Top-floor conference room, Yuanxing City Government Building.
Nearly twenty people sat along the long table. Some wore military uniforms, some wore business suits, and a few were dressed in the standard attire of the Punisher Academy.
However, there were only three core figures.
At the head of the table sat Mayor Liang Hai. To his left was Cao Tianlin, Deputy Commander of the A74 Army Group of the Yuanxing City Garrison. To his right was Zhang Xian, the Principal of the Punisher Academy.
Aside from Liu Zhixing, the Director of the Ability Bureau who was currently on a mission, almost the entire core of power in Yuanxing City was present.
Liang Hai and Cao Tianlin were both in their forties or fifties, while Zhang Xian’s hair was already white, clearly a generation older than them.
“Old Cao, can you stop hoarding that tea of yours and only drinking it yourself?” Zhang Xian held his teacup, looking at the tea inside with clear disdain.
“Look at this. What the hell do you call this? Tree leaf dust? Even the free tea in my academy’s cafeteria is better than this.”
Cao Tianlin rolled his eyes.
“What do you know, you old scholar? This is military-grade energy replenishment drink. It clears the mind.”
“Give it a rest. Your crappy leaf dust isn't even as good as the stuff at the breakfast shop in front of my house.” Liang Hai leisurely pulled a purple clay teapot from under the table and poured himself a cup.
“Old Liang, that’s just dirty.” Cao Tianlin immediately craned his neck. “We’re in a meeting, and you’re pulling special treatment?”
“I’m the mayor. What’s wrong with a little special treatment?”
“Screw you.”
The three of them bickered back and forth. The staff members nearby all kept their heads down, focused intently on their own business, clearly long accustomed to the way these big shots interacted.
The three had been friends for decades, having served together on the border frontlines years ago. When Cao Tianlin was still a small company commander, Liang Hai was his political instructor, and Zhang Xian was the accompanying Punisher consultant.
Later, the three went their separate ways—one into politics, one staying in the military, and one becoming a teacher—only to end up together again in Yuanxing City.
After arguing for a few minutes, Liang Hai finally set down his teacup and cleared his throat.
“Alright, alright. Let’s get down to business.”
He tossed a document into the center of the table.
“Luo Yang. A first-year student in Class 5 of the Middle Division at the Yuanxing City Punisher Academy, and an externally hired expert for the Yuanxing City Ability Bureau.”
“In two days, he slew two Shadow rank Heterosequences. The first was the Ying Xiu that had been on the run here for a long time. He used four first-tier weapons to pin it down and live-harvested the core.”
“The second was the one at the Flowing Light club last night; he killed it before we could even give it a codename. Again, he live-harvested the core using twenty-seven cuts. The core integrity was ninety-eight percent.”
“Damn!”
Cao Tianlin couldn't help but let out a startled shout.
“Good grief. This kid’s skill at butchering Heterosequences is cleaner than the veterans under my command.”
“It’s more than just those two times.” Zhang Xian adjusted his reading glasses and pulled a thick folder from his cloth bag.
“I have his complete file here. Over the past two years, Luo Yang has participated in fifty-seven missions as an external expert for the Ability Bureau. Among them were seven Shadow rank Heterosequence subjugation missions, all successful. There were twenty-three Rift clearing missions, ranging from Level 1 to Level 4, also all successful.”
He flipped the folder open, revealing dense records of detailed data for every one of Luo Yang’s missions.
“The most absurd part is this.”
Zhang Xian pointed to one of the pages.
“Three months ago, an Underworld rank Heterosequence appeared in the northern suburbs of Yuanxing City. At the time, the reinforcements sent by the provincial bureau were still on the way. Luo Yang held it off alone for forty minutes.”
“Although he couldn't kill it, he successfully restricted its movements, preventing large-scale casualties. In that battle, he trashed eight third-tier weapons, twenty-one second-tier weapons, countless first-tier weapons, and a whole mess of miscellaneous projectiles.”
Cao Tianlin’s eyebrows shot up.
“Underworld rank? That thing is at least equivalent to the Path Illumination rank. He was only at Core Consolidation level nine... wait, was he even at level nine three months ago? And he held out for forty minutes like that?”
“How is jumping ranks so simple for him?”
“That’s why I say this guy is a monster.” Zhang Xian took off his reading glasses and wiped them. “The academy tried to measure his ability level back then, but he ended up blowing up the Ability Measurement Stone four times. If we had kept going, he would have single-handedly bankrupted the academy’s equipment budget.”
Liang Hai took a sip from his purple clay teapot and said leisurely, “That’s why I said, for a young man like this, we can appropriately increase the load on him. Old Zhang, I have a proposal. Why don’t we change his re-examination task?”
“Re-examination? A freak like him actually needs a re-examination? What do you want to change it to?” Cao Tianlin asked.
“That Level 3 Special Rift you reported yesterday. Let him assist your troops in clearing it.”
Cao Tianlin froze for a moment, then grinned.
“Old Liang, you’re really trying to push him to the limit. A Level 3 Special Rift is at least fifty percent more dangerous than a normal Level 3. There are at least five level-three mutant beasts inside, and possibly even one level-four.”
“What, are you afraid he’ll die in there?” Liang Hai glanced at him.
“Afraid? My ass.” Cao Tianlin leaned back in his chair. “The kid’s record is right here. He could hold off an Underworld rank Heterosequence for forty minutes; what’s a Level 3 Special Rift to him?”
