Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

Xu Sanqing cleared his throat and said, "The main reason I called everyone here today is to introduce someone."

He turned to look at Zhuge Qi, "This is Zhuge Qi, the head of the Extraordinary Person Affairs Section of the headquarters. I believe some of you have already heard of him. Head Zhuge is here in Tianjin on behalf of the headquarters to guide our work. Please welcome him."

Sparse applause broke out.

Zhuge Qi stood up and gave a slight bow in response.

"To my colleagues in North China," he said, his voice not loud but clear, "I came to Tianjin for two reasons. First, the North China branch has been under a lot of work pressure lately, and General Manager Zhao asked me to come and see if I could help in any way. Second, I need to deal with some matters related to Quanxing."

He paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

"General Manager Zhao asked me to convey a message: The North China branch has been a backbone of our company for many years. Xu San and Xu Si are both veteran employees with outstanding achievements. Headquarters fully recognizes your work."

This was said in a very measured and watertight manner.

The people present all breathed a sigh of relief; at least the headquarters' attitude was good, and they weren't there to hold them accountable.

"But General Manager Zhao also said that there have been some problems in the North China branch recently. Some colleagues may have become a little lax in their thinking, which led to oversights in their work."

Zhuge Qi changed his tone and said in a light tone, "The theft of the files is a very serious matter with a very bad impact, and the headquarters is under a lot of pressure."

The atmosphere in the conference room immediately became tense.

Xu San's expression remained unchanged, but his hand under the table clenched slightly.

Xu Si, on the other hand, remained calm and even picked up a bottle of mineral water from the table, unscrewed it, and took a sip.

"However, as General Manager Zhao also said, this matter cannot be entirely blamed on the North China branch. Quanxing came prepared this time, and their methods were indeed very clever. No branch might have been able to defend against it." Zhuge Qi's tone softened again, and this control of the rhythm made everyone present feel as if their hearts were being squeezed.

"Therefore, headquarters has decided that this matter will be handled jointly by the Department of Extraordinary Persons and the North China Branch. My main responsibility is to investigate and track the Quanxing group, while the North China Branch will provide support."

Just cooperate.

These four words were like a soft knife, silently cutting into the hearts of everyone present.

What does "just cooperate" mean?

It means the initiative is no longer in your hands.

How to investigate a case, how to arrest people, and how to handle matters all depend on headquarters.

Your North China branch is just playing a supporting role this time.

Xu San's eyelids twitched, but he didn't say anything.

He had anticipated this outcome.

From the moment Zhuge Qi appeared in Tianjin, he knew that the North China branch had lost the initiative. This was not a question of who was right or wrong, but a question of power.

With such a huge blunder, it's already incredibly lenient that headquarters isn't going to hold you accountable. How could they possibly leave the initiative to you?

"There's one more thing I want to tell everyone." Zhuge Qi picked up the bottle of mineral water on the table, unscrewed the cap, took a small sip, and then put the bottle back on the table, his movements unhurried. "I'll be staying here for a while this time."

Those present looked at each other in bewilderment.

Stay for a while? How long?

"The exact timeframe is uncertain and depends on the progress of the matter." Zhuge Qi seemed to have noticed everyone's questions and took the initiative to explain, "The Quanxing's actions this time are quite significant. It's not as simple as just stealing a file or digging up a grave. There may be a deeper purpose behind it, so I need to stay in Tianjin for a while to keep abreast of the situation."

He looked around with a faint smile on his lips. "I'll be troubling my colleagues in the North China branch during this time. If there's anything I need to do in cooperation, I'll communicate with Director Xu in advance."

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Then, a voice rang out.

"We are extremely grateful to Section Chief Zhuge for his willingness to help the North China Division through this difficult time," Xu Si said with a smile, taking the initiative to speak.

The people present looked at each other, but had no choice but to agree.

Zhuge Qi's smile widened slightly as he looked at Xu Si's overly familiar manner.

This person is really shrewd.

Knowing that the matter is already settled, instead of resisting it, it's better to accept it openly and generously, which will leave a good impression of cooperation.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to tell everyone. Xu San and Xu Si have already found out." Zhuge Qi put down his water bottle, his tone becoming serious. "On the way here, we ran into a few members of the Quanxing Sect and arrested them."

The people present were stunned for a moment.

Zhuge Qi continued, "Shen Chong and Xia He from the Four Madmen, as well as Lü Liang from the Lü family, are all in our hands. There's also the Liu family from Xiangxi, but their situation is a bit special, we'll talk about that later."

The atmosphere in the meeting room changed instantly.

Several people stared wide-eyed, their mouths agape enough to fit an egg.

Four Madmen?

Two four-time madmen?

And what about Lü Liang from the Lü family?

Who exactly is this section chief?

"You...you're telling the truth?" A middle-aged man sitting at the end of the conference table couldn't help but ask. "Shen Chong and Xia He, they're not ordinary people. You alone—"

Zhuge Qi interrupted him, his tone still calm, "It's nothing serious, we just ran into each other, got into a fight, and then got arrested."

The expressions on the faces of those present were absolutely priceless.

There was shock, doubt, and disbelief.

Who are Shen Chong and Xia He?

Those were top experts from the Quanxing Sect, Huogenmiao and Guagudao, both wanted for years without success, yet they were captured so easily this time.

"I will issue a detailed report on the specific situation later." Zhuge Qi did not dwell on this topic. "The main reason I called everyone here today is to discuss the recent developments at the North China branch, as well as the handling of those Quanxing prisoners."

He looked at Xu San, "Deputy Director Xu, why don't you tell everyone about the current situation?"

Xu San nodded, pulled out a stack of documents from the file bag in front of him, and began to report on the progress of the investigation by the North China branch over the past few days.

But in the end, there wasn't much substantial content.

I don't know how the file was lost.

I don't know how the Quanxing people got in.

The whereabouts of Zhang Xilin's body are unknown.

The only certainty is that Quanxing's target this time is Zhang Chulan, who is currently at Nanbukai University and under the company's surveillance.

Xu San looked somewhat embarrassed as he said these words.

After all, such a big incident happened on their own turf, and they claimed to know nothing about it. Anyone would feel embarrassed in that situation.

Zhuge Qi listened, nodding occasionally and interjecting with a few words, but they were all just empty official platitudes.

But everyone present could tell that behind these polite words lay a condescending scrutiny.

It's like a leader listening to a subordinate's work report.

Zhuge Qi was originally a leader.

The head of the Extraordinary Persons Affairs Section is on the same level as the head of the North China branch, but he represents headquarters and wields much more power than the local branches.

This is why everyone present was on high alert.

The fact that this section chief from headquarters will be staying in Tianjin for a period of time means that they will have to be on their toes at all times during this period, for fear that they might do something wrong and give others a handle to use against them.

The report lasted about twenty minutes.

Xu San said everything he could say, and even mentioned things he couldn't say, before finally closing the document and looking at Zhuge Qi: "That's basically the situation."

Zhuge Qi nodded without speaking, but picked up the mineral water on the table and took another sip.

The meeting room fell silent, and all eyes were on him.

After about ten seconds, Zhuge Qi finally spoke.

"I understand the situation, and there are some positive aspects. In principle, I shouldn't interfere since it has already been handed over to North China."

"However, I still feel it's necessary to say a few words."