Chapter 58: Cooperation with the Three Beast-Taming Families
Xia Xiyao didn’t want to admit that her own family could behave so subserviently. Finding the atmosphere entirely too stifling, she wanted nothing more than to retreat to the battleship.
She took a deep breath. As long as I look away, I won’t be embarrassed!
Yet, just as she was about to turn on her heel, Elder Xia’s sharp eyes caught her. “Xiyao? Come over here! It’s been so long since Grandpa last saw you!”
Her vision swam for a second. Left with no choice, she bit the bullet and walked over.
As she drew near, she heard Elder Xia bragging to Patriarch Fei, “This is my granddaughter, Xiyao. She’s currently working at Chong’ai Pet Home! She’s even formed a contract with one of Manager Su’s beasts!”
“Wow, your granddaughter is truly remarkable!”
Xia Xiyao felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. …Please, just stop talking.
You’re completely humiliating me in front of the manager!
She had previously gone out of her way to tell Su Wudeng how proud and unyielding the legacy beast-taming families were, insisting they would never willingly relocate to her planet. Now, her grandfather’s behavior was a massive slap to the face.
Xia Xiyao cast a desperate, pleading look toward Su Wudeng.
Su Wudeng found it highly amusing. These two family heads were quite a pair. Their sudden about-face was hilarious, but it aligned perfectly with her plans.
“Are Elder Xia and Patriarch Fei teasing me?” she asked with a smile. “Chong’ai Pet Home would be absolutely delighted to welcome your clans to our planet!”
Elder Xia’s expression grew somber. “I am not joking, Manager Su. If it weren’t for your timely intervention, we wouldn’t even have the right to walk into the venue tonight. I’ve come to realize that raw strength is the only true foundation. Without it, everything else is just wishful thinking.”
He let out a genuine, heavy sigh. They had spent decades retreating in the face of the mechanical conglomerates, and what had it gotten them? The corporations had only grown more aggressive. They could no longer sit idly by and await their demise. Chong’ai Pet Home was a golden lifeline.
As true practitioners of the craft, they would infinitely prefer to align themselves with a genuine beast sanctuary than to continue playing hypocritical games with the mechanical faction.
Patriarch Fei shared his sentiment. “Indeed, Manager Su. Once this conference concludes, I intend to initiate the total relocation of my clan to your planet.”
“Wonderful!” Su Wudeng’s smile widened. She hadn’t expected the recruitment to proceed so smoothly; she had anticipated days of grueling negotiations. “Then I will be eagerly awaiting your arrival!”
“I’ll ensure a massive, premium territory is zoned out for your clans. We’ll integrate our resources and build our future together!”
She then scanned the surrounding area, a slight frown touching her brow. “Though… why haven’t I seen any representatives from the Mu family? Have they not arrived yet?”
Two of the three legacy families were already locked in, leaving only the Mu family outstanding.
Elder Xia and Patriarch Fei exchanged a knowing glance, a smirk playing on their lips. Elder Xia explained, “You aren’t aware, Manager Su? The Mu family completely withdrew from this conference.”
“They caught wind of the rigged entry exam in advance. Wanting to avoid a public humiliation, they simply chose not to show up.” Elder Xia shook his head in mock pity. “I just didn’t expect them to be too clever for their own good, thereby missing the opportunity to align themselves with you, Manager.”
They had completely outsmarted themselves. By failing to latch onto such a magnificent powerhouse, they were going to be left in the dust!
“Is that so…” Su Wudeng felt a pang of disappointment. Missing them today meant she didn’t know when she would get another opportunity to establish contact with the Mu family.
Still, the vast majority of her objectives had been achieved. There was no need to obsess over flawless perfection. With the prestigious Xia and Fei families joining her world, her planet’s institutional strength would skyrocket.
Su Wudeng smiled. “Then I shall see you both at the main assembly tonight?”
Elder Xia beamed. “Capital! Let’s exchange contact codes immediately to facilitate our future logistics.”
