Chapter 68#
Wandering Photos 14#
Central Base Supreme Conference Hall.
This was the seventeenth formal meeting Shen Xuanyi had attended.
Roughly speaking, that meant at least three times a month on average, but the meeting itself was no mere formal routine. The attendees were all top-level leaders from the base’s major departments, including the military.
The agenda was varied and had no rigid requirements.
From large-scale external purge operations, internal departmental restructuring, changes in key leadership, down to the assignment of the latest awakened individuals—anything someone deemed necessary could become a meeting agenda item.
Shen Xuanyi, who had started as a silent observer barely uttering a word throughout, had now gradually become one of the dominant figures.
And among those present, he had the least seniority, naturally drawing some discontent.
But after a few confrontations that left them on the losing end, they had learned to be smarter. They no longer attacked Shen Xuanyi directly but instead targeted those around him.
“That He Ziyue—how can the entire base’s data and communication system permissions be handed over to her?” someone stood up to object.
This time, the target was He Ziyue.
But compared to the earlier trivial disputes targeting Hua Jin and the doctor, this issue garnered more agreement.
The doctor, needless to say, had already been a senior researcher before the Cataclysm. He had likely accessed core secrets at a higher and earlier level than anyone present. After returning, he directly landed a top position in the research institute, which few had objected to.
Hua Jin, who came later, was also fine. She cured the sick and saved lives—tangible achievements. She only focused on healing and training newcomers, with no time to meddle in other matters.
As for Mu Yanshen and Chu Chenli, who hadn’t even been brought up in discussion, they were even more low-key.
They handled no administrative permissions, had no ties to any department, and didn’t flaunt their power. Occasionally, they directly followed Shen Xuanyi’s orders on reconnaissance missions. To most, they were just enforcers, not worth alerting over.
But He Ziyue was different.
Her background before the Cataclysm wasn’t hard to find—a college dropout, a bratty girl who even had a record of information-related crimes that had been deliberately erased.
Yet the moment she arrived at Central Base, Shen Xuanyi handed her the entire base’s data permissions.
On a small scale, every piece of personnel information in the database was laid bare before her eyes. On a larger scale, if she ever issued false mandatory commands to teammates or betrayed the base by leaking and selling all the information, the consequences would be disastrous.
This issue had long stirred discontent, but Shen Xuanyi had deliberately suppressed it, preventing it from being raised successfully.
But recently, as the number of ability users kept increasing, the higher-ups quickly realized that this ability information could directly impact their combat effectiveness.
If it leaked out, it would be easy for opponents to grasp their weaknesses in advance.
“Don’t forget, what threatens human safety now isn’t just the evolved aberrants, but also terrorists like the Yingchen Base on the loose. Given their actions, they’d probably rather cooperate with aberrants to harm ordinary humans.”
“If they intercept this information and set traps to kill our warriors, can you youngsters bear that responsibility?!”
The former head of the data center slammed the table emotionally.
Those around him tried to calm him down, but their expressions were equally subtle.
General Shen, seated at the head, tapped his teacup lid and coughed lightly. The others involuntarily fell silent.
The former director’s face stiffened, and with a tug from someone beside him, he finally sat back down.
Even among those present, General Shen was one of the most respected and powerful. The military district under his command accounted for at least half of the base’s combat strength.
—The other half was gradually falling into his son Shen Xuanyi’s hands.
Though the father and son had little overt communication, the General’s support for his son was genuine.
The director of the R&D center, an old academic and a friend of General Shen, was one of those who stood unwaveringly behind Shen Xuanyi from start to finish.
So no matter how much others complained, they knew their words were merely “suggestions”—whether to adopt them was Shen Xuanyi’s call.
Shen Xuanyi remained as gentle as ever, one reason he was criticized by some—he didn’t come off as particularly assertive.
Even when the speaker was actually expressing dissatisfaction with his arrangements or attacking his comrades-in-arms who had lived and died with him, Shen Xuanyi still made a show of thinking seriously.
