Chapter 477: A Meeting of Critical Decisions

Han Bing led Lu Xin via the elevator to the east side of the fourth floor of the Special Cleaning Department.

They walked along a long corridor until they reached a heavily guarded office.

Along the way, they passed several large doors equipped with detectors; with each door, the machine blared loudly…

Han Bing repeatedly explained to the staff manning the detectors:

“It’s all good. This is Mr. Lone Soldier.”

“…”

After hearing Han Bing’s introduction, the staff only gave a deep glance at Lu Xin’s black bag before letting them through.

It was all rather odd—others weren’t allowed to bring guns into this meeting room. But for Mr. Lone Soldier, carrying a gun actually made him seem safer. So as soon as they heard his name, they let him pass without further ado.

After several explanations, they finally entered a sealed office at the end of the passage as the massive black door slowly closed behind them.

Lu Xin observed that the room was a meeting hall large enough to seat hundreds, lavishly decorated with only the front row illuminated. At the front, a huge screen and a host podium presided over the space—even though only a scant dozen people occupied the best seats.

Moreover, those seated appeared to be quite mature in age, with a row of bald heads in the light of the screen shining subtly from the back.

“Mr. Lone Soldier has arrived.”

Han Bing quietly announced, prompting many of the bald men in the front row to turn their heads.

“Hello everyone…”

Lu Xin nodded to the bald and balding individuals, then, at Han Bing’s signal, took a seat in the front.

Seated beside him was Professor Chen, with Professor Bai in the front.

Next to Professor Bai sat the round-faced Mr. Su, who turned over with a friendly air to gently shake Lu Xin’s hand.

“Hello, Lone Soldier. Ever since the Sea Country incident, I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“I never got the chance until now…”

“…”

Lu Xin courteously returned the handshake and replied, “Maybe later. I’ve been swamped lately.”

Mr. Su smiled and nodded as he turned away.

Behind Lu Xin, Han Bing’s expression grew strangely pensive.

After sitting down, Lu Xin casually scanned the room, noting that the gathering was far from small.

Nearly all of Qinggang’s Six Freaks were present.

Also in attendance were Mr. Su, Minister Shen, Professor Bai, Chen Jing, and others.

There were also several unfamiliar faces—given they shared seats with these prominent figures, their status could not be low.

In particular, Lu Xin distinctly sensed that many had been covertly sizing him up since he arrived.

So he smiled and greeted them with a nod.

Those who caught his glance either awkwardly smiled and averted their eyes…

or quickly looked away as if caught doing something wrong.

……

……

“Alright, since Mr. Lone Soldier has arrived, our meeting will now commence.”

The meeting was very straightforward—there wasn’t an official host or even a formal opening notice.

Professor Bai simply glanced around, and with everyone present, he rose and stepped onto the stage, saying, “Today’s meeting is mainly to report the handling of the Happy Town incident and to discuss a plan.”

He didn’t beat around the bush or prepare any supplementary materials. He went straight to the point:

“As of now, Qinggang’s Special Cleaning Department has established preliminary stable relations with Happy Town.”

“During the Queen’s weakest period, we received an outpouring of goodwill from her.”

“Furthermore, after thorough observation and assessment, we are confident that this goodwill will last for quite some time.”

“Of course, the real negotiations will have to wait a while longer—we are already drafting Qinggang’s conditions.”

“This matter is part of a separate project with detailed documentation prepared, so I won’t belabor the details.”

“What I want to address today is the issue that emerged during this mission.”

“In the Happy Town incident, because of the Technology Church’s involvement, Qinggang was woefully unprepared, resulting in severe casualties and losses.”

“In all, twenty-eight researchers and 132 elite members of the Investigation Team lost their lives. Additionally, during the cleanup of mental turbulence, eleven soldiers and two ability users were sacrificed, with 31 others injured…”

“As for the resource consumption during this operation, it reached astronomical numbers.”

“Nearly half of Qinggang’s accumulation over the past decade was expended in this mission.”

“Ladies and gentlemen…”

He lightly tapped on the host podium, then raised his voice, “Our victory against the Technology Church was largely built on the personal capabilities of Mr. Lone Soldier and Doll. Yet, despite that, we still incurred massive casualties and resource drains. What are your thoughts on this victory?”

“Are we relieved or terrified?”

“…”

Unexpectedly hearing his name mentioned, Lu Xin felt a slight blush of embarrassment.

He sensed even more eyes discreetly watching him.

“What I mentioned earlier was only superficial losses…”

Professor Bai continued, “Another issue was raised by Mr. Su. With the frequent and intensifying mental pollution incidents, all Qinggang law enforcement has been pushed to its limits—even to the brink of collapse…”

“I’m not exaggerating.”

“If a similar event were to occur again, Qinggang’s chance of success would be under 50%.”

“Even if we prevail, even the slightest mistake in any part of the process could trigger internal conflicts leading to collapse…”

“…an 80% chance at worst!”

“…”

Even though they were discussing a completed mission, Professor Bai’s final words brought a heavy, inexplicable gloom over everyone.

Especially for Lu Xin, who hadn’t been too concerned with such matters before—after all, he was just a minor official from the Second Satellite City. Yet, having recently discussed these issues with Han Bing, he now felt them deeply.

But why did Professor Bai bring up this issue now?

Wasn’t it something he and Han Bing had already discussed—a problem with no clear solutions?

When faced with special pollution, one simply can’t ignore it.

Ordinary people are simply too vulnerable against it; they have to be protected.

