Chapter 667: Chaos on New Year's Eve

“And look at the navy. See this footage they shot? A perfectly good aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer fleet, and they make it look like a big fishing boat out for a spin with a bunch of smaller ones. They even paired it with a picture of a customs house from two hundred years ago. Something about ‘staying true to our original mission’ and ‘striving for more.’ Between the lines, it’s all just, ‘We’re out of money!’ and ‘If you don’t pay up, we could even lose to Zhu Country!'”

Su Zhou, the Minister of the New World Exploration Department, criticized this behavior for a bit, then nodded and said, “We can’t be outdone. First, we hype them up. We’ll hype up those mysterious organizations to high heaven. Then, we’ll cry poor. For example, our rapid response teams lack the proper equipment, we’re severely understaffed, and our leader is just some inexperienced young punk. We urgently need tons of high-tech, cutting-edge equipment to maintain our advantage over the enemy!”

“But… we’re the New World Exploration Department, aren’t we? Not the armed Patrol.”

Tang Yuan, who wasn’t very good at reading social cues, spoke up timidly, which immediately drew a displeased look from Su Zhou. “Little Tang, have you forgotten that I’m also the commander of the Security Bureau’s special operations team? Those are my troops, so of course I have to be the one to ask for their funding!”

“As for the New World Exploration Department, you think I need to fork over money for that? Once the country starts its promotional campaigns, you’ll be rolling in ad revenue alone. The only downside is our future uniforms might be covered in ads, and we’ll only be able to drink green tea. Just bear with it.”

Tang Yuan thought about the show *Stop at the Point* from a while back, remembering the dense patches of logos plastered all over the contestants. He couldn’t help but nod. “Fair enough, that’s true.”

Even Tang Yuan was starting to talk like that. This was probably Su Zhou’s infectious influence at work.

The date was January 19, 2017, the eve of the Little New Year. Light snow was falling, mixed with rain.

Amidst the sprawling neon lights of the city at night, a cold rain mixed with sparse sleet began to fall. The damp air carried a chill that seemed to seep right into your bones.

Two months had now passed since Su Zhou’s return from the Divine Wood World.

The information on the Divine Wood World that Shao Qiming and Su Zhou submitted jointly had garnered the full attention of the Artisan Saint and the Craftsman Saint. Although much of the technology described was somewhat outdated, its design philosophies and concepts were completely different from anything in Earth’s civilization, making it incredibly valuable as a reference. Naturally, they were very curious about where this information came from, but Su Zhou and Shao Qiming had only one answer.

“Immortal God Ruins.”

The two of them said in unison. Su Zhou then added, “Stop asking. The answer is Immortal God Ruins.”

“…We weren’t planning on asking.”

‘One day, when Su Zhou himself sits in our position, he’ll tell us of his own accord anyway.’

The Zhengguo Government could still find ways to reward Shao Qiming, but when it came to Su Zhou, there were truly no more rewards left to give. They couldn’t just promote him to a Holy Seat, could they? That would be too absurd.

Fortunately, Su Zhou himself didn’t care. To him, it was just something he did in passing. He could just consider it his good deed for the day; he wasn’t looking for a reward in the first place.

In the two months since the Spirit Summoning Association had been wiped out, nearly every other organization in the world, big or small, had gone to ground, hiding themselves away. Some even disbanded on the spot, and a significant number turned themselves in. The Spirit Summoning Association had been the parent organization for the vast majority of them. They knew that with their superiors annihilated, there was nowhere left for them to hide. Those with fewer crimes on their records simply became informants, ratting out other people and organizations.

During these two months, aside from his regular cultivation to increase his Spiritual Power, Su Zhou also fulfilled his duties as a professor, teaching and training his students. He was a true role model.

In addition to that, he also filmed a few programs to fulfill his official propaganda assignments.

“By the way, Tang Yuan, the New Year is almost here. Where are you planning on spending it?”

