Chapter 56: The Gucheng Supreme Council

In the afternoon.

Wang Xi left home and made another trip to the company.

Along the way, he bought some snacks, carrying them in a paper bag. Candies, chocolates, potato chips, and dried meat—with sunflower seeds taking up the vast majority, covering all sorts of flavors.

These were bought for Jiali, the receptionist. He still remembered that she seemed to be quite fond of cracking sunflower seeds.

When he first joined the company, she had kindly offered him a few words of advice, and Wang Xi had promised to show his gratitude once he had some money. Even though Lin Zhifeng, who had overheard that conversation, was no longer among the living, Wang Xi could not simply pretend nothing had happened.

A promise made must be kept; otherwise, one should not speak at all.

This was his consistent principle.

Just as Wang Xi arrived at the company entrance, he saw a short-haired girl wearing heavy smoky eye makeup, a black shirt, and a black miniskirt, slinging a small bag as she walked out.

"Good morning, Miss Jiali."

Wang Xi greeted her.

Jiali stopped on the steps, raised her eyelids to look at the dark-haired young man, and hesitated for several full seconds before speaking:

"You are that... Wang Xi?"

"Ahem, Miss Jiali has a truly good memory."

Wang Xi smiled and handed over the paper bag in his hand.

"Thank you for your guidance when I first joined. I bought some snacks for you on the way."

"What a timely arrival." Jiali took it casually. "I was just about to head home."

"You're not working today?"

"I took a leave of absence." The girl waved a hand, took a step forward, and descended the steps to walk outside. "I won't be coming in for the next few days either."

After walking a short distance, as if remembering something, she suddenly halted her steps.

She turned her head, lifted the paper bag, and gestured with it:

"Thanks for this. Also, I wish you a smooth examination tomorrow."

With that, the girl walked away on her own accord.

Wang Xi stood in place, frowning slightly.

The people at the company shouldn't know about his upcoming professional Brave evaluation...

How on earth did she find out?

...

Central District of Valley City.

The Parliament Building.

Inside the spacious conference hall on the top floor, staff members in sharp suits hurried back and forth, their expressions tense and solemn.

The atmosphere was quiet, broken only by occasional whispers and low conversations.

The highest-level meeting of Valley City was about to be held here shortly, and representatives from both official and private major institutions would be in attendance.

Before long.

Three young women of varying heights and extraordinary demeanors walked slowly down the aisle, and the staff waiting at the entrance bowed in unison.

"Section Chief Chu."

"Commissioner Yu."

"Captain Ning."

"Thank you for your hard work." Yu Zizi, with her large, wavy purple hair and wearing a white shirt, dress trousers, and a long coat, adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and smiled back at everyone.

Chu Naifei wore her trademark high-tech blue-and-white form-fitting uniform that accentuated her perfect curves, with a cascade of silver hair draped over her shoulders. Her face was full of preoccupations as she gave a slight nod.

Beside them stood Ning Meng, a short-haired girl wearing a dark cyan high-necked trench coat with her hands in her pockets, maintaining a cold and silent expression.

The three entered the conference hall and took their seats at the main seats at the very front.

"Chu Nai, to be honest, I really admire you."

Yu Zizi smiled, turning her head toward the silver-haired girl.

"You've been in Valley City for less than a month, and you single-handedly wiped out three disaster zones in the surrounding areas. None of the past section chiefs of the Desecration Department have ever pushed themselves as hard as you."

"Although disaster zones are the number one enemy of human settlements, there's really no need to be so..."

"There's a bonus."

The silver-haired girl raised her head and said softly.

"Huh?" Yu Zizi thought she had misheard until Chu Nai repeated it, prompting a look of utter astonishment. "Just because of that?"

She couldn't understand. A top student from Dongzhou University and a genius directly appointed as the section chief of the Overview Bureau could actually be short of money?!

"That's not entirely the reason."

Chu Nai lowered her eyelids and said indifferently.

"But I need to pay off my parents' scientific research debts to the Gear Consortium, and there is also someone important..."

At this point, her voice trailed off.

