In the morning, Lidi woke up late because he hadn’t slept well the night before.
He rushed into the company on time using his fast legs, stepping through the gate just as the clock hit meeting time.
With no time to waste, he headed straight into the conference room.
He had no choice but to rely on his remaining willpower to stay awake.
“Based on yesterday’s production report, at current efficiency we can still meet the deadline before the end of this week…” Lidi bit his tongue to stay conscious.
He didn’t even have time for coffee today because he was almost late, so he used the pain to keep himself alert through the meeting.
But the voices in the meeting sounded like a lullaby.
He could only stare at the projection screen with his eyes open while forcing his brain to stay active.
“Yesterday’s video doesn’t look like CGI… so what exactly is the government doing?” Out of paranoia, he had brought the USB with him to work again.
He planned to dump the hot potato onto someone else and let others deal with it.
That was the best solution for someone like him—someone who hated trouble.
But deep down, he also felt a sense of contradiction.
Wasn’t this just self-deception?
Maybe if he threw it away, he’d end up arrested by government agents anyway and “cleaned up” physically.
And what made it even more ironic—he had once thought his life would completely change after this incident, yet here he was, still sitting in boring meetings like nothing happened.
“So the Sudadi virus outbreak in the smaller nations… was actually deployed by our own government.” Lidi considered himself slightly more intelligent than average.
Based on what he saw in the USB yesterday, he had already pieced together a rough conclusion.
The government was conducting beastman experiments, and the Sudadi virus itself was likely part of that—a biological weapon.
Combined with news reports and recent events, it seemed the government was either testing these small countries or actively deploying it.
In other words, he had accidentally been dragged into a massive incident.
Maybe he had already been on the government’s radar for a long time, while he was still here living his normal work life… While Lidi was lost in thought, the executives in the meeting room were already arguing intensely.
“Another urgent order?!” A deep, booming voice exploded across the room.
It came from the production manager—a massive elephant beastman.
He slammed the report onto the table so hard even his ears flared in anger.
“The production lines are already at full capacity!
We’ve been running overtime all weekend and backlog is already weeks behind!
If we insert another order, it’s not the machines that’ll stop—it’s the people collapsing first!” Across the table, the planning department frowned.
“There’s no choice.
The top-tier client demanded urgency.
All other orders must be pushed back.” “Top-tier client?” the production manager sneered.
“What kind of ‘top-tier’ can override the entire schedule with a single sentence?” The sales manager snapped back immediately.
“You think we want this?
It’s a direct urgent request!
Who’s going to pay the penalty for breach?” The room quickly escalated into chaos—production, sales, and planning departments clashing head-on.
The already tense atmosphere ignited instantly.
Chair scraping, papers flipping, suppressed complaints overlapping into noise.
“What’s going on… why did it suddenly blow up?” Lidi, who had been zoning out, finally snapped back to reality and looked toward the chaotic meeting table.
Then— BANG!
A sharp sound cut through the room as Wency slammed his hand on the table, shaking the water glasses.
“Everyone shut up.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried undeniable pressure.
The room cooled instantly.
“Baitao,” he said, locking eyes on the sales manager, “explain clearly.
Who is the client?” The beastman named Baitao calmed himself and spoke: “It’s the Government Alliance.
They require 7,000 sets of shared audio modules and 4,000 quantum navigation systems within one week.” Silence dropped instantly.
Several managers subconsciously inhaled sharply.
“Government Alliance?” someone repeated under their breath.
The weight in the air changed immediately.
Without hesitation, Wency turned to the production manager.
“Mozad.
If we pause all other orders and dedicate every line to these two products, can we finish in one week?” The production manager quickly calculated with planning staff in a low voice.
After a few seconds, he answered seriously: “Double shift, full load is possible.
But that means completely abandoning all existing clients.
We’ll burn long-term relationships…” “Do it,” Wency cut him off.
“No discussion.
Sales will handle client relations.
Keep as many as possible, but priority is Government Alliance.” No negotiation.
Decision made.
The meeting immediately shifted into execution mode—capacity reshuffling, material prioritization, shift restructuring, logistics coordination.
The room filled again with typing and note-taking.
But Lidi had stopped listening.
One word stayed stuck in his mind.
Government Alliance.
“That urgent… are we going to war?” The Government Union was a supranational organization formed by 149 countries, responsible for resource coordination, regional stability, treaties, and cross-border operations.
As long as it functioned, the world wouldn’t truly fall into chaos.
Their company had received Government Alliance orders before, but nothing like this—sudden, forceful, cutting in line and compressing deadlines.
Lidi pretended to type notes while actually searching recent global news.
A bad thought formed in his mind.
“So… is another world conflict about to start?” He remembered what he saw in the USB and the strange actions of his own government.
Coincidence?
After the meeting ended, everyone returned to their tasks.
Lidi stayed behind, repeatedly checking systems on various machines to ensure production stability.
When he entered this focused state, time always passed quickly.
Before he realized it, it was already 9 PM.
Office lights had gone out, while factory production lines still burned brightly—machines running without rest.
Lidi sat under a dim desk light, reviewing data on his laptop.
Only after confirming stability did he shut it down and end his exhausting day.
Outside, the commercial district was still lively.
The beast crowd flowed like a tide, neon lights flashing across the night.
His stomach growled.
Only to realize that he hadn’t eaten dinner.
He originally planned to go home and eat instant noodles, but he felt hungrier than usual, so he decided to find food nearby.
A few streets away, he arrived at an open-air food center and ordered a meal, sitting quietly while waiting.
He watched the surrounding crowd—noise, shouting, young beastmen smoking and drinking, families sitting together having simple dinners.
Only Lidi sat alone in a corner.
A strange loneliness crept in.
“I should find time for matchmaking…” He muttered to himself, imagining a distant, unclear future.
Soon, his food arrived: bak kut teh, a dish made with pork ribs, vegetables, and herbal broth.
He especially liked the fatty meat—unhealthy, but taste good.
A few bites warmed his body, slightly easing his hunger.
Then his nose caught a familiar scent.
And his ears picked up a familiar chant.
[Reject blood meat, respect life!][Stop slaughter, choose pure vegetarian!] “Damn it… again?” Under dim streetlights, a small group approached—Grass Union again.
This time only around a dozen beastmen.
It didn’t seem like it would escalate into a large-scale brawl…
he prayed silently.
Still, chaos was chaos.
Within minutes, they started fighting with stall owners again.
Lidi awkwardly held half a rib in mid-air.
And then he saw it.
That chicken beastman… again.
The same one from yesterday.
The one who interrupted his food before.
The one who wanted to fight him.
“…” “Have you… eaten?” Lidi asked flatly.
No humor.
No reaction.
The chicken beastman flipped the table instantly, spilling food everywhere.
Lidi stared at his ruined meal.
That was it.
Even mud has a temper.
He slammed the remaining half-eaten rice bowl straight into the chicken beastman’s head.
The chicken staggered but wasn’t seriously hurt.
He shook off the rice, then rushed forward in rage, ready to continue yesterday’s unfinished fight.
In an instant, the entire food center descended into chaos.