148: Chapter 148 [Gu Changming: Are you there?]

The core area of the Xinhuo Stronghold.

A building about ten meters high stood at the center, and inside the top-floor room sat a large round table.

At this moment, about a dozen people were seated around the round table, men and women alike, with expressions ranging from serious to casual.

Without exception, these people were all C-rank ability users. Even if their strength hadn't fully reached C-rank, they were only a tiny bit away in a certain attribute.

They were the current managers of various sectors in the Xinhuo Stronghold, or rather: the "Bosses."

The current Xinhuo Stronghold was massive in scale and had a large population.

But precisely because of this, no single individual or organization could truly and completely control the entire situation.

Nowadays, the Xinhuo Stronghold was more like a collection of territories ruled by various factions, each with its own rules and managers.

Of course, considering the threats from other external Stronghold factions, although there was friction between them, they mostly chose to cooperate and help each other.

For instance, now that the seventh Assessment was descending, they had gathered here to discuss countermeasures.

However, the meeting had not yet officially begun.

There was an empty seat at one side of the round table that remained unoccupied.

After waiting for a while, a man as thin as a monkey grew a bit restless and gestured with his chin toward the empty seat.

“Hey, why don't we just start?” he spoke up with some impatience.

Hearing this, the others shifted their gazes discreetly toward the head seat.

Sitting there was a steady-looking middle-aged man with a full beard, Fang Shouzheng.

He was the strongest among them, controlling the area with the best location and largest size in the Stronghold; the venue for this meeting was also his territory.

Fang Shouzheng looked up, his gaze sweeping over the empty seat, and then said in a level tone, “Wait a bit longer, they haven't arrived yet.”

The Skinny Monkey Man's lips twitched as if he wanted to say something else.

But recalling the strength of the person who hadn't arrived yet and the organized combat force they controlled, he thought better of it and swallowed his words.

The room fell silent once more.

After about a few minutes, clear footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door.

Seeing this, everyone sat up slightly straighter and looked toward the entrance.

The door was pushed open, and Su Wan appeared at the doorway.

Before she even stepped in, an apologetic smile graced her face as she nodded to the room.

“Sorry, I was delayed by some matters and arrived late.”

Fang Shouzheng smiled at her, reached out, and used his ability to pull out the empty chair, signaling for her to sit anywhere.

“It's fine, you're only a few minutes late.”

Su Wan nodded politely and walked in.

Lin Jianqiu followed behind her and entered as well.

As she sat down in the empty chair, Lin Jianqiu naturally stood behind and to the side of her chair back.

Inside the room, when the other sector managers saw an extra person participating in the meeting, their gazes couldn't help but linger on Lin Jianqiu for a few extra seconds.

This was a meeting for their various sector managers; on what grounds did an "assistant" get to join in?

Although they all thought this, in the end, not a single person spoke up.

Su Wan bringing her own person in like this was clearly a display of her attitude and confidence.

Once Su Wan was settled, Fang Shouzheng leaned forward slightly, interlacing his fingers on the tabletop, and his entire aura began to grow heavy and composed.

“Everyone is here.” His gaze swept across the crowd. “The meeting begins. I've already sent you messages regarding what we're discussing. It's the Assessment right in front of us. Everyone, speak up—how shall we respond?”

As soon as Fang Shouzheng finished speaking, the atmosphere around the round table immediately became active.

“I must take the initiative to control the situation,” a capable-looking woman spoke up. “Otherwise, if we passively wait for the curse to spread, everyone will be in peril, and the order within the entire Stronghold will fall into chaos.”

“I agree,” the Skinny Monkey Man from before said. “We can't let it keep spreading until it hits us. I don't want to be some kind of scapegoat.”

“But ultimately, someone still has to bear that curse. Which of your subordinates are you going to force to go to their deaths?”

Everyone chimed in one after another, their voices gradually rising as they each explained their ideas.

The discussion continued for a while, and the initial agitation and disagreements slowly settled.

Then, a vague consensus began to emerge.

“Pass the curse to those ungovernable fellows in the Stronghold, is that it?” Fang Shouzheng raised an eyebrow and glanced at everyone.

“Why not?” A middle-aged man who hadn't spoken much and had somewhat sinister eyes spoke slowly. “There have always been some bad apples in the Stronghold, causing trouble and disrupting order all day long.”

“It's rare for everyone to gather so completely this time; we can join forces. Why not just clean them up together and transfer the curse onto them? It kills two birds with one stone.”

