"Very smoothly," Dr. Zhang said. "The members of several squads performed well in their sweep of the wilderness this time, eliminating multiple gangs and Supporter-system organizations. They’ve also secured first place in multiple challenges."
"That Bai Xuewu you’re so optimistic about, how many has she won?" Gao Liangwei asked.
Dr. Zhang looked embarrassed at the question. "Bai Xuewu has secured about twenty so far."
"Twenty?" Gao Liangwei’s brow furrowed instantly. "Why so few? I recall some Ascenders were willing to sell the rights to create their challenges via trade, weren’t they?"
"Yes."
Some Ascenders living in the shelters felt they were too uncompetitive, unable to even beat the people inside their own shelter, so they decided to sell off their challenges.
Of course, the officials were willing to spend some Sublimation Coins to buy them, using them to customize more first-place victories for specific personnel.
Under these circumstances, with the rules now in their middle phase, twenty first-place wins for Bai Xuewu really wasn’t a lot.
"Actually, there’s a reason for that," Dr. Zhang explained. "Because Bai Xuewu is rather introverted and doesn’t like to go out, she doesn’t want to travel to the challenges that are farther away. Besides, I think the main reason is her own resistance to the whole idea."
"Resistance?"
"Yes. She feels like it’s stealing other people’s Psychic Power, and she’s very against doing it."
Gao Liangwei frowned. "We’re not running some kind of forced Supporter system. She should be clear on that point, right?"
"I’ve explained that to her, of course, but that girl’s personality... In short, you can’t force her. Besides, I think twenty first-place wins is plenty. She might get a few more later on."
Gao Liangwei said, displeased, "She’s being so willful. Has she considered that other countries’ Official Teams might have people who can secure fifty, a hundred, or even more first-place wins? If winning more firsts increases the upper limit of one’s Psychic Power, how big will the gap become?"
Dr. Zhang looked helpless, and Gao Liangwei knew he had a point. Just as he’d said, you couldn’t force such things.
"Dragon Soul’s group has secured enough, I assume? All five of them have military backgrounds. Obeying orders is their duty."
"Yes, they are very cooperative. The team leader, Dragon Soul, has already taken over eighty first-place wins. The other members have quite a few as well, and their numbers will continue to increase."
"It’s still not enough. Have them speed up and get more."
After Gao Liangwei finished, he noticed Dr. Zhang hesitating and immediately told him to speak his mind.
"It’s like this," Dr. Zhang said. "After thinking about it carefully these past few days, I feel this rule might have a hidden danger."
"A hidden danger?"
"Director, you must still remember the first rule. The hidden rule was that knocking someone out could get you a [Sober Mint Candy], but those who used the item generally ended up with lower Psychic Power caps than those who didn’t..."
Hearing this, Gao Liangwei immediately understood what Dr. Zhang was implying.
"Are you suggesting that this rule about taking first place from others might have similar repercussions after it ends?"
"Yes. Think about it, Director. In the end, that information about the hidden rule just came from a sale by the admin of the Ascender’s Home website. We don’t know if it’s true, or if there are any negative consequences later on. We can only wait for the rule to end to verify it."
"So I feel we can’t bet everything on this... If there really are negative consequences, it could cause huge problems."
"You have a point," Gao Liangwei mused for a moment. "We can’t put all our eggs in one basket. Let Dragon Soul’s team continue to secure more first-place wins. As for Bai Xuewu, since she’s so resistant, we won’t force her to get more."
"That’s what I was thinking, too," said Dr. Zhang.
Just as he finished speaking, a series of urgent knocks came from the door.
"Come in."
"Director!" a young reporting officer rushed in. "Our intelligence department just received a message. A large-scale Sponsor Organization with a suspected two thousand victims has been discovered!"
"What? Two thousand people!"
Dr. Zhang shot up from his seat in shock, and Gao Liangwei’s expression darkened.
’What kind of wilderness organization could control two thousand people?’
"Yes. And more importantly, that wilderness organization is located within the Yongzhou Mountain Range Group."
"The Yongzhou Mountain Range Group." Gao Liangwei couldn’t stay seated either. He stood up, his gaze exceptionally sharp. "That’s just over a hundred kilometers from Capital Yong’an. For such a large-scale Sponsor Organization to exist so close to the Capital, it’s utter lawlessness... Dr. Zhang!"
"Yes, Director."
"Have Squad One assemble at the designated location immediately. I’ll dispatch a five-hundred-man armed unit to support them. They will proceed to the organization’s stronghold by air transport at once."
"Yes, sir. I’ll contact Dragon Soul right away."
After Dr. Zhang and the reporting officer left, Gao Liangwei hadn’t even sat back down when the landline on his desk began to ring.
He stared at the ringing phone, his gaze profound, and let it ring more than a dozen times before picking it up.
"The organization discovered in the Yongzhou Mountain Range will be handled by another agency," a voice said over the phone, leaving no room for argument.
Gao Liangwei said, "Unfortunately, I’ve already dispatched a combat team."
"Then have them pull back."
"I’m afraid I can’t do that. They’re already on the plane!"