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Chapter 497 Organization Building, Gifts from the Chen Family

Now that the name "Illuminati" has been established, it can no longer operate as a disorganized, scattered force.

The most urgent task is to secure the base.

Xiaosai, who stayed in Dongdu, was very efficient. A few days ago, she sent detailed information on two alternative locations.

During this period, Fang Cheng and others spent their time discussing the establishment charter of the Illuminati, in addition to assisting Chen Xu'an in stabilizing the situation and clarifying the underground forces in Cuicheng and Tiannan Province.

After a meeting last night, Fang Cheng made a decision to stop making choices.

Instead, they should spend more money to acquire both alternative locations, creating a "three burrows" layout for the future.

The first base is the Jinshui Fish Market located in the Lingang District.

It is a famous old town, with old buildings and a complex, maze-like terrain, and it is also close to the port.

It usually attracts a large number of migrant workers, a diverse mix of people from all walks of life.

Although such places may look chaotic, they are extremely well-hidden and have convenient water transportation.

In conclusion, it is very suitable as a daily administrative office location and intelligence hub.

The saying goes, "The greatest hermits live in the city." The Illuminati's main base was located there, which was both down-to-earth and convenient for its work, and also made it easy to avoid being noticed.

In case of an emergency, they can quickly evacuate through complex alleyways or waterways.

The second base is located in an industrial park on the western outskirts of JB District.

There is a textile factory that has been closed for many years. Although it is located in a remote and desolate area, it has the advantage of having an underground air-raid shelter built during the war preparation period.

The air-raid shelter was of very high standard, with a huge space, a sturdy structure, and excellent sound insulation.

With just a few modifications, including the introduction of ventilation and electrical systems, it becomes the perfect training base for members and a strategic material warehouse.

At that time, even if they make a big commotion inside, such as practicing powerful skills or storing prohibited sensitive equipment, they don't have to worry about being discovered by the outside world.

One is bright, one is dark; one is inside, one is outside; they complement each other perfectly.

With the base in place, the next crucial step is to fill in the organizational structure.

This is also the core issue that Fang Cheng has been repeatedly discussing with the professor, Lin Chuqiao, and others in recent days.

To confront a behemoth like the "ideal land," brute force alone is insufficient; a highly efficient and clearly defined functional system must be established.

According to the initial plan, the Illuminati will first establish three core departments to form the organizational framework.

First is the "Operations Department," which is the organization's sharpest weapon. Its core functions include executing combat missions, eliminating dissidents, and protecting targets.

In terms of personnel composition, it follows a route that combines "core elites" with "peripheral wolf packs".

The core combat force naturally consists of individuals with special abilities, such as Fang Cheng and the professor, who are primarily responsible for high-difficulty and high-risk core missions.

Of course, a sound organization needs more than just core members; it also needs a sufficient number of external support staff.

After discussing with the professor, Fang Cheng planned to recruit a group of clean-cut, courageous retired special forces soldiers or civilian martial artists to form multiple action teams.

Each core member leads a small team, serving as the team's tactical core and spiritual pillar.

In this way, not only can they lead the charge in actual combat, but they can also leverage the tactical skills of their teammates to achieve coordinated combat.

In addition, established families like the Chen family and gangs like the Red Tiger Gang can also be developed into affiliated forces, responsible for handling low-intensity routine conflicts and various entrusted tasks.

Secondly, there is the "Intelligence Department," which serves as the organization's eyes and ears.

Its main functions are to gather information on the movements of the "ideal world," monitor the reactions of various forces, and establish an information network belonging to the Illuminati.

This requires professional hackers, detectives, and special talents skilled in disguise and infiltration.

Bai Ling's talent will be fully utilized here.

She is born with the ability to change her appearance and imitate voices, making her a natural-born ace spy with a thousand faces.

However, given her naive and carefree personality, she can only be used as a secret agent for the time being and cannot be put in charge of her own affairs.

Professor Ye Zhiren is intelligent, experienced, and well-versed in the unspoken rules of the underworld.

Until a suitable ministerial candidate is found, having him in charge of strategic planning and concurrently serve as the head of the intelligence department is currently the best solution.

Finally, there is the "logistics department," which is the lifeline of the organization.

Its functions extend beyond managing supplies and equipment; more importantly, it is responsible for medical treatment, on-site cleanup, and utilizing social resources to provide its members with legal cover and legal aid.

