In the sky over Creek Valley City, a luxurious giant mothership floated, emblazoned with the emblem of the Fifth Family.
Inside a more opulent conference room on the ship's side, every displayed item was worth a fortune—together, they could rival the mothership's value.
From the side windows, the architectural beauty of Creek Valley City could be faintly seen.
Those allowed into this conference room were all core power players of the Fifth Family.
Under normal circumstances, they would feel a sense of grandiosity in such a setting.
But today, the atmosphere was one of gloom and despair.
In recent days, the Fifth Family had hit rock bottom for the first time in a century.
Fifth Jiu had secretly brought back Tang Kede and gotten involved with Fifth Ningyi, creating a massive scandal.
If he were still alive, he could at least clarify what wrongdoings had occurred.
However, the entire Fifth Jiu family was dead, having perished in the old industrial district's research facility in the south. Even the remaining wreckage had been bombarded by federal troops and the Phantom organization, leaving nothing salvageable.
Now, the Fifth Family found themselves in an awkward position.
Fifth Jiu had misappropriated a substantial amount of money using his authority and hidden countless secrets, but now it was up to them to gradually uncover it all.
Additionally, due to Tang Kede's virus, many were afraid to engage in virtual dreams or replace their mechanical prosthetics for fear of viral remnants.
As a result, the revenues of two major industries under the Fifth Family—Xianren Dreaming, which dealt with virtual dreams, and Mythos Biotech, which produced prosthetics—had plummeted.
Fortunately, the entire conglomerate was still substantial enough to endure, but competitors had begun to take action.
At such a critical moment, the Security Department's anti-intrusion team had surprisingly launched operations, capturing nearly all the moles in Creek Valley City on their first attempt.
The Fifth Family had suddenly been dealt a crippling blow.
As a result, everyone at the conference table wore grim expressions.
"Alright," a middle-aged woman sitting at the head of the table said, raising her voice to draw attention, "there's been enough bad news. Let me share some good news."
Several calculating glances instantly focused on her.
Everyone present was seasoned; in such meetings, there was no such thing as good or bad news—only solutions and the hidden interests behind them.
"Qin Xuezhong's mole team is still operational." The woman said this without concern for the scrutinizing looks around her.
"What do you want? Her capabilities are indeed impressive, but Xianren Dreaming has restored her board member status, and she refuses to accept it," someone replied impatiently.
The woman scoffed, "Short-sighted."
"You!"
An elderly woman at the head of the table lightly raised her hand to halt the impending argument, speaking softly, "Xiao Yu, go on."
"Yes." The middle-aged woman, referred to as Xiao Yu, smiled sweetly at the elder, then scanned the room and continued, "Let her come in and join the board of the consortium. This is the best way for us to minimize losses."
"Are you insane?!" someone exclaimed. "No outsider has ever stepped into this place!"
The woman retorted dismissively, "That's precisely why we've made so many mistakes in less than a year."
She turned to the elderly woman at the head of the table and said, "Auntie, the Fifth Family has been too immersed in its past glory for too long. Just one Fifth Jiu has caused such significant trouble, and we still don't know how to resolve it… We must cut out the rotten flesh and allow new growth; otherwise, the Fifth Family will continue to rot!"
The elderly woman's gaze sharpened. "You mean to let Xiao Qin in to conduct a thorough cleansing within the Fifth Family?"
As soon as she said this, everyone's expression changed.
Yet, no one dared to voice a contradiction.
The woman nodded. "Yes, she has that capability. Now, I'll share some facts and a hypothesis, and the rest is for you to decide."
"Firstly, Qin Xuezhong currently possesses a level 4 clearance from the Security Department, which is equivalent to that of a deputy director. I know this clearance seems minor to those present, but don't forget, she is an unknown entity who rose from level 1 to 4 in less than half a month in a marginal department! I bet very few of you could achieve that."
"Secondly, I suspect Qin Xuezhong is very likely a core member of the Phantom organization."
Upon hearing her say this, the attention of the others noticeably sharpened.
"Why?"
The woman chuckled again. "Because the subway explosion wasn't a terrorist attack; it was merely Fifth Jiu's insane son trying to deal with Qin Xuezhong, which led to that incident."
"Don't make unfounded accusations without evidence," an elderly man said calmly.
"Well, as for whether there's evidence or if it's slander, everyone knows in their hearts," the woman replied nonchalantly. "In this deadly game, the Phantom conveniently showed up and just so happened to find Qin Xuezhong; as for the reason, please think for yourselves."
"This recent virus outbreak? She was the first to protect the mainframe room, and it's said she's about to join the management of the anti-intrusion team." The woman laughed, "Can you imagine? A high-ranking board member of the Fifth Family concurrently managing the anti-intrusion team."
Seeing the elderly woman at the head of the table deep in thought, the woman concluded, "Allowing Qin Xuezhong into the consortium's board has several benefits."
