Then let them offer their loyalty!

'Could it be... that the higher-ups in both states chose to submit to their whims for this very reason?'

'Isn't this incredibly arrogant and domineering?'

Thinking this, Pei Jing's hands clenched involuntarily.

He suddenly felt a great sense of urgency and mission.

He felt that he had found the purpose of his trip to New Jersey: to help Old Pang and the academic faction regain control of the two states!

Meanwhile, just as he was thinking this...

Suddenly, Pang Haichen's secretary, looking grim, rushed in.

Approaching Elder Pang, he quickly bent down and whispered, "Elder Pang... something's happened. We just received news from the shelter that Councilor Tian has been taken away..."

---------

Chapter 2, 1 words each. The next chapter will be updated between 3 AM and 5 AM. Everyone, please read it tomorrow morning.

10.8-10.16投月票还可以继续抽3份价值268元的游戏和40份68的零食大礼包哈！求月票~~

Chapter 530 Becoming a High-Ranking Member of the Shelter! (10,000 words, seeking monthly votes)

Everyone present was a cataclysmic being, with keen senses and sharp eyesight.

Unless a magic array is set up, even a whispered conversation in front of everyone can be heard clearly, let alone from a distance of about 10 meters.

Therefore, what Secretary Pang Haichen said clearly reached the ears of several speakers.

The speakers exchanged glances.

Qiu Tu glanced at Tang Feifei opposite him, then noticed that Yu Die behind him was giving him a disapproving look.

He coughed lightly to cover his embarrassment. Then, he mentally recalled Representative Tian's situation.

Representative Tian's real name is Tian Baoliang. He is a member of the Supreme Council of the Shelter, the vice principal of the "Officer Academy", and one of the seven high-ranking members of the "Academy Faction".

In terms of seniority and status, he would rank 4th or 5th among the "academics." He is somewhat inferior to Huang Shangzong at his peak.

But now, he was suddenly taken away. Pang Haichen immediately frowned.

He turned to look at his secretary and asked, "What happened?"

The secretary said softly, "I don't know... they haven't found out the specific reason yet."

"It's said that the 'Fengtian Clique' was behind it; Tang Shouye (Tang Feifei's second uncle) from the Tang family led an inspector to arrest them."

"Then it must have been approved by Elder Tang."

Upon hearing the secretary's words, Pang Haichen's gaze involuntarily fell upon Tang Feifei.

During this period, Tang Feifei took full charge of the attack plan for the disaster zone, and with 100,000 troops at her disposal, her temperament and demeanor were further enhanced.

With the experience of the bloody battlefield and Huang Shangzong's remote guidance, she made rapid progress.

If she was just a female leopard who had never fought before, although she had untamed wildness, she lacked the ferocity of a wild beast.

Now she already possesses the domineering aura of the king of beasts; just sitting there, she exudes a refined and bloodthirsty presence.

Sensing Pang Haichen's gaze, she looked back sharply.

The two looked at each other, Pang Haichen frowned slightly, and then looked at Qiu Tu again.

Qiu Tu was currently looking down at his nose and pretending to be a god, and did not respond to him.

Pang Haichen did not get the information he wanted and slowly withdrew his gaze.

He said in a deep voice, "I understand."

The secretary, sensing the situation, quickly bowed and left the meeting room.

Pei Jing's gaze darkened slightly as he watched his retreating figure.

Perhaps influenced by Qiu Tu's show of force, he had a feeling that this matter was not so simple.

Old Pang served as the garrison commander of two states. He himself became the Speaker of the New State Legislative Assembly. Principal Tian was arrested?

Are these things really unrelated?

Even though Principal Tian was arrested, the "academic faction's" strength has clearly increased rather than decreased. But why is there this inexplicable unease?

Thinking this, Pei Jing's brows furrowed into a deep frown.

Although he couldn't figure out where this unease came from, he always felt that the old "academic school" was like a big tree, not necessarily tall, but definitely deeply rooted.

And now... although he felt that the tree was growing rapidly into a towering giant, he also felt as if its roots were gone?

Am I overthinking things? Or is it all just a coincidence?

Because this matter was so terrifying, even though Pei Jing sensed something was wrong, he dared not think about it too deeply and could only suppress his doubts for the time being.

Meanwhile, after the secretary left, Old Master Pang began his small meeting.

Today's meeting was simple: to summarize the recent work of the two prefectures and to arrange the welcoming of Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng.

Soon, after a short meeting, Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng arrived at a place less than 60 kilometers away from the "Trade Market".

Pang Haichen decisively ended the meeting and then prepared to lead everyone out to greet them.

As a result, when he adjourned the meeting, of the 10 speakers and vice-speakers present, only Pei Jing decisively packed up his documents, preparing to leave with him. The other speakers, however, slowly packed up their documents, but remained firmly seated in their chairs as if they were weights on a scale.

Upon seeing this, Pang Haichen's face turned ashen again. He then, too lazy to humiliate himself any further, suppressed his anger and strode out of the conference room.

The moment he stepped out of the conference room, he paused, then turned back to give the people inside a deep look, his gaze revealing a hint of ruthlessness.

His gaze turned even more sinister when it swept over Yan Chen.

Qiu Tu took in everyone's reactions. Then a smile appeared in his eyes.

Actually... he didn't expect his show of force to be so effective.

But upon closer reflection, it seems quite reasonable.

Of the eight vice-speakers, four are Qiu Tu's staunch supporters: Tang Feifei, Yu Die, Liu Xiongyuan, and Dai Yukang.

These four people will definitely follow his lead.

They would follow Qiu Tu's every move. They would refuse to do anything Qiu Tu didn't do.