Once the arrangements were finalized, Su Wudeng headed straight for her designated luxury hotel suite. The core event of the trip was the assembly tonight, and she was eager to see exactly what kind of regulatory framework the corporations were planning to impose.
Meanwhile, at the Mu family estate in Athens.
The documentary All Things Grow: The Lingnai Deer had dominated the trending charts for several days. The species’ unique ability to accelerate plant growth had captivated agricultural and biological sectors across the galaxy.
The Mu family leadership was no exception. The moment they analyzed the footage, they had desperately attempted to contact Chong’ai Pet Home. However, they were far from the only faction seeking an alliance. They had spent days placing calls and sending official dispatches, but every single line was perpetually busy.
Even now, their screens remained blank.
“Still no connection?” Mu Jin asked, crossing her arms and frowning deeply at her executive secretary.
“None, Director… I will initiate another routing sequence,” the secretary replied, dialing the encrypted number once more, only to be met with a cold, automated busy signal.
Mu Jin rubbed the bridge of her nose in deep frustration. “Why is this pet home virtually impossible to reach? They ignore public comments, their direct messages are completely locked, and their main comms line is constantly dead. They haven’t hosted a live stream recently either, leaving us with zero vectors for communication.”
“It’s infuriating,” the secretary agreed helplessly. “I’ll keep the auto-dialer running. On another note, Director… are you entirely certain we should skip the main assembly tonight? I’ve just received confirmation that both the Xia and Fei patriarchs are on-site. Our absence might reflect poorly on the family.”
Mu Jin shook her head firmly. “No. Going would simply be an exercise in public humiliation. Keep dialing the pet home.”
She saw through the corporate strategy with absolute clarity. The mechanical conglomerates intended to use tonight’s vote to systematically strip the legacy families of their remaining regulatory authority. She had simulated dozens of counter-strategies, and every single matrix concluded with their total defeat.
The disparity in resources was simply unbridgeable. Currently, ninety percent of the galaxy’s populace utilized mechanical constructs. It was an unstoppable economic tide. Furthermore, the high-level political interests that ultimately dictated planetary policy were firmly entrenched in the pockets of the mechanical syndicates. What leverage did the legacy families possess to fight back?
Since attending would yield the exact same result as staying home, there was no point in wasting valuable time. It was far more productive to focus on their literal survival.
The core driver behind her frantic attempts to contact the pet home was a quiet crisis: the unique foliage required to sustain their specialized Mulberry Silkworms was facing severe ecological blight. If the trend continued, the silkworms would stop producing their priceless silk entirely. Eventually, the species would face total extinction, triggering an absolute economic catastrophe for the Mu family.
She could not allow that to happen.
Right at this existential juncture, the Lingnai Deer documentary had dropped, showcasing a biological entity capable of inducing massive, instantaneous plant growth. It was a literal miracle. If she could secure a contract or a lease for a few Lingnai Deer to revitalize their failing mulberry plantations, the silkworms would be saved, and her family’s future would be secured.
Therefore, establishing contact with Su Wudeng was paramount. If this final call failed, she was fully prepared to board a private transport and hunt the manager down in person.
“One more try,” the secretary murmured, numbly initiating the sequence without a shred of actual hope.
Unexpectedly, a crisp, polite female voice echoed through the speaker: “Hello, thank you for calling Chong’ai Pet Home. How may I assist you today?”
The secretary’s hands shook in sheer shock. He frantically thrust the device into Mu Jin’s hands. “Director Mu! It went through! We’re connected!”
Mu Jin snatched the comm-link, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to remain professional. “Hello! This is Mu Jin, Managing Director of the Athens Mu family. May I speak with your store manager immediately regarding an urgent corporate alliance?”
“Ah, I am terribly sorry, but Manager Su is currently away from the establishment. I cannot guarantee when she will return to the planet.”
“I see… I understand,” Mu Jin pressed, her heart sinking. “Is there an executive officer or a designated proxy currently on-site who possesses the authority to sign off on a high-value biological lease? We are prepared to offer premium rates to secure the services of your Lingnai Deer!”
