MCL CH99

Chapter 99: “What’s wrong, sister-in-law, take your time…”
 

The atmosphere in the United Administration headquarters conference room was tense.

At such a critical juncture, the heads of each Administration were nearly overwhelmed in their respective fields. The fact that they could all gather in one place was enough to show the severity of the situation.

Evidently, as the Executor, Gu Beiqiu had received the intelligence firsthand. Only a few minutes had passed between the official announcement of the news and the assembly of all members. Although many at the long conference table were participating via holographic projection, this was definitely the most complete gathering of the United Administration’s top brass ever. When Lin Xi entered, he swept a casual glance and noticed that this time, all the directors of the twelve United Administration were present. Some of these people were definitely old acquaintances, while others were new faces who had likely been promoted during Gu Beiqiu’s tenure. But regardless, this room alone could almost represent the highest power in China, aside from the X-rank ability users.

As he walked into the conference room, Lin Xi could feel the gazes of others following him. He paid it no mind. Not only was he not the least bit uncomfortable, but he even met their gazes with a kind smile and a wave to each person, appearing perfectly approachable and easy to talk to.

The appointment to take over the Third Administration had come down quickly, and coupled with the series of overwhelming messes that followed, this was, in the strictest sense, Lin Xi’s first formal meeting with these “colleagues” of his.

The previous head of the Third Administration was Su Qiuyin. It is said that a leader’s temperament often influences a department’s external image. Having grown accustomed to the cold shoulder they always received when dealing with the Third Administration, they were all slightly stunned to be treated so pleasantly by Lin Xi.

Spotting the only empty seat in the room, Lin Xi strode over with his long legs and sat down with great composure.

The eyes in the room followed him the whole way. After all, seeing is believing. Everyone wanted to know what kind of man had so captivated Yan Xingzhou. They never expected that, compared to them, Lin Xi’s demeanor from the moment he appeared was more natural, as if he were returning to his own home.

Just as Lin Xi sat down, he felt someone lean over. He turned his head and met a pair of smiling eyes.

He blinked, instantly recognizing the adjutant who used to stick to Yan Xingzhou like an accessory, though he was now the director of the Ninth Administration.

Lin Xi naturally had a favorable impression of this trusted subordinate of Yan Xingzhou. He graciously accepted the hot tea that was offered. “Director Su, thank you.”

“You’re welcome, it’s my pleasure.” Of everyone present, Su Muye was the most exaggerated. From the moment Lin Xi entered, his gaze had been practically glued to him. After watching Lin Xi take a sip of the tea he offered, his face broke into an even more beaming smile. “After all, you have to deal with our Administration’s… boss… ahem, I mean President Yan. It must be tough on you.”

Lin Xi found the man quite amusing and gave him an extra glance with a smile. “It’s alright, not that tough.”

“How could it not be!” Su Muye had clearly found someone he could gossip about Yan Xingzhou with. He immediately leaned in conspiratorially and lowered his voice. “I know our boss’s temper. With things being so chaotic outside recently, he has to handle the Wanyuan Group’s affairs while also dealing with those annoying people from the Central Research Institute. We can only trouble you to be a little more patient with him.”

Lin Xi’s eyes narrowed slightly. He slowly placed the teacup back on the table and very naturally picked up on Su Muye’s words. “What, they’re still pestering him over there?”

“Aren’t they just!” Su Muye had no idea he had let it slip and sighed helplessly. “I mean, if they really need some equipment, they can just come to our Ninth Administration, right? Have we ever not approved an equipment application submitted by their research institute? But now, knowing full well that our boss can’t stand them, they’re bypassing us to go directly to the Wanyuan Group. Whether they have any sense is one thing, but if they really need to bring in equipment, we should be the ones to make the connection. They’ve been put on a pedestal for too long, their eyes are really in the sky. They don’t even know how to follow procedures.”

Lin Xi let out a soft, inscrutable laugh.

Well done, Yan Xingzhou. So this is what you were hiding from me.

Shen Nanyang was never one to casually disregard procedures. The only possible reason he would bypass the Ninth Administration this time was—the target of his cooperation was never the Wanyuan Group, but rather, Yan Xingzhou.

So, what could the content of this cooperation be, that it would require the great Professor Shen to cast aside his pride and proactively face Yan Xingzhou’s cold shoulder?

