Raising Bandits to Bolster Oneself, with the Governor as the Bandit

"The breath of death, yet the plague's aura is very faint. A newborn little plague demon?"

A gentle voice echoed across the wasteland.

A stunningly beautiful woman, as if stepping out of a painting, changed into a light blue silk robe and carried a man in black robes with one hand.

She exhaled softly, and the black robe turned to dust, revealing the dark red skeleton beneath.

"God of Plague"

The woman shook her head slightly, about to tear the little plague demon to shreds.

"Slow!!"

At the most perilous moment, Zhang Fusheng finally took control of the body of the plague demon; the bones rubbed together, emitting a piercing, grating sound.

"Miss Mingyue, wait a moment, it's me!"

Miss Mingyue was slightly taken aback:

"Who are you?"

"Zhang Fusheng!"

The distance was still too great, and the plague demon contained too much pathogenic energy, so Zhang Fusheng's thoughts were extremely dry and hesitant when trying to control them remotely.

"Young Master Zhang?"

A look of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes. She quickly let go and asked softly:

"How come it's you? How did you become the little God of Plague?"

Zhang Fusheng said with a headache:

"It's a long story. I am a wisp of my spiritual will residing here. My physical body has some miscellaneous matters to attend to right now. Perhaps Miss Mingyue could allow me to take care of them first?"

The Miss Mingyue, with her cool and aloof expression, nodded slightly.

"Of course, I will take Young Master Zhang, in his plague-ridden form, and set off first."

Thank you!

Zhang Fusheng exhaled, his thoughts returned, and he suddenly returned to his original body.

Multitasking isn't impossible, but if the distance is too great, it's easy to get confused.

Most importantly, when speaking with the Miss Mingyue in his skeletal plague demon form, his ego was unable to remain seated in the Eight Sceneries Palace.

Otherwise, even the skeletal plague demons would become 'incredibly powerful'.

That would be very bad.

Lift your eyelids.

Still in the living room on the second floor of the villa, the distant noises of clamor and demonstrations, and the roar of engines from the spaceships overhead...

All of this is now intertwined in a chaotic mess.

Right before my eyes.

Elder Yu and Li Guoquan stood up, panting, their faces still showing shock, both bewildered by the collision of two conflicting and contrasting histories in their minds.

Especially now, after the changes.

Those unique coincidences, those subtle changes leading to bizarre results,

This feeling of terror, as if a giant hand were precisely controlling every inch and every millimeter.

Hu Zhongli briefly explained everything about the Gaotian Association to the two men, and at the same time, reintroduced Zhang Fusheng to them.

"He is someone highly regarded by the Heavenly Venerate's Attendant."

Both the old woman and the Golden Councilor looked at Zhang Fusheng with a change in expression at this moment, but the latter suddenly felt that it was only natural.

A master at 25.

No, he might not even be 25 years old—this guy's identity file is fake!

'Knock knock knock!'

Hu Zhongli tapped the armrest of the sofa, drawing everyone's attention.

The one who spoke was the Three-Eyed Boy beside him.

Zhou Muneo opened all three eyes, the third eye filled with a dilapidated, decaying gray, and his voice carried a deep, solemn quality.

"I received instructions from the Heavenly Venerate's Attendant's attendant."

He looked around and spoke calmly:

"Chongyang City will become the true birthplace of the Gaotian Association. Your Respected Attendant has only one order."

"The higher-ups of Chongyang must be members of the Gaotian Association, everyone."

He stretched out his finger and pointed at Zhang Fusheng, Hu Zhongli, Li Guoquan, and Yu Huafeng one by one.

The waiter said, "The more new members you bring in, the better."

"Who will receive the blessing of a hundred years of life?"

How many??

Except for Zhang Fusheng, everyone else's pupils contracted sharply.

One hundred years lifespan!!

The youngest among them was the elderly woman, Yu Huafeng, who served as the Chief Expert of the Source Origin Research Institute.

She was just an ordinary person, now over ninety years old, and unable to withstand the power of the Longevity Great Medicine.

With the help of some special medicines, it's considered rare to live to be 140 years old.

As for Hu Zhongli and Li Guoquan?

Even though Li Guoquan looks like a middle-aged man, he is actually close to two hundred years old!

