Truth Department Headquarters.
Another emergency meeting was being held.
“If the Venerable One hadn’t managed to pass the information, who knows for how long things would have been delayed in order to learn about the ridiculous barren drought of the Sahara desert. Unexpectedly, there were so many of the Upper Realm immigrants!” Ren Ruofeng fanned himself as he spoke urgently.
“Our Nets Above Snares Below has been expanding rapidly for these past 2 years and has covered the entire world. However, we had not realized the motive behind these Upper Realm people’s migration in time. Probably, there is some great power covering for them.” Hong Yunjiao frowned and gave this explanation.
She was in charge of Nets Above Snares Below and responsible for maintaining operations. Naturally, she could understand Ren Ruofeng’s implications.
Although she was quite awkward with the rest, right now she was not trying to avoid her responsibilities. Rather, she was truthfully sharing her speculations with the rest.
Ren Ruofeng fanned himself for a while and said with a slight disappointment, “leader Hong is truly wise and worthy of being called the new Leader of the Think Tank Group. Butler Zheng later sent an additional message regarding this group of upper realm immigrants and said that they are related to the River God.”
Hong Yunjiao heard those words and glared at the others.
Of course, if she made a wrong deduction just now, Ren Ruofeng would surely ridicule her. Plus, he may even want to overthrow her from the position as the leader of the Think Tank Group… The old guy had thought about it this all this while.
Oldman Ren and the Vigilante A were on good terms. They shared much confidential information between the two of them and in fact, much of the confidential first-hand information can be easily obtained from the other party compared to going to the Truth Department which was much slower.
This was exactly one of the unique characteristics of the Era of Vitality. Only a few of the top powerful individuals could monopolize a lot of precious information. Unlike the past, the upper-levels of a country monopolized this information.
“Is the weather very hot now?” Sat in front was the chairman of the meeting, Director Hu, a stubborn old man. Suddenly, he questioned Ren Ruofeng.
“Er, it’s the third year of Shen Yuan, in March, where the spring breeze is strong. It’s definitely not hot.” Ren Ruofeng looked distracted.
“If it’s not hot why are you fanning yourself? Are you imitating Zhu Geliang?” Director Hu shamelessly reprimanded him.
The despised old man is clearly being biased again.
Ren Ruofeng silently cursed as he angrily placed his fan away.
“As we all know, immigration issues have always been a difficult problem. The fact that this concerns the Upper Realm does not make it any easier.” Director Hu spoke up and set an agenda for the meeting. “How do we deal with this upper realm immigration? This is the main problem that we want to solve today. Alright, now let’s start talking.”
After the meeting concluded, old man Hu closed his eyes, seemingly to rest them.
Ren Ruofeng sighed once to grab everyone’s attention onto him.
“A wise man once said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Right now, we only have gathered a few sporadic pieces of information, which is far from enough. As such, we should send an experienced person to obtain accurate information from the senior personnel stationed at the Upper Realm immigrant settlement department.” Ren Ruofeng gave a simple explanation and opinion.
“Agreed.”
“Not bad.”
“If there’s no investigation then there is no right or say so it should be done like this.”
The few of the seniors who were called for this meeting all nodded their heads in agreement. There was no information on the enemy so none dared to voice out any opinion.
“Director, the meeting has concluded…” said Ren Ruofeng as he faced the bearded old man who closed his eyes earlier and seemingly entered into a state of rest.
Old man Hu furiously opened his eyes with a look of helplessness on his face. With a muffled voice he said, ‘Good, so be it! The meeting is adjourned. Do what you’re supposed to do and carry it out!
Ren Ruofeng was the first to head out from the meeting with an energetic look.
Sometimes to deal with this old man, one definitely could not be too humble.
Otherwise, he would think that he was easily manhandled and he would ignore the dignity a wise one should have.
Other seniors left the meeting together. Everyone was very busy.
