Chapter 1096: The Meeting Room Showdown

“Minister Zhao, please wait.”

The meeting had just wrapped up. The Base Director and Department Head Yang had already left the room, and the rest of the attendees were getting ready to go when Xia Qing’s voice rang out.

Instantly, no one was in a rush anymore. Everyone slowly gathered up their papers and pens, ears perked up.

The deputy director acted like he hadn’t heard a thing. He picked up the files on the table and left the room at a quick pace, heading straight for the monitoring room.

Zhao Baolin had already taken a step out the door, but froze and turned back, forcing himself to appear calm. “Xia— Xia Qing…”

Xia Qing, still seated, lazily lifted her eyelids. “Minister Zhao, you know how busy I am, so let’s not waste time with pleasantries. I’ll just get to the point. Was your suggestion just now to stuff people into the Ninth Center and Hill Fifty, or are you trying to take my territory?”

……

!!!

As expected from a sniper—Xia Qing was as direct as they come. The people in the meeting room silently popped pen caps off then back on and shuffled documents that were already neat, eyes cast down, pretending to stay busy but listening in rapt silence.

For the past few months, they’d attended several meetings with Xia Qing. Their impression was always that she kept quiet and followed the rules. They never expected that once her interests were at stake she’d draw her knife without hesitation and cut the politeness straight out.

Now, Zhao was really up against a brick wall. Tian Jiawen, head of the Territory Management Department, kept his head down, secretly gloating.

Being called out by a young subordinate in front of so many people, Zhao Baolin—almost fifty—lost his dignity, and it stung even more than if he’d simply lost face. But compared to dignity, he valued his life more. “Xia Qing, you misunderstand, I…”

But under Xia Qing’s razor-sharp gaze, Zhao Baolin didn’t dare continue.

“If it’s the first, then give me the list now and I’ll run it by Third Brother. If it’s the second—” Xia Qing pressed the end of her mechanical pencil with her right index finger. A sharp “click” echoed; it made Zhao Baolin flinch.

“—then tell me who wants my territory. I’ll go have a little talk with them myself.”

That look in her eye, that move—she wasn’t just going to ‘talk’. She looked ready to kill.

Zhao Baolin looked on the verge of tears. “Xia Qing, I really… I’m not— I honestly just care about you, I don’t want you to…”

Xia Qing fixed him with a cold stare, making him fall silent and tremble before shifting topics. “So, who told you that the Lord of Territory Fourteen lost control and was hospitalized because of me?”

Tian Jiawen, who’d been quietly enjoying the drama, shuddered in fear. When Zhao Baolin turned to look at him, his scalp nearly tingled right off. He rushed to explain, “Deputy Director Xia, I never phrased it that way. I only said that after the Lord of Territory Fourteen had a mental breakdown, he kept… cursing at you.”

Not clarifying wasn’t an option. With Xia Qing’s attitude today, she was clearly ready to tear off all pretenses and make a scene. No one was getting off easy if she did.

After all, she’s a lord, an advanced evolutionary, a sniper, and the main contact between Hui Three and Zhang San… If she storms off back to Section One of the North, nothing would happen to her. The rest of them? They’re stuck here with no escape.

Xia Qing nodded at Tian Jiawen, then turned her smile on Zhao Baolin again. “Looks like your hearing’s the problem. You should probably get it checked at the hospital.”

“Alright… okay…”

Just as Zhao Baolin thought he was finally off the hook, Xia Qing spoke up again. “Back at the Planting Division meeting, I often heard you complain about the department keeping dozens of layabouts who don’t do anything. You know I’m short on people over here—why not loan me a few of your idlers?”

Zhao Baolin thought Xia Qing was throwing him a lifeline and immediately perked up. “Of course! I even told the Base Director and Department Head earlier that the Planting Division will fully support the territory reforms. I’ll go back and pick out…”

Xia Qing shook her head. “No need for you to bother with that, Director Yan.”

“Yes.” Yan Yue stepped forward.

“I’ve already contacted Third Brother. He agreed to the Department Head’s proposal to merge Territory Fourteen into our center. Contact Deputy Minister Yue right away—have him pick twenty ‘idle’ people from the Planting Division today or tomorrow, put them on the Ninth Center’s recruitment list, and give it to Third Brother. Once the roster is set, work with Director Zhao on the handover and have them start as soon as possible.”

“If any have direct family, their families can move into the Ninth Center with them. Kids of eligible age can transfer to the Ninth Center School right away.”

“Understood.” Yan Yue accepted the orders, calm as ever.

Could Zhao Baolin have refused? He was actually starting to tear up.

If he could turn back the clock three hours, he’d never have dared offend this fiend for a tiny bit of gain…

Xia Qing couldn’t care less about his tears. With business finished, she stood up and left the meeting room with Yan Yue.

Back in the Department Head’s office, Base Director Qi Zhongye stared at Xia Qing’s departing figure on the screen, eyes blazing.

Yang Benming reminded his boss quietly, “By doing this, Xia Qing’s making it clear to everyone she has no interest in Safe Zone affairs. But if anyone tries to move against her territory, she won’t care whose toes she steps on—she’ll fight you directly.”

And ‘everyone’ included you, too—no point coveting her land.

Qi Zhongye shot Yang Benming a withering look. “She’s an advanced evolutionary. She might not care now, but that doesn’t mean she won’t in ten, twenty, or fifty years. As for you—why’s your department still such a mess after all this time?”

Yang Benming fell silent. He, too, wished he could round up all those lazy, slippery loafers, but there’s no need to explain the difficulties—Base Director already knew.

Building the base? Still a long road ahead.

Qi Zhongye got up. “Tell Xia Qing not to go overboard—don’t strip the Territory Management Department bare.”

If the Ninth Planting Center really poached twenty capable workers, the entire Territory Management Department would collapse.

As soon as Xia Qing stepped out of the Agriculture Department’s main gates, the hot air pressed in, but she felt she could finally breathe easy.

Yang Jin opened the car door and approached. Xia Qing and Yan Yue weren’t people to wear their emotions on their faces, so it was impossible to tell how the meeting had gone. “Xia Qing, Yue-jie, I reserved us a table. Should we head over now?”

Yan Yue had no intention of being a third wheel, so she asked Xia Qing, “Director, I want to meet a friend. I’ll skip the meal with you two.”

After Xia Qing nodded, Yang Jin added, “The Safe Zone isn’t as secure as Section One of the North. Wang Liang, Ma Jun, go with Yue-jie.”

“Yes.” Yang Jin’s teammates Wang Liang and Ma Jun accepted the order and accompanied Yan Yue, who wore a prosthetic, as she left.

With countless eyes following her, Xia Qing got into Yang Jin’s car and left the Agriculture Department. After enjoying a hearty lunch at a restaurant, she returned to the Qinglong base and called Zhang San, Yue Haiying, and Shizhong. That afternoon, she headed back to the Agriculture Department again.

With the aftershock of her morning fury still in the air, Xia Qing quickly completed the process of merging Territory Fourteen into the Ninth Center. With Tan Junjie accompanying her, she also helped reissue the land certificate for Territory Ten.

Territory Ten sat between the Ninth Planting Center and Territory Fourteen. For construction needs, Xia Qing called Shizhong’s family to negotiate, and swapped the locations of Territory Fourteen and Territory Ten.

The exchange conditions Xia Qing offered were too tempting. Shizhong and his family agreed on the spot.