Wennide X Division Head X Vice President

The White Eagle Society's headquarters stood in the eastern part of District Five, close to District One. As a result, much less of the building material was garbage, and more of it was brick and tile.

It was better than some and worse than others. Though it could not compare to Suoerzite's mansion, it was far grander than the so-called "houses" in the residential area, which did not even have a single level roof.

Qi Zhou suppressed his Nen, held his breath, slipped past the listless guards at the entrance, and leaped onto the low wall.

Countless shards of scrap metal and glass had been embedded in the wall. Qi Zhou concentrated Nen in the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands, then raced along the perimeter wall unimpeded.

The guards on duty had no habit of looking up. It went so smoothly that he found it a little unbelievable, and he made it all the way to the main hall.

"Argue, argue, argue! That's all you know how to do! What good does it do? That bastard Vincent's men are already at our doorstep! Instead of arguing here, why don't you go out and fight them? Bunch of useless shits!"

"You're only tough when you're running your mouth. If you've got the fucking guts, you go!"

"Everyone knows what you're scheming. I'm telling you right now: however many men you send, I'll send the same number. Don't even think about using my men as cannon fodder!"

Lying on the roof, Qi Zhou listened to the foul arguments below. The same topics came up over and over: "You send your men first, then I'll send mine," and "If you won't send anyone, neither will I." Mixed in were countless personal attacks filthier than a sewer. By the end, Qi Zhou even wanted to cover his ears.

This really was mental pollution.

Qi Zhou silently gathered Nen in his hand and, just as silently, broke off and lifted a roof tile as if it were tofu, then peered into the room.

Six chairs stood in the center of the hall.

A burly man and a lean man stood in front of the chairs, glaring at each other. Their faces and necks were red as they argued, spittle flying.

A woman with loose hair sat in a chair, idly spinning a ring with her finger.

A middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties wore a dark expression as he spoke quietly to a division head seated beside him, whose expression was equally grim.

The last chair, also the one closest to the head of the main hall, was empty.

At the head of the hall, the seat on the left was empty. On the right sat a young man in a dark suit, silently watching the people below argue with a smile.

After a while, seeing that the two below showed no sign of stopping, he coughed softly. "Has Kelirui still not arrived?"

At that, the two men arguing fell silent instantly, while the others' expressions also changed.

If the "vice president" was an obstacle to the president's seat in name, then the absent "division head's" forces were like a fatty cut of meat on a chopping board to the other division heads-each of them wanted a bite.

The minor leaders standing behind the division heads also had a gleam of ambition and desire in their eyes.

"Short blond hair, gray eyes, about 1.7 meters tall, with a distinctive scar about two inches long on his face. Hmm..."

Qi Zhou looked over them one by one. "Ah, found him."

Behind the empty chair stood a man with his head lowered and his eyes downcast, looking honest and timid.

The vice president's question prompted the group to begin discussing "what to do with Kelirui's men and territory if he never came back." In the end, it once again descended into a mental assault too foul to listen to.

The vice president waited until the two men had argued for a while and vented most of their anger before speaking with a smile. "How about this, everyone? Why don't we have one of Kelirui's former men serve as acting division head? If any of you need assistance from his men, you can go straight to the acting division head to 'discuss' it. What do you say?"

Without waiting for anyone to respond, he casually turned his gaze toward the empty chair and smiled. "Kelirui mentioned to me before that Wennide was fairly familiar with their area. Why don't we have him serve as acting division head for a while?"

As soon as he finished, everyone in the hall abruptly fell silent.

Wennide raised his head in disbelief, a complicated mix of shock, joy, and fear flashing through his eyes.

Ignoring the strange looks full of jealousy and hatred that the other minor leaders beside him cast his way, he stepped forward and spoke respectfully to the suited man at the head of the hall:

"Thank you for your appreciation. I will do my utmost to assist you and the division heads, and I will not betray your trust."

The division heads who had been arguing in the hall all turned their attention to him.