What we lack most is longevity!

A grand centennial celebration!

Furthermore, this longevity is not due to taking powerful or miraculous medicines, so there's no need to worry about 'drug resistance'!

Longevity-extending drugs, unless Heavenly Elixir, become less effective the longer they are taken.

Li Guoquan stood up, his eyes gleaming:

"Should I go and quell this riot and bring Chen Qiusheng into the Gaotian Association?"

I veto it.

A clear voice rang out, and everyone looked at Zhang Fusheng. Zhou Muneo quietly lowered his head towards him.

Zhang Fusheng spoke calmly:

"I'm going to kill this man—not now, of course."

Li Guoquan raised an eyebrow but did not refute:

"I have no objection, but the problem is this riot at the military headquarters."

As they were talking.

The servant went upstairs and knocked on the door of the reception room.

As soon as Hu Zhongli had a thought, the door made of special materials opened naturally.

A guest has arrived.

The servant bowed his head and said respectfully:

"It's Zhang Erhe from the military headquarters, Commander Zhang."

Hu Zhongli glanced at Zhang Fusheng, then gave an order:

"Let him wait."

"Yes."

The servant bowed his head and slowly withdrew, gently closing the door behind him.

Everyone turned their attention back to Zhang Fusheng.

The young man sat upright and spoke in a low voice:

"The Heavenly Venerate's Attendant said that the Double Ninth Festival will be the birthplace of the Gaotian Association."

"We must have complete control over this place."

"Isn't that right?"

He looked around and calmly spoke:

"I've reviewed a large number of Federation laws and regulations, and I noticed one called 'Martial Law'."

"This refers to situations such as the discovery of cult members favored by God, large-scale terrorist attacks, large-scale riots, and [military coups]."

"The governor, the Public Security Bureau, and the top leader of the local Investigation Bureau may invoke martial law if they reach a consensus, provided that they are fit and have no obstacles."

A clear voice echoed, and Yu Huafeng took a breath and said in a deep voice:

"I know about martial law."

"Under martial law, the governor, the director of the General Staff, and the director of the Investigation Bureau could form a three-person adjudication panel."

"During this period, they had the authority to decide on any appointment within the city, and even to issue special administrative orders."

Hearing the old woman's solemn words, Zhang Fusheng nodded calmly:

"But if that's all there is to it, I don't need to make such a big fuss. I want more."

"For example?"

Hu Zhongli asked curiously:

"If it's about killing that Great Grandmaster, while I have no reason to act directly, I can still help you with some planning."

Zhang Fusheng shook his head:

"I want it to go further—the Insurrection Act."

The reception room fell silent.

Insurrection Act??

Everyone instinctively sat up straight, especially Hu Zhongli and Li Guoquan.

Having served as Golden Councilor for over a century, they understood better than anyone what the Insurrection Act meant!

Li Guoquan was dry.

"Under the Insurrection Act, in extreme circumstances, local cities can disregard provincial orders and obey only Federation orders."

He stared intently at Zhang Fusheng, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"In other words, it's equivalent to leaving the [Golden Province]—how could such a bizarre privilege be obtained so easily?"

"The anti-rebellion law cannot be enforced simply because a mutiny or rebellion occurs within a city."

Faced with a barrage of questioning glances,

Zhang Fusheng nodded calmly and spoke in a composed manner:

"Of course I know that."

But if I say...

"Governor, are you plotting something?"

The large reception room fell silent once again.

The boy lowered his eyelids:

"This story begins in a lower-level city called [Jiangzhou]."

He gave a brief account of the events.

From hundreds of spaceships and hundreds of action teams actively spreading the Flesh and Blood Plague,

Then there's the silencing of the team members who carried out the mission.

What was originally a small-scale Divine Descent Lower-Level District has evolved into its current form.

Zhang Fusheng concluded:

"Raise the bandits to respect themselves."

Silence.

Silence.

Silence remained.

Everyone was silently processing this news.

Hu Zhongli licked his dry lips:

"The risk is extremely high."

"I know."

Zhang Fusheng's eyes shone brightly:

"Three days from now, an investigator from the Investigation Bureau will be coming for me, most likely to silence me."

"But it is precisely because of this that the plan had the opportunity to be implemented."

