded, tossing out the concept he had prepared long ago.

"And how, exactly, did you continuously gain control through the medium, Gao Xiaomeng?" Chief Liu asked the next logical question, just as predicted.

The others nodded as well, eagerly awaiting Gao Neng’s answer.

"An excellent question, Chief Liu. What I call ’control’ is actually ’connection.’ By connecting over and over, I enhance my ability to control the evolutionary energy!" Gao Neng smiled to himself, but his expression remained completely sincere as he answered.

"Repeated connections? But as far as I know, Captain Gao, aside from your contact with the Magnetic Heap in the Forgotten Land, you didn’t have another opportunity until you were in the Underground City. So when did these ’repeated connections’ of yours take place?" Chief Liu’s eyes narrowed.

"Chief Liu, you’re mistaken!" Gao Neng said with a wave of his hand.

"Oh? Am I?"

"Yes. On the surface, it seems I only had contact with the Magnetic Heap in the Forgotten Land before entering the Underground City. But in reality, I also visited another place—one I’m sure Chief Liu has heard of."

"The Dark Night Elf Royal City?!" Chief Liu finally understood.

"Correct. And not just the Dark Night Elf Royal City; I also went to the Celestial Race’s Royal City. The medium, Gao Xiaomeng, was with me then as well. Fang Tangtang and Shen Ning’Er can both attest to this. Besides that, you’ve all surely heard about how my power surged after I returned from the battlefield," Gao Neng stated calmly.

"..." Silence.

"That is true. According to our records, before Captain Gao entered the battlefield, his strength was only between Rank Two and Rank Three. But upon his return, he had already reached Rank Four. In the short span of a month, he then jumped from Rank Four to his current Rank Six. His progress has been astonishingly fast," the administrator from the Military Department nodded.

"So, Captain Gao, you’re saying you found a Magnetic Heap in an Alien Race Royal City? And, using Gao Xiaomeng as a medium, you once again drew evolutionary energy from the Magnetic Mountain?" Chief Liu asked tentatively.

"Yes! I found the Magnetic Heap in the catacombs beneath the Dark Night Elf Royal City. I even managed to retrieve quite a bit of Magnetic Crystal Ore from it. My master here knows this best—he even stole a few pieces from me!" Gao Neng said, looking pointedly at Li Tiannan.

"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM!" Li Tiannan immediately began coughing loudly.

Hearing this, Sword Elder shot him a contemptuous look. "No wonder you treat this disciple of yours like a prized treasure. So it’s because he has Magnetic Crystal Ore, is it?"

"What do you mean, ’because he has Magnetic Crystal Ore’? Am I, Li Tiannan, the kind of man to be swayed by a few pieces of ore?" Li Tiannan’s face flushed red.

"Who knows? What other reason could there be?" Sword Elder said with another sneer.

"For the Alliance, of course! For the future of humanity!" Li Tiannan shouted.

"Fine then. Give the boy to me. I’ll teach him personally. You know, when it comes to teaching, I have a bit more authority than you. After all, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Military Department, Qin Jianfei, is my disciple!" Sword Elder smiled. When it came to raising talents, *he* was the true expert.

Li Tiannan?

He couldn’t even compare!

"Get lost! Why the hell would I give my disciple to you? If you’re so capable, go find one yourself!" Li Tiannan wasn’t about to fall for that.

"I have! He’s right in front of my eyes. Or how about this, we can compete for him!"

"Elder Jian, you’re trying to snatch him right from under my nose, aren’t you?"

"So what if I am? You think you can beat me?"

"Oh, is that how it is? Fine, let’s have it out then..."

"Bring it on!"

"Let’s go!"

"..."

"Elder Li, Sword Elder... our hearing?" Sweat dripped from Wu Qingjing’s brow. ’How did the tone of this hearing suddenly go so far off the rails?’

"Oh, the hearing, right? Continue, continue!" Li Tiannan and Sword Elder exchanged a look, and then both immediately fell silent.

But their little spat had shifted the atmosphere in the room.

It was no longer feasible to keep pressing for evidence.

Gao Neng had already provided sufficient proof. To claim that his presence in both the Forgotten Land and an Alien Race Royal City was a mere coincidence would be more suspicious than the story itself.

Wu Qingjing and Yutian looked down at the administrators, waiting for them to continue the questioning.

But the administrators just looked at each other, at a loss for what to ask next.

"Ahem. How about this, Gao Neng," Wu Qingjing said, seeing that no one else was speaking. After a moment’s thought, he decided to ask the question that concerned him most. "To what extent have you mastered the evolutionary energy through the medium, Gao Xiaomeng?"

"What extent? That’s hard to say." Gao Neng shook his head. He had already provided plenty of information; now was the time to be a bit more reserved.

"I see..." Wu Qingjing nodded. Although he was reluctant to let it go, he also knew that, in a sense, this was now a matter of Gao Neng’s personal privacy.

After all, the extent of his control over the evolutionary energy was a direct measure of his current capabilities.

For a future powerhouse like him,

revealing too much of his power was not a good thing.

"Then, can Captain Gao explain the matter of the army of over ten thousand Cat Race soldiers behind Gao Xiaomeng?" Chief Liu’s line of thinking was different from most.

Wu Qingjing was focused on the overall development of the Alliance, while Yutian and the others were more interested in exploring the Magnetic Heap Civilization and its energy.

Only Chief Liu...

was single-mindedly focused on the case.

However, Chief Liu’s question pulled everyone’s attention back. If this matter wasn’t explained reasonably, Gao Neng’s culpability would be significant.

"Chief Liu, have you ever heard of the concept of a ’middleman’?" Gao Neng wasn’t surprised by the question. After all, he was Gao Neng, the meticulous academic prodigy.

"A middleman? Of course, I’ve heard of it... What are you getting at, Captain Gao, by suddenly bringing this up?" Chief Liu’s brow furrowed slightly, though an idea was already forming in his mind.

"Gao Xiaomeng is the medium between me and the Magnetic Heap. I trust there are no further questions about that, correct?" Gao Neng glanced around the room.

"..." No one spoke, which he took as tacit agreement.

"As a medium, Gao Xiaomeng is essentially the bridge between me and the Magnetic Heap. However, I prefer to think of her as a middleman, because that concept has one essential point: a middleman always takes a cut!" Gao Neng paused for effect.

"So, what you’re saying, Captain Gao, is that when you were evolving using the energy from the Magnetic Heap, the medium, Gao Xiaomeng, was also evolving from that same energy?" Chief Liu immediately countered.

"Correct." Gao Neng nodded.

"If you knew this was happening, why didn’t you stop it?"

"Because the benefits outweighed the drawbacks!"

"Benefits outweighed the drawbacks? I would say it’s quite the opposite. From where I’m standing, both of you were acquiring evolutionary energy, but that energy only affected you personally. Gao Xiaomeng, on the other hand, used it to evolve an entire army!" Chief Liu shook his head, stating his disagreement.

"And what makes you so sure, Chief Liu, that my evolutionary energy *only* works on me?" Gao Neng retorted, looking straight at him.