Today, the city remained prosperous, lively, and peaceful.
But as time passed, many unusual individuals arrived from all across the country.
Their arrivals went largely unnoticed, yet the decisions made when they gathered would determine everyone's future.
Headquarters' captain meeting was officially set to begin at one thirty in the afternoon.
It was now one o'clock in the afternoon, leaving only half an hour until the captain meeting began.
Perhaps because too many strange people had gathered in one place, the weather had been fairly good that morning, but by now the sky had darkened. Oppressive storm clouds covered the entire city, and even the air seemed especially stifling.
"It'll probably pour this afternoon."
Many pedestrians in the city hurried along when they saw the weather, afraid that the coming downpour would drench them.
However, at Headquarters in the suburbs, the staff had become busy. They needed to organize documents, prepare the venue, and ensure that this captain meeting went smoothly.
"Don't hold the meeting inside Headquarters. Move the meeting room outside. The open space is larger, and if anything happens, we can respond immediately," Cao Yanhua ordered.
A staff member said, "The weather outside is bad today. It might rain heavily. Isn't it a little inappropriate to hold the meeting outdoors?"
"Do you think those captains would care about the weather during a meeting?" Cao Yanhua replied.
Thus, the meeting location was moved to the open grounds outside Headquarters.
Under the gloomy sky stood a huge round table with thirteen chairs. Aside from the seat belonging to Deputy Minister Cao Yanhua, who was hosting the meeting, the remaining twelve seats corresponded to the twelve captains. There were also rows of chairs near the conference table.
Those were prepared for the candidate captains.
"It's almost time. Notify all the captains