Chapter 204 Discussion, Opinions from the Group. Ready to Draw the Sword! Core Members to Re-sign Contracts!

"...That's roughly how it is."

Cai Chen quickly finished explaining the situation.

Lin Fan and the others frowned.

Bai Yangyang blinked her clear, big eyes, looking around, unsure of what to say.

Although Lu Dayong was also deep in thought, he had an honest and simple look on his face and couldn't say anything.

Qin Xiaoyou blinked, looked at her brother, and didn't say anything.

Gu Yiyun seemed to be thinking, but she didn't respond.

Only Lin Fan pondered for a moment before saying, "So...we're about to face the Guozhu family head-on?"

"That's roughly the idea." Qin Fang took a sip of tea and nodded.

Lin Fan frowned, and after a long silence, he gently shook his head: "It's a bit troublesome."

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow: "Hmm, tell me your thoughts."

"Firstly, the Guozhu family represents the government to some extent. If we directly antagonize them, your projects such as the academy and auctions... will probably have to be temporarily suspended. Although our current power has grown somewhat, it is clearly not on the same level as the Guozhu family."

"Secondly... there are nine more National Pillars above the National Pillar Family... that is a force that cannot be ignored... a fifth-tier legend, just thinking about it makes one's scalp tingle. As long as these National Pillars exist, it is almost impossible for us to eliminate the National Pillar Family from its root."

"Thirdly... even if we could eliminate them, we shouldn't. The alien races are always watching... if we really fight to the death with the Guozhu family... the alien races would laugh their heads off."

The three points Lin Fan mentioned were almost exactly the same as what Qin Fang had thought.

"Well, what's your opinion?"

Qin Fang did not express his own opinion, but instead intended to listen to Lin Fan's thoughts first.

Lin Fan thought for a long time, and finally shook his head, saying, "We're being targeted because the members have been too active lately... Boss, you've been giving them orders to break records, which has caused too much of a stir. Meanwhile, the Guozhu Family has been searching for the Job Change Altar but hasn't found anything. Now, with so many new Paradise members appearing, each one capable of clearing Hell difficulty dungeons... it's hard not to pay attention. My suggestion is... to have the members stop their activities for now. Let them accumulate strength... going against them now would be pointless."

"Hmm, that's an idea... What about the others? Let's share our thoughts and brainstorm together."

Qin Fang did not refute, but looked at the others.

He first looked at Bai Yangyang. She blinked her clear eyes, and when she noticed Qin Fang staring at her, she coughed and pondered for a while before nodding seriously and saying, "I think Yan is right!"

"..."

Okay, I won't ask you that.

Qin Fang rolled his eyes at her speechlessly.

"Hey? Boss, what kind of look is that?! That's exactly what I think!"

Bai Yangyang was stung by that look and immediately shouted in protest.

Qin Fang ignored her and looked at Xiao You.

"Xiaoyou, what are your thoughts?"

Xiao You frowned for a moment and then said, "I think... although Yan's words make a lot of sense, it's not advisable to just show weakness all the time... and it might not even be useful."

Qin Fang was a little surprised, raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Tell me more."

Encouraged by Qin Fang, Qin Xiaoyou spoke more frankly: "Now that we're being watched, even if we can get the members to temporarily stop their activities, it's actually quite difficult to hide... After all, their eyes are now on us."

"The other members are fine, but Tieya and Lingtai, our auction house and academy are already under construction and have made quite a stir... If the Guozhu family really wants to investigate, we can't hide it from them at all. So even if we stop our activities now, it's hard to guarantee that if we can't find the other members, the Guozhu family won't start from this aspect to cause trouble for us."

Qin Fang raised an eyebrow and smiled, "So what do you mean?"

Qin Xiaoyou gritted her teeth and said, "We still have to fight! Since the Guozhu family is causing us trouble, we'll fight back! ...Even if we can't break their bones, we'll make them feel the pain and make them afraid to come looking for trouble!"

Qin Fang was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Xiao You to be such a staunch advocate of war.

However, he was happy to see it happen.

"Hmm, fight... So how do you think we should fight? And who should we fight?" Qin Fang asked.

"This..." Qin Xiaoyou hesitated for a moment and then shook her head: "I haven't decided yet... but fighting is definitely in the question!"

Qin Fang nodded, while Lin Fan beside him frowned, seemingly lost in thought.

Qin Fang looked at Lu Dayong: "Dayong, what do you think?"

Lu Dayong quickly replied, "I'll do whatever you say, boss. Whatever you say, I'll do."

Qin Fang chuckled.

Bai Yangyang, standing nearby, exclaimed in surprise, "Dayong, you're so cunning!!"

Lu Dayong gave her a simple, honest smile.

Qin Fang then looked at Gu Yiyun.

Gu Yiyun shrugged: "Yan and Xiao have said most of what they have to say, I have nothing to add. They both make sense... Like Dayong, I'll listen to you. Whatever you say we should do, we'll do it."

Qin Fang looked at Cai Chen one last time.

Cai Chen was stunned for a moment, not expecting that he would have to ask for his opinion.

