Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 93 Intense Debate

"Him? Which ’him’? A male, a female, or something else, like a force, or an animal?" Xiaoyao asked rapidly.

Secretary Yu stood up, holding his chin and pacing back and forth, "No matter what it is, even if this ’her’ isn’t human, it should be something with self-awareness, otherwise Mu Fanchen wouldn’t have needed to say that last sentence."

"That might not be the case, you know Mu Fanchen, don’t you? That’s how he is with the Bureau; every word he says is a trap to be cautious of," Xiaoyao snorted disdainfully.

Zuo Huaxian sighed upon hearing this and said, "You’re right. When he first came into contact with Pei Yan, he intentionally said ambiguous and suspicious things, knowing we were present, trying to make us doubt Pei Yan. He knows what we’re worried about and afraid of!"

"But if what he said is true, if what resides in Pei Yan’s body are origin fragments, and as the last person to awaken, their consciousness was summoned by those with the same origin, then can we deduce that this world truly gave birth to an origin but it shattered? Pei Yan and Mu Fanchen both possess those origin fragments, and further speculate that maybe more than just the two of them own these fragments in this world! At least, apart from them, I think that mysterious ’her’ is also a candidate!" Gu Shenghui interjected from his seat.

Xiaoyao sat up and continued, "No matter how you look at it, we’ve fallen way behind God’s Desire. If this is true, we may even be behind other similar organizations globally! From this vantage point, Director Gu’s choice wasn’t wrong!"

Secretary Yu smacked his lips and reluctantly said from the sofa, "But the more we do, the more passive we become. Dong Shigang from the military has already protested the promise Director Gu made to Pei Yan last night. The more important he is, the more protection he needs, and apparently, staying with the military is the better choice."

Gu Shenghui stood up, palms against the table, and gravely said, "I disagree with transferring Pei Yan out of the Investigation Bureau. I believe we should unanimously face the external issues!"

"I don’t think it’s bad. Transferring Pei Yan to the military can train and protect him better..."

"Elder Zuo!" Gu Shenghui interrupted loudly, pounding the table, before Zuo Huaxian could finish.

Zuo Huaxian, looking at Gu Shenghui’s furious eyes, slapped the chair and shouted, "What are you roaring about! I’m not being selfish. Even if we protect him well at the Bureau, what about during missions? They can ambush him once; they can ambush him again! Are we going to assign agents to secretly protect him forever?"

"Precisely because of that, we ought to proceed as such. That’s why I placed him in the Bureau’s young generation team with the highest combat capability. Pei Yan is the best bait right now. If you lock him in the military, we’ll never figure out what God’s Desire, Mu Fanchen, and those people aim to do! What they have mastered, only by holding on to Pei Yan’s clue and pursuing it can we regain the initiative!" Gu Shenghui argued emotionally, clutching the edge of the table.

Zuo Huaxian stood up, flushed, and retorted, "But what if the bait gets swallowed by the fish! Just like this time! This is gambling with a child’s life!"

"Gamble? Every mission we undertake is a gamble! We informed him from the start; joining the Investigation Bureau comes with inherent risks! It’s also Pei Yan’s own choice! If we keep hesitating and procrastinating here, it will be our greatest dereliction of duty!"

"His own choice? He doesn’t know a damn thing! He’s just excited about his abilities, wanting to play hero like any young person! We’ve all been through that and understand such thoughts! But at times like these, matters can’t be swayed by his own thoughts anymore! Choice?! When did our Bureau become so focused on personal choice?"

"Old Zuo!" Elder Lin’s stern voice interrupted the argument. Zuo Huaxian realized his previous words were indeed over the top and sat back down angrily without saying more.

Secretary Yu approached Gu Shenghui, asking, "Director Gu, has the situation truly reached such a critical point? I don’t disagree with your plan, but can’t we wait at least? Let Pei Yan have two years in the military to grow and strengthen, ensuring more certainty in future missions? Don’t worry, I’ll negotiate with the military, it will just be a temporary assignment, not handing him over permanently. Pei Yan’s personnel rights will remain with the Bureau."

Zuo Huaxian nodded repeatedly in agreement, saying, "See, Xiaoyu’s sensible; this solution is the most secure!"

Gu Shenghui glanced at Zuo Huaxian and then at Secretary Yu, sighed, shook his head, and said helplessly, "In the past twenty-odd years, how much has the world changed, outsiders might not know, but those present here surely do! The frequency of ability-born is increasingly high, but is that truly a good thing? As this institution, how much longer can we conceal this issue?"

After these words, the room fell into silence once again. Gu Shenghui paused before continuing, "The higher-ups have their own ideas; the nation has its considerations, which are beyond our control! But Mu Haoran was right in saying that this world is facing dramatic change, whether emanating from within or outside, and so we all prepare with trepidation."

"Now that we finally get a clue like Pei Yan, if we miss the opportunity and fail to prepare early, we’ll only continue to be passive, one misstep leading to another! Take Mu Haoran, for example! I understand him better than any of you here; abandoning the Investigation Bureau, forsaking his family, murdering his lover, cruelly hurting his friends, disappearing for over a decade, all for power and wealth? How underestimated he is! His public appearance before us this time is both coincidental and a demonstration! I can sense he’s scheming something; if we don’t act to stop him, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Gu Shenghui, after finishing his speech, exhaled deeply, returned to his chair, closed his eyes, waiting for his colleagues’ final stance.

A moment later, Secretary Yu’s voice rang in his ears, "Yes, aside from the unstable frequency of interdimensional rift openings, God’s Desire has become increasingly active these years. Under their command, ability users don’t even bother to hide traces anymore, blatantly committing ability-related crimes! This has already broken the delicate rules between us, probing and challenging our limits."

"Indeed, compared to God’s Desire, a transnational criminal organization, our Investigation Bureau is confined to domestic limits; many things we become deaf and blind to. The newly established intelligence department specializing in ability-related crimes often doesn’t share information with us, making us feel like stepchildren," Xiaoyao said irritably, slouching against the sofa.

Elder Lin lightly tapped the table and concluded, "Alright, now isn’t the time to complain. Director Gu, Secretary Yu, and other departments have discussed this matter already. Future communication between us will be more intimate and transparent. This issue can be further elaborated upon at the multi-department joint report meeting in half a month. For now, let’s conduct an internal vote regarding Pei Yan’s retention, majority rule! Once decided, we’ll maintain a united front at the report meeting!"

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