Lu Xin listened intently as Professor Bai spoke.

He noticed that the bald and balding individuals around him began to adopt more serious expressions.

Many of them must have already understood the gravity behind this meeting.

Yet even hearing these words, their faces instinctively turned grim.

The atmosphere grew slightly oppressive, and Lu Xin suddenly sensed an addition to the room.

He instinctively glanced back and saw that three more people had seated themselves in the rows behind him.

A little head lazily rested against the chair back while two small feet extended forward, casually draped over the shoulder of Professor Chen Liqing’s daughter.

Seated elegantly with a radiant smile on her face was Mom.

And with a disdainful, icy expression sat Father…

Right behind him was Han Bing.

He thought he was watching her, offering a gentle smile and a nod that encouraged her to continue paying attention to the meeting.

Little did she know, a dignified lady had already taken a seat beside her.

Does family care about this meeting too?

……

“I’m not saying all this to instill pessimism,”

Professor Bai continued from the podium, “I’m simply laying out a fact: Special pollution isn’t a rare, diminishing event—it is growing stronger and diversifying, posing an enormous threat to Qinggang and even all of humanity.”

“Both our observations and data from the Moon Eclipse Research Institute confirm this.”

“Now, can we truly fight against this threat?”

“…”

After posing the question, he scanned the room and answered himself,

“Yes. The events involving Sea Country and Happy Town prove it.”

But then his tone shifted:

“Now, however, our challenge isn’t whether we can resist. Since its inception, Qinggang’s aim has been to restore the order of the Pre-Civilization Era and protect those who choose to enter the High Wall.”

“But every instance of pollution brings overwhelming casualties—that isn’t our goal.”

“Our objective isn’t to defeat every pollution incident, but to minimize its threat.”

“We aim to push the pollution as far away from Qinggang as possible!”

“……”

Lu Xin looked up in mild astonishment at the old man addressing the stage.

Every time he had encountered a special pollution incident—even after resolving it—a lingering bitterness remained.

Sometimes he wondered why, and now he suddenly understood.

Defeating the pollution wasn’t the goal.

The goal was to ensure the pollution harmed fewer people.

Crack—crack…

Behind Lu Xin, Mom, who was beside Han Bing, broke into a gentle applause with a smile.

Yet, no one heard her clapping.

Up on stage, Professor Bai remained oblivious to the secret applause.

When the discussion reached this point, Professor Bai’s face darkened even further. He sighed and said, “From this perspective, Qinggang’s Special Cleaning Department—or even if you count other High Wall Cities in the Alliance—have not performed well at all.”

“Mental pollution is virtually everywhere. It can originate inside the walls or emerge from the wasteland.”

“It might be manipulated by hostile ability users or driven by ambitious warlords. We can never completely evade it…”

“And its nature means that we only notice the signs once it has wrought considerable harm. Then we scramble to investigate, to stop its spread, to clear the pollution sources—eventually exhausting ourselves…”

“Just like now. We’re all working so hard, yet the instances of pollution keep increasing…”

“……”

Lu Xin’s gaze began to drift as he felt a vague loss of focus.

Ordinary people are too weak to resist special pollution.

Especially since many still remain unaware of the abyss’s existence or that the great crisis is inevitable.

No one can stop the final eruption of the abyss, nor can anyone stop the relentless rise of pollution.

Even the Research Institute seems to have surrendered to despair on this matter.

“So…”

At this point, Professor Bai hit the nail on the head as he stated, “From the very beginning, we’ve been considering how to fundamentally alleviate even solve this problem!”

“……”

“Huh?”

Lu Xin looked up in astonishment, his pupils widening slightly.

His expression remained impassive, though he felt a flicker of shock inside.

Was he speaking of solving the problem?

Behind Lu Xin, Mom’s face broke into a mysterious smile.

Father’s eyes turned cold, clearly filled with disdain.

As for Sister…

“Sister was curiously peering at Han Bing, oblivious to what was being said on stage.”

When Professor Bai reached this point, his gaze fell upon Lu Xin, as if trying to read his expression. But all he saw was calm indifference.

So he continued, “This is what we have been researching all along: the Heaven’s Kingdom Plan.”

……

“Wow!”

When Professor Bai uttered the words “Heaven’s Kingdom Plan,” murmurs erupted among the audience.

Lu Xin wasn’t sure how many had known about the plan in advance, but it was clear that the name itself carried immense weight. Whether researchers, professors, or seasoned politicians, every man present showed a hint of moved emotion—though it was hard to tell whether it was excitement or worry.

Professor Bai pressed on:

“The Heaven’s Kingdom Plan was conceived after we truly understood the nature of special pollution.”

“In myth, demons seduce humanity, leading them to fall and sink into hell.”

“Demons are everywhere and ever-changing—ordinary people can’t withstand them.”

“But there are places demons cannot reach—that is Heaven. If ordinary people wish to avoid demonic temptation, they must enter Heaven after death and hide beneath the wings of God, thus escaping the demons and finding everlasting joy and peace.”

“…”

At this point, Professor Bai’s gaze grew resolutely intense.

It had been a long time since Lu Xin had seen such unwavering determination on an ordinary person’s face.

In a way, he even felt that Professor Bai’s voice had grown so powerful, as if it would ascend to the heavens:

“We’re not willing to wait until after death to find peace. So, we will create Heaven right here among us.”

“We won’t beg for divine protection; instead, we will forge our own god.”

“That is the very core of Qinggang’s Heaven’s Kingdom Plan!”