Chapter 26: Agreement

"What else could he possibly expect to happen?" Xue Fuxiao asked. "A bunch of Lords and Warlords is easy pickings for us!"

"This is why you're not Yan Nan, nor are you me," Dongfang Sansan sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean? And why are you saying Yan Nan is the one who made this decision? The report clearly states that Bai Jing and Xiang Beidou are the ones calling the shots here."

"That's just a ruse. Don't ask me how I know, I can only tell you to grow some brains!" Dongfang Sansan harrumphed.

Xue Fuxiao was just about to ask that exact question, and he could only swallow his query.

Everything was progressing according to Dongfang Sansan's plan, and he felt very good about this entire situation, so he was in the mood to educate Xue Fuxiao a little.

"Yan Nan has several intentions with this move. Firstly, the clans seeking vengeance against Night Demon are really wearing his patience thin, so he's granting everyone this opportunity as a means of appeasement, and some particularly bright talents could rise to the fore through this mission.

“Secondly, he wants to give the bright prospects among the branch lineal descendants of these clans a chance to shine, given that they're often being shunned in preference for their branch lineal counterparts. Lastly, he's doing this because he's confident that I won't kill all of these people."

Xue Fuxiao: "..."

I'm not going to ask any questions. You're just going to mock me as soon as I open my mouth.

With that in mind, Xue Fuxiao put on an expression of understanding as he paced back and forth while occasionally nodding his head, pretending as if he perfectly understood everything without requiring an explanation.

"This is also a very good opportunity for us to pit our brightest young prospects against those of the Church of the Self-Righteous. Without this experience, they won't be prepared for the Generals that have come out of the Parasite Ascension Project. Hence, all of them are invaluable subjects for practical education, so killing them all as you suggested would be a massive waste.

“The fact that these people were sent down in the first place indicates that they're not very important in the eyes of the Church of the Self-Righteous, but all of them are precious treasures that will serve as a whetstone to hone our younger generation of warriors!"

"But won't that result in unnecessary casualties?" Xue Fuxiao asked, finally breaking his silence.

"Do you still remember what Fang Che said that day after making Xue Wanshi soil himself? He said: 'a sheltered flower cannot withstand even the lightest storm.'"

Xue Fuxiao's expression instantly darkened.

Outside of Dongfang Sansan, no one else dared to bring up this matter repeatedly to his face!

"You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"

"It was not my intention to mock you, I'm only telling you the reasoning behind my decision. The younger generation of warriors must endure hardships in order to growl. It may be cruel to throw them to the wolves like this, but someday, the responsibility of defending the continent will fall upon their shoulders. How can we expect a bunch of sheltered flowers to successfully take our place?"

"I suppose you're right," Xue Fuxiao conceded as his dark expression eased slightly.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Dongfang Sansan was quick to pounce, immediately switching to a mocking tone as he continued, "If we constantly keep them sheltered and protected, they won't know what to do with themselves on the battlefield, and they'll soil themselves with just a roar from the enemy! On top of that, if we end up with a few brainless idiots like you at the top... Oh, I shudder to imagine the catastrophes that will be sure to follow!"

Xue Fuxiao stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him while vowing to himself not to visit Dongfang Sansan again for at least ten days!

Dongfang Sansan burst into raucous laughter that was audible across the entire headquarters, much to everyone's excitement.

They had already lost count of how many years it had been since they last heard Master Nine laughing so joyfully, and it was truly a welcome sound.

***

Administrator Fang was back on duty.

On this day, the entire Hall of Protectionists had been gathered for a meeting, one that was presented by Song Yidao.

"Right now, tens of thousands of demonic church members have already infiltrated the southeast with the intention of constructing branch helms and establishing a foothold in our White Cloud Prefecture. We must strike at them with force and conviction to ensure that their plans do not succeed! Our White Cloud Prefecture is currently the cleanest it's been in a very long time, and we must fight to preserve this peace!"

As Song Yidao was delivering his address, all of Fang Che's colleagues in the administration hall were staring at him, feeling as if he had spoken this piece of terrible news into existence just the day before.