Seeing this, Ning Meng by the side changed the subject:

"It's not a bad thing either. At least it lets a large group of fence-sitters know that although you, the new section chief, are young, you are not to be trifled with."

"I heard that some time ago, Old Master Wei, the president of the Brave Association known as the 'Mountain-Suppressing General,' even came to spar with you?"

"Mm." Chu Nai responded softly.

"How did it turn out?"

Both Ning Meng and Yu Zizi looked over, appearing extremely curious.

Wei Xuan, the president of the Valley City Branch of the Brave Association, was himself a veteran professional Brave who had reached the "Upper Three-Star" tier many years ago.

He was an idol revered by countless professional warriors.

Even famous "Professional Five-Star" powerhouses like Defense Team Captain No. 4 "Thunder Hammer" Jiang Tianhao could only be considered juniors in front of the president.

"Mr. Wei is very formidable."

A look of admiration crossed Chu Nai's face as she nodded slightly.

"His card deck leans toward the profound system, and his frontal combat capability is above mine."

"So... you lost?"

"I won."

Chu Nai smiled faintly.

Both Ning Meng and Yu Zizi wore expressions of utter shock.

The "Mountain-Suppressing General" Wei Xuan had actually lost...

This gave the two of them, who were born and raised in Valley City, a strong sense of shock. After all, during his eight years as the president of the Valley City Brave Association, Old Master Wei had compiled a legendary resume, yet he had quietly been defeated by the nineteen-year-old silver-haired girl before them.

Just how strong was Chu Nai's true strength?!

Just as they were about to press for further details, a commotion and a flurry of footsteps sounded from the entrance.

Turning to look, they saw a group of representatives from various institutions and consortia entering the venue. Leading them was an elderly man with graying hair and a long black robe.

However, the old man's complexion was slightly pale, and he breathed heavily, as if he had sustained injuries.

After everyone entered the venue, the old man immediately spotted the three young women at the main table, his gaze locking onto the silver-haired girl in the middle.

A flash of that blinding, scorching golden light crossed his mind, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Still, he straightened his sleeves and strode forward.

"Section Chief Chu, you truly live up to your reputation as a genius of Dongzhou University and Professor Eunice's chief student."

Wei Xuan arrived at the table, cupped his fists, and smiled.

"Having someone of your exceptional talent to hold down the fort in Valley City is a great blessing for our citizens."

"Old Master Wei flatters me."

Chu Nai slowly stood up and shook her head.

"Fighting labyrinths and disasters requires the concerted efforts of all departments, institutions, and Braves. What could I possibly accomplish relying on myself alone?"

"How are your injuries?"

At the end, the girl asked with concern.

The old man coughed and hurriedly waved his hand.

"No harm, no harm." He originally wanted to offer another polite remark, but surrounded by representatives from all sides, fearing he might lose face if he spoke too much, he quickly changed the subject:

"By the way, this highest-level meeting in Valley City is about the reform of the professional Brave evaluation system... Section Chief Chu, is this really necessary?"

"Yes, it is very necessary." Chu Nai nodded, her expression turning solemn. "Dongzhou has already begun implementing the brand-new evaluation system, and even core continents like Central, Heavenly, and Mysterious popularized it several years ago."

"Although there will be many negative impacts in the initial stage, and the mortality rate of the evaluations will increase, overall, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The former system was too outdated, hindering the upward path of the new generation of Braves, and opening it up will provide a stronger incentive for the general public."

"But..."

Wei Xuan frowned and pondered.

At this moment, a bespectacled man in a suit with a slicked-back hairstyle joined the conversation, laughing in a deep voice:

"Regarding the new evaluation mentioned by Section Chief Chu, on behalf of the Glitter Consortium, I raise both hands in agreement."

Everyone looked over and recognized him as Bai Cheng, the board representative of the Valley City branch of the Glitter Consortium.

They heard him speak in a half-joking manner:

"Not only do we agree, but I believe representatives from the Gear Consortium, the Firmament Consortium, and others will also agree. After all, judging by intelligence from the headquarters and branches in other states, after implementing the new evaluation, many more star figures have emerged."