This requires a meticulous and capable person to coordinate, essentially the head steward of the Illuminati.

Lin Chuqiao is virtuous, thoughtful, and familiar with the rules governing the operation of powerful families, making her the most suitable candidate.

As for Pan Wendi, although he seems unreliable, he has the Pan family, a powerful financial group, behind him.

It would be perfect to have a temporary post, specifically responsible for opening up those special channels that can only be accessed with money and power.

In addition to these three core departments, as the organization grows, it will gradually add functional departments such as finance and R&D.

The architecture is easy to build, but the talent is hard to find.

The first batch of members for the Illuminati has now been assembled.

Fang Cheng himself, Lin Chuqiao, the professor, his uncle, Bai Ling, Pan Wendi, plus Xiao Sa and Xu Hao who stayed in Dongdu, together they made up the "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea".

Although the number of people is small, they are complete in every way, and each of them has different abilities.

Of course, relying on just these few people is far from enough.

After returning to Dongdu, we still need to find reliable people, recruit new blood, and gradually strengthen the organization's power.

However, the professor, who had experienced a painful betrayal, specifically emphasized one point regarding the recruitment criteria.

In the world of superhumans, loyalty and reliability are far more scarce than ability.

Therefore, subsequent personnel expansion should not be rushed.

Every candidate must undergo rigorous background checks and a lengthy evaluation process.

Better to have none than to have something of poor quality; we must never let one bad apple spoil the whole bunch, and we must never let spies from other forces infiltrate the area.

Besides these complicated official matters, Fang Cheng did not forget his roots: cultivation.

This trip to Tiannan made him acutely aware of his own shortcomings.

Despite skill breakthroughs and attribute increases, they are still several levels below the true powerhouses who stand at the top of this world.

Once back, I must stick to a more intense training plan and strive to get all my physical attributes to the 80 mark as soon as possible, to see if it can trigger a new qualitative change.

In addition, there is also cultivation on a spiritual level.

Ever since witnessing Xuanzhen's "Soul Devouring Domain" and the cross-space divine kingdom projection of the leader of the Ideal Land, Fang Cheng's desire for the "Inner Landscape Manifestation" realm has become increasingly strong.

If one cannot master similar domain abilities, no matter how strong one's physical body is, one may still be at a disadvantage when facing a master who manipulates rules and souls.

In particular, the "dark void" predicted by Lin Chuqiao gave Fang Cheng some inspiration.

During this time, he also took the time to consult with the professor about mental cultivation techniques.

However, I was too busy to study it in depth. I will study it further and try it out after I get back and settle down.

Thoughts raced through my mind, constructing meticulous blueprints.

Fang Cheng gently closed the magazine, temporarily suppressing his many plans into his mind.

He then looked up and glanced across the living room.

Sitting opposite him, Ye Zhiren took off his black-rimmed glasses and was slowly wiping them with a velvet cloth. His movements were deliberate, but his gaze was fixed on the shimmering lake view outside the window, as if he were deep in thought.

Lin Chuqiao, meanwhile, was in a corner, quietly checking several boxes of local specialties from Tiannan Province that she was preparing to take back to Dongdu as gifts.

She is always very organized and never does even the smallest things carelessly.

He ignored Pan Wendi's complaints and focused on the list in his hand.

Just as Pan Wendi's patience was about to run out and he was about to start complaining again.

Li Dingjian, who had been standing by the window as a lookout, suddenly turned around and said in a deep voice:

"coming."

As soon as he finished speaking, a deep engine roar could be faintly heard, quickly growing louder as it approached.

Looking out the window, I saw a black bulletproof Rolls-Royce drive along the lakeside road and come to a smooth stop in front of the villa's carved gate.

The car door opened, and two burly bodyguards in black suits got out first.

They glanced around warily, then respectfully opened the back door.

Chen Xu'an stepped out of the car.

Today, he was wearing a well-tailored dark gray handmade suit, and his hair was combed meticulously.

He exuded a completely refreshed spirit and already possessed the dignified bearing of a leader of a large family.

But there was no arrogance on his face; instead, there was an obvious humility and eagerness.

Behind him, two bodyguards were not empty-handed; each was carrying two extra-large silver metal safes.

Judging from the tense arms and slightly bulging veins of the two men, the box was obviously quite heavy.