...It seems I've really been absorbed into the core layer.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I support Xiao's opinion... It can't be hidden anymore. We still have to fight. However... how to fight and to what extent we should fight are things we need to consider."

"The Guozhu family is too powerful. They represent the United Front Work Department. A full-scale war would not benefit us at all, and it would be uncontrollable... We need to find a controllable way to fight them."

After serving as the bureau chief for several months, and especially after several clashes with the two alien races, Cai Chen visibly matured.

This coincided with Qin Fang's idea.

Qin Fang also smiled.

……good.

The purpose of specifically summoning the core members was not only to promote their rank, but also to see their ability to handle matters in critical moments.

Currently, it seems that... apart from Bai Yangyang and Lu Dayong, one is a mascot and the other is a complete goofball... the others are all quite capable.

At least when faced with a problem, I know how to think for myself.

Especially Lin Fan, Xiao You, and Cai Chen.

...Xiao You's performance was, to be honest, a bit beyond his expectations.

The little girl who used to constantly ask for his opinion, calling him "brother, brother," has developed her own opinions in less than a year.

That's good.

"So, what are my thoughts, everyone?"

Qin Fang spoke with a smile.

Everyone looked at him.

They knew that only Qin Fang could make the final decision.

"My opinion is the same as Xiaoyou's and Cai Chen's: we should fight, but we need to be careful about the methods."

Qin Fang calmly said, "If we want to develop and achieve what we want, then confronting the Guozhu family is inevitable... They have held power for many years, and suddenly a new force appears, with something they covet. They won't let go easily. If we don't make them feel the pain, we will have endless trouble."

"But what Lin Fan said is also true, so... we should fight without breaking apart."

"Let them feel pain, so they know we're not to be trifled with. But we can't really get angry with them, tear off the mask, and let the alien race benefit for nothing."

"So...we have to show our true colors."

Qin Fang squinted.

"Bright...sword?"

Bai Yangyang's big eyes were very clear, and she looked confused.

But the others... including Lu Dayong, were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then they all seemed to be thinking about something.

Qin Fang patiently guided him, asking, "In terms of background, we naturally can't compare to the Guozhu family. In terms of power, we're still far behind... So what is our biggest advantage?"

After a moment's thought, Cai Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes: "Profession?"

Qin Fang snapped his fingers: "Not bad, professional."

"All of our official members are epic classes."

"This is our biggest advantage."

"This is also what the Guozhu family most wants to obtain."

"The reason why the Guozhu family looks down on us now is because they are blinded by huge profits and the 'arrogance' they have cultivated over the years. They have forgotten or ignored the fact that they are about to face an organization composed entirely of epic-level professionals."

"So, we need to remind them."

"Let them wake up."

"But starting a direct attack is not advisable... The Guozhu family appears to us as a single entity, but in reality, it is divided into nine families. They will inevitably act independently... This is too disorganized. Once a conflict occurs, the extent and scale are difficult to predict. Therefore, we cannot give the initiative to the Guozhu family; we need to take control ourselves."

"So, I have an idea..."

Qin Fang then explained the solution he had previously come up with.

At first, everyone listened, but gradually, their eyes brightened.

Bai Yangyang, in particular, had eyes that were practically glowing like light bulbs!

As soon as Qin Fang finished speaking, Bai Yangyang was the first to eagerly raise his hand: "I support it! This is a great idea! It's bloodless, and it can also... cough cough, it can also draw our swords!"

Qin Fang ignored the excited Bai Yangyang and instead looked at the others: "What do you guys think?"

The others were still deep in thought.

After a moment, Cai Chen said, "Everything else is negotiable. There's just one problem... Is our current strength... enough to deter them?"

Qin Fang laughed and said, "This is the second thing I called you here for... Alright, we'll talk about this later, let's get down to business first."

After speaking, Qin Fang took out five contracts and placed them in front of the people except Qin Xiaoyou.

Qin Xiaoyou's eyes lit up slightly.

Everyone else... except for Cai Chen, who was slightly stunned, was somewhat puzzled.

"Boss, what's this?"

“That’s good… but I need to terminate your contract first, and then you’ll have to sign this new one. You’ll know what happens after you sign it.”

Qin Fang said with a smile.

Before anyone could react, he had a sudden thought and terminated the contracts of everyone except Qin Xiaoyou.

Bai Yangyang was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed in surprise, "Eh?! I, how did I turn back into a regular mage?!"

Lin Fan was also a little dazed... looking at his long-lost 'chef' panel.

Gu Yiyun stared blankly at the panel in front of her... She had turned back into an ordinary priest.

Only Cai Chen remained unmoved... He had already gone to pick up the new contract.

...After all, he had already experienced it once before.

Seeing their expressions, Qin Xiaoyou chuckled to herself before saying, "Alright, isn't there a contract? Sign it quickly. There are benefits to it."

Bai Yangyang and the others then came to their senses.

Suddenly I remembered... their transformation into epic classes also started with a contract.

Although they didn't understand why Qin Fang was doing this, they took a deep breath and began signing contracts one after another...

(End of this chapter)