"For all mankind, this is a great blessing!"

Of course, there was something Bai Cheng left unsaid.

That was, for the consortia themselves, it was also much more profitable.

Especially the reform of turning the previously closed evaluation process into a public live broadcast. The consortia could acquire unimaginable traffic by monopolizing the broadcasting rights, and use this to package the new-generation Braves they favored, cultivating and building them into star figures or spokespersons.

This would achieve a win-win outcome.

After all, internal information within the consortia was interconnected, and there were already successful precedents. The stronger the state in terms of strength, the more importance the consortia there attached to it.

...

More than an hour later.

The meeting was halfway through.

The live broadcast bidding for the previous resolution was ultimately won by Bai Cheng of the Glitter Consortium with a bid of 1 billion credits, securing the exclusive live broadcast rights for Valley City's first reformed professional Brave evaluation.

The faces of the representatives from the Gear Consortium and the Firmament Consortium were dark. Having no other choice, they could only engage in bidding surrounding second-tier rights, such as delayed broadcast rights, replay rights, commercial development rights, and technology-related rights.

As for the smaller derivative privileges, they flowed out from the hands of the three major consortia and were scrambled for by numerous small and medium-sized groups.

That fiery atmosphere left the representatives of private institutions present dumbfounded.

Old Master Wei Xuan, president of the Brave Association, wore a look of emotional reflection. He glanced at the three young women at the main table, silently sighing that time spares no one and that a new era brings new reforms.

This measure achieved a multi-party win-win.

The consortia profited, the officials gained funds, and the citizens were blessed.

And most crucially.

It could be foreseen that a bumper crop of new-generation Braves would emerge explosively.

Wei Xuan only hoped he could live a few more years, using his aging and crippled body to eliminate a few more disasters and contribute a bit more to Valley City and even the Shanha federation... By the way, witnessing the arrival of that prosperous era and the resurgence of all mankind.

"A total of 324 representatives participated in this meeting, with 268 votes in favor, 42 votes against, and 14 abstentions. The professional Brave evaluation reform has passed and will be implemented starting from this session."

Yu Zizi, representative of the Public Security Bureau, stood up and said.

"As the first reformed evaluation in Valley City, on behalf of the Federation, I propose to you all to nominate seed personnel from your respective factions to participate in this evaluation."

Soon, pre-prepared lists of names were delivered by staff to the main seats.

As the representative of the Overview Bureau, Chu Nai received a final compiled personnel table:

Jiang Tianjie—Genius member of Defense Team No. 1, subordinate of Captain Ning Meng, and younger brother of "Thunder Hammer" Jiang Tianhao.

Yu Jiali—Freelance police inspector of the Public Security Bureau, part-time employee of Cupid Housekeeping, and younger sister of Police Commissioner Yu Zizi.

Xiao Yuzhe—New member of the Desecration Department of the Overview Bureau, graduate of Dongzhou University, and subordinate of Section Chief Chu.

Lin Xin'er—A genius secretly cultivated by the Glitter Consortium, who used consortium patents to cure a terminal illness, completing physical transformation and magic body bio-augmentation as a "Demon Person." Daughter of the death row inmate Lin Zhifeng.

Carlisle Lee—A genius secretly cultivated by the Gear Consortium, who completed prosthetic bio-augmentation using consortium patents as a "Cyborg Person." Son of a Gear Laboratory researcher.

Nagata An—A genius secretly cultivated by the Firmament Consortium, who completed spell-weaving bio-augmentation using consortium patents as a "Spell Person." Daughter of consortium management.

Chu Nai's gaze swept across the list, and she suddenly froze.

Those light blue, beautiful eyes reflected the information of numerous personnel. Among them, she saw a very familiar and unbelievable name.

Wang Xi—Intern scavenger of Cupid Housekeeping, recommended by Police Commissioner Yu Zizi of the Public Security Bureau, and already approved by the Brave Association.

"Brother Xi..."

Chu Nai lost her focus, softly murmuring to herself.