“I’m just worried about my soldiers. If he treats the mutant beasts in there like those Heterosequences and carves them all up alive, my boys won't even get a sip of the soup.”
Zhang Xian choked on his tea.
“Old Cao, isn't your focus a bit skewed?”
“I’m telling the truth.” Cao Tianlin looked dead serious. “The kid’s core-harvesting technique is too clean. Ninety-eight percent integrity! The best hunter under my command, in their most perfect operation, only got a Shadow rank core with about eighty-five percent integrity. If he goes into the Rift and hacks all the mutant beasts to pieces, how are my soldiers supposed to train?”
Liang Hai couldn't help but burst out laughing.
“So you’re not worried about him getting hurt, you’re worried he’ll steal all the work from your boys?”
“Duh. If someone who can withstand an Underworld rank Heterosequence for forty minutes bites the dust in a Level 3 Rift, I’ll eat this teapot.” Cao Tianlin pointed to the purple clay teapot in front of Liang Hai.
“I brought this from home. I wouldn't let you eat it even if I wanted to.” Liang Hai pulled the teapot closer to himself.
Zhang Xian ignored their bickering and mused, “I can agree to Old Liang’s idea, but I have one extra condition.”
“Speak.”
“He just happened to form a team with the girl from the Qiu family. I intend to have Qiu Shubai go with him.”
Cao Tianlin was stunned.
“The Qiu family... Qiu Shubai? You mean that gray-haired girl who came to our Yuanxing City from the Metropolis? She’s only at Core Consolidation level five, right? Isn't sending her to a Level 3 Special Rift just suicide?”
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly shut his mouth.
Because he saw the expression on Zhang Xian’s face.
It was the standard smile the old fox wore when he was planning to scheme against someone.
“Wait.” Cao Tianlin narrowed his eyes. “You’re sending a level-five girl on a mission with that monster... Old Zhang, what are you plotting?”
“No plot.” Zhang Xian picked up his teacup and unhurriedly blew on it. “Qiu Shubai is Luo Yang’s re-examination examiner. According to the rules, she needs to provide full supervision. It’s a matter of procedure.”
“You’re full of it.” This time, even Liang Hai couldn't listen anymore. “Since when did the academy have that rule? I didn't know about it. Also, since when have you, Zhang Xian, ever cared about procedure?”
“I have always followed procedure.”
“Bullshit. Last month you rented out the academy’s training grounds to a film crew to make some extra cash. What kind of procedure was that?”
“That was rational utilization of idle resources.” Zhang Xian’s expression remained unchanged.
Cao Tianlin leaned back, staring thoughtfully at Zhang Xian for a long while before suddenly laughing.
“You old geezer, you’re trying to play matchmaker, aren't you?”
Zhang Xian didn't speak, merely lowering his head to drink his tea.
The conference room was silent for two seconds, and then Liang Hai and Cao Tianlin both broke into meaningful smiles.
“I thought so.” Liang Hai leaned back and crossed his legs. “Since when did you, Zhang Xian, care so much about your students' love lives?”
“Heh, I care about the future of the academy.” Zhang Xian kept a straight face. “You don't know Luo Yang’s background, but I know a thing or two. Due to a promise between me and an old classmate of mine who is currently wandering off who-knows-where, I can't tell you everything. But I can tell you two things.”
“First, the person who can suppress that turbulent Qiu family from the Metropolis is none other than Luo Yang.”
“Of course, it would be best if the two of them could hit it off. That leads to the second thing. Because I have a premonition that the person who can help the Qiu girl escape that curse will also be that brat Luo Yang.”
“Give me a break.” Cao Tianlin scoffed. “You just want to watch the drama.”
“Say what you will.”
The three bickered for a few more rounds before Liang Hai finally made the decision.
“It’s settled then. Old Cao, your people will be responsible for the perimeter lockdown and fire support. Have your elite squad take Luo Yang and Qiu Shubai into the core area. Tell your people to bring more recorders; I want every bit of Luo Yang’s combat process filmed. I want to see exactly how strong this kid is.”
Cao Tianlin grinned.
“Don't worry, I’ll arrange it personally. I’ll make sure every single one of his movements is captured clearly.”
Zhang Xian stood up and put the folder back into his cloth bag.
“Then I’ll head back to the academy. I’ll go notify those two brats.”
“Wait.” Liang Hai stopped him. “Are you sure the girl is willing to go? A Level 3 Special Rift is indeed dangerous for her.”
Zhang Xian reached the door and looked back at the two of them.
“Why do you think I chose her?”
He adjusted his reading glasses. The lenses reflected the sunlight from the window, making it impossible to see the expression in his eyes.
“That girl has a stubborn streak in her bones that’s exactly like her father’s.”
The door closed, leaving only Liang Hai and Cao Tianlin in the conference room.
Cao Tianlin was silent for a while before suddenly speaking.
“Old Liang, could Old Zhang mean that he sees something of that person from back then in that girl...?”
“Shh.” Liang Hai interrupted him, picking up the purple clay teapot and slowly pouring a cup of tea.
As the tea hit the cup, the rising steam blurred his expression.
“Some things are better left unsaid.”
Cao Tianlin opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He simply picked up his cup of “leaf dust” and drained it in one gulp.
Rate on N.U.