Once the topic-raiser calmed down and returned to his seat, Shen Xuanyi spoke unhurriedly.
“Hmm, what you said isn’t entirely unreasonable. But words alone aren’t enough; we need substantive evidence to convince everyone. So, Professor Lu, please compile a report as soon as possible. It should at least include the probability and consequences of information leaks, as well as the pros and cons of improving the communication system for all base departments. If there are any other concerns, please compile them as well. We’ll discuss this in detail at the next meeting.”
Professor Lu’s face changed colors several times. He wanted to interrupt several times but couldn’t find an opening.
As Shen Xuanyi finished speaking, the bell signaling the meeting’s end chimed at just the right moment.
This had been their final agenda item. Shen Xuanyi clapped his hands and announced the meeting adjourned.
The attendees rose with mixed expressions and filed out of the hall.
Aside from General Shen and the old academic walking apart, murmuring to each other, many others followed Shen Xuanyi. They had to discuss the next week’s work arrangements.
Many of them were leaders from other base branches.
Professor Lu walked at the back, watching Shen Xuanyi stride ahead in an orderly manner, his expression darkening.
Another dissatisfied department leader beside him curled his lips. Once most had left, he couldn’t help but spit, “He gets into some crappy game and comes out thinking he’s above us! What were those idiots thinking, putting up with this?”
The secretary tidying documents behind them rolled her eyes, disdain evident on her face. “You don’t think President Shen is just some lucky player who got a free pass, do you?”
Professor Lu replied matter-of-factly, “He’s still General Shen’s son.”
If he had such a powerful backer, he’d be far more arrogant than Shen Xuanyi currently was.
The secretary shook her head, a look of “hopelessness” on her face.
“Do you think the research team that developed that game only made one?”
“And let alone that all their research results are in President Shen’s hands—even before the Cataclysm, there were things that could kill all of you in an instant… those permissions are also in his hands.”
That was the source of Shen Xuanyi’s confidence.
—One of them.
Professor Lu and the department leader’s expressions turned grim. They had considered this possibility but couldn’t accept that the fate of the entire world had suddenly fallen into the hands of some greenhorn.
And that he could lord it over seasoned veterans without having achieved anything visible.
“Even if he lucked out and got those things, what about the others riding his coattails?”
The department leader said resentfully, “My nephew has dedicated years to the base, risked his life countless times. How come he gets pushed aside for some inexperienced newbie the moment this guy shows up? Isn’t this just to suppress us old-timers and promote his own people? How narrow-minded!”
That’s because your nephew was skimming off the medical department, and out of jealousy nearly killed a newly awakened healing ability user who was critically injured.
The secretary thought to herself, What nerve.
She knew their real issue was sour grapes—every place had people like them. She didn’t bother correcting their mindset, muttered a few words to herself, and left.
“Anyone who came back with President Shen—do you really think they’re just mascots? How naive.”
Shen Xuanyi wasn’t aware of the gossip behind his back, but he could guess the gist.
Still, trivial matters like these weren’t on his list of worries. Taking over management had to be a gradual process, especially for such a large base.
He hadn’t dragged all his teammates into it for that reason—some troubles were easier to handle alone, no need to burden them.
By now, the most critical nodes were already under his control. He wasn’t anxious.
After dealing with the post-meeting follow-ups, Shen Xuanyi found himself with rare free time and decided to head to the training area.
But before he reached his destination, he spotted Mu Yanshen wandering along the way.
“Xiao Mu.” Shen Xuanyi approached him.
“Captain?” Mu Yanshen looked up, dark circles under his eyes stark as ever.
Shen Xuanyi paused, moving his gaze away from Mu Yanshen’s eyes after a moment, then glanced around him.
Before he could say anything else, Mu Yanshen preempted him: “A Li went to the training ground to find Xiao Bai.”
Shen Xuanyi closed his mouth, thought for a moment, then asked, “Want to go see?”
