Thirty-two hours later, Xu Que and Ye Gou finally exited the dimensional space.
The moment they emerged, seven or eight officers of at least captain rank approached them.
"Good day," a major saluted.
"Hello. What's going on?" Xu Que began, but before he could finish, the major smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, Old Ye would like to see you. He asked us to come and escort you."
Xu Que glanced at Ye Gou, who had just been taken away, and quickly grasped the situation. After all, Ye Gou was a member of the Ye family, and it seemed a bit unreasonable to go on an A-level rift adventure with him.
"Alright, wait a moment." Xu Que smiled and took the form from the captain. "Is this about Ye Gou?"
"No, it has nothing to do with Ye Gou," the major replied.
"Eh? It has nothing to do with him?" Xu Que paused, pen in hand, and looked at the major, asking, "Has the information from Magic City arrived?"
"Yes, but for the specifics, you'll need to report directly to General Ye," the major said.
"Ah…" Xu Que nodded, then sped up his writing.
Half an hour later, inside the Wangfu courtyard.
Xu Que sat across from Old Ye. The security personnel were stationed at a distance, ensuring no one could overhear their conversation.
"Did you have to venture into the rift?" Old Ye asked.
"Yes. It's the only way for me to grow stronger," Xu Que replied earnestly.
"Can you give me a detailed account?" Old Ye asked, scrutinizing the young man before him. Truth be told, if it weren't for Xu Que's actions, perhaps Z Country would still be trailing behind M and Y countries.
"I have nothing more to report. Everything I know has already been submitted to you. As for any other questions, I can only say that I'm unable to answer at this moment," Xu Que replied, meeting Old Ye's gaze.
"Is there no room for negotiation?" Old Ye asked, somewhat reluctantly.
Xu Que did not speak but simply shook his head.
Old Ye sighed and then changed the subject. "What do you know about the Chesfield family?"
"Not much. What I lack are details about their family structure, who is behind them, and how many of their members are embedded within our Z Country," Xu Que replied.
Hearing this, Old Ye nodded slightly and handed over a dossier from beneath the table.
"Though it's not exhaustive, I hope it proves useful to you." Old Ye paused thoughtfully. "As for the situation in Xiangcheng, we've already sealed it off. You can rest assured, they won't be able to leave Z Country without our knowledge, not until you decide to take action."
"You may be disappointed," Xu Que smiled and said.
"Why?" Old Ye asked.
"I've told you before, that old man from the Chen family has already reported my situation to the Chesfield family. I'm certain they will send someone to make contact with me. If they're subtle, they might try to bribe me. If they're rough, they might just send someone to abduct me to Y Country," Xu Que explained.
"So, what are you planning to do?" Old Ye asked.
"To catch a tiger, one must enter the tiger's den," Xu Que answered with a smile.
"No, it's too dangerous. You're crucial to our country's future," Old Ye immediately rejected.
"Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. Even if the Chesfield family sends all their elite forces against me, they won't be able to lay a finger on me," Xu Que assured him earnestly.
Upon hearing this, Old Ye seemed to understand.
"Be honest with me. Are those bizarre names at the top of the Heavenly Rankings all yours?"
Xu Que smiled and nodded. He felt there was no need to hide anything from Old Ye. After all, this was one of the most powerful figures in Z Country, and one of the people he had admired most in his past life.
Not just anyone could lead the people of Z Country in resisting so many invasions from alien lifeforms.
Although Old Ye had passed away three years ago during the Great Purge in Tianyuan, Z Country had indeed experienced a prosperous time before the Tianyuan Rift erupted.
"I should have figured it out earlier," Old Ye sighed with a bitter smile.
"Old Ye, I hope that the rift in Shangjing can be controlled by our Blast Hunter Company. Would you be willing to grant that?" Xu Que asked, clenching his fist.
Old Ye looked at him and voiced his concern. "Are you afraid Shangjing will become a living hell?"
Xu Que did not deny it, but nodded solemnly. "Since I've been reborn, I must have the ability to prevent the outbreak of the Tianyuan Rift three years from now. Not only will we stop the Great Purge, but perhaps we can gain unexpected benefits from it."
"And what do you plan to do with the companies in Shangjing?" Old Ye asked, presenting a complicated issue. "There are rift points in every city. They can't just relocate them all..."
Before Xu Que could respond, Old Ye waved his hand and interrupted, "Xiao Xu, some things aren't as simple as you think..."
Xu Que kept silent, carefully listening, and analyzing.
"Shangjing currently hosts three major families, seven powerful clans, and six families with a century-old legacy. Let's leave the others aside for now. Our Ye family, for example, also has a Hunter Company, and it's not smaller in scale than your Blast Hunter Company."
"As for the Sima family, I'm sure you've heard of them. Their Yun Guang Hunter Company is frighteningly large, and they've recently entered into a collaboration with E Country. As for the Murong family, as you requested, they've moved into your Jingxiang Tower."
Xu Que was slightly surprised to hear that the Murong family had already entered Jingxiang Tower. But what intrigued him more was Old Ye's smile.
"As for the seven powerful clans, although they haven't started their own Hunter Companies, they've participated in companies founded by six ancient martial families. The power behind them needs no further explanation, I'm sure you understand."
"So, do you think your Blast Hunter Company will be able to get in?" Old Ye asked, his tone testing.
...
Xu Que was speechless. He realized that he had underestimated the complexity of the situation. Moreover, it would be unrealistic to relocate so many companies all at once.
Had he considered switching cities for his company, his opportunities would have been completely disrupted. And his initial plan had been to relocate abroad and use external resources to cultivate the Blast Hunter Company. But now, he felt somewhat shackled, unable to leave.
"Xiao Xu, I understand your worries, and I can see your patriotic heart. But some things are simply unavoidable," Old Ye said, standing up and patting Xu Que's shoulder.
"Old Ye, can you give me some time?" Xu Que asked earnestly.
"How much time?" Old Ye asked.
"One month," Xu Que replied seriously. "I need to discuss things with my team. I believe that, under the right conditions, they'll agree."
Old Ye thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright, I'll give them a heads-up. As for our Ye family, you can place them anywhere. Just don't cut off our family's roots, and feel free to deal with them as you wish."
...
Xu Que was speechless. He thought to himself that Old Ye's personality was a bit too free-spirited compared to Ye Zhen Guo, his grandfather.
"Alright, time's nearly up. I need to attend a video conference," Old Ye said.
"Old Ye, wait a moment," Xu Que quickly called out. "Is it possible for Ye Gou to stay with me?"
"Hmm?" Old Ye was momentarily confused. "Why do you want that good-for-nothing? My family's Ye Huan and Ye Xiang are far better than him."
Xu Que was taken aback. What was with this family? Were they all calling each other 'turtles'?
His grandfather scolds his grandson as a turtle, and the grandson calls his grandfather a turtle behind his back…
Xu Que awkwardly replied, "We're cut from the same cloth, I suppose. Also, I took him on an A-level rift expedition, and his cultivation has now reached B-level. That nickname 'Eighty-five Dog Egg' is his."
Upon hearing this, Old Ye glanced at the "Heavenly Ranking" once more...
His feelings were mixed. On the one hand, he was furious at the absurd nickname, but on the other, he was pleased to see Ye Gou, the 'turtle' of his family, showing promise.