Chapter 51: Surrendering Arms

"Chairman Zhao, you've called all of us here today. Is there something important on your mind?" Xu Si asked with a cheeky smile.

Xu Si initially intended to probe the situation first, but to his surprise, Zhao Fangxu wore a grave expression and ignored him completely. Instead, alongside the other board members, Zhao simply gazed at the seven regional directors.

Director of the North China Region — Xu Si;
Director of the East China Region — Dou Le;
Director of the Southwest Region — Hao Yi;
Director of the Northwest Region — Hua Feng;
Director of the Northeast Region — Gao Lian;
Director of the South China Region — Liao Zhong;
Director of the Central China Region — Ren Fei!

After a long silence, Zhao Fangxu raised a hand and gestured for everyone to quiet down, then spoke in a measured tone: "I am here to inform everyone present... the sky above our New-Breeze Company has changed!"

"What?!!" (×7)

Aside from Liao Zhong, who lowered his head with a faint glimmer of foresight, the other six regional directors narrowed their eyes almost simultaneously, looking utterly shocked by Zhao Fangxu's declaration.

At the same time, their minds raced, trying to fathom what kind of monumental news could possibly prompt Zhao Fangxu to declare that the very sky had changed.

For a moment, the entire conference room fell into a silence so profound that even the sound of breathing vanished.

With a solemn expression, Zhao Fangxu stated, "I called you all here today to announce a directive. The higher authorities have decided to establish a new organization. Its priority level is vastly superior to that of New-Breeze Company. In a sense, our company will now be subordinate to it."

"Everything we do moving forward must unconditionally cooperate with them."

Hearing this, some of the more seasoned and shrewd directors narrowed their eyes. In other words, a towering, absolute authority had suddenly been placed squarely above New-Breeze Company, completely out of nowhere.

The seven directors exchanged glances and looked toward Ren Fei, but Ren Fei merely shook her head, indicating that she had not caught even a whisper of this beforehand.

Even Ren Fei was kept in the dark?

The hearts of the regional directors instantly sank to the bottom. Ren Fei wielded immense influence behind the scenes, and even the board of directors usually showed her a degree of deference, yet this time, she hadn't known anything about it prior to arrival.

Unless this command came from an even higher echelon!

Xu Si frowned almost imperceptibly. Seeing the other directors sitting in silence, he stood up and asked, "Chairman Zhao, could you at least give us a slight hint?"

"At least let us know what the higher-ups are really trying to accomplish here, right?"

Zhao Fangxu signaled for Xu Si to sit back down and said, "I know all of you harbor your own little secrets and agendas. Normally, I turn a blind eye and let things slide, but this time is different. This is a mandatory order."

"Unconditional cooperation, unconditional support, and unreserved collaboration. Everything within New-Breeze Company must be opened up to them. We will share our resources to ensure their smooth establishment, and at that time, elite personnel will also be drafted from our ranks."

"Sharing, not even mutual resource pooling!"

The directors turned the words over in their minds, feeling deeply unsettled. Zhao Fangxu's meaning was crystal clear: New-Breeze Company was to have no secrets left; everything must be laid bare for this unknown organization.

Yet every single one of the seven directors present harbored some degree of resistance. After all, after so many years in this line of work, who could claim their hands were completely clean or that they had no hidden cards?

Furthermore, Zhao Fangxu intended to pull their elite personnel away—wasn't that essentially cutting off chunks of flesh from their own bodies?

Zhao Fangxu swept his gaze across the room, ignoring their reactions, and raised the stakes further: "There is one more thing. All temporary workers are to be conscripted and reassigned to supplement their manpower."

Before Zhao Fangxu could finish, Xu Si shot to his feet: "Chairman Zhao...!"

"Xu Si, say no more. I know your intentions and your thoughts very well."

Zhao Fangxu waved a hand, fixing a deep, piercing gaze on Xu Si as he said, "Did you not hear what I said earlier? Unconditional cooperation!"

The position of temporary worker was limited to a single person per region, usually held by elite martial artists. They served as the company's hidden high-tier combat power while also facilitating covert missions.

They answered directly to the regional directors, with the company providing them with official identities and cover, while they performed tasks inconvenient for the public eye, deeply engaging with the Outcasts' world.

One of the core founding figures of New-Breeze Company was Gouwazi, also known as Xu Xiang. His original motivation for joining the company was to search for Feng Baobao, which led him to become the director of the North China Region.

Xu Xiang used the company's resources to continue his search for Feng Baobao and eventually brought her into the fold. Due to Feng Baobao's special identity, Xu Xiang made several unique arrangements for her.

He invited Zhao Fangxu and others to discuss the establishment of the temporary worker position. Upon learning Feng Baobao's true identity and Xu Xiang's real purpose, Zhao Fangxu chose to keep the secret buried.

Years later, Zhao Fangxu became the chairman of the company, wielding immense prestige and continuously assisting in concealing Feng Baobao's identity.

Yet now, if all the temporary workers were to be handed over, it meant the secret of Feng Baobao's eternal youth could no longer be kept, and one could easily imagine the fate awaiting her.

Xu Si tried to argue one last time: "But..."

Zhao Fangxu suddenly slammed his palm down on the table, cutting Xu Si off: "Before the national destiny of the Great Hua Divine Land, individual opinions and personal honor mean nothing—including every single one of us sitting in this room."

The weight of Zhao Fangxu's words was crushing, pressing down so heavily that everyone struggled to breathe. Xu Si bit his teeth hard, his fists clenched tightly in white-knuckled fury, daring not to utter another word.

Ren Fei, as someone privileged enough to touch upon certain classified truths, realized the profound gravity behind Zhao Fangxu's words even more acutely.

The national destiny of the Great Hua Divine Land—just what kind of matter could possibly elevate itself to the level of the nation's destiny?

Was it because of this organization?

Ren Fei's imagination ran wild, and she suddenly seemed to understand Zhao Fangxu's predicament. He surely felt tormented inside, but he had no choice; he had to comply.

This villainous role—the enforcer of compliance—was one Zhao Fangxu had no choice but to play.

Before the irresistible current of the grand trend, nothing else mattered.

Xu Si slumped powerlessly back into his seat, though his mind was already frantically calculating how to help Feng Baobao escape.

It was as if Zhao Fangxu could read through Xu Si's little schemes, as he offered a final warning: "Do not attempt any extraneous maneuvers. If an investigation is triggered and accountability is pursued, you..."

Zhao Fangxu hesitated for a fraction of a second: "...will not survive it!"

"There is only one path laid before all of you, and before New-Breeze Company as a whole: complete cooperation!"

Zhao Fangxu struck the table heavily with his fingers, the sound echoing like heavy hammer blows against the heartstrings of everyone present.

Ren Fei was the first to state her stance: "Central China has no objections. As for Black Pipe, I will have him prepare as quickly as possible and report directly to the company headquarters."

Zhao Fangxu nodded, then turned his gaze to the others.

Liao Zhong raised a hand in gesture: "South China has no objections either. I will properly handle the handover procedures regarding Chen Duo."