Something like this happened once every few years, and it always resulted in mass casualties.

At the end of it all, some received promotions, some made breakthroughs, but many more ended up dead or permanently disabled.

It was like a neverending loop, and it was back for another cycle.

Those at or above the Lord had decent chances of survival, while those below that threshold were basically doomed to serve as cannon fodder, but no one was allowed to back down because the lives of the White Cloud Prefecture's over one hundred million citizens rested on their shoulders.

Song Yidao concluded his address with a heavy heart.

"Everyone can go home early today to make some preparations. If you wish to make any arrangements in case something happens to you, I suggest you do so now. Once the battle begins, there's no telling which ones of you will be able to make it out alive. The safety of the entire prefecture rests on our shoulders, and it's time to make a stand! I wish you all safety and good fortune."

Dong Yidao concluded his address with a deep bow.

"It's time to fight!" Chen Ruhai roared with all his might.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

His call was echoed by everyone, and even the likes of Tang Zheng were swept up in the adrenaline, chanting at the top of his lungs.

***

Fang Che emerged from the meeting with an indifferent expression, seemingly completely unmoved by the rousing chants.

Right at this moment, a pleasant voice called out to Fang Che.

"Administrator Fang!"

Fang Che turned to discover a young woman making her way toward him with a warm smile on her face.

It was one of his female colleagues in the administration hall, Zhao Ying'er.

She was a real beauty and had many suitors in the administration hall.

"Can I help you, Administrator Zhao?" Fang Che asked with a puzzled expression.

"We're about to be entering battle, so I just wanted to wish you well," Zhao Ying'er said.

"Thank you, same to you."

After a long silence, Zhao Ying'er continued, "Last time this happened, I was a sixth-rank General, and I was very fortunate to have survived, but I may not be so lucky this time, so I wanted to give you this."

She smiled as she offered Fang Che a small, pink envelope.

A faint blush appeared on her face, but her courage didn't waver as she said, "Please accept this letter."

"What is this?" Fang Che asked in a confused manner.

Zhao Ying'er was clearly a little timid, but she forced herself not to look down as she proposed, "Let's make an agreement, Administrator Fang."

"What agreement?"

"Don't read this letter for now. If both of us survive this ordeal, please return the letter to me, and I'll recite its contents to you in person. But if I die, then you can open the letter and read it. Deal?"

Her face was flushed with embarrassment, but she stared courageously into Fang Che's eyes, waiting for his response.

Fang Che was silent for a moment before nodding and tucking the envelope into his pocket.

Someone immediately began wolf-whistling from nearby, and that was met with a chorus of laughter.

Zhao Ying'er's flushed complexion deepened even further, and she rushed away into the crowd.

Fang Che stared after her for a moment, then called out in an expressionless manner, "Tang Zheng, it's time for patrol!"

"Now? You... You're not going to go home and speak to your loved ones, Administrator Fang?" Fang Che asked in a flabbergasted manner.

Everyone was busy writing wills, yet Fang Che was ordering him to go on patrol!

"Oh right, I forgot. Alright, you can go home, I'll go on patrol on my own."

Tang Zheng was stunned to hear this, both shocked by Fang Che's display of compassion and his insistence on going on patrol, even at a time like this.

Fang Che made his way out of the Hall of Protectionists, quickly disappearing out of sight.

***

After patrol duty, Fang Che bought a few jars of wine and paid Old Man Shen a visit at the academy.

"To what do I owe this honor, Administrator Fang?" Old Man Shen jibed.

"The honor is all mine, Elder Shen," Fang Che chuckled. "I just got off work, and I thought I'd come and have a drink with you."

"Really?" Old Man Shen harrumphed. "I bet it's actually because you're going on some dangerous mission, and you're worried that you'll die, so you came to have a parting drink with me just in case, isn't that right?"

"What makes you think that?" Fang Che asked with a surprised expression.

That was truly not his intention at all, but nevertheless, he couldn't help but be bewildered by Old Man Shen's intuition.