"Why is that, Elder Uncle Zhao?"
Zhao Longteng said, "Xiao Qin, apart from you, Chu Zhongxiong is one of the sharpest minds in the Safe Zone, and one of the highest-ranking members of the Decision-Making Tier. Right now, everyone gets along, and we can fight shoulder to shoulder without worrying about one another."
"But if Chu Zhongxiong ends up resenting me over this, I'm afraid I won't feel at ease on the battlefield anymore."
"Xiao Qin, do you want to keep your promise and give Chu Zhongxiong an answer, or keep this under wraps and preserve a stable atmosphere within the Decision-Making Tier?"
Qin Siyang pressed his lips together. "Elder Uncle Zhao, you're really putting me in a difficult position."
"It isn't me putting you in a difficult position. Once an operation gets big enough, situations like this arise naturally."
Zhao Longteng shook his head. "We might all eat at the same table, but we still use our own bowls and chopsticks."
"I can tell you outright that quite a few of us have private conflicts with one another. You simply don't know about them yet. Perfect harmony is an ideal that can only ever last a short while."
"Today, you discovered a conflict between Chu Zhongxiong and me. Tomorrow, it might be Kav and Zhu Haifeng. Are you going to handle every single one?"
For a moment, Qin Siyang had no answer.
"Xiao Qin, Secretary-General Gu-oh, I mean Secretary-General Gu Weiyang-is nowhere near as powerful as you, and his control over the Safe Zone isn't as strong as yours either. Yet he can keep all the various factions firmly in check."
Zhao Longteng exhaled a puff of smoke, then abruptly changed the subject again. "His ability to keep everyone convinced doesn't rely solely on Zone 1's deterrence, nor is