Chapter 90 The backbone, alive, the competition restarts. The leader truly lives up to his reputation as a leader…
Although Fu Ze had noted down the name and address of the person with the [Transposition] ability in Yuan Jianxing's office that day, he simply couldn't find the time to go there despite his busy schedule.
He never imagined that being a star would be such a physically demanding job, requiring him to break his day into almost 48 hours.
One minute she's shooting an ad campaign for a new collection for a luxury brand, the next she's doing a movie review interview; one minute she's a guest on a variety show, the next she's representing the industry at a prestigious awards ceremony.
Even someone as energetic as Fu Ze was exhausted.
However, whenever he suggested taking a day off to complete his "finding the key" mission, Kang Lele's sister, Kang Yanyan, who is also Que Ling's official agent, would refuse his request with various perfectly legitimate reasons.
Therefore, Fu Ze's sympathy for Que Ling reached a new level.
No wonder this guy took the opportunity to catch up on sleep on the rooftop.
If it were him, he probably wouldn't even bother to drag a chair away and would just lie down on the spot.
This situation continued until a few days later, when Fu Ze received a message from the adjudication bureau:
[Dear Mr. Que Ling, Your auctioned item, Demon Lizard 757, is ready. Please make an appointment via the link at the end of this message and then collect it from the Judgment Bureau during business hours.]
When Fu Ze, who was "paralyzed" on the sofa, read the message to Kang Yanyan, her eyes widened instantly. "Wow, this is a big deal!"
After Fu Ze's previous activity at the golf course, the screenwriter finally made contact with the director.
After reading the script, the two hit it off immediately.
Now that the screenwriter, director, and lead actor have all expressed interest, capital immediately rushed in and various activities began.
Now that Fu Ze has acquired the Demon Lizard 757, it can be considered a formal conclusion to this collaboration.
After reviewing Que Ling's upcoming schedule, Kang Yan Yan thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow is too busy, so let's do it the day after tomorrow. There are fewer events that day, and the clients for the other engagements are easier to talk to."
As she typed a message on the screen with her newly done expensive nail polish, she said, "You've been telling me you need to rest every day lately, so why not take advantage of this opportunity? I'll take all your work off today, so you can just relax."
Hearing Kang Yanyan say this, Kang Lele also suggested, "Sis, why don't we go home and have dinner with Mom and Dad on the day that Brother Que Ling is off?"
Fu Ze, who had been lying motionless on the sofa, suddenly sat up.
You mean I'll have a whole day of completely free time?!
After confirming several times, fearing that Kang Yanyan might change her mind, Fu Ze immediately filled in the corresponding car pick-up time in the link attached to the message.
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As dawn broke, Fu Ze once again entered the Trial Bureau, and with practiced ease, he followed the exact same route as before to the consultation desk.
Unlike last time, upon seeing him, the executive sitting behind the consultation desk stood up and greeted him.
"Is this Mr. Que Ling?"
Despite having been notified in advance, he still couldn't be entirely sure that the visitor was Que Ling.
Compared to Que Ling, who participated in the recording at the training ground of the Adjudication Bureau, the person in front of me seems to have grown a lot of hair.
The normally long, slightly broken cap was wrapped around the back of the head from both sides in a laurel leaf pattern and tied into a small braid.
The hair at the back of the head falls naturally, neatly trimmed to the height of the person's collarbone.
Sensing the other person's hesitation, Fu Ze took off his sunglasses and smiled, "It's me."
Even though there's a possibility of having the same hairstyle and hair color, Que Ling's face, where "any more or less would be wrong," is unique.
After confirming the visitor's identity and informing his colleagues, the executive walked around the information desk and handed something to Fu Ze.
"The handover location is quite special. If any special circumstances arise, you may need to use this pass."
Upon receiving it and touching it, Fu Ze knew it was the same type of card as the trainee executive's.
However, the places for the photo, name, and number on it are blank.
He chuckled to himself.
What's this?
Are we back to square one?
That's fine too.
The executive officer leading the way was also having some doubts.
No matter how valuable the items are, previous handover activities were always conducted directly in the external area of the Adjudication Bureau. Why is this time it being arranged in the internal area that only executive officers can access on weekdays?
