The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Long Ao clenched his fists at his sides.

"I don't understand. What gives you the right? What makes you use such cold, hard data to decide the fate of a city?"

"Because we want this world to last a few more years."

Baihu casually propped his legs up on the hospital bed: "But when a ship has ten holes in it, and you only have three planks, tell me, which ones do you patch?"

Long Ao was speechless.

The education he received from childhood was to patch every hole and save everyone.

"Why can't we save them all?" he asked stubbornly.

"Because there aren't enough planks." Baihu's answer was simple and blunt: "Because there isn't enough time, and more importantly, some of the holes lead to even bigger ones. If they're not plugged, the ship will sink even faster."

He looked at Long Ao's face, which was filled with resentment, and sneered: "Kid, do you think the question you're thinking about is profound? Great? Your grandfather asked the exact same question back then."

Long Ao's body stiffened.

"My grandfather..."

"Longye." Baihu uttered the name. Although he joined relatively late and regretted not being able to witness it personally, he had already heard about these things from Beidou.

"China was once the strongest shield and the sharpest blade. Standing on the Great Wall, he told everyone that he would protect everything, but he also cut down a city in the darkness to protect more people from being corrupted."

These words were more impactful than the BeiDou star map and NanDou data presented at the previous meeting.

"You can ask him, although he may not tell you, but I can tell you for sure that the city is York in La State. You can go and investigate."

"You're thinking too much right now, it's pointless, because you don't have the strength, the world is still a fog for you. In the past, Beidou didn't interfere with your growth, and now I won't either."

"Become stronger, understand this world, and make your choice when you reach a crossroads in your destiny. If you were to think about it now, you probably wouldn't be able to figure it out. The hand is in your own hands. I can't force you to do anything, so there's no need to resist me. It won't make much of a difference."

Baihu suddenly gave a wicked smile: "You can hate me, I just love the way you hate me but can't beat me."

Before Long Ao could unleash his power, Bai Hu stopped his provocations, walked to the window, and opened it.

"Alright, goodnight, Xiao Long Ao. I'll give you three years. If you still can't understand after three years, I'll erase your memory and replace you with a sufficiently adorable subordinate."

With that, he turned over and left the room.

……

Inside a VIP ward.

Long Ao slumped against the wall and sat on the ground, his eyes glazed over.

Baihu is gone, but every word he uttered lingered in the room like a demonic whisper.

Long Ao's fingers tapped on the keyboard.

[Lazhou][York City].

The search results appeared quickly.

[York: A border city in Latin America, which sank into the ground 35 years ago due to a geological disaster triggered by a massive spatial rift. Out of humanitarian concern, the Great Wall of China intervened in the rescue and successfully evacuated the surviving citizens. The area was later designated as a high-level restricted zone and is under the jurisdiction of local armed forces.]

The official announcement was flawless.

That's true. If Baihu is right, then it would be strange if there were problems on the surface.

A pale face was reflected in the mirror.

……

On the rooftop of the hospital, the night breeze was slightly cool.

The white tiger leaned against the railing, a cigarette dangling from its mouth, leisurely watching the night view of the snowy world.

The reason I didn't light it is because this is a hospital, and although Baihu is a murderer and arsonist, he is still a very civilized person.

His terminal vibrated slightly, and a message popped up.

The sender is Beidou.

[Have the seeds been planted over at Suzaku's place?]

Baihu tapped the screen with his fingertip and replied.

[It's been planted, but whether it sprouts or rots depends on him. That kid's too stubborn, a carbon copy of Long Ye. I'm not confident. You should look for some new talent on your end.]

He sent the message and waited a moment, but Beidou did not reply.

Baihu put away his terminal, looked in the direction of Chen Guan's ward, and a playful smile appeared on his lips.

He was clearly more interested in his other subordinate, the model employee, than in the problematic newcomer who needed guidance.

Nandou said he couldn't model it, which was extremely dangerous, but fortunately, it was extremely efficient.

Baihu felt that this assessment was too conservative.

The kid was so calm he didn't seem alive, as if nothing in the world could truly concern him.

Such a person is either a saint who is free from desires or harbors a desire greater than the sky.

He prefers the latter.

"Black Tortoise..."

White Tiger murmured the code name, jumped down from the railing, and his figure disappeared into the night.

It's comforting to know that, apart from him, Hong Yuan and Yin Chen are quite good as well.

……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, besides his daily physical training, Chen Guan spent his time in his room researching how to most efficiently gain popularity points.

The number three million popularity points weighed heavily on his mind, making him feel that even eating was a waste of time.

As for the aftermath of the Guiyuan Group meeting, Baihu never showed up again, as if he had completely forgotten about this model employee.

Chen Guan was pleased with this outcome.

Free-range farming is his favorite management style.

……

Early morning, First Academy, Central Martial Arts Ground.

With the reconstruction completed, the new students were summoned back to the site, but there were fewer of them.

Standing beside Chen Guan, An Changqing lowered his voice, a hint of worry in it, and said, "Chen Guan, look at Long Ao, isn't he working too hard these past few days?"

Chen Guan followed his gaze.

Long Ao stood at the front of the line, his posture straight, like a bow taut to its limit. His original soaring arrogance was replaced by a melancholy.

Chen Guan withdrew his gaze, his face expressionless.

He's been preoccupied with how to prolong his life these past few days, so he hasn't had time to care about the mental health of a troubled teenager.

Seeing that Chen Guan remained silent, An Changqing completed the logical loop on his own: "I understand. You think so too. True comrades-in-arms don't need many words. They only need to inspire each other with actions. Long Ao will definitely feel your will."

Chen Guan's eyelids twitched.

Look at you, you're thinking again.

What I fear most is that An Changqing will suddenly have a sudden inspiration. I don't know when it started, but An Changqing has become more and more fond of making things up in his head.

Just then, a tall, thin figure walked onto the platform.

The newcomer was dressed in a pure black tactical uniform, which accentuated his sharp and capable physique.

His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, and when they swept across the room, all the freshmen's chatter came to an abrupt halt.

Instructor Jing is not here; he's probably slacking off again. In his place is this familiar face.

It was this Black Crow who initially brought Chen Guan and the others from Huaqing.

We hadn't seen each other for a while, and I never expected to meet again in this way.