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Soon, someone spoke up in agreement: “That works. It solves the curse by preventing it from spreading randomly in the Stronghold, and we can clean up the trash in the Stronghold while we're at it.”

After that person finished, everyone exchanged looks, entering into a tacit understanding.

Besides clearing out some troublemaking thugs, they could also use this opportunity to eliminate dissidents within their own sectors. Why wouldn't they?

Fang Shouzheng looked around, and after seeing everyone's reaction, he finally spoke slowly: “It sounds like everyone leans toward this direction? Are there any dissenting opinions?”

No one voiced an objection.

Clearing out trouble and preserving more "useful" people was indeed a wise choice.

Fang Shouzheng nodded, essentially setting the tone for the discussion just now:

“Good, then we'll prepare according to this direction first. When you all head back, remember to convey the message properly. Have your subordinates cooperate with the operation; don't start any internal strife at a time like this.”

“Understood.”

“No problem.”

The crowd responded one after another.

Seeing that some were already preparing to get up and leave, Fang Shouzheng reached out and lightly tapped the tabletop with his knuckles.

Everyone's attention was drawn back once more.

“There's one more thing I'd like to mention, taking advantage of today's opportunity.” Fang Shouzheng looked at everyone and said slowly, “Should we consider establishing a more formal 'Council'? Meeting regularly to discuss the development of the Stronghold.”

“We could also make quick decisions in emergencies. It's better than this, where we have to scramble to get everyone together only when the fire is singeing our eyebrows.”

After Fang Shouzheng finished, he looked at them quietly.

He had also sent people to inquire about news from other Strongholds.

Over at Kindling, their numbers might not be large, but they weren't a disorganized rabble like they were; they followed an elite path.

In terms of future development among the various factions, they would definitely be in the first tier.

There were also some other Strongholds that, although smaller in scale and population, had partially completed the centralization of power and become a unified factional organization.

Looking back at their side, they had a large territory and a large population, yet they were still a "federal system" where everyone managed their own patch.

In the long run, with their strength fragmented, they would sooner or later be left behind by those highly integrated factions and then be annexed.

Of course, it wasn't to say that would be bad.

It was just that Fang Shouzheng wasn't used to placing hope in the hands of others.

For something like saving human civilization, it was better to do it personally.

If it were handed to someone else and they messed it up, he could only rage impotently. It would be better to take charge himself from the start.

After he finished, the room fell into a brief silence.

Those dozen or so people exchanged glances; they were all aware of the current situation. Once other factions rose and they fell behind, they would eventually be swallowed up, unable to even remain as a small boss of a sector.

No one immediately agreed, but they all slowly nodded.

“I'll go back and think about it.”

“We'll talk after we get through this Assessment.”

Fang Shouzheng nodded, signaling that they could leave. He hadn't expected to settle it in a single meeting anyway.

No opposition was a signal in itself.

...

The crowd stood up one after another, the sound of chairs moving creating a rustling noise.

Su Wan also stood up, preparing to follow them out.

“Su Wan, wait a moment.” Fang Shouzheng's voice came from the head seat.

The others paused slightly, their gazes quickly flitting between the two, but they didn't linger and soon all walked out.

The door closed, leaving only the three of them in the room.

With no one else around, the steady and grave look on Fang Shouzheng's face faded slightly. He raised a hand to rub his brow and gave a bitter laugh.

“Sigh, they're a real headache, these people.”

“A headache? Go to the mall panel and buy some headache medicine; there are quite a few types of potion.” Su Wan smiled.

The two of them had a good personal relationship. During the fourth Invasion Assessment, their respective squads had teamed up several times, so they were on good enough terms to joke around.

“That's not humorous at all, kid.” Fang Shouzheng shook his head helplessly.

Then, he looked at Su Wan with a serious expression and said, “Let's talk business. What do you think of that proposal just now? Currently, the two of us occupy the largest territories and have the most manpower. As long as you nod, this matter is half-done. Even if the others have other ideas, they'll mostly likely follow and join.”

“You want to be the City Lord of the Xinhuo Stronghold?” Su Wan asked in return.

Fang Shouzheng shook his head helplessly. “It's too early for that. What I'm thinking about now is just gathering this loose sand together first. If you're willing, you can be the leader.”

Hearing this, Su Wan also began to think seriously.

It was true that their Xinhuo Stronghold was currently like a heap of loose sand. Integrating their forces and centralizing power seemed to be a path they had to take in the face of increasingly severe Assessments and external competition.

Just as she was about to speak and state her thoughts, suddenly, a message notification box popped up in front of her.

【Gu Changming: You there?】