Chapter 141: A Man Overflowing with Hormones

Fu Sheng stared expressionlessly at the man before him, whose figure bore a striking resemblance to the individual standing before the Celestial Pillar.

If nothing unexpected happened, this was Bian Qiu, the Commander-in-Chief of the Operations Force.

The remaining seven department heads, along with the virtual projection, gazed in a mixture of shock and suspicion at the two men standing at loggerheads, unable to fathom why Big Boss Qiu was reacting in such a manner today.

However, after listening to his self-introduction on behalf of Cao Fusheng, the crowd shifted their astonishment into profound admiration.

This man looked to be only in his early thirties.

Colonel rank, destined to be the youngest general of the future.

These two titles compelled them to pay serious attention.

Several of them had even heard of the Central Direct-Control Army and the Swordfish Special Operations Brigade, making them all the more aware of what those two departments represented.

"If everyone were born solely to please others, life would be exhausting beyond measure. Moreover, there are plenty of people who like me, and quite a few who don't. Therefore, neither side lacks someone of your caliber—regardless of whether you are Bian Qiu the head of the Operations Force, Bian Qiu the director of the Zhonghai Operations Bureau, or Bian Qiu the instructor of the Central Direct-Control Army?"

Cao Fusheng wore an amused smile as he looked at the man. Ever since they were at the Celestial Pillar Bridge, he had found this man somewhat familiar, though the distance back then had prevented him from seeing him clearly.

It was only after arriving here and hearing that the head of the Operations Force was named Bian Qiu that he finally confirmed the man's identity.

This made things exceedingly interesting. The two of them had previously been worlds apart with no direct interactions whatsoever, yet now they happened to cross paths here.

Cao Fusheng did not deny Bian Qiu's strength. To be able to head the Operations Bureau—which was reputed to be more central than the central government itself—and to have once served as the chief drillmaster of the Direct-Control Army, it was impossible for the man not to possess exceptional capabilities.

"Whoa, to think Big Boss Qiu was such a legendary badass back in the Old Era! Holy crap! Look at all those titles—just pulling out any single one of them is enough to leave people dumbfounded."

"So Department Head Bian used to do that kind of work in the Old World..."

An uproar broke out among the seven department heads. Bian Qiu had always been tight-lipped about his past resume, and no one had ever known what he used to do, but thinking about it now, it made perfect sense.

How could a man this formidable possibly have lacked some status back in the Old Era?

Nor was it any wonder that no one had ever heard of him; these identities were classified to the utmost degree, completely inaccessible to anyone outside that particular establishment.

And even if one were within that establishment, it would be impossible to know without reaching a certain level of status and rank.

In a sense, the clearance level of the Zhonghai Operations Bureau was even higher than that of the Swordfish Special Operations Brigade.

After all, the Swordfish Special Operations Brigade was a sharp blade pointed outward, whereas the Zhonghai Operations Bureau encompassed far more and was infinitely more complex than the Swordfish.

"Tsk tsk, neither of these two men is an ordinary character. I'm really hoping they get into a brawl to see who's more badass. If Big Boss Qiu loses, his myth will come to an end... No, wait, Big Boss Qiu is an absolute freak; he can even tear apart an Abomination with his bare hands. Looks like this gentleman here is no match for him." Xun Xin spoke in a low voice to Ruan Luolu beside him, terrified of being overheard.

This reeked of stoking the flames.

Ruan Luolu's lips curved into a smile. Gazing at the two men with keen interest, she softly remarked, "No matter what, either of these men is stronger than you. Why is it that I'm getting more and more excited? The hormone concentration of both of them is at a level that could make a woman like me completely fall for them."

Xun Xin: "——"

Yet the scene before them did not develop in the direction everyone had anticipated. As Bian Qiu turned and walked toward his seat, he said nonchalantly, "What happened back then is already in the past, and the Old World has been destroyed as well. No one cares about what used to be, and right and wrong cannot be left for future generations to judge. As for the fact that you didn't die, I am quite curious, but I don't have all that much interest in knowing the twists and turns behind it."

"The reason I don't like you is simple: because you are a useless good-for-nothing. Didn't you have any other choices back then? When all is said and done, you are simply someone who appeared selfish in order to save your own skin, and highly arrogant to boot."

Do not judge another's journey unless you have walked their path; do not preach benevolence to others.

Did he have other choices back then? If he had delayed his decision by a moment longer, he probably would have been riddled with bullets into a sieve!

Yet, as it turned out, he ultimately still could not escape the fate of being blown to smithereens.

"Very well, let's skip the superfluous talk. This mutual introduction certainly was rather unconventional, so let's get straight to the point, Captain Cao." The virtual projection looked over at Bian Qiu, and seeing him adopt an aloof, world-weary attitude, simply narrowed his eyes and retreated into silent contemplation.

With no other choice, he had to speak up with a reminder.

In truth, he was also quite shocked by Cao Fusheng's true identity. Although he had never laid eyes on this person in the flesh, he had certainly heard of the Swordfish Special Operations Brigade and its captain.

The closer he got to Cao Fusheng, the more an inexplicable sense of familiarity welled up within him, accompanied by a stirring deep in his soul.

He felt like crying.

He even felt a sense of grievance.

These emotions were utterly bizarre, with no discernible source whatsoever.

The virtual projection gently massaged his temples, attempting to shake off the chaotic thoughts churning in his mind, and only forced himself back to normalcy after a long while.

When he raised his head again, he found that all the department heads were staring straight at him.

"What? Why are you all looking at me?" The virtual projection asked in bewilderment.

Xun Xin subconsciously asked in a daze, "Do you happen to have a headache?"

"A little bit."

"Hahaha! I told you so! Look at that, I told you! Our BOSS is definitely not just some virtual AI—would an AI get a headache?" Xun Xin cried out excitedly, as if he had discovered a new continent.

Immediately afterward, a shriek of agony echoed through the room.

Veins bulging on his forehead, Bian Qiu grabbed Xun Xin by the collar and hurled him outward, sending him flying seven or eight meters away.

"Big Boss Qiu...!! You bastard...!! You play rough!!" Xun Xin struggled to his feet, let out a cold snort, and returned to his seat, looking considerably more well-behaved now.

"Department Head Xun, I feel that your recent work performance has been subpar. I see that your Supervision and Law Enforcement Department still has plenty of capable individuals—for instance, your secretary, Ah Li, was it? She is quite capable of taking over your responsibilities," the virtual projection stated coldly.

Xun Xin's expression shifted drastically as he simpered, "Hehe... Hehe... I—I will definitely keep BOSS's teachings in mind! Upon returning, I'll step up the training of more competent staff to contribute bricks and tiles to the building of our Celestial Pillar!"

The assembled department heads: "——"

The virtual projection: "——"

Having finished speaking, Xun Xin slicked back his gleaming, greasy hair with a dashing flair, terrified that the previous toss might have messed up his hairstyle.

"Ahem... Shouldn't we attend to business first? You guys have zero dignity right now, acting just like a bunch of gossips at a vegetable market." Cao Fusheng pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed. This was completely different from what he had imagined!

And they called this tense?

If not for his exceptional self-restraint, he would have burst out laughing by now. Just look at whether this was how a group of people revered by the public as big bosses should behave.

Particularly Xun Xin—if the staff of the Law Enforcement Department knew that their immediate superior possessed such a disgraceful facade... the consequences would be unimaginable.

A truly worrisome state of affairs!