Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

After seeing Zhuge Qing off, Zhuge Qi returned to his office and closed the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, the perfectly gentle smile on his face vanished as if by magic, replaced by an indescribable calm.

He walked back to his desk, sat down in the swivel chair, loosened his tie, and let out a long sigh.

"bite--"

A notification sound that only he could hear rang in his mind, and then a semi-transparent light screen unfolded in his field of vision, hovering above his desk.

Reputation value change: +156

[Source: In-depth conversation with Zhuge Qing]

[Impact Rating: B-level - Had an ideological impact on key plot characters]

[Current total reputation points: 12480/50000]

Current Level: LV3

[37520 reputation points needed to reach the next level]

"At this rate, reaching LV4 might not be easy," Zhuge Qi muttered to himself, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling.

His tone didn't convey any sense of frustration, but rather a calm acceptance of it all.

After all, this was just a side benefit.

He loaded this reputation system when he transmigrated, and it did indeed help him a lot. One of his purposes in joining the company was to make it easier to acquire reputation points.

But later on, I gradually realized that it was just an added bonus.

[Host: Zhuge Qi]

[Level: LV3]

Reputation Points: 12480/50000

[3 terms retrieved]

[List of entries:]

-----------------

【Entry: Child of Yin and Yang】

Quality: Colorful (Legendary)

Effects: Greatly enhances the power of Five Elements spells, reduces mental energy consumption when casting spells, and maximizes affinity with Yin and Yang energies.

-----------------

[Entry: Deterrence]

Quality: Silver (Rare)

Effect: When facing an enemy whose aura, strength, or status is inferior to one's own, it can suppress the opponent's action ability, thinking speed, and spell casting in all aspects. The suppression effect increases with the gap between the two sides.

-----------------

[Entry: Quick-witted]

Quality: Gold (Epic)

Effects: Increases thinking speed by 300%, enhances mental strength limit by 200%, greatly improves the ability to process complex information, and grants photographic memory.

……

The colored entry "Child of Yin and Yang" was obtained from the newbie gift pack that the system gave him when he transmigrated, and it was also his most valuable possession.

If it weren't for this entry, he might not have been able to stand out among the geniuses of the Zhuge family.

The Zhuge family's Wuhou Qimen technique was one of the most advanced techniques of its time, and the family produced many talented individuals, making the competition extremely fierce.

Fortunately, with this colored entry, he was able to support his cultivation and become a leader among his peers.

When the system was first activated, he didn't even know what reputation points were, let alone how to obtain them, until he gradually figured it out.

The wider the scope of influence, the more people affected, and the more important those people are, the more reputation points you can gain.

The "Child of Yin and Yang" helped him distinguish himself in the clan's competitions, which gradually opened up new possibilities for him.

The "Deterrence" attribute was one he obtained when he upgraded to LV2. It was of silver quality, not particularly good but not bad either.

However, the golden attribute "Quick wit" that he got when he leveled up to LV3 was a good thing, as it really changed the upper limit of his mental capacity.

It not only enhanced your calculation abilities and improved your mastery of Wuhou Qimen Dunjia, but also fundamentally reshaped your way of thinking, making you realize that being merely an extraordinary person is not enough in this world.

That's why he, a young man in his late twenties, can thrive within the system and hold his own against those old foxes.

It's not that he's particularly talented; it's just that he thinks faster and considers things more thoroughly than others.

Of course, this kind of thing cannot be shown.

In the system, being too smart is not a good thing; just the right amount of shrewdness is the safest.

Zhuge Qi turned off the system panel, picked up a document on the table and flipped through it. It was the citywide plan for registering and investigating abnormal individuals, which was sent by Lao Zhou.

He read it very quickly, finishing the three-page document in less than half a minute. He picked up a pen and signed his name on the last page, his handwriting neat and orderly, each stroke showing discipline.

Then he put the file aside and picked up the next one.

These are the monthly work reports submitted by various districts through the "All-in-One" distribution system. They're a thick stack, at least a dozen copies.

He flipped through the documents one by one, some quickly, some slowly, occasionally drawing a line under a number or sentence, and sometimes making a few notes.

I don't know how much time had passed when the internal phone on the table suddenly rang.

"Ring ring—"

Zhuge Qi put down his pen and glanced at the caller ID.

This is the office number for General Manager Zhao.

His expression remained unchanged, and he picked up the receiver with unhurried ease.

"Xiao Qi, are you busy?" A calm and kind voice came from the other end of the phone, with a slight local accent.

But Zhuge Qi knew very well that the person sitting on the other end of the phone was one of the most powerful people in the world of supernatural beings.

Zhao Fangxu is the chairman and general manager of Nadutong Express Company.

"President Zhao," Zhuge Qi's tone was respectful yet not servile, warm yet not obsequious, perfectly measured, "What instructions do you have?"