Although I don't quite understand why Yuan Jianxing made this arrangement, there must be a reason why the chief made this request, and I just need to carry it out.
-
After leading Fu Ze to a room and settling him in, the executive officer who had brought him there seemed to have received some urgent news and had to leave temporarily.
Fu Ze didn't mind. After sending away the apologetic executive, he took his seat on his own.
The building he is currently in is adjacent to the main hall of the Adjudication Bureau, but it is significantly taller than the main hall.
From Fu Ze's perspective at this moment, everything happening inside the auditorium was clearly visible through the windows near the ceiling.
Judging from the number of people flocking in, a high-level conference is about to be held there.
Since he had nothing better to do anyway, Fu Ze was happy to find something to keep himself occupied.
Such a high-profile performance isn't something you can hear just anytime.
I still remember the last time I came here, I was still using the Bogdan shell, under the identity of a trainee executive officer, sitting in a very back and uncomfortable seat in the auditorium, listening to Xu Xiezhi announce the punishment notice for Yuan Jianxing.
This time, he revisited the place using the body and identity of Que Ling, which he had only seen on screen before, and enjoyed this VIP-level treatment.
How can this not be considered a case of "things have changed, but people are no longer the same"?
Just as Fu Ze was reminiscing about the past, the preparatory work in the auditorium was completed. Below the double-headed lion symbolizing the Tribunal, a virtual projection that occupied almost an entire wall suddenly rose from the ground.
Fu Ze blinked knowingly as he glanced at the meeting title that flashed by.
Oh, it's still about the [key] after all.
It came to me without any effort at all.
Then I'd better listen carefully.
As a solemn melody resounded in the auditorium, all the executives present, regardless of their rank, stood up.
Fu Ze hesitated for a moment, then swayed slightly before settling back down on the sofa.
He... is no longer an executive officer.
Speaking of the executive officer, Fu Ze raised his hand and touched his empty collar, recalling the video conversation he had with Yuan Jianxing while sitting by the fountain in the clock tower square.
In the final part, Hara Mihoshi made a promise:
"Your collar insignia has arrived. I'll put it on you again after this is all over today."
“Liar,” Fu Ze muttered to himself.
At this moment, the melody in the auditorium finished playing, and all the executives took their seats again.
Just as Fu Ze thought it would be like last time, with several high-ranking leaders of the Adjudication Bureau taking turns to speak at the beginning of the conference.
However, at that moment, the virtual projector, which had been in standby mode, was reactivated, and the presentation document page switched directly to the topic of the meeting.
In the bright white light, a person stepped onto the podium.
Backlit, Fu Ze couldn't see the other person's face immediately.
But that silhouette alone was enough to make him gasp for breath.
It was Hara Mikihoshi.
When Yuan Jianxing finally stepped out of the projected light, Fu Ze noticed that there was a silver tassel below the badge on each side of the other's collar.
Although Fu Ze didn't know much about the rating standards for executives, nor did he understand what items executives of different ranks should wear, the fact that he could add items meant that Yuan Jianxing had been promoted.
He couldn't help but feel happy.
It was worth it to see the star.
Just like Hsu Hsieh-chih before, Yuan Chien-hsing, who stood at the back of the podium, first saluted the audience.
After turning around and standing still, he swept his piercing gaze across the audience and said in a deep voice:
"Recently, all staff at the General Administration of Arbitration have been working diligently to deal with the turmoil caused by the [key]."
"Previous oversights have cost us dearly—we've missed opportunities and incurred unnecessary losses."
"But the situation is still under control."
As he finished speaking, the projection behind him switched.
"Now we are able to pinpoint commonalities from the most subtle anomalies in seemingly unrelated cases, accurately identify the characteristics of the [key]'s abilities, and identify the holders behind it."
He paused slightly, letting each word fall heavily.
"But the nature of the [key] is far richer than we can imagine now."
Before he could finish speaking, Yuan Jianxing switched to the next page.
Unlike the previous pages filled with data and icons, this page only has a single, solitary ID photo.
Among the executives present, some clearly recognized the person in the photo.
After making inferences based on the preceding content of the speech, they couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
Fu Ze, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but widen his eyes in astonishment.
He never imagined that his, or rather Bogdan's, photo would appear on such a occasion.
