145: Chapter 145 Miscellaneous Matters

Stepping out of the meeting room, the light in the hallway was much brighter than inside.

Qin Ce took a deep breath, temporarily putting the calculating gazes and the undercurrents of the conversation in the meeting room behind him.

There was no use thinking about those things now.

The signature had been signed, the path had been chosen; what came next was taking every step ahead well.

Jiang Ruowei walked half a step ahead of him, her pace light, her military boots making crisp clicking sounds against the terrazzo floor.

She didn't look back, but her voice carried over clearly: "Don't just stand there. Since we have time today, let's get the other benefits sorted out. If we drag it until tomorrow, it'll mean another trip."

Qin Ce nodded and followed her.

...

First stop: the Urban Construction Bureau.

The handover procedures for the Heaven-tier Villa were much simpler than Qin Ce had imagined.

There were no tedious forms, no lengthy reviews, and no one even asked him what kind of house he wanted.

The official in charge of reception simply verified his identity information, then took a key and a gold-embossed property deed from a drawer and handed them over with both hands.

"Comrade Qin Ce, Heaven-tier Villa No. 9. Please keep these safe."

Qin Ce took the key and flipped open the property deed.

The address column read: Inner City, Heaven-tier District, No. 9.

He glanced at the map—the location of Villa No. 9 was right next door to the City Lord's Villa.

Qin Ce's fingers paused slightly.

Next door.

Jiang Tianzong lived in Heaven-tier No. 1, and he would live in Heaven-tier No. 9.

Though there were several numbers between them, in reality, they were neighbors, less than a three-minute walk away.

He subconsciously glanced at Jiang Ruowei.

Jiang Ruowei's expression was as usual, as if this matter had nothing to do with her.

But Qin Ce noticed that the corner of her mouth twitched up slightly—it was very faint and very quick; if he hadn't happened to turn his head, he wouldn't have caught it at all.

This girl... she doesn't think this is some kind of surprise, does she?

How naive.

Qin Ce said nothing and put away the property deed.

This was fine too.

At least the safety of his mother and little sister was guaranteed.

The City Lord's goal was him as a person.

Therefore, the City Lord would instead block other 'ghosts and monsters' for his family.

It could be considered stabilizing Qin Ce's home front.

As for the City Lord, it was impossible for him to do anything to his family; the City Lord's stature wouldn't stoop that low.

Qin Ce suppressed these stray thoughts and followed Jiang Ruowei to the next stop.

...

The Social Security Bureau.

Ten top-tier social security benefit slots, covering all fields such as medical care, elderly care, education, and security.

Qin Ce filled in the names of his mother Su Wan and his sister Qin Jian on the form.

The other eight slots he left blank.

"I don't need them for now," he told the staff member.

The staff member nodded without asking more.

Jiang Ruowei, however, glanced at him, seeming like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she only gave a soft hmph.

Qin Ce didn't use a slot for himself because he held a Third-class Peerage.

According to the rules, a peerage holder automatically enjoys treatment at the same level as the social security slots; there was no need to register twice.

This saved quite a bit of trouble.

The final stop.

The Administration Building.

Qin Ce handled two things here.

The first was returning his school squad badge.

That squad badge had accompanied him for over half a year, from the Elite Class to the beast tide, from the points leaderboard to the military merit leaderboard, witnessing his entire journey from a freshman to a city hero.

He rubbed the patterns on the badge's surface before handing it to the staff member behind the window.

The staff member took the squad badge, operated the system for a moment, and then handed him a new token.

The Wuji Army Commander Token.

The token was pitch black; the front was engraved with the words 'Wuji,' and the back had a string of complex serial numbers.

It felt heavy in his hand, made of a material that was neither metal nor wood. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, but pressing hard gave a solid, firm feedback.

"The permissions of the Commander Token are divided into two parts," the staff member explained. "The management permissions are currently sealed and will need to be unlocked gradually after you officially take office. However, the intelligence and inquiry permissions have already been opened according to the level of a Wuji Army Commander."

Qin Ce examined the token and tried injecting his mental energy into it.

The next second, a massive amount of information flooded his mind—military reports, government decrees, the dynamics of surrounding cities, the Federation's latest policies, and even some classified intelligence he had never encountered before.

The richness of the content far exceeded anything he had seen on his squad badge before.

"This permission must be worth quite a lot, right?" Qin Ce asked casually.

The staff member smiled and didn't answer.

Jiang Ruowei interjected from the side: "Intelligence permissions of this level cannot be bought on the market even with money. Consider it one of the invisible benefits of your position."

Qin Ce nodded and put the token away.

He didn't need this intelligence now, but that didn't mean he wouldn't need it later.

Especially regarding that ruin about to appear in the North—if he could find some clues in the intelligence, that would be excellent.

...

By the time all the procedures were finished, it was already three in the afternoon.

Qin Ce stood at the entrance of the Administration Building, pulling out his communicator to contact Mike, intending to have him arrange a car to the base to pick up his family.

Before he could dial, a military-green truck pulled up steadily in front of him.

Qin Ce looked up at the cab.

Jiang Ruowei was sitting in the passenger seat, her elbow resting on the edge of the window, gesturing to him with her chin: "Get in."

Qin Ce was stunned for a moment: "This is..."

"Aren't you going back to Yuntai Town to pick up your family?" Jiang Ruowei's tone was matter-of-fact. "This truck can bring back all your furniture as well. Don't dawdle; we have to get back before dark."

Qin Ce looked at her, opened his mouth to say something, but eventually just nodded and opened the car door to get in.

He hadn't expected Jiang Ruowei to go back with him to help with the move.

...

The military truck drove out of Fengling City, through the Outer City, and onto the highway leading to Yuntai Town.

Qin Ce sat behind the passenger seat, watching the scenery retreat rapidly outside the window.

Jiang Ruowei sat in the front, occasionally saying a few words to the driver; her voice was very soft, and Qin Ce couldn't hear clearly.

Three hours later, the military truck drove into the military base near Yuntai Town.

Even before the truck had come to a complete stop, Qin Ce saw his mother and little sister already waiting at the base entrance.

Su Wan wore a faded floral shirt, her hair tied back with a black rubber band, her face filled with anxiety and anticipation.

Qin Jian stood beside her, standing on her tiptoes to look down the road, still clutching her teddy bear in her arms.

The military truck stopped.

The door opened, and the first thing to appear was a pair of black women's military boots.

Then came long, slender legs, a deep blue military uniform, a belt cinched at the waist, and a face as cool and clear as jade.

Jiang Ruowei stood before the car door, the sunlight outlining her with a golden edge.

She scanned the surroundings, her gaze finally landing on Su Wan and Qin Jian, and she gave a slight nod.

Su Wan was stunned, and Qin Jian was stunned as well.

It wasn't Qin Ce?

...