"Seventh Master, I’ve had people watching the Defense Agency, but we haven’t seen the businessman you mentioned in the last two days." Luo Zhengnan, who had been investigating Dick Chen’s whereabouts outside the Defense Agency, had come up empty.
"Old Qi, I’ve asked our insiders at the Defense Agency—more than one—and none of them know anyone named Dick Chen," Ma Wu, who had been investigating from inside the Defense Agency, reported, also finding nothing.
Light Bulb also sent a message: "Dumpling is investigating you. She’s put in a lot of effort and plans to go to Hai Chi Ridge tomorrow to check out your ancestral home. Chief Envoy Liao is very impressed with Dumpling’s attitude; he even made a special trip to our office to praise her."
Light Bulb had worked hard, managing to gather some information on Liao Zihui, but there wasn’t a single clue about Dick Chen.
Li Banfeng looked at Ma Wu and asked, "What’s the background of this guy? Why is he so hard to find?"
Looking through Lu Xiaolan’s profile, Dick Chen shook his head repeatedly. "Indeed, suitable candidates are hard to come by," he said. "I don’t think this person is quite right."
Da Boyins explained, "I’m quite familiar with her; her mother also maintained a long-term cooperative relationship with me."
Dick Chen smiled. "I’ve told you before: familiar people and reliable people are two different things. It’s precisely because you’re too familiar with her that you’ve developed an unwarranted trust in her. Take a closer look at Lu Xiaolan’s past. Whether it was her struggle for Red Lotus, her vengeance against Ma Wu, or her dealings between Iron Sheep Mountain and the Jiang Xiang Gang, I can only describe her actions as utterly useless. She’s missed too many opportunities without achieving anything. One or two failures might be chalked up to bad luck, but frequent failures point to a problem with capability."
"At least she became the leader of Iron Sheep Mountain," Da Boyins tried to defend Lu Xiaolan.
Dick Chen dismissed even this achievement. "I’ve looked into this matter before. It involved too many coincidences, and I see signs of manipulation. The brothers Ling Miaowen and Ling Miaoying likely played a significant role. Da Boyins, you’re intelligent. You couldn’t have missed these signs. You seem to have a particular fondness for Lu Xiaolan, which makes you overlook many problems."
Da Boyins shook his head. "I have no particular feelings for her. I just believe that people with perseverance and determination are talents worth cherishing."
Dick Chen sighed. "Always remember, talent isn’t meant to be cherished; it’s meant to be utilized. Perseverance and determination can easily turn into obstinacy and extremism. These people might exhaust all their resources to achieve a relatively unimportant goal."
Da Boyins didn’t deny this; Lu Xiaolan indeed had this flaw. "It seems all talented people possess some form of obsession," he conceded.
Dick Chen nodded. "True. But we can’t let their obsessions derail our plans. We need to learn how to use their obsessions to achieve our own goals. What kind of talent is easiest to exploit? Those who are frustrated, and especially those who are desperate—they are the easiest to manipulate. Just as someone starving enough won’t be picky about food, someone desperate enough won’t remain stubborn."
"Where do we find such talent?" Da Boyins asked.
"I’ve arranged to meet one today. Let’s go and see," Dick Chen replied.
Dick Chen led Da Boyins to a factory that had been abandoned for many years. In front of its doors, Dick Chen suddenly asked, "Do you know why this place is called Soda Kiln?"
"Because the soda is delicious," Da Boyins replied, giving the answer most people in Puluo State considered correct, as Soda Kiln’s soda was indeed quite famous.
Dick Chen looked disappointed. "Da Boyins, I’ve told you before: although the culture of Puluo State is filled with decay and dross, there are some things you must learn. The name Soda Kiln doesn’t come from its beverages. ’Steam’ and ’water’—the elements forming its very name—are the soul of the Steam Engine. This place was one of Puluo State’s earliest industrial centers. Had you paid even slight attention to local conversations, you’d know of Soda Kiln’s former glory, an era many still vividly remember."
In a corner of the factory building, Dick Chen found a maintenance worker modifying the reheat loop of a Steam Engine. If successful, his modification could increase the engine’s overall efficiency by two percentage points.
"Mr. Shi Gongxing," Dick Chen greeted him first, "still as diligent as ever, I see."
Covered in grease, Shi Gongxing emerged from under the machine. He looked at Dick Chen and said, "What are you here for this time?"
Dick Chen smiled. "Surely you know why I’m here. There’s no need for me to spell it out."
"Go away. There’s nothing to discuss," Shi Gongxing retorted, disappearing under the boiler again.
Dick Chen said, "Mr. Shi, if there truly were no room for discussion, you would have killed me long ago. My repeated visits to pester you risk arousing unnecessary suspicion and could expose the secrets here."
"Perhaps I should kill you," Shi Gongxing’s voice came from under the boiler, followed by a hook-shaped wrench flying out, aimed straight at Dick Chen’s head.
Dick Chen dodged the wrench and chuckled. "If you truly wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t resort to such a half-hearted method."
From under the boiler, Shi Gongxing watched Dick Chen and asked, "Are you genuinely seeking death, or were you just born with a talent for running your mouth?"
Lying on the ground, Dick Chen responded, "Mr. Shi, no matter how brilliant a machine you build, it will only languish in obscurity here in Soda Kiln. The people of Soda Kiln have long forgotten its past glory. The once-great industrial town is now just fodder for idle chatter at soda stands—a little story to amuse customers when there’s nothing else to discuss."