Surrounded by a warm, swirling wind that pushed away the rain and dampness, Su Zhou finished reading a notice in his hand, nodded thoughtfully, and then turned to the person beside him. Tang Yuan paused for a moment. ‘I’ll probably spend it with Little Leng and her family,’ he thought. ‘There aren’t many of them, so they could use my help.’

“Mm, good. You really are a loyal person.”

Su Zhou nodded in approval, but then he continued, “However, Tang Yuan, are you interested in returning to the Tang Family to become its Patriarch?”

“Huh? What…”

His voice caught in his throat; Tang Yuan clearly hadn’t processed the question. Su Zhou continued calmly, “The verdict on the Tang Family is out. The main branch has been basically wiped out. They colluded with the Spirit Summoning Association to create Vile Corpses, catalyzed the Celestial God Factor, and even secretly hunted the homeless to use as material for human experiments. But despite all that, the vast majority of ordinary Tang Family members had nothing to do with it. And while the Tang Family’s heritage may be crude and outdated, it isn’t entirely without merit.”

“Take the Divine Technique you awakened, for example. The Tang Family’s ancestral bloodline is quite impressive. That’s an asset in itself, not something to be thrown away lightly. So, Tang Yuan, how about it? Want to consider going back to be the Patriarch? With my support and the Security Bureau’s backing, you could absolutely hold that position.”

“Not interested. I’d rather stay with you, Captain.” This was Tang Yuan’s unhesitating reply.

‘He knew full well this was an opportunity Su Zhou had likely secured for him. Tang Yuan understood that if he went back to become the Patriarch, it would be a meteoric rise. The Tang Family’s assets had been frozen because they belonged to criminals, but if he took over, they would fall under Su Zhou’s banner, becoming assets of Su Zhou’s faction.’

‘Moreover, while human experimentation was evil, sometimes, research concerning the soul truly required it. The data the Tang Family had recorded through their criminal activities could now be applied to healing. The use of knowledge depends on the user; it was indeed a precious legacy.’

But Tang Yuan genuinely had no interest in any of that. He had already attended cadre training courses arranged by the Zhengguo government and was no longer the person he once was, who only knew how to use his Divine Technique without any understanding of Extraordinary Knowledge. Even so, he still preferred to focus on his own Divine Technique and unearth new abilities rather than return to the old path of manipulating Resentful Spirits.

Of course, most importantly, Tang Yuan wasn’t stupid. ‘If I don’t declare my loyalty now, I might never get another chance!’

‘Although Su Zhou currently looks like a general with no army, that’s only because he hasn’t shown any inclination to build a team. If he showed even the slightest interest, God knows how many people would volunteer and jump ship to work for him.’

“Alright. Then you’ll stick with me from now on.” Su Zhou didn’t comment further. He simply continued walking forward as Tang Yuan raised his wrist and made a call on his proxy terminal.

Soon, with a flash of its headlights, an unremarkable black, driverless car started up from the other end of the road and pulled up beside them. Tang Yuan opened the door and sat in the driver’s seat.

“Where to next?” he asked.

“The airport.” Su Zhou replied from the back seat. He recalled the notice he had just read, his brow furrowing slightly. In a strange tone, he added, “The notice I just received says I need to make a trip to the United Nations General Assembly.”

“I hear there’s a huge mess brewing within the American Federation, something related to the Antarctic. Things are already getting heated over at United International, and this whole affair is directly connected to one of the Three Great Mysterious Organizations: the New Dawn Association.”

As he said this, even from the driver’s seat, Tang Yuan could distinctly feel a powerful sense of ‘interest’ radiating from Su Zhou behind him.

Su Zhou, who had long wanted to unlock the ‘Annihilate the Three Great Mysterious Organizations’ grand-slam achievement, broke into an eager smile. “Well, this is my area of expertise. The Literary Saint told me to go, find a pretext to criticize the Federation, and while I’m at it, listen to their explanation and see what’s really going on.”