This gave Qiu Tu control of half of the two states.

Guo Huai, from the Dongye Prefecture Municipal Government, was one of the backbone of the "Fengtian Clique" and a close associate of Tang Lao.

In the two states, Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei represent the "Fengtian Clique," and he will definitely follow suit.

That makes 5 votes.

Ye Mingfeng, a member of the Dongye Prefecture military headquarters, is a key figure in the Iron-Blooded Faction and wields military power.

The Iron Faction always acts impartially, and they must stand on the Speaker's side unless the Speaker has made a mistake.

After all, in chaotic times, a speaker without military power is like a toothless tiger, unable to control the local area at all.

Therefore, he will also stand on Qiu Tu's side.

In this way, Qiu Tu had 6 out of 8 votes, giving him an absolute dominant position.

It was precisely because of this consideration that Qiu Tu deliberately gave Pang Haichen and Pei Jing a hard time.

Let them understand who is in charge in the two states now.

Qiu Tu isn't good at anything else, but he excels at scrutinizing people and understanding their hearts.

Last night, he had just defeated two major evil gods, and his reputation was at its peak. If he didn't flex his muscles, recruit loyal followers, and boost morale now, when would he ever do these things?

Wait until his reputation fades? Wait until no one remembers his exploits anymore?

Moreover, if the garrison commanders of the two prefectures were anyone else, Qiu Tu probably wouldn't have gone so far. But the garrison commander of the two prefectures was Pang Haichen.

His two superiors were taken down, and he was probably living in constant fear and unease, so he wouldn't dare to confront him head-on.

Moreover... Qiu Tu felt that this might be exactly what Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng wanted...

Thinking this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but look up at the east.

In his "vision," he seemed to see those two elderly men, strategizing and holding the 8th shelter firmly in their grasp...

.....

Meanwhile, Qiu Tu was trying to figure out what Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng were thinking.

The two top figures of Shelter No. 8 were sitting in the same car, trying to figure out each other's thoughts.

Tang Wanfeng was dressed in a Zhongshan suit and had his hair slicked back, looking very energetic.

Perhaps because he had advanced to the fifth rank, his hair had turned from gray back to jet black. This made him look at least 10 years younger.

"Old Rao... now the 'academic's' second tooth has also been extracted. Extracting two more won't have much of an impact."

"We'll be arriving in New Jersey soon. Shouldn't we discuss the arrangements for Qiu Tu?"

Rao Shou was still wearing his antique Hanfu, his hair styled in a bun. Combined with his snow-white hair and beard, he gave off the feeling that he was about to ascend to immortality at any moment.

Hearing Tang Wanfeng's words, he smiled and stroked his beard, then said, "It is indeed time to talk about the arrangements for him."

"How about... we each write a word on our hand and then show it to each other?"

"Let's see if we think the same thing?"

The two clearly have a good personal relationship and often play similar games together.

So, upon hearing Rao Shou's words, Tang Wanfeng chuckled twice, then nodded and agreed, "No problem."

"Then let's each write one character and show them together."

After Rao Shou nodded, Tang Wanfeng opened his palm, and with a thought, a word appeared in the center of his palm.

Both of them were fifth-tier Cataclysmic Beings, and their mastery of Cataclysmic Power was already unparalleled.

Therefore, there is no need to use a pen; one can influence reality simply by focusing one's mental energy.

After finishing writing, Tang Wanfeng closed his hands.

Just then, Rao Shouye finished writing and reached out his hand.

Seeing this, Tang Wanfeng also placed his hand on Rao Shou's hand.

When both hands are placed together and opened at the same time, they reveal the same character: 肆 (sì)!

Upon seeing that the characters were identical, the two old men exchanged a glance and then burst into laughter.

After laughing, Rao Shou became serious. "Are you willing to do that?"

Hearing Rao Shou's words, Tang Wanfeng's face was full of composure. He said, "What's there to be reluctant about? Children and grandchildren have their own blessings."

"As leaders of the shelter, we must always prioritize the greater good."

"Although I'm not too optimistic about the path he's chosen, even if it doesn't lead to the end, it's enough if it helps humanity take a few more steps forward and has some positive impact."

Rao Shouxian gave a nonchalant "hmm" and then said, "In that case, you can announce it when the time comes."

Tang Wanfeng nodded slightly.

Whether they reached an agreement on the last issue, or whether making this decision required a certain amount of decisiveness and boldness, after discussing the matter, the two closed their eyes to rest and stopped talking.

And so, very quickly, the convoy arrived at the New South Wales capital, the "Trade Market".

As soon as they entered the city area, Qiu Tu and Pei Jing were already waiting on the main road.

These two high-ranking officials are enough for Elder Rao and Elder Tang to pay more attention to.

So they didn't refuse the two men's request to come along, but instead invited them into the car and chatted casually with them.

Soon, the group arrived at the state legislature, where Pang Haichen and others were waiting at the entrance.

The three leaders met, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then walked inside together.

Pang Haichen remained calm throughout, his expression unchanged, and he did not inquire about Councilor Tian being taken away.

Upon arriving at the conference room, the three dismissed their attendants, leaving only Qiu Tu behind.

Qiu Tu took out the two "Boundless Divine Crystals" that were transformed from sixth-order evil gods from the "Space Mirror".

A sixth-tier evil god, whose power endures even in death. Even though he has fallen, the aura emanating from the "Boundless Divine Crystal" remains so powerful that it sends chills down one's spine.

The three of them carefully examined the two "Boundless Divine Crystals," and Rao Shou and Tang Wanfeng showed more excitement on their faces.