If the Truth Department relied on the strength of a nation and there was a quick way to improve one’s strength, they would definitely not compare the cultivation progress with others who meditate daily.
Hong Yunjiao left last. When she was about to leave the meeting room, she heard Director Hu calling her.
“Jiao, Little Ren’s not very focused recently. You have to pay more attention to him. I think he’s not far from deviatory psychosis.” said Director Hu seriously.
“Director, although Oldman Ren is not really focused, he still has some self-control. It’s impossible for him to fall into deviatory psychosis.” Hong Yunjiao was shocked and quickly explained.
“Really? Then let’s put it aside first.” Director Hu was not very sure about it, and then he said seriously, “Based on the situation just now, the Nets Above Snares Below is still not up to standard when facing great power from the Upper Realm. Among the Triple defenses of the Heaven, Earth, and Humans, Heavenly Defence is the most important. The Nets Above Snares Below is the core component of Heavenly Defence. Since you were solely in charge of its development and operation, you have to try your best to strengthen it. If you face any resource shortage, you can discuss with me directly.”
“Thanks, Director. I will make sure to complete the task.”
“Yeah, it’s good that you are confident about it. Go and continue your work.” Director Hu leaned on the chair and closed his eyes again.
“Take a good rest, Director. I’m going out now.”
“Alright.”
Hong Yunjiao took a pile of documents and left the meeting room. Her steps subconsciously headed towards the Advisor’s room.
When she almost reached the Advisor’s room, again she subconsciously used the Nets Above Snares Below to monitor the situation inside the room. Within a short while, the situation inside the room entered into her mind.
“Xie Dong, actually I wanted to bring you to the Lake-level and go on duty at the Mooncake. Unfortunately, as the wise man said, ‘good things take a long time coming’…” said Ren Ruofeng seriously with both his hands on his desk.
“Huh? Advisor, how…how could it be? Didn’t you promise me earlier?” A miserable voice of a middle-aged man was heard. It was Xie Dong, the leader of the Public Relations Unit who just came onboard for less than a year. The middle-aged man was almost bald.
“Look at you, did you ever have the realization? You’re not a newbie anymore, haven’t you begun to understand that everyone’s like a brick that makes up a wall? You have to move wherever there’s a need.”
“But…But I have been moved for too many times…” grumbled Xie Dong.
“What…? What’s with your attitude? Don’t start having the impression that the world revolves around you!” Ren Ruofeng pointed a finger on his desk. “You have to understand that an unbreakable tent comes with different boulders… Err… No…Look! I’m beyond furious! I mean an unbreakable camp comes with different soldiers. The Truth Department will always be here, but whether you would remain, Xie Dong is an uncertainty,. Understand?”
“Oh… I understand now. Really. Advisor Ren, please shift me to anywhere except for filling up the sea.” Xie Dong was scolded terribly. He did not dare to fuss about Ren Ruofeng’s grammar but only went with the flow.
As a middle-aged man, he had a wife, children, parents, and in-laws… There was a whole family relying on the Truth Department. They needed the shelter of the Truth Department, as much as they needed shelter under the Vigilante A.
If he was sacked by the Truth Department, maybe he would be able to find another employer. However, he was not able to make a proper arrangement for his big family. As a person who always dealt with different parties outside, he was very clear about how dangerous it was!
Commoners had small goals, and as he was a member of the Truth Department’s, he had big goals. The risk factor was definitely different.
“Hey, after you breakthrough the bucket-level, there are still some changes. Is there an improvement for the ability to distinguish truth or false of statements? Is it possible to read people’s mind?”Ren Ruofeng asked as he calmed down and his tone remained amazed.
“Oh, no. Absolutely not. How can I not be satisfied with being a bucket and expect to have that kind of magical power? It is rumored that the Buddhists have a supreme spiritual ascension called ‘Ta Xintong’ can do that. However, the person must be a virtuous monk. How is it possible for me…” Xie Dong quickly shook his head and his hands trembled like a pellet drum.
