Chapter 32: A Planned Espionage (2)
Vincent’s smile was razor-sharp. The bait had worked perfectly. "And what did your handlers plan to do with this information?"
"Present it to the board. Prove that Cornelius Holdings was gaining an advantage in logistics efficiency. They mentioned something about... about justifying closer ties with other major corporations to counter the threat."
Vincent’s eyes narrowed. So Meridian was already thinking in terms of alliances. The original Vincent would have seen this as a direct threat to be crushed, he reflected. But I can see the opportunity—if they’re forming alliances, they’re also creating vulnerabilities. Every alliance has fracture points.
After interrogating two more he moved to the next room, where one of the refined stage operatives waited—a woman in her forties with the kind of calm composure that came from genuine spiritual development.
"Sarah Sharma," Vincent said, reading from the file Olivia had prepared. "Ten years with Annapurna Guild, specializing in architectural cultivation patterns. What brings someone of your caliber to break into a competitor’s facility?"
Sarah’s eyes met his steadily, her refined stage cultivation providing resistance to his spiritual pressure. "I assume you know why I’m here, Chairman Cornelius."
"I know you believe my company has developed something that threatens your corporation’s position," Vincent replied, settling into the chair across from her. "What I want to know is why Annapurna Guild is so concerned about logistics efficiency that they’d risk sending a refined stage operative."
"Because," Sarah said carefully, "logistics is the foundation of everything else. You control the flow of goods, materials, and people between sectors. If you’ve truly developed a breakthrough in Qi stabilization..."
"You’re afraid it will destabilize the current power structure," Vincent finished. "Tell me about the tensions between Annapurna and Meridian."
Sarah’s spiritual defenses stiffened. "I don’t know what you mean."
Vincent studied her for a moment, then pulled out his phone and scrolled through what appeared to be a message thread. His expression grew cold as he read.
"Curious," he murmured, turning the screen toward Sarah. "I just received confirmation from our security team. They’ve been monitoring communications traffic during the infiltration. It seems someone on the inside was feeding real-time updates to external parties."