“Regrettably, no. All high-level strategic partnerships and biological asset deployments must be personally approved by Manager Su upon her return.”
“Could you perhaps disclose her current location or destination? Or provide an estimate on when she might be reachable?”
“Oh, she is actually currently planet-side in your sector! She traveled to Athens to attend the Beast-Taming Exchange Conference.”
“What?! She’s right here in Athens?! At the conference?!” Mu Jin’s eyes widened. “Wonderful! Thank you so much for the information! You’ve been incredibly helpful!”
Mu Jin terminated the call, her face flushed with excitement. She turned to her stunned secretary. “Manager Su is literally in the city right now! She’s at the conference grounds! Order the hover-car immediately, we are heading there right now!”
She had never imagined the legendary manager would be within arm’s reach. If she had known the pet home was participating, she never would have boycotted the event. As she hurried into the automated transport, she opened her terminal to check the live updates from the conference gates.
Unsurprisingly, the entire trending index was completely dominated by Su Wudeng’s name:
#TheSkySovereign:SakerFalconPulverizesCorporateFlagship!# #TraditionalBeastsResurgent:InsideTheSakerFalcon’sDevastatingVictory!#
“Holy…” Mu Jin murmured as she scrolled through the data streams, the sheer shock leaving her completely breathless.
The video packages prominently featured the patriarchs of the Xia and Fei families engaged in deep, highly animated discussions with Su Wudeng right on the ruined platform.
“I can’t believe those two old foxes beat me to the punch,” Mu Jin muttered, a wave of anxiety washing over her. “But there’s still time. Driver, maximize speed!”
There were still a few hours before the formal evening assembly commenced. She still had a narrow window to pitch her proposal to Manager Su in person.
Meanwhile, in a high-security executive suite at the Athens Luxury Resort, Lin Rongsen was presiding over an emergency closed-door session with his primary financial backers.
Lu Jiji, the chief director of the regional research facility, stared at his terminal with a mask of pure fury. “Nine out of the top ten global trending topics belong exclusively to Chong’ai Pet Home. Our flagship product launch has been transformed into a complete, unmitigated disaster! What is your explanation for this, Lin Rongsen?”
He was barely containing his rage. “This entire promotional campaign was under your exclusive purview. Now that the company’s capital has been incinerated, how am I supposed to justify this loss to the corporate board? I staked my reputation on your strategy, and this is the result?!”
He slammed his terminal onto the glass table, his face pale with anger. “Give me an actionable solution right now!”
The public relations catastrophe didn’t just mean the commercial failure of their new Light-Chaser line; more catastrophically, it had made a mockery of their entire research institution. Financial losses could be mitigated, but how was the Scott Galaxy Research Division supposed to maintain its standing among peer galaxies after being publicly humiliated by a biological bird?
The surrounding executives flinched at the outburst, their expressions equally hollow. The structural failure of the launch meant the subordinate merchants wouldn’t even receive residual crumbs from the market distribution. They were facing catastrophic financial write-offs. After all, the exorbitant upfront marketing and venue expenses had been entirely funded out of their respective pockets!
Shan Xuan and the other procurement directors looked utterly murderous. As the individuals responsible for locking in their respective families’ mechanical allocations, they had been left completely exposed.
“Lin Rongsen, you have utterly ruined us,” she snarled, tapping her screen. “We backed your play, pre-ordered thousands of Zhuguang units, and issued formal guarantees to our family boards. Just look at my incoming traffic—”
She brought up her communications log, which was a wall of frantic demands and reprimands from her family elders.