The lean man looked at him and curled his lips, satisfaction appearing in his eyes, as though he had thought of how easy the situation would be to control from here on.

The burly man gave a cold laugh, but said nothing.

"If none of you have any objections, we'll settle it that way for now. As for the eastern district, Division Head Wennide will send men to hold the line there for the time being-Division Head Wennide, you have no objections, I assume?"

Wennide lowered his head and said respectfully, "I'll make the arrangements immediately."

"Then that will be all for today." The vice president raised his brows slightly and smiled as he spoke reassuringly, "As for the Stock Solution, I imagine you still have some in reserve, so there's no need to worry. After the president's departure, I'll be in charge of the dealings with the Bancro Family. They won't be affected."

Everyone fell silent.

Qi Zhou, lying on the roof, silently committed to memory the surname the vice president had mentioned in connection with the Stock Solution: "Bancro."

After the vice president spoke, the people in the hall left one after another. Only the vice president remained seated, his eyes gently closed.

Before Wennide left the hall, the vice president opened his eyes and gave him an encouraging smile, like a superior encouraging a subordinate. "Keep up the good work."

Wennide hastily assented, then took his leave.

Qi Zhou looked at the vice president.

He had promoted a new division head who seemed timid and useless. If the man could withstand the pressure, he would become a member of the vice president's faction, someone he could use. If he could not, he would still do a good job of relieving the pressure the other division heads put on the vice president.

At the same time, with Kelirui's fate currently unknown, having a relatively useless man fill his position also served to help the vice president seize the initiative. If Kelirui was not dead, he could likewise draw the man into his own camp once he returned.

And that final line, "I'll be in charge of the dealings," was a blatant threat-yet the division heads could do nothing about him.

Perhaps the man really was lacking in combat strength, but he still could not be underestimated.

Qi Zhou looked away, silently descended from the roof, and followed Wennide.

Wennide entered a deserted alley and stopped.

His face was livid, and he muttered curses he did not dare shout aloud. By making him acting division head, the vice president was clearly putting him over the fire to roast!

He might have been a little timid, but that did not mean he was stupid.

Kelirui had four or five minor leaders under him, and he was only one of them. Even if he had become the so-called "acting division head," never mind whether he could command the other minor leaders, the order to hold the line in the eastern district alone could use up all his men in a matter of days.

Wennide cursed furiously and kicked a piece of windblown garbage away, but before he had finished venting his anger, he abruptly stopped.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the child in front of him, a bloodthirsty note in his voice. "Get out of my way, brat."

Qi Zhou ignored his look and his words and got straight to the point. "Do you know Kerien? All his men are dead."

Wennide abruptly fell silent.

He quickly swallowed the curse he had not had time to utter, suppressed his anger, and carefully sized up the child in front of him who had spoken without prompting. Then he asked cautiously, "How do you know that?"

"Rather than asking how I know, you'd be better off dealing with him first." Qi Zhou took a step toward him. "As long as you deal with him first, it'll be much easier to deal with the others." He smiled. "Am I right, Division Head Wennide?"

Wennide's pupils contracted.

As stated before, he was only a little timid, but by no means stupid.

The child in front of him knew his background and what he needed most right now. He knew so much, and he came and went from the White Eagle Society as if no one were there. His strength was definitely not what his appearance suggested: he was not just a thin, weak, harmless-looking child.

Did that also mean this child had broken Kerien's arm? And had the child also dealt with the men under him who had never returned after that day?

Wennide stared gravely at the child standing casually ten meters away, as if watching a monster that might suddenly attack.

Though the guess sounded unbelievable, the people of Meteor City were different from those outside and never underestimated children. Over the years, quite a few useless adults in Meteor City had died at children's hands.

The child knew what had just happened in the White Eagle Society's hall, so he had chosen Wennide because he thought Wennide was currently the most suitable person to invest in.

Countless thoughts flashed through Wennide's mind.

But he knew there was no better choice at the moment than "suppressing the others and securing his own position as division head."

With that thought, he made his decision.