Chapter 152

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Chapter 152: Power and Balance

As Lin Qingliu exchanged the money for the property documents, he began to skim through them.

Suddenly, a question occurred to him, and he looked up at Ji Yongxing, who was sipping water:

"I’ve never dealt with these matters before, so I haven’t given them much thought. Now that I’m involved in property transactions, I realize this area seems completely unrelated to the three major organizations.

"So, which department oversees these transactions?"

Ji Yongxing set down his water cup, his expression showing mild surprise. However, considering that Dr. Lin spent most of his time in the outer city and had relatively limited assets, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable for him to be unaware of such matters.

He sat back down and began to explain in detail:

"How much do you know about the structure of Hope City?"

Lin Qingliu paused to organize his thoughts before replying:

"The basic responsibilities of the three major organizations and the… Hope Council."

Ji Yongxing nodded, visibly relieved.

If Lin Qingliu hadn’t even known about the Council, Ji Yongxing might have wondered if he was dealing with someone from another world altogether.

He flipped over the two reports he had brought out, borrowed a mass-produced black pen from Lin Qingliu, and began sketching a tree diagram while explaining:

"The three major organizations are responsible for ensuring humanity’s basic survival. Their existence represents humanity’s most fundamental needs and the potential for future hope. From this perspective, the Council’s importance is actually secondary to that of the three major organizations.

"The military is a general term, divided into four branches: the city defense army, which resists the beast tide; the public security team, which maintains order; the Ministry of Internal Affairs, responsible for secret investigations; and the direct superpowered group, which handles emergencies. All of them are directed and coordinated by the General Staff Headquarters.

"Factories, in addition to production, are responsible for resource storage and distribution. Beyond the warehouses scattered throughout the inner and outer cities, production lines can be roughly divided into military and civilian categories. Military production lines are concentrated in remote areas of the inner city, such as near the Sea, while civilian ones are spread across the outer city, providing the majority of jobs for ordinary citizens. All production lines are managed by the central factory office.

"The research institutes’ responsibilities are divided between the Director and Deputy Director. The Deputy Director oversees the restoration of Old Era technologies and the development of new ones, including the superpowered research department, the Department of Life Technology, and the weapon development department. The Director, on the other hand, manages statistics, logistics, coordination, and education departments."

By this point, Ji Yongxing had drawn a detailed tree diagram on the paper, clearly outlining the domains of the three major organizations.

Ji Yongxing glanced around, as if confirming the safety of the now-closed clinic. He gave Lin Qingliu a tentative look and received a nod in return.

At this, the meticulous young man seemed to shift into a different role, as if the Ji Yongxing who had been speaking earlier was now replaced by a member of the [Believer] organization known as the [Pioneer].

In this new persona, Ji Yongxing looked at Lin Qingliu and said meaningfully,

"All other areas fall under the jurisdiction of the Hope Council."

He emphasized the words "all other," and Lin Qingliu nodded thoughtfully.

"Can you elaborate on the Hope Council?"

Lin Qingliu asked, watching the young man closely, as if testing his boundaries.

Ji Yongxing thought for a moment before replying,

"I can, but much of what I know comes from hearsay, so I can’t guarantee its accuracy."

"That’s fine. Just share what you can."

"The exact number of Council members is unknown, as are their identities and the method of inheritance. However, most people in the inner city know that the spire at the city’s center is where the Council resides.

"Supposedly, each member oversees a specific domain, acting as the brain of Hope City. While they coordinate the three major organizations, they also divide the remaining power among themselves."

"Such as?"

Lin Qingliu asked tentatively, hoping to verify Ji Yongxing’s claims against his own suspicions.

"For example, the property transactions you asked about earlier must be processed in a specific location within the inner city, where it’s rumored that a certain Council member holds influence.

"Beyond that, their domains include broadcasting, the black market, energy, and…"

Lin Qingliu suddenly recalled the wild Beef Leg he had once found and added,

"Underground farms and ranches."

Ji Yongxing nodded.

"Yes, these are areas that can improve the lives of Hope City’s citizens but can also be entirely abandoned in the face of a true crisis."

"I see…"

Lin Qingliu mused, recognizing that the shared control over life-and-death matters, while separately managing other domains, reflected a delicate balance.

With this understanding, Lin Qingliu felt he was one step closer to uncovering the truth behind Holy Shield’s death.

In the past, when he had lived in obscurity, he could only react passively to events as they unfolded.

But now, as several believers gradually infiltrated various departments and his own abilities grew, he began to feel capable of strategizing more effectively.

Thanks to Fulan’s intelligence-gathering efforts, he learned the timing of the direct superpowered group’s unified selection process.

Using his dual identities as a psychologist and a non-combat superpowered individual, he discovered that Wang Xiao’s Team 25 was short one member.

With this in mind, he decided to have Shi Jin, who knew nothing about the [Believers], join the team as much as possible. Her abilities could help fill the gaps and secure the team’s participation in the Exploration Plan.

He wanted to see what the world beyond the city walls had become and whether any traces of humanity still remained…

Ji Yongxing’s holiday consisted of only an afternoon and a night. After delivering the documents and briefly discussing his current tasks, he left the now-closed clinic.

The rest of his time was reserved for returning home, as this was a rare break for him.

As for the clinic, he trusted that Lin Qingliu, given his education, would only need the information filtered and summarized.

Regarding the final decision, Ji Yongxing believed Lin Qingliu would form his own conclusions; he had no interest or need to interfere further.

However, all of this was predicated on Lin Qingliu’s ability to think independently and his reasonable intelligence. If it had been El instead, Ji Yongxing felt he would have had to add twice as many annotations to every page of information.

On his way home, Ji Yongxing’s mind, unusually relaxed, wandered into fantasies. He suddenly felt that with himself and [Skydome], even after leaving the research institute, he could carve out a place for himself in the world.

But…

"Why am I dreaming like this?"

He shook his head and passed through the gate connecting the inner and outer cities, heading home with light steps, like a boarding school student finally released for the holidays in another world.