Chapter 156: Considerate and Understanding
When she entered the conference room, what came into view were several federal high-ranking officials, all around sixty years old.
When they saw Xu Zhi’s appearance, a flicker of surprise crossed their eyes. Though they had seen her photos before, and even monitored every transaction the Federation had made with her, the Xu Zhi standing before them now was clearly different from what they’d seen before.
It wasn’t that her facial features had changed, but rather that her bearing and aura were completely transformed—so much so that she seemed like a different person altogether.
As Xu Zhi stepped into the room, she immediately sensed waves of extraordinary energy. With the [Eye of Secrets], she could easily see that a privacy formation had been set up here, effectively blocking most forms of surveillance.
It seemed the Federation truly valued this meeting.
After taking her seat, the officials initially intended to exchange a few polite greetings to build rapport—but Xu Zhi wasn’t having any of it.
She began bluntly, “I’m here for the same reason as always—to make a deal with the Federation.”
“This time, however, the transaction is special. I’ll need you all here to make the final decision.”
Seeing that she wasn’t in the mood for small talk, the officials exchanged glances, then went straight to business.
“Then, Miss Xu,” one of them asked, “what kind of deal do you wish to discuss?”
“First of all,” Xu Zhi began, “the original payment for helping you eliminate the archbishop needs to be increased. Your intel was wrong—there weren’t two archbishops, there were three. So, naturally, my compensation should rise accordingly.”
The officials looked at each other awkwardly.
“Miss Xu,” one of them said carefully, “to tell you the truth, the Federation already bled heavily to gather the payment we promised you. Asking for more now… is rather difficult.”
“And as for that third archbishop, it truly wasn’t our intention to deceive you. We didn’t even know he existed!”
Xu Zhi listened calmly. She didn’t think they were really unable to pay—it was just haggling.
Still, she had demanded quite a lot before, and the Federation had indeed paid dearly.
She also knew from the start there would be more than two archbishops. Her feigned ignorance had been deliberate—she simply wanted to use it as leverage to extract greater compensation.
“Of course,” Xu Zhi said mildly, “I’m not someone who asks for the impossible. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt—you didn’t mean to deceive me and didn’t know about the third archbishop. So here’s my offer: the payment for eliminating him can be cut in half, but you must agree to one other condition.”
Naturally, that was her real aim. The money was secondary—the real bargaining chip was still ahead.
“Please, go on,” one of the officials replied warily. Xu Zhi’s seemingly reasonable tone only made them more certain that this “one other thing” would not be simple.
“I want the Federation,” Xu Zhi said clearly, “to grant me ownership of Cloud City. From this day onward, Cloud City will be independent. The Federation must publicly announce that it no longer belongs to you, but to me—Xu Zhi—personally.”
The conference room fell into utter silence.
Everyone looked at one another, then back at Xu Zhi, as if trying to determine whether she was serious.
Judging by her expression, she was. Completely serious.
It would not be easy for the Federation to agree to this.
After all, they had always coveted Cloud City. Now, when the situation was finally turning favorable—when access might soon open up—Xu Zhi’s demand was essentially cutting the Federation’s heart out.
“We cannot agree to that,” the leading elder finally said, rejecting her outright.
Xu Zhi wasn’t surprised. She smiled faintly. “No need to rush to refuse.”
“I think you should understand something first—whether you agree or not doesn’t actually matter much to me.”
“I only want an official statement. In reality, with or without your consent, Cloud City already belongs to me.”
The faces of the officials darkened at once.
It was obvious what they were thinking—even if Xu Zhi was personally powerful, could she really oppose a whole nation?
If she forced the issue, the entire might of the Federation could be brought against her. When they dealt with the archbishops, they had shown restraint only to protect civilian lives—not because they were powerless.
And now, her attitude was bordering on arrogant.
Seeing their expressions, Xu Zhi continued in that same calm tone, entirely lacking in tact, “Setting aside my personal strength, the main reason you can’t refuse me is this—”
“I can control who can enter or leave Cloud City.”
The words hit like a bomb dropped into still water. The atmosphere in the room instantly exploded.
Just like when Zhong Lingfan had first learned the news, these senior officials couldn’t hide their shock either.
Xu Zhi watched their disbelief coolly, saying nothing.
Finally, one of them asked gravely, “Miss Xu… is what you’re saying true?”
Xu Zhi arched a brow. “Of course. What reason would I have to lie about something like that?”
And indeed, verifying it would be simple.
“In that case, could you demonstrate it for us?”
The Federation officials weren’t fools—they wouldn’t just take her word for it.
Xu Zhi nodded and took out a small wooden token, half the size of a palm, roughly carved with five characters: [Cloud City Pass].
She had commissioned it from a local extraordinary artisan, paying for expedited work.
The token carried her own supernatural energy. Each token granted a single person the right to enter or exit Cloud City once.
After briefly explaining, Xu Zhi said, “Try it anywhere you like. See if it works.”
“You can also test whether other methods work—verify for yourselves if I’m lying.”
Her confidence was absolute.
Half skeptical, half praying this wasn’t true, the officials sent the token to be tested at Cloud City’s outer perimeter.
Soon, the results came back—confirmation.
The token really did allow entry and exit from Cloud City, but only once per use.
“…How is this possible?”
“How can we be sure this power is yours, and not someone else’s?”
Question after question followed, thick with suspicion.
Xu Zhi’s expression showed a hint of impatience. “Don’t you have extraordinary individuals who can detect others’ energy signatures? Just check it. You’ll see that the token carries only my energy, no one else’s.”
Of course, the officials had already thought of that. Their continued questioning was just an attempt to pry out more information.
But Xu Zhi was impervious, and the Federation found themselves facing someone they truly couldn’t get the upper hand over.
“…Understood,” the leading elder finally said. “May we have a moment to discuss among ourselves?”
Xu Zhi looked puzzled. “What’s there to discuss?”
“You either agree and earn access to Cloud City—or refuse, and no one from the Federation will ever set foot there again. Cloud City will manage perfectly fine on its own.”
Seeing their troubled faces, Xu Zhi sighed softly and said, with an air of considerate patience,
“Alright then—ten minutes. Give me your answer in ten minutes.”