"Firstly, her technical skills are exceptional. The fact that she could protect her team during the Security Department's major cleansing this time indicates she can provide a stable support for us in the entire Security Department."
"Secondly, her high clearance grants her access to information. This time, we didn't acquire any of Tang Kede's new technology; it's all controlled by the Security Department. If Qin Xuezhong can access this information, it would be invaluable to us."
"Thirdly, her connection with the Phantom is significant. Regardless of the nature of their relationship, it enables the Fifth Family to genuinely connect with the Phantom organization, which will undoubtedly benefit us in the future."
At this point, the woman glanced at Fifth Shuofeng, who was sitting nearby.
The others also turned their attention toward him.
Not for any other reason, but because among those present, Fifth Shuofeng had been kidnapped by the Phantom organization—an audacious abduction that left everyone else with lingering fear.
Fifth Shuofeng did not hesitate and said solemnly, "I agree. The Phantom organization likely holds no hostility towards us, and establishing contact would benefit the Fifth Family."
With even Fifth Shuofeng saying so, the others fell silent.
The elderly woman continued, "It is said that this Xiao Qin actually doesn't want to manage affairs, correct? I heard she's quite averse to trouble. She even refused to resume her position as a board member of Xianren Dreaming. Why then would she want to join the consortium's board and deal with family matters?"
The woman smiled slightly. "Auntie, I can't guarantee everything else, but I know that Qin Xuezhong cares deeply for those around her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have repeatedly protected her subordinate's mole team. We need to do two things: first, grant her a board member position and power, but without assigning her any tasks to avoid burdening her; second, let her subordinates manage affairs on her behalf. When problems arise, she'll naturally step in."
Someone scoffed, "Is this your plan? Give the highest authority to an outsider without expecting anything in return? Are we just supposed to wait for her to take action? Ridiculous!"
The woman maintained her smile. "I'm merely suggesting my ideas. If anyone has better solutions, I'm all ears."
After finishing, she nodded slightly to the elderly woman and took her seat.
A silence enveloped the conference room.
The elderly woman pondered for a few seconds before speaking:
"The internal audit will continue, but everyone must remain vigilant!"
"Appoint Qin Xuezhong as a board member of the family, assigning her to oversee Xianren Dreaming. Shuofeng, you are to fully support her work."
"Yes," Fifth Shuofeng replied earnestly.
"Xiao Yu," the elderly woman turned to the woman, "who will handle daily affairs on behalf of Qin Xuezhong?"
The woman grinned mischievously. "I recommend two individuals to work together: one is Qin Xuezhong's current assistant, Ke Ling's son, Ke Huaigui; the other is a technical police officer from the mole team named Zhang Yuan."
"Oh? Why these two?"
"Based on the information available, Zhang Yuan has a close relationship with Qin Xuezhong and even accompanied her to the mainframe room during the recent virus outbreak. As for Ke Huaigui, his identity as a mole is simpler, allowing him more time to focus on company affairs and assist Qin Xuezhong."
"Alright, it's settled then." The elderly woman concluded decisively.
Finally, she stood up and swept her piercing gaze around the conference room, saying, "Everyone, I am well aware that each of you has your own interests. If anyone has issues in the coming days, step forward and clarify. I assure you that you'll be able to retire in peace; otherwise, the fate of Fifth Jiu will seem mild in comparison."
With that, she turned and left without looking back.
The conference room was left with people wearing various expressions, grappling with their inner struggles.
Not long after, both Ke Huaigui and Zhang Yuan received the news.
[Qin Xuezhong is appointed as a member of the family board and given full authority over all matters of Xianren Dreaming Group.]
[Ke Huaigui is appointed as the president of Xianren Dreaming Group, and Zhang Yuan as a technical consultant director of Xianren Dreaming Group, effective immediately.]
Only Qin Xuezhong, Ke Huaigui, and Zhang Yuan received this message.
Due to their identities as moles, they couldn't publicly announce the changes to the entire group.
Internally, people only knew that the managing board and president had all changed.
Everyone understood that during such critical moments, the first task of a new leader was a major purge.
Suddenly, fear gripped everyone within Xianren Dreaming.
Only Ke Huaigui, upon receiving the news, wore an expression of disbelief, even his mother was taken aback.
Ke Ling had previously thought her son would have good opportunities staying by Qin Xuezhong's side.
Yet she never expected him to be directly promoted to president of the group!
As a pillar of the Fifth Consortium, anyone who held the position of president in Xianren Dreaming was undoubtedly a direct descendant of the family's high-ups; it would never fall to her son.
Not to mention, that an outsider like Qin Xuezhong had entered the Fifth Consortium's board!
Ke Ling couldn't figure out how all this happened, but she knew one thing for certain: a real upheaval was about to begin.
And she best follow Qin Xuezhong closely.