Looking at the entire official headquarters, only a handful of people could tease the Zodiac Dragon to his face.

None could do so with such audacity.

Upon hearing Wu Liang's voice, he abruptly opened his eyes, vanished from the sofa, and reappeared, beaming, in front of Wu Liang.

He patted Wu Liang's shoulder and laughed heartily, "Hahaha, I knew it... How could that godforsaken Celestial Pool of Tianshan keep you? Your cunning mouth deserves to leave an indelible mark in the Capital City!"

Although Minister Long always believed Wu Liang would return alive from the Celestial Pool of Tianshan,

actually seeing him was exhilarating, especially after the exhausting official duties this period, leaving him so excited!

Excitement aside, he was no child, much like after the Zodiac Pig incident where emotions quickly stabilized.

The four of them sat facing each other on the sofa.

Wu Liang recounted much of what happened within the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, replacing any mention of the Ghost Compendium with the Stone Slab.

Regarding world reshaping, he said nothing; he attributed Yao Qingxue and Yin Qiming's grievances to differing views on the Stone Slab and world-saving ideologies.

Even after omitting much, just the curse and schemes of the Pioneer, the Utopia plan, and the Peach Blossom Spring plan were enough to astonish the others.

Hearing about the exploratory team's fates at Celestial Pool of Tianshan, unable to ever leave the Peach Blossom Spring, Minister Long sighed and shook his head sadly.

He never thought the Celestial Pool of Tianshan would be so perilous.

No wonder the Zodiac Snake had predicted Wu Liang would finally meet his demise there before the departure.

None of them in the distant Capital City expected this, nor did they imagine Wu Liang's mother to be such a Valkyrie who stands her ground.

The official records they accessed only mentioned her as a talented archaeologist, not relating that she could even contend with the Promised Land's societal chaos endeavors, nor that the Pioneer only managed to seal but couldn't kill her.

"Phew... the amount of information you brought back is incredible... We need to digest this slowly, and at the same time, we can revise our missions concerning the Promised Land."

Minister Long felt a sense of relief upon hearing Wu Liang had subdued the old Ghost Valley members.

Right now, the official's primary focuses are on two things—the impending second supernatural calamity and the societal chaos threats caused by the Promised Land.

With Wu Liang's return, he could aid in strategizing and sharing the Promised Land's pressure.

This way, Minister Long could even more focus on devising countermeasures for the second supernatural calamity.

"Wu Liang, how about I grant you a power equivalent to the Zodiac Pig, allowing you to command any personnel below a captain within the official, without interference in other duties? Even if there's conflict, you can come directly to me for discussion."

"Would you and the Zodiac Pig like to slowly study the Promised Land together?"

Minister Long took a deep breath, digesting the latest details, and tapped the armrest of the sofa slightly while speaking.

He casually offered command rights that could mobilize more than half of the official's personnel.

Upon seeing his fake smile after speaking, there was a chill in the gaze exchanged, with a mysterious, fathomless shadow lurking beneath.

Somewhat familiar, an aura of authority that was once characteristic of an elder; yet somewhat unfamiliar, for these traits weren't something Minister Long possessed before.

Wu Liang smiled.

He smiled because the leader had finally gotten his wish.

Although it took just over three months.

The official indeed became, as the elder said, led by someone with such strong self-capabilities that protection wasn't necessary.

The merging of brains and brawn destined the official to only grow stronger in the coming days.

He was no longer Chengyang City's Minister Long, nor just the Zodiac Department's Zodiac Dragon; he had indeed become Director Long of the Dragon Department.

"No, it's not enough."

However, Wu Liang's next words stunned everyone present.

His claim of "not enough" left everyone wondering what more he wanted.

"I hope the captain level and even the Zodiac Department would also follow my command when necessary, of course, except for you, as you are the leader," Wu Liang said, sipping tea.

His tone was calm, but the content shook everyone to their core.

The number of individuals he could mobilize increased only slightly, but the difference in power is immense!

It meant that even the Zodiac Pig, current commander against the Promised Land, would have to follow his orders!

This truly meant having power just below one person!

"Oh? Give me a reason."

Minister Long, although surprised, no longer had the mentality of merely a front-line fighter.

No change in his expression, he merely asked for the reason behind Wu Liang's request.

"The reason is—I can assure that within two months, the Promised Land will no longer be a threat to social order, how about that?"

Afterward, the two of them exchanged a glance.

In each other's eyes, they saw unparalleled confidence and unfathomable depth.

In that instant, the whole office fell silent.

Thump—Thump—

The Zodiac Rabbit and Zodiac Pig sat nearby, glaring at one another, able to hear their accelerating heartbeats.

They didn't expect Wu Liang, on his return day, would create such a tense atmosphere with Director Long, dense with invisible pressure.

What's going on!

Wu Liang didn't seem power-hungry before disappearing for three months. How did he return aiming for even greater authority?

"Hahaha! Two months? In the past three months, the official couldn't even capture one artificial ghost alive for research; every captured Promised Land member ended up committing suicide. Let alone figuring out their strategies, you say you'll crush them in two months? Such boasts aren't wise, are they?"

Director Long's voice was as cold as the piercing winter wind, leaving one overwhelmed with unease.

For a moment, it was as if he and Wu Liang were no longer comrades who weathered the City Destruction Event of Chengyang together.

Their relationship was not marked by life-and-death camaraderie but by a strict subordinate-supervisor hierarchy.

However, Wu Liang merely chuckled lightly, "Didn't I just return and help you capture an artificial ghost? Just say yes or no."

After speaking, he paused momentarily.

He broke into a familiar smirk and continued, "No need for this act to provoke me, we're brothers, skip the theatrics; you know I've got the capability."

No sooner had he spoken, Director Long's expression, akin to an eternal ice mountain, suddenly melted.

His demeanor instantly shifted from domineering heights back to lounging lazily on the sofa, yawning.

He reverted to his familiar self.

After shrugging, he replied, "It's not what I want either; whether we believe you or not, others below won't comply easily. This time, words alone can't deceive through."

He referred to when Wu Liang became the Zodiac Monkey, convincingly persuading everyone.

This time, persuasion by tongue alone wasn't effective; there was no resistance to Zodiac Pig being the commander because he had previously held similar positions.

Yet, Wu Liang's enigmatic Zodiac Monkey stint required tangible achievements to gain true respect.

"I told you no need to provoke me, yet here you are again? You're trying to play a game on me, aren't you? Just declare the mission already; this faux sternness gives me goosebumps," Wu Liang also flopped down on the sofa, unimpressed.

Watching their theatrical exchanges, the Zodiac Rabbit and Zodiac Pig were left dumbfounded.

Before they could grasp what was happening, Director Long chuckled, "Looks like you haven't lost your wit over the past three months; we'll count on you, then."

Indeed, as Wu Liang guessed, there was a critically important mission requiring someone like him to execute.

If successful, Wu Liang, as the Zodiac Monkey, would have significant achievements to persuade others, naturally facilitating the acquisition of the position he sought.

As for whether the commanding power was too much, or if Wu Liang was power-hungry for asking so boldly, whether he would act with personal gain after acquiring it,

Director Long never concerned himself with such trivialities from the very beginning...

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