“Ah, is that so? Fine then, what you guess is not the complete truth. This time I won’t allow you to fill the sea, and instead let you fill the lake. Don’t be so quick to reject it, this would actually bring many benefits for you. I’m not the kind of heartless senior to let the donkey run and not allow it to eat carrots.” Ren Ruofeng casually said.
“Ah, is that so?” Xie Dong did not dare to believe him. The amount of times he allowed this wise man to talk nonsense was just too much.
“Yes, actually promoting you to Lake-level seems to be a rush. But after you fill the lake, you would slowly understand and feel the depth of the lake. It could be a good compensation. After you complete your task, I will then bring you to the Lake-level, and it would not harm your cultivation foundation. In the future, you will have a lot of opportunities.” said Ren Ruofeng with a sincere face.
“Oh…oh… I’m really thankful for your kindness. I will definitely work harder, and complete the task of filling the lake.” Xie Dong was happy that Old Man Ren would consider his wellbeing for him sincerely.
“Yeah, great. Let me tell you more details about ‘filling the lake’…”
At the same moment, the door was opened.
Ren Ruofeng frowned, as someone interrupted when it was the very moment to get Xie Dong fooled.
What if this fellow suddenly realized the situation? It would not be easy to arrange anymore…
Someone said that the Truth Department was a military institution. They could give orders directly without considering the other’s feelings.
It would have work in the past. As Ren Ruofeng said, everyone was like a brick, if you had the guts to reject it, they could simply change to another brick. But for the one who rejected the order, the ending would be a court-martial…
But now it had stopped working. Some bricks were not just mere bricks, but some irreplaceable rare gems. For example, Xie Dong has slowly evolved from a Cutlery-level to high Bucket-level…
During task distribution, he surely had to consider the rare gems’ feelings…
It, was very old school to use both grace and power to manage the subordinates. But being old school did not matter at all, as long as it was effective.
Truth Department Headquarters.
Another emergency meeting was being held.
“If the Venerable One hadn’t managed to pass the information, who knows for how long things would have been delayed in order to learn about the ridiculous barren drought of the Sahara desert. Unexpectedly, there were so many of the Upper Realm immigrants!” Ren Ruofeng fanned himself as he spoke urgently.
“Our Nets Above Snares Below has been expanding rapidly for these past 2 years and has covered the entire world. However, we had not realized the motive behind these Upper Realm people’s migration in time. Probably, there is some great power covering for them.” Hong Yunjiao frowned and gave this explanation.
She was in charge of Nets Above Snares Below and responsible for maintaining operations. Naturally, she could understand Ren Ruofeng’s implications.
Although she was quite awkward with the rest, right now she was not trying to avoid her responsibilities. Rather, she was truthfully sharing her speculations with the rest.
Ren Ruofeng fanned himself for a while and said with a slight disappointment, “leader Hong is truly wise and worthy of being called the new Leader of the Think Tank Group. Butler Zheng later sent an additional message regarding this group of upper realm immigrants and said that they are related to the River God.”
Hong Yunjiao heard those words and glared at the others.
Of course, if she made a wrong deduction just now, Ren Ruofeng would surely ridicule her. Plus, he may even want to overthrow her from the position as the leader of the Think Tank Group… The old guy had thought about it this all this while.
Oldman Ren and the Vigilante A were on good terms. They shared much confidential information between the two of them and in fact, much of the confidential first-hand information can be easily obtained from the other party compared to going to the Truth Department which was much slower.
This was exactly one of the unique characteristics of the Era of Vitality. Only a few of the top powerful individuals could monopolize a lot of precious information. Unlike the past, the upper-levels of a country monopolized this information.
“Is the weather very hot now?” Sat in front was the chairman of the meeting, Director Hu, a stubborn old man. Suddenly, he questioned Ren Ruofeng.