"Let's go see what our 'big spender' has brought."

Fang Cheng put down the magazine, slowly stood up, and walked towards the door first.

A moment later, the villa gate opened.

Chen Xu'an strode into the living room and, seeing the crowd that had been waiting for him, immediately became apologetic.

"Mr. Bai, Professor, everyone, I'm so sorry!"

"We were delayed on the way due to a last-minute order change. We apologize for keeping you all waiting."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply, his posture extremely humble, showing absolutely no airs of being the head of the Chen family.

"Mr. Chen, you're welcome."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the four conspicuous safes behind him, his tone calm:

"Since you're here, there's no need for formalities. May I ask if Young Master Chen has something important to discuss with us?"

"I dare not accept the word 'important,' but I have a small token of my appreciation and hope to contribute my modest efforts to the early development of the Illuminati."

Chen Xu'an straightened up, straightened his clothes, and then turned around and waved to one of the bodyguards.

"Put it on the table first."

The bodyguard immediately stepped forward and carefully placed a heavy silver safe flat in the center of the coffee table.

The enclosure is made of a high-strength aerospace aluminum alloy, with a cold metallic luster on the surface. The four corners are reinforced with anti-collision pads, making it look particularly heavy and mysterious.

The living room suddenly became quiet.

Pan Wendi stopped chewing the apple and curiously leaned over.

Bai Ling also put down her phone, blinked her big eyes, and came over.

Even the usually composed Ye Zhiren and Lin Chuqiao couldn't help but focus their attention on the box.

They were all very curious about what kind of "small gift" the Chen family patriarch, who had just secured his position as the top figure in Tiannan Province, had prepared.

Chen Xu'an didn't keep them in suspense. He stepped forward, quickly entered a series of commands on the combination lock on the side of the box, and then pressed his thumb on the fingerprint recognition area.

"drop--"

A crisp electronic sound rang out.

This was followed by a faint hissing sound as the hydraulic rod started.

Click.

The heavy lid slowly popped open and unfolded to both sides.

The moment the contents of the box were exposed to the air, the previously dimly lit living room seemed to be suddenly illuminated by a high-powered spotlight.

There was no earth-shattering fluctuation, only the purest, most mundane, yet most impactful light that could strike the human retina.

That was a radiance woven from extreme luxury and wealth.

"hiss--"

Someone in the quiet room gasped in surprise.

The piece of apple that Pan Wendi was eating fell to the ground with a "thud".

His eyes widened; even as a tycoon's son, he now appeared completely unsophisticated.

Lin Chuqiao and Bailing instinctively covered their mouths, their eyes shining brightly with a shock that came from their female instincts.

Li Dingjian leaned against the window, his arms, which had been crossed, unconsciously drooping down, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Ye Zhiren's hand, which was pushing up his glasses, froze in mid-air. A glint of light flashed behind the lenses, as he was clearly quickly assessing the value of the object in front of him.

Even Fang Cheng, who had maintained a calm expression throughout, had his pupils slightly contract after seeing what was inside the box.

He raised his eyes and looked at Chen Xu'an, who was standing to the side with a smile on his face and a respectful expression.

This "small gift"...

It's not thin at all; in fact, it's rather heavy.

Once the lid was fully opened, the luster inside became even more dazzling.

Inside, six exquisite jewelry boxes were neatly arranged.

Each box is made of the finest small-leaf sandalwood, and the body is carved with intricate and exquisite dragon and phoenix patterns, making them clearly very valuable.

These boxes had been opened in advance, and the jewelry inside was dazzling.

The gemstone, as red as congealed blood, was cut into a neat teardrop shape and set in a platinum necklace base, exuding a luxurious aura under the light.

The imperial green jadeite bangle is entirely emerald green with a delicate texture. Its translucency is so high that it seems to drip, as if it has captured the freshest green color of spring.

In addition, there are several nearly flawless pink diamonds and cornflower blue sapphires, which also refract dazzling light.

Each piece is made with exquisite materials, and you can tell at a glance that it is the work of a top craftsman.

Chen Xu'an bowed slightly, raised his hand in greeting, and spoke with just the right amount of respect:

"These are gifts from our Chen family. They may not be rare treasures, but they are carefully selected as a token of our goodwill."

"We apologize for keeping you all waiting so long, as we needed to transport these items from warehouses in various locations."

(End of this chapter)