62: Section 62

Penny quickly gave him a look, signaling that there were others nearby.

"No need, I'll be fine after a little rest."

Jing Yuan understood as well, stood up and said, "Then get some more rest!"

After Jing Yuan left, Rita nearby said curiously, "Penny, Vice-Captain Jing Yuan seems to care about you a lot!"

Penny gave an awkward smile and didn't answer.

Penny rested on the chair for a while, and once the pain subsided, she went back with Rita.

Not long after Penny returned, Jing Yuan came to her door again, holding a thermos.

"How are you feeling? Any better?"

"Better."

Jing Yuan handed over the thermos and said, "This is a soup for nourishing Qi and blood, an old world recipe. Although I couldn't find all the ingredients on the Lighthouse, the taste is quite good!"

"Thank you!"

"You should rest more these few days and avoid overworking!"

"Mhm."

"Eh, Jing Yuan, what are you doing here?"

Jing Yuan and Penny turned their heads and saw Ran Bing walking over.

She asked Jing Yuan with an innocent face, leaving him unsure of how to respond.

"Just passing by! Just passing by!"

Jing Yuan responded with a chuckle, then gave Penny a look and left with a smile.

He had only taken a few steps when he received a message: there was another mission at the Hall of Dawn tonight.

Jing Yuan didn't mind; he was still feeling quite pleased with himself.

But then a thought struck him—something wasn't right. Penny was currently in her 'special period,' so there was no way she could go to the Hall of Dawn. Then, who would he be paired with for this mission?

Chapter 63: Morgan's Thoughts

Missions for the Hall of Dawn were all issued according to the normal procedure.

If one refused to carry them out, they would be punished.

So from the moment the notification was issued, Jing Yuan had no choice.

Of course, with his current strength, no one on the Lighthouse could force him to do anything he didn't want to do.

However, there was clearly no need to fall out with the Lighthouse over such a small matter.

Jing Yuan recalled that Charles had said before that if he helped complete this mission, he would give him a grand gift.

Could this Hall of Dawn mission be Charles's gift?

Was it Fan Lü? Or Jing Nan?

...In the Navigation Control Room, inside Jing Nan's private office, six of her trusted aides were gathered.

After Jing Nan reported to Morgan yesterday, she immediately dismissed all the people responsible for intelligence reconnaissance.

At first, the Leader among them even led a protest.

But when Jing Nan produced evidence of them tampering with the intelligence, everyone fell silent.

They all knew that committing such a crime was not as simple as a job transfer.

Furthermore, this attempt to retrieve medicine for the City Lord had failed precisely because they provided false intelligence.

If they were truly held accountable, even a death sentence wouldn't be excessive.

The fact that they were only fined contribution points and transferred was because Charles was protecting them from above.

After being reprimanded by Morgan, Charles didn't dare to make any more moves.

Jing Nan then assigned several of her own trusted aides to the reconnaissance posts. From then on, she had the final say over the intelligence gathering for ground missions.

After finishing this part of the work, a personal Attendant of the City Lord found Jing Nan and asked her to go to the City Lord's residence.

Jing Nan found it a bit strange because the City Lord's residence was a private place.

If it were for official business, it would usually be in the Council Hall or the Central Command Hall; a private residence was clearly inappropriate.

If it were for family matters, Jing Nan and Charles had just chatted with Morgan yesterday.

And given Morgan's nature, it was unlikely he was looking for Jing Nan just to catch up on family life.

With these questions in mind, Jing Nan was led by the Attendant straight into Morgan's study.

At this moment, Morgan was playing chess with Victor. Seeing Jing Nan arrive, Morgan smiled and said, "Jing Nan, you're here. Perfect, come take a look for me!"

Jing Nan walked over and glanced at the chessboard.

Victor quickly said, "City Lord, you can't go looking for outside help!"

"How is Jing Nan 'outside' help!"

After looking at the game, Jing Nan said with a smile, "General Victor, even if I don't give the City Lord any advice, you won't last another ten rounds."

Morgan chuckled, made a move, and then looked at Victor.

With this piece played, the outcome became quite obvious.

Even if Victor persisted, he would only be subjecting himself to a few more minutes of torture.

"Alright! I'll concede this game!"

Morgan said with a smile, "Good game."

Victor glanced at Jing Nan, knowing she must be there for a reason, so he didn't feel right staying any longer.

"City Lord, I have some things to attend to on my end, so I'll be heading back now."

"Alright! Off you go."

Victor and the Attendant left one after another, leaving only Morgan and Jing Nan in the study.

"Play a game with me."

Jing Nan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes!"

Jing Nan sat in the seat Victor had just occupied and reset the chessboard.

"You go first."

Jing Nan did as Morgan said and played the first piece.

The father and daughter played chess, saying nothing at first.

Jing Nan didn't ask anything either; she knew that when Morgan wanted to speak, he would.

After they had each made seven or eight moves, Morgan indeed spoke first: "Victor came to see me just now. Guess what he told me?"

Jing Nan answered directly, "Is it about the City Defense Force?"

"It is indeed about the City Defense Force." Morgan's eyes were fixed on a piece on the board. "Charles has bought off Senge. Senge has been working for him all along, and now he wants to elevate Senge's position in the City Defense Force."

"Senge is already a Captain of the City Defense Force. Any higher, and the only thing left would be to give him Victor's position."

"Yes. However, Charles proposed creating a new position of Deputy Commander."

Jing Nan smiled and said, "Deputy Commander? Just like the Wasteland Hunters established the position of Deputy Captain?"

Morgan smiled faintly. "Charles controls the Light and Shadow Society, and now he has his people in both the Wasteland Hunters and the City Defense Force. He's on the verge of controlling all the armed forces on the Lighthouse."

Jing Nan's pupils constricted slightly. Charles's ambition was laid bare. As the supreme ruler, would Morgan tolerate such a thing?

Morgan seemed to sense Jing Nan's reaction. He looked away from the chessboard and gazed out the window.

"Jing Nan, I am old, and I will soon be departing on my final journey. Someone must take over the position of City Lord. Do you think Charles is suitable?"

Upon hearing this, Jing Nan immediately stood up.

"City Lord, the choice of the next City Lord should be decided by you. I should not speak out of turn on this matter."

Morgan waved his hand, signaling her to sit down, and said calmly, "Don't be nervous. I'm just chatting with you casually. Just treat it as a family talk!"

Family talk?

Morgan was the one who proposed the three great laws and is their steadfast defender. At a time like this, you're talking about 'family matters'?

But Jing Nan understood. After all, Charles was his son—his biological son!

"City Lord, the old world had a tradition of sons inheriting their fathers' professions. It would make sense for Charles to succeed as the City Lord."

"Make sense?" Morgan chuckled. "We abandoned the family relationships of the old world long ago. The concept of a son inheriting his father's business naturally no longer holds up."

Jing Nan looked at Morgan in confusion. Was he trying to find a reason for Charles to take power?

Jing Nan continued, "Charles serves as the Leader of the Light and Shadow Society and has a vast base of followers. If he succeeds as the City Lord, there probably wouldn't be any opposition."

Morgan nodded. "Indeed! Based on his role as the Leader alone, if he were to succeed as City Lord, the power transition would surely be smooth. Now, he is also using his own methods to gradually gain control of the Lighthouse's armaments. Having him succeed as City Lord wouldn't be much of an issue in terms of public opinion and support!"