Zhao Fangxu smiled and said, "I'll come over as soon as I've finished what I'm doing. I'll have my secretary brew you some good tea."

"Okay, Mr. Zhao, I'll be right there."

Zhuge Qi hung up the phone, stood up, tidied up the documents on the table, and then pushed the swivel chair back under the table and straightened it.

Then he walked to the coat rack by the wall, took down the executive jacket, put it on, straightened his collar and tie in front of the small mirror behind the door, and only after confirming that his appearance was appropriate did he push the door open and go out.

He ran into several colleagues in the hallway who were packing up to leave work. They greeted him and he responded with simple politeness.

……

The elevator stopped on the first floor, the doors opened, and Zhuge Qi stepped out.

There weren't many people left in the lobby. The young woman at the front desk was packing up to leave work. When she saw him come out, she quickly stood up and said, "Good morning, Section Chief."

"Okay, thank you for your hard work." Zhuge Qi nodded and walked straight to the other side of the building without stopping.

Zhao Fangxu's office is on the top floor of this building. He doesn't take the elevator up, but walks up the stairs.

It's not that I have any special quirks, but rather that the stairwell of this building is designed in a very interesting way. There is an inconspicuous little door at the corner of each floor, behind which is the company's real "core area".

Of course, these doors are invisible and inaccessible to ordinary people.

As he climbed the stairs, he wondered what Zhao Fangxu wanted to do by calling him over at this time.

Logically speaking, the routine end-of-month report was just completed two days ago, and he had just finished reading the work reports from each district. There was nothing particularly urgent that required face-to-face communication.

unless……

Is it related to the Luo Tian Grand Ritual?

He thought about it for a moment, then felt it didn't quite seem right.

This is something that has already been explained, so Zhao Fangxu probably won't call him over specifically for this matter.

What else could it be?

With the boost of his "Quick wit," Zhuge Qi's mind raced, going through all the possibilities in his head, eliminating them one by one, and finally leaving two or three relatively plausible guesses.

But he didn't think about it any further.

There's no use in overthinking; you'll know when you get there.

This is his style of doing things: make thorough preparations beforehand, remain calm during the process, and leave no loose ends afterward.

Don't panic, don't rush, don't be anxious.

Pushing open the door to the stairwell on the top floor reveals a carpeted corridor. At the end of the corridor is a dark brown wooden door with a brass plaque next to it that reads "Chairman's Office".

A young woman in business attire was standing at the door; she was Zhao Fangxu's secretary, Xiao Chen.

When Xiao Chen saw Zhuge Qi come out of the stairwell, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly covered up by a professional smile.

"Section Chief, you've arrived. General Manager Zhao is waiting for you inside," Xiao Chen said, opening the door for him.

Zhuge Qi nodded to her and stepped inside.

The office was large, but not luxuriously decorated.

A large solid wood desk, behind which is a row of bookshelves filled with various file boxes and books.

A set of mahogany sofas was placed by the window, and tea sets were already laid out on the coffee table, with steam rising from the spout of the teapot.

A person was sitting on the sofa.

He was in his sixties, with gray hair, a kind face, and a slightly overweight figure. He was wearing a gray jacket and looked like an ordinary old man.

But the light shining from those eyes was incredibly shrewd.

It was Zhao Fangxu.

"Xiao Qi is here, come in, have a seat." Zhao Fangxu patted the sofa next to him with a smile.

Zhuge Qi walked over, but instead of sitting directly next to him, he sat down on the single sofa opposite him.

This is a very subtle distance.

"Mr. Zhao looks good. Have you been resting well lately?" Zhuge Qi asked, his tone natural and concerned.

"It's alright, but my old problem has flared up again these past few days, my knees are a bit sore." Zhao Fangxu said as he poured him some tea. "I went to see that TCM doctor you recommended last time, and he's really good at it. He prescribed a few doses of medicine, and I feel much better after taking them."

"That's good. I'll arrange for him to come and check on you regularly later."

"Sure." Zhao Fangxu pushed the teacup towards him, smiling as he looked at him. "Xiao Qi, your greatest strength is your thoughtfulness. You always think ahead and make things easy for others."

"Mr. Zhao, you flatter me. It's just my job."

Zhuge Qi picked up the teacup, but instead of drinking it immediately, he first smelled the aroma of the tea before taking a small sip.

The movements were neither hurried nor slow.

Seeing his action, Zhao Fangxu's smile deepened.

Neither of them rushed into discussing serious matters until they had drunk several cups of tea and finished their casual conversation.

Zhao Fangxu finally spoke, using a seemingly casual but actually probing tone: "I called you here today for no other reason than to have a chat with you."

"What's your take on the theft of the archives in the North China division?"