Could it be that Yuan Jianxing thought Bogdan actually possessed the "key" back then, and that all his subsequent actions during the collaboration were just a show?
How could you be so heartless?
Facing the various gazes from the audience, Yuan Jianxing did not offer any explanation, but simply continued pressing the remote control pen in his hand.
In the projection, Bogdan's photo gradually shrank, followed by several other photos appearing on his left and right, extending outwards in succession.
Fu Ze's pupils suddenly contracted.
To the left of Bogdan are the ID photos of people like Wan Chuanqiu and Kazama Yage, who had to use their identities while investigating the [Key].
On the right side, most of the images are screenshots from internal surveillance footage of the Cummins Group.
They record the bodies that were replaced as they rose through the ranks at Cummins.
Some I still remember, like the badger's teeth; but many more have long since faded from memory.
Once all the photos have been displayed, a red line starts from the far left of the projection, runs right through each photo, and finally stops on the far right one.
Although Fu Ze didn't know who the man at the end of the red line was, he was very clear that it must be the body he was in when Lu Er took him away from Kangming Group.
Because he remembered that when he was in that body, he felt the skin at the corner of his eye being pulled abnormally every time he blinked.
This little oddity was finally explained in the photograph—there was a faint scar at the end of the body's eyebrow that connected to the corner of the eye.
Judging from the surrounding environment, this surveillance photo was taken shortly before the person arrived at the Dragon Ridge office on the top floor.
The man in the surveillance video was bathed in the dim, yellowish ceiling light that had been carefully adjusted by the designers inside the Kangming Group building. His smile was full of an arrogant and domineering sense of certainty.
Was that really the expression I had back then?
Turning his gaze away from the slanted window near the ceiling, Yuan Jianxing continued, "Among those present, perhaps some have already noticed something from the cases related to these photos."
"That's right, there's someone else hiding among these people."
"A cunning and troublesome person."
"He may possess a special ability similar to 'dying and being reborn'."
The phrase "death and rebirth," derived from "death and resurrection," is quite simple and clear in meaning, yet it sent chills down the spines of the executives present.
"The whereabouts of the last known body he inhabited is unknown."
Although Hara no Hoshi did not draw a definitive conclusion, many executives had already realized what was going on.
In other words, this suspect with the ability to "die and be reborn" may have already changed bodies once again.
"From this moment on, no one should be careless in any action."
"And you absolutely must not inflict fatal injuries on the suspect."
"I want it, alive!"
It wasn't until that last sentence that Yuan Jianxing's tone carried a hint of his personal emotion, rather than that of the CEO representing the highest honor.
In another building, Fu Ze slowly raised his hands.
He then began to clap his hands, starting slowly and gradually increasing the speed.
Although he was the only one in the space, the echo made his clear and lonely applause sound like a roaring mountain and a tsunami.
Amidst the lonely yet boisterous applause, Fu Ze exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "A leader truly deserves to be called a leader."
The chief, indeed the chief.
Fu Ze could roughly guess which opportunity led Yuan Jianxing to discover his secret.
Or rather, it would be strange if Yuan Jianxing never discovered it, or never even suspected it.
But……
Instantly, Fu Ze's applause stopped.
He straightened up and, taking advantage of the terrain, looked down at Yuan Jianxing.
Even if you get to this point, do you think you can trace it back to the current Sparrow Feather?
It's important to know that this incident occurred on the edge of the world.
No matter how much fate has blessed you, it is impossible for you to go to a place that doesn't exist for ordinary people, and then find that body that may have already been torn apart and carried away by birds and beasts.
However, since you've declared war with such fanfare, it would seem disrespectful of me not to respond.
Okay.
—This cat-and-mouse game, which was interrupted by an accident, is now restarting.
Just as Yuan Jianxing switched to the next topic, the executive officer, who had had to leave for a while due to urgent news, returned.
"Mr. Que Ling, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." He wiped the sweat from his brow and apologized repeatedly. "I'll take you to get your car right now."
"Not long, not long," Fu Ze slowly turned around and smiled sincerely.
As he moved, his unbraided, shoulder-length gray hair cascaded lightly into the light, making him appear as if he were about to disappear into it.
"In fact, it came at just the right time."
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Author's note: Stop! [Pity] Please stop! [Pity]
Go beat them on the bed if you want [poor thing].
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