Mu Yanshen hesitated.
Shen Xuanyi caught a hint of something. “Something going on between you and A Li?”
Mu Yanshen unconsciously pressed his lips together, then looked back at Shen Xuanyi with his habitual smile. He really didn’t want to discuss this with Shen Xuanyi, so he deflected.
“Let’s go take a look.” Mu Yanshen said. “I’m curious how far Xiao Bai’s training has come.”
Shen Xuanyi didn’t call him out, just nodded and walked alongside him toward the training ground.
They walked shoulder to shoulder but kept a gap between them.
After a silent stretch, Shen Xuanyi spoke first. “Still upset that I doubted you?”
“No.” Mu Yanshen replied quickly. “Given my identity, if you didn’t think twice about it, you’d hardly be worthy of being captain.”
Shen Xuanyi didn’t ask if that was the truth or say something like ‘glad to hear it.’ He seemed to have just asked casually before changing the subject to their health.
“Have you or A Li been feeling off lately?”
“No.” Aside from not getting enough sleep last night. Mu Yanshen paused. “Why?”
“Last mission, you got injured. I’m worried it might affect you. The direction of aberrant evolution is hard to predict now. A couple of days ago, someone found signs of plants mutating as well.”
“Need us to check it out?”
“Wait a while first—might be a false alarm. If needed, I’ll let you and A Li know.”
They chatted idly as they approached the edge of the training area.
Mu Yanshen came often and knew exactly where Chu Chenli and Xiao Bai usually hung out. Without hesitation, he walked toward a corner of the outdoor training ground.
This spot was near a mountain forest, overgrown with weeds, sparsely populated, but peaceful.
Chu Chenli could only train Xiao Bai in physical combat. For ability use, he left it to Mu Yanshen. Given their past connection, Chu Chenli occasionally offered pointers, but such metaphysical abilities depended more on mental state—casual tips had limited effect.
Though the original intent had been to use Xiao Bai as a reference for Tang Beihe’s training, Chu Chenli still put effort into training Xiao Bai. He hoped Xiao Bai would have a better chance of survival in case of danger.
On a normal day, the session would last at least three hours.
But today, Xiao Bai stood nervously in a corner.
Chu Chenli blocked in front of him. Not far off, several arrogant young men sneered, two of them holding weapons, tossing them up and down.
“You the new instructor? Or a newbie? Or does hiding here training this loser give you some sense of accomplishment?”
Their gazes swept contemptuously over Xiao Bai’s face.
When they landed on Chu Chenli, the scorn and mockery only grew sharper.
Probably because Chu Chenli looked even more “delicate” than Xiao Bai.
Xiao Bai trembled—half from anger.
He remembered meeting these guys during morning exercise. They had brushed close to him, and during the final running test, they deliberately bumped into him.
In truth, these guys were also new arrivals, transferred directly from another base after selection. They hadn’t visited the psychological counseling office and had no idea who Xiao Bai was.
Naturally, they knew nothing about Chu Chenli either.
After seeing the training performance of Xiao Bai and a few other administrative staff, they felt contempt and disdain—so much for Central Base’s strength.
Unfortunately, the training ground had no chief instructor or manager to maintain order lately, relying only on a few transferred veterans to supervise.
Clearly, their authority hadn’t been established yet.
Having finished routine training early, these newcomers couldn’t resist looking for trouble.
“Since you’re so bored, how about playing with us? Make some friends?”
The leader gestured behind him—could mean the training ground or the entertainment area near the dorms.
Chu Chenli assumed the former. “Fine.”
The other side laughed smugly and reached out to pat his shoulder, but Chu Chenli stepped forward at just the right moment, making the guy miss.
Standing still, Xiao Bai’s mouth twitched.
When his peripheral vision caught two familiar figures watching from the corner, his eyes twitched too.
Still fuming seconds ago, he now couldn’t help mentally mourning for those unlucky fools.