Chapter 171
Chapter 171
Inside the vast auditorium, numerous senior leaders of the United Government had already taken their seats.
They conversed quietly, discussing the day’s major affairs in the Central Region.
Any one of these people could determine the rise or fall of an entire industry with a single sentence. A wave of their hand could shake heaven and earth.
They stood at the center of power.
Bang!
The auditorium doors opened, and Xu Min stumbled inside.
His gaze darted about, his face slightly pale. He looked like someone recovering from a grave illness, weak and exhausted.
The others sat a little straighter when they saw him.
Everyone knew Xu Min was an up-and-coming star favored by “those people.”
In little more than a decade, he had risen from a child in the slums of a minor Safe Zone to a member of the United Government’s inner circle.
Xu Min might hold roughly the same rank as the people present, but his future prospects clearly surpassed theirs.
“Little Xu is here?”
A vigorous old man stood on the stage.
Everyone below lowered their heads and fell silent. The moment the old man spoke, even the rustle of turning pages sounded painfully loud.
His face was gaunt, but his eyes shone brightly, like an ancient pine standing unbowed atop a mountain.
His hair was white yet thick, combed meticulously backward to reveal a smooth, full forehead.
Every button of his gray-white long coat was fastened perfectly.
The hand holding the microphone was steady and sharply jointed, without the slightest tremor common to the elderly.
After that much description, even a pig could tell this old man was important.
In fact, he occupied the very center of this center of power.
His figure had appeared in the group photograph taken when the United Government was first established, and he was currently one of the Central Safe Zone’s three deputy chiefs.
Xu Min swallowed and forced out a smile. “Elder Zhai… My apologies. Something delayed me.”
His voice sounded normal, but a trace of guilt lurked beneath it.
Elder Zhai did not mind. He merely raised a hand and gestured for Xu Min to sit.
Once Xu Min took his seat, Elder Zhai swept his gaze across the hall before smiling.
“I invited everyone here today primarily to commend several comrades and discuss a few problems.”
“The problems are rather serious, so we’ll save them for later…”
“As for the commendations–”
Elder Zhai cleared his throat and looked at Xu Min.
“Xu Min!”
“You have worked conscientiously, performed exceptionally, and made outstanding contributions to the previous project…”
“You have earned the title of Model Individual!”
“As such, you may claim two rewards totaling five thousand contribution points!”
The auditorium erupted.
Five thousand contribution points counted as a tremendous reward even in their circle.
Unlike Bureau points from the Anomaly Hunter Bureau, which could be earned merely by killing anomalies, contribution points represented genuine achievements and honors.
Within the United Government, they functioned like universal currency. Anything one needed could be exchanged for them.
However…
Xu Min seemed not to hear. His eyes remained unfocused, and his fingers tapped the table unconsciously as he pondered something unknown.
Only when someone beside him gave him a gentle pat did he belatedly react and spring to his feet.
Even now, his legs trembled faintly.
Someone chuckled, assuming the young comrade had merely embarrassed himself through nervousness.
Elder Zhai paid it no mind and smiled.
“Xu Min, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Several people familiar with Xu Min teased softly from the side. “Maybe he lost that stone…”
Everyone involved in that project laughed.
They naturally knew what “that stone” was.
It was a terrifying weapon retrieved from a region deeper than the deepest known parts of the Fallen Zone–a place deemed “unexplorable.”
Even someone who had only just reached Tier One Core could use the stone to kill a Tier Four expert!
An actual Tier Four expert, not merely someone with a Tier Four Core!
Xu Min had been entrusted with the stone, demonstrating both their regard for him and the importance of the object.
Everyone knew Xu Min stood among the strongest people beneath “those few.”
Leaving the stone in his hands put everyone at ease.
Xu Min stood there with his mind buzzing. The noisy voices around him seemed cut off, and even breathing became difficult.
He had no idea how to face what came next.
Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.
Elder Zhai’s gaze shifted faintly at the joke, but his smile remained.
“Xu Min, why are you acting so shifty? Did you really lose the stone?”
Xu Min’s teeth chattered.
Before Qin Lan, he had stood high above all others, holding the power of life and death. Nothing could disturb his emotions–aside from private secrets concerning a beautiful teacher, perhaps.
Now he resembled a kindergartner who had broken something valuable.
“Elder Zhai…” Xu Min’s voice was hoarse. “I will recover the stone.”
The entire hall fell silent.
Everyone who had been chatting and laughing stopped. Disbelieving gazes pierced Xu Min like swords, pinning him in place.
“What?!”
Elder Zhai’s voice rose sharply, his expression transforming. “You truly lost the stone?!”
The old man’s sudden burst of power made Xu Min tremble instinctively.
“N-no, I didn’t lose it. It disappeared…” Xu Min stammered, not daring to reveal the true reason.
He had grown overconfident, been tricked by a three-star Anomaly Hunter, and lost his storage bracelet?
How could he possibly say that?
Forget a three-star Anomaly Hunter. Even many veteran four-star Anomaly Hunters could not stir a ripple before Xu Min.
And this so-called “three-star Anomaly Hunter” was only twenty years old.
“If it’s gone, you lost it!”
Elder Zhai roared. The sound struck like thunder and knocked Xu Min back into his chair.
“How long has the stone been missing?”
Elder Zhai stared fixedly at Xu Min, all previous warmth gone.
“T-two hours…”
“Two hours?!”
Elder Zhai felt dizzy.
“How many curses remain in the stone?”
Xu Min answered honestly. “Three.”
“Three curses???”
Elder Zhai nearly lost his balance. “Against ordinary users, that’s one life per strike–three lives! Three peak Tier Four experts reduced to ash!”
“In the hands of a professional assassin, two per strike means six lives!”
“In the hands of a super-assassin, four per strike means twelve lives!”
“And if all the victims are pregnant, that’s twenty-four lives!”
“Twenty-four lives!”
Xu Min was nearly crying. “Elder Zhai, I… I was wrong…”
“Wrong?”
“You committed a crime!”
Elder Zhai’s roar nearly shattered the auditorium walls.