“Sister-in-law, you also think those guys are annoying, right?”

Lin Xi weighed the teacup a few times. He had just raised it to his lips and taken a sip when the tea unexpectedly sprayed out. “Pfft—! Cough, cough, cough.”

Feeling the gazes of those around him suddenly converge on him, he lowered his head to catch his breath while waving his hand to signal that he was fine.

“What’s wrong, sister-in-law, take your time.” Su Muye was perceptive enough to hand over a napkin. It wasn’t until Lin Xi took it and glanced up at him that a chill ran down his spine, almost like an illusion, making him realize his mistake. “Ah… from a gender perspective, calling you sister-in-law does seem a bit inappropriate—right?”

Lin Xi had recovered and asked with a smile, “What do you think?”

Another chill ran through his body, finally confirming for Su Muye that the near-death feeling from a moment ago was no illusion. “……….”

Seized by a subconscious sense of obedience he couldn’t explain, he asked very meekly after a few seconds of silence, “Then what do you think I should call you? Given the private relationship between our two departments, Director Lin feels a bit too formal.”

Lin Xi wanted to remind him that since Yan Xingzhou left the United Administration, he strictly speaking had no relationship with the Ninth Administration anymore. But seeing that Su Muye was genuinely thinking about it, he answered anyway, “Just call me Brother Lin.”

“Brother… Lin?” Su Muye looked at Lin Xi, who didn’t appear any older than him. After being swept by another glance, he blurted out, “Alright, I’ll call you Brother Lin then.”

As he finished speaking, a faint coughing sound was heard again, only this time it wasn’t from Lin Xi.

Evidently, the people from the other agencies nearby who had heard their conversation were clearly choked up by Su Muye’s shameless behavior.

Fortunately, at that moment, Gu Beiqiu finally spoke, officially getting to the point. “Alright, since everyone is here, let’s officially begin today’s meeting. I believe you have all read the documents sent to your mailboxes. This matter did indeed happen rather suddenly. I’ve gathered you all here to have a contingency plan in advance.”

The already less-than-relaxed atmosphere in the room instantly became more solidified.

After a moment, someone spoke in a solemn tone. “Those few coastal cities in R Country couldn’t have fallen completely overnight. It’s obvious there was a rift-clearing accident within their country long ago, and they only chose to make it public now because they couldn’t cover it up any longer. Based on the information in the documents, the earliest cities fell at least three days ago. Calculating for the worst-case scenario, our country’s coast will probably soon…”

The others naturally understood what he meant. The director of the Seventh Administration, Geng Yulin, said coldly, “This is definitely a special-threat level incident. My side will directly apply to the Global Ability Management Bureau for an international tribunal.”

“Your Seventh Administration can follow up on the tribunal. The most urgent matter right now is to deal with the coastal crisis.” As Gu Beiqiu spoke, he looked towards Lin Xi. “According to the functional division, rift-related cleanup tasks should be handled by the Third Administration. Considering Director Lin has just taken office, I’ve made some other arrangements in advance. You should already be aware of this, right?”

Lin Xi of course knew he was referring to Su Qiuyin. “Of course. The person the Executor provided is very useful.”

Gu Beiqiu nodded. “In the coming period, all resources of the United Administration will be handed over to the Third Administration for overall coordination. If you have any problems or needs during this time, you can come to me. I hope we can unite as one and safely get through this crisis.”

Lin Xi smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, Executor. Coordination is something I’m familiar with.”

With that one sentence, not only the heads of the other agencies, but even Su Muye sitting next to him almost lost his composure. “……….”

Someone next to him cleared his throat softly and spoke, still tactfully, “Executor, I feel that for such an important matter concerning the life and death of all of China, we should still be more cautious.”

Gu Beiqiu rubbed his temples with a headache. “I have made arrangements. Su Qiuyin will assist the Third Administration with all subsequent work.”

Hearing Su Qiuyin’s name, the expressions on the others’ faces finally relaxed.

Although he wasn’t popular within the United Administration on a daily basis, when it came to personal strength, no one would have the slightest doubt about Su Qiuyin.

Amidst the slightly dissipated tension in the room, Lin Xi couldn’t help but sigh.

To be fair, he was really familiar with coordinating the United Administration, to the point where it was second nature.

It’s just that in this situation, no one actually believed it.

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