Purpose?

As envoys from every base crowded into Nandu Base, the number of seats was increased severalfold, as were the food and drinks. Yet despite the haste, the banquet was completed right on time, fully displaying Nandu Base's solid foundations and leaving quite a few people who had been waiting to see it make fools of itself feeling their faces sting.

Night fell quickly in the apocalypse. By six in the evening, the sun had already set, and the banquet began as scheduled. The enormous dining hall was decorated in splendid gold and jade, with a massive long table at its center. Every seat was occupied by someone in formal attire with no small background.

Shangguan Rong sat at the head of the table. Facing so many pairs of eyes fixed directly on him, he felt considerable pressure. Why had this whole bunch of people all rushed to Nandu Base today?

To see Chu Han?

Probably not...

Shangguan Yuxin sat beside her father, equally tense. Counting those present, aside from Shangjing Base and Duan Family Base, nearly every one of the top hundred bases in China had sent someone. Such a grand gathering rivaled Shangjing Base's annual meeting.

The only difference, and the fortunate part, was that the status of the visitors was still manageable. None of the major bases had sent their leaders; they had dispatched their respective envoys instead. As for the other medium-sized bases, in order to save face, most had sent people with ranks just below their leaders that were respectable enough to show.

As everyone took their seats in turn, exchanged pleasantries, and waited for the banquet to begin, the seat beside Shangguan Rong remained empty from beginning to end. Naturally, everyone present knew perfectly well which fellow had the nerve to be late!

"Although most