“Er, it’s the third year of Shen Yuan, in March, where the spring breeze is strong. It’s definitely not hot.” Ren Ruofeng looked distracted.
“If it’s not hot why are you fanning yourself? Are you imitating Zhu Geliang?” Director Hu shamelessly reprimanded him.
The despised old man is clearly being biased again.
Ren Ruofeng silently cursed as he angrily placed his fan away.
“As we all know, immigration issues have always been a difficult problem. The fact that this concerns the Upper Realm does not make it any easier.” Director Hu spoke up and set an agenda for the meeting. “How do we deal with this upper realm immigration? This is the main problem that we want to solve today. Alright, now let’s start talking.”
After the meeting concluded, old man Hu closed his eyes, seemingly to rest them.
Ren Ruofeng sighed once to grab everyone’s attention onto him.
“A wise man once said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Right now, we only have gathered a few sporadic pieces of information, which is far from enough. As such, we should send an experienced person to obtain accurate information from the senior personnel stationed at the Upper Realm immigrant settlement department.” Ren Ruofeng gave a simple explanation and opinion.
“Agreed.”
“Not bad.”
“If there’s no investigation then there is no right or say so it should be done like this.”
The few of the seniors who were called for this meeting all nodded their heads in agreement. There was no information on the enemy so none dared to voice out any opinion.
“Director, the meeting has concluded…” said Ren Ruofeng as he faced the bearded old man who closed his eyes earlier and seemingly entered into a state of rest.
Old man Hu furiously opened his eyes with a look of helplessness on his face. With a muffled voice he said, ‘Good, so be it! The meeting is adjourned. Do what you’re supposed to do and carry it out!
Ren Ruofeng was the first to head out from the meeting with an energetic look.
Sometimes to deal with this old man, one definitely could not be too humble.
Otherwise, he would think that he was easily manhandled and he would ignore the dignity a wise one should have.
Other seniors left the meeting together. Everyone was very busy.
If the Truth Department relied on the strength of a nation and there was a quick way to improve one’s strength, they would definitely not compare the cultivation progress with others who meditate daily.
Hong Yunjiao left last. When she was about to leave the meeting room, she heard Director Hu calling her.
“Jiao, Little Ren’s not very focused recently. You have to pay more attention to him. I think he’s not far from deviatory psychosis.” said Director Hu seriously.
“Director, although Oldman Ren is not really focused, he still has some self-control. It’s impossible for him to fall into deviatory psychosis.” Hong Yunjiao was shocked and quickly explained.
“Really? Then let’s put it aside first.” Director Hu was not very sure about it, and then he said seriously, “Based on the situation just now, the Nets Above Snares Below is still not up to standard when facing great power from the Upper Realm. Among the Triple defenses of the Heaven, Earth, and Humans, Heavenly Defence is the most important. The Nets Above Snares Below is the core component of Heavenly Defence. Since you were solely in charge of its development and operation, you have to try your best to strengthen it. If you face any resource shortage, you can discuss with me directly.”
“Thanks, Director. I will make sure to complete the task.”
“Yeah, it’s good that you are confident about it. Go and continue your work.” Director Hu leaned on the chair and closed his eyes again.
“Take a good rest, Director. I’m going out now.”
“Alright.”
Hong Yunjiao took a pile of documents and left the meeting room. Her steps subconsciously headed towards the Advisor’s room.
When she almost reached the Advisor’s room, again she subconsciously used the Nets Above Snares Below to monitor the situation inside the room. Within a short while, the situation inside the room entered into her mind.
“Xie Dong, actually I wanted to bring you to the Lake-level and go on duty at the Mooncake. Unfortunately, as the wise man said, ‘good things take a long time coming’…” said Ren Ruofeng seriously with both his hands on his desk.
“Huh? Advisor, how…how could it be? Didn’t you promise me earlier?” A miserable voice of a middle-aged man was heard. It was Xie Dong, the leader of the Public Relations Unit who just came onboard for less than a year. The middle-aged man was almost bald.
