Chapter 46: Proactive

At the heart of Silver City stood a pristine white spire. Towering above all else, it marked the highest point in the city; while the Copper Fortress had its highest office suspended beneath the dome, the spire rose above it, resembling a broadcasting tower perched atop a sweeping arc.

From afar, the first thing that caught the eye was this open-air spire, radiating confidence and composure in every direction.

At its pinnacle was the meeting place for the senior managers of the Silver Trade Guild. It had taken Xie Bo three years to reach this height, and today, he attended the regular gathering.

Around the oval long table sat only five people. As one of them, though still just a deputy manager and with four others ahead of him, he nevertheless had every reason to feel proud.

One man, distinguished by his long hair, sat at the protruding end of the table, presiding over the impromptu meeting.

To his right sat a black-haired woman, dozing off; this was the next position Xie Bo aimed for. He believed she was utterly unworthy of her seat.

“Tomorrow marks the arrival of another monthly tide of evil. We need more permanent staff. The targets assigned to each of you have been distributed; be sure to lead your caravans and complete the task,” the long-haired man spoke earnestly. “If anyone has difficulties, speak up now.”

“Deputy Manager Xie, you start,” the man called out.

“Director Li, I have no difficulties,” Xie Bo replied with a slight smile. “I have my eye on three targets. With the evil tide’s intensity waning and its frequency dropping, I will seize this last opportunity and secure maximum profit for the company.”

When a superior requests you to speak of difficulties, it is usually mere courtesy—they never actually want to hear complaints.

“Very good, Deputy Manager Xie. Your attitude is commendable. The Silver Trade Guild needs motivated middle managers like you,” the long-haired man nodded approvingly.

At that moment, the black-haired woman beside Xie Bo abruptly lifted her head, revealing a delicate, pale face framed by short hair and scattered bangs.

“Li Xing, I have a problem,” she addressed the meeting host directly, showing no courtesy.

“Manager Lin, please go on,” Li Xing raised his glasses and forced a smile.

“My caravan is opening up the southern trade routes. I have no time to recruit permanent staff,” Lin glared at him. “If I had the time, I’d rather eradicate a few more evil spirit nests.”

Excellent, Xie Bo thought silently, his expression unchanged as he looked down at his notebook.

“This is the boss’s decision. No one can defy His will—you, me, none of us,” Li Xing retorted coldly. “Lin Zhongqing, do not forget your duty, nor who rescued you.”

Lin Zhongqing clenched her fist, glaring fiercely but held back from erupting.

“Ha, Manager Lin, do you still feel any pity for those wretches?” Xie Bo interjected. “But turning those lazy, gluttonous wretches into puppet servants is one of our boss’s wisest decisions. Only then can they be of greatest use in helping their masters build settlements, and our guild can trade for even more goods because of it.”

The long-haired man cast Xie Bo an approving glance and then addressed Lin Zhongqing: “I think Manager Lin needs to read more after the meeting. My son has some used junior high textbooks; I’ll send them all to you.”

Hearing their undisguised mockery, Lin Zhongqing could no longer restrain herself. She suddenly stood, her right hand balled into a fist, and slammed it onto the table.

A gust swept through the meeting room, scattering notes and documents everywhere.

“What do you think you’re doing? This is the highest meeting room—the boss’s gaze is ever upon us!” Li Xing barked.

He could not fathom why this woman was so arrogant and unruly, and yet the boss tolerated her. Was it merely because her strength was unmatched in the guild?

The third stage of Silver, indeed, dominated a territory stretching thousands of kilometers.

Yet Xie Bo discerned a hint of bluster in Li Xing’s voice and began to regret somewhat—he had underestimated Lin Zhongqing’s true power. Fortunately, her usual disposition made her unlikely to plot against him.

Lin Zhongqing seemed about to say something, but froze, her lips twitching slightly.

Li Xing watched her, one hand stealthily pressing a button hidden beneath the table.

Her expression shifted again, then she suddenly burst out laughing.

“Very well, very well,” she said oddly, and addressed Li Xing, “You’ll soon receive my resignation!”

“I’m waiting,” Li Xing sneered. “Just make sure you don’t take it back again.”

“Never, not ever again!” With that, Lin Zhongqing strode out of the meeting room.

Xie Bo secretly clenched his fist. Good—he should have pressed her earlier, but now was the perfect moment.

“A company’s staff may change, but as long as the boss remains, no one here is irreplaceable! Her strength and conquests mean nothing!” Li Xing lectured the remaining three.

“Yes, Director Li,” they replied in unison.

“All right, Xie Bo, prepare yourself. Assemble reliable staff and take over Manager Lin’s second caravan after she leaves. Make sure you don’t miss the evil tide period starting tomorrow,” Li Xing continued. “Any questions?”

“None whatsoever,” Xie Bo replied immediately.

He smiled inwardly. Risk brings reward; now, with two caravans under his command, he would stand out from the rest.

What a foolish woman, to throw away her status as an elder of the Silver Trade Guild over a fit of temper.

Perhaps she had caught the attention of some other entity just now, but what unknown presence could be better than the boss she served now?

…

After deploying the Steward System, Fan Bei felt both anticipation and a trace of concern.

This was his first time assigning the system randomly, unlike his previous practice of selecting the target—be it person or dog—before distributing it.

Naturally, as a cautious man, he had tried to guarantee some measure of control, but he still lacked the ability to interfere in the system’s binding process. Perhaps once he unlocked more system options, he could choose the host.

Such was the downside of remote deployment: secure enough, but uncontrollable.

At that moment, Big White bounded over to call him home for dinner.

Fan Bei tidied up the main control room and returned to the duty office.

Chef He had already finished preparing dinner: plump rice and fragrant stir-fried dishes, showcasing his culinary mastery.

Despite Fan Bei’s instruction for him to rest half a day, Chef He still cooked diligently, surely thanks to Little White’s influence.

This made Fan Bei look forward even more to the arrival of the new steward.

The next day, July 15, the tide of evil struck.

Piercing, mournful howls cut through layer upon layer of barriers, reaching deep into the rooms and chilling the soul.

Fan Bei paid it no mind; he had endured it before, and now, even more so. Upon careful sensing, he found the howls were much weaker than before.

Big White was even less bothered, sleeping soundly in its doghouse, not even bothering with breakfast.

Neither Little White, the iron ball, nor the task guide punished it. Fan Bei had considered the "emergency state" when designing the tasks: to preserve energy for unpredictable situations, rest was permitted during an evil tide.

Fan Bei, of course, was not so lazy. After waking, he carried out his usual ablutions, ate breakfast, and began his meditation training.

He paid particular attention to Chef He, finding him even more relaxed than himself, which reassured him.

At 10 a.m., suddenly, an alarm sounded.

Fan Bei tensed, fearing evil spirits had breached the shelter, but upon hearing the alert, he was surprised.

"Outside personnel request to speak with shelter survivors. Relevant staff please respond promptly."

He thought instinctively: So soon?

He had just deployed the Steward System yesterday afternoon; now, in a single day, someone had arrived?

Silver City lay southeast of Shelter 364, over three hundred kilometers away in a straight line!

This was no peaceful era—back then, such a distance could be covered in under two hours by high-speed rail.

Indeed, those with the system were always more driven.

Feeling gratified, he quickly opened the system log for confirmation.

After reviewing it, he realized events were unfolding even better than he had anticipated…