He stared at Hu Zhongli and Li Guoquan, uttering each word slowly and deliberately:

"You two, as Golden Councilor Council who are supposed to check and balance the Governor, even now, due to the Divine Descent in Jiangzhou, the Golden Province is under lockdown both inside and outside."

"But I think you can still contact the capital, right?"

The former Golden Councilor and the Golden Councilor exchanged glances.

The two nodded silently.

'Smack!'

Zhang Fusheng clapped his hands:

"Then, the matter can be settled."

He stood up and spoke calmly:

"The only question is whether the Federation can easily suppress the Governor?"

This is the key to everything.

Li Guoquan shook his head:

"We don't have that capability. In fact, of the forty-nine provinces on our Mother Star, three provinces simultaneously rebelled a year ago, and we still haven't been able to completely suppress them."

His eyes suddenly lit up:

"I understand what you mean!"

The councilor from Chongyang City, Golden Councilor, stood up excitedly and licked his lips:

"Young man. No, Director Zhang."

"Are you suggesting using the governor, who is on the verge of betrayal, as a bargaining chip to gain covert support from the capital?"

Zhang Fusheng nodded decisively:

"That's right, we can quietly activate the anti-rebellion law, but officially only go up to the point of declaring martial law."

His eyes were bright and piercing.

"The governor-general treats Jiangzhou as Kou City, using it to support bandits and enhance his own power. Why can't we treat the governor-general as a bandit?"

"We can also 'raise bandits to enhance our own importance'."

The people in the reception room exchanged bewildered glances, all astonished by the boy's audacious idea.

This is almost an impossible task, involving all the top leaders in the city, and not a single one can leak the information.

But.

If joining the Gaotian Association a prerequisite?

It seems that nothing is impossible now.

It seems like it's definitely worth a try!

"Let the riots in the city continue. I want to see just how far Chen Qiusheng can go."

Zhang Fusheng calmly said:

"Martial law allows us to follow only the direct orders of the governor, so it must be maintained indefinitely."

"Do you think that if a Great Grandmaster or the second-in-command of the military rebels and entrenched themselves outside the city, can martial law be maintained indefinitely?"

As they were talking.

Zhang Fusheng bowed towards the void:

"You will witness everything that Gaotian Association."

Ripples spread through the void, and Zhou Muneo suddenly closed his eyes, projecting an immense and ineffable spiritual will from his body!

It's True Person!

The True Person stood there quietly, yet he was already higher than the sky!

Hu Zhongli, Li Guoquan, Yu Huafeng all stood up to pay their respects, their thoughts differing and difficult to discern.

Zhang Fusheng knew very well that Li Guoquan was alright, but people like Yu Huafeng only felt awe towards the Gaotian Association.

As for ownership?

I'm afraid there isn't even a trace of it.

Because they have not yet formed a community of shared interests.

Then.

The solemn voice of the True Person echoed:

"The way of Heaven is to give to those who have more than enough."

"I am acting on the orders of the Heavenly Venerable to harmonize the yin and yang of all things and bring everything into balance."

He said calmly:

"Gentlemen."

"We Exchange Heaven and Dao with each other."

"Okay."

"One price, one blessing."

The light, airy words echoed in the room, and everyone's breathing became rapid.

"I'll go first."

Zhang Fusheng spoke in a low voice:

"The three or four of us alone are not enough to achieve large-scale 'complementarity,' but fortunately, I have a lifespan of one hundred and twenty years bestowed by True Person immortal."

That was leftover from a previous transaction.

He continued:

"I am still young, and lifespan is not a particular need for me. I intend to use all 120 years of my life to make a deal with the three of you."

"As for things that I personally have specific needs..."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Zhang Fusheng made up his mind:

"Star Beast Meat, level 4 Star Beast Meat!"

"Level 4 Star Beast Meat?" Hu Zhongli frowned. "This stuff isn't easy to get."

Yu Huafeng, who was standing to the side, also nodded:

"The Research Institute does exist, but I can't access it in the short term."

Li Guoquan, on the other hand, had a smile that was practically overflowing on his face.

"I happen to have one piece of level 4 Star Beast Meat, about half an ounce."

"It's level 4, mixed blood level, the flesh of Three-legged Sunbird."

Zhang Fusheng's eyes suddenly lit up.