“Look at you, did you ever have the realization? You’re not a newbie anymore, haven’t you begun to understand that everyone’s like a brick that makes up a wall? You have to move wherever there’s a need.”
“But…But I have been moved for too many times…” grumbled Xie Dong.
“What…? What’s with your attitude? Don’t start having the impression that the world revolves around you!” Ren Ruofeng pointed a finger on his desk. “You have to understand that an unbreakable tent comes with different boulders… Err… No…Look! I’m beyond furious! I mean an unbreakable camp comes with different soldiers. The Truth Department will always be here, but whether you would remain, Xie Dong is an uncertainty,. Understand?”
“Oh… I understand now. Really. Advisor Ren, please shift me to anywhere except for filling up the sea.” Xie Dong was scolded terribly. He did not dare to fuss about Ren Ruofeng’s grammar but only went with the flow.
As a middle-aged man, he had a wife, children, parents, and in-laws… There was a whole family relying on the Truth Department. They needed the shelter of the Truth Department, as much as they needed shelter under the Vigilante A.
If he was sacked by the Truth Department, maybe he would be able to find another employer. However, he was not able to make a proper arrangement for his big family. As a person who always dealt with different parties outside, he was very clear about how dangerous it was!
Commoners had small goals, and as he was a member of the Truth Department’s, he had big goals. The risk factor was definitely different.
“Hey, after you breakthrough the bucket-level, there are still some changes. Is there an improvement for the ability to distinguish truth or false of statements? Is it possible to read people’s mind?”Ren Ruofeng asked as he calmed down and his tone remained amazed.
“Oh, no. Absolutely not. How can I not be satisfied with being a bucket and expect to have that kind of magical power? It is rumored that the Buddhists have a supreme spiritual ascension called ‘Ta Xintong’ can do that. However, the person must be a virtuous monk. How is it possible for me…” Xie Dong quickly shook his head and his hands trembled like a pellet drum.
“Ah, is that so? Fine then, what you guess is not the complete truth. This time I won’t allow you to fill the sea, and instead let you fill the lake. Don’t be so quick to reject it, this would actually bring many benefits for you. I’m not the kind of heartless senior to let the donkey run and not allow it to eat carrots.” Ren Ruofeng casually said.
“Ah, is that so?” Xie Dong did not dare to believe him. The amount of times he allowed this wise man to talk nonsense was just too much.
“Yes, actually promoting you to Lake-level seems to be a rush. But after you fill the lake, you would slowly understand and feel the depth of the lake. It could be a good compensation. After you complete your task, I will then bring you to the Lake-level, and it would not harm your cultivation foundation. In the future, you will have a lot of opportunities.” said Ren Ruofeng with a sincere face.
“Oh…oh… I’m really thankful for your kindness. I will definitely work harder, and complete the task of filling the lake.” Xie Dong was happy that Old Man Ren would consider his wellbeing for him sincerely.
“Yeah, great. Let me tell you more details about ‘filling the lake’…”
At the same moment, the door was opened.
Ren Ruofeng frowned, as someone interrupted when it was the very moment to get Xie Dong fooled.
What if this fellow suddenly realized the situation? It would not be easy to arrange anymore…
Someone said that the Truth Department was a military institution. They could give orders directly without considering the other’s feelings.
It would have work in the past. As Ren Ruofeng said, everyone was like a brick, if you had the guts to reject it, they could simply change to another brick. But for the one who rejected the order, the ending would be a court-martial…
But now it had stopped working. Some bricks were not just mere bricks, but some irreplaceable rare gems. For example, Xie Dong has slowly evolved from a Cutlery-level to high Bucket-level…
During task distribution, he surely had to consider the rare gems’ feelings…
It, was very old school to use both grace and power to manage the subordinates. But being old school did not matter at all, as long as it was effective.