“You don’t want to look? Fine, let me read a few aloud for the room: ‘Shan Xuan, what possessed you to approve this allocation? Have you completely lost your mind? You incinerated our quarterly budget to purchase a fragile piece of scrap metal!’“
“Here’s another: ‘I refuse to authorize the deployment of the Zhuguang units. If our security detail steps out with those models, our competitors will laugh us out of the sector!’“
“And let’s not forget the official notice from the High Patriarch himself: ‘Your executive performance this quarter has been deemed a severe liability. The council is issuing a formal censure. Furthermore, your corporate profit-sharing for the fiscal year has been entirely revoked.’“
Shan Xuan let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Fantastic. A whole year of corporate maneuvering wiped out in five seconds! Lin Rongsen, if you don’t offer a concrete financial remedy immediately, our partnership terminates today!”
Under the collective assault, Lin Rongsen’s complexion shifted from an angry red to a pale white. The room was a cacophony of complaints; every single investor had sustained a severe blow to their portfolio.
“Enough! Calm down!” Lin Rongsen growled, forcing his temper under control. “None of us anticipated a wild card of this magnitude. The losses have occurred; our only option now is to pivot and aggressively extract value from our remaining vectors.”
“Every individual in this room has taken a financial hit, myself included. But do not lose sight of our core objective: tonight’s agenda has nothing to do with that boutique pet shop.” A predatory coldness settled into his gaze. “Since our product line sustained a loss, we will simply squeeze the required margins out of the traditional market.”
The emotional temperature in the room lowered slightly at his words. Lu Jiji narrowed his eyes, adjusting his glasses. Is Lin Rongsen planning to completely dismantle the asset bases of the three legacy families?
Shan Xuan caught on instantly, her eyes flashing with corporate greed. “Director Lin… are you suggesting a total redistribution of their traditional market shares?”
If that was the play, their current balance sheet losses could be cleanly offset by the acquisition of legacy real estate and intellectual properties. She could live with that outcome.
The surrounding mechanical distributors grinned, realizing they might still walk away from this disaster with a massive profit.
Seeing that his backers were securely back on the leash, Lin Rongsen continued, though his heart bled at the thought of his ruined prototype. “Exactly. As long as this coalition remains united, I ensure every partner in this room will be made whole. We will simply adjust the regulatory tax rates on traditional beasts and biological components to exorbitant levels…”
“Furthermore, we will rewrite the trade bylaws… introducing a mandatory, high-tier cash escrow requirement for all living animal transactions…”
“If they lack the capital? Then we foreclose on their assets. The ancestral estates of the three major families occupy prime, high-value real estate zones in the core districts…”
“We must manage the transition systematically, of course. We will take control of their biological breeding data… standardize their output through strict automated protocols… and introduce advanced embryonic replication technologies…”
“The production lines will run twenty-four hours a day, without interruption…”
Finally, he slammed his fist onto the table, his voice low and commanding. “In summary, our absolute, overriding priority tonight is to ensure that every single vacant seat on the Beast-Taming Association Board is filled exclusively by our hand-picked candidates!”
“Only with absolute legislative control can we dictate market rules that favor our balance sheets.”
“The morning’s failure is merely an operational hiccup,” Lin Rongsen concluded fiercely. “The legislative vote tonight is where the war is won!”
Once they controlled the regulatory board, it wouldn’t matter what kind of beasts that pet shop showcased; every vendor in the galaxy would be forced to play by the corporations’ rules.
Su Wudeng had just finished a refreshing shower and was winding down when a firm knock rattled her suite door.
Upon opening it, she found herself face-to-face with an elegantly dressed, composed woman who offered a gentle, poised smile. “Good evening. Am I speaking with Manager Su?”
“I am Mu Jin, Managing Director of the Mu family. I’ve traveled here in the hope of negotiating a strategic partnership with your establishment.”
Su Wudeng paused. “…For real?”
Do I secretly possess some sort of hidden charisma stat? Why is the head of the final legacy family hunting me down at my hotel? Is this a scam?
Right at that moment, Elder Xia and Patriarch Fei materialized from the corridor behind Mu Jin. They chorused with mocking cheer, “Our Manager Su truly possesses divine influence! She managed to make the reclusive Mu family, who proudly boycotted the entire conference, scramble down to her hotel to beg for an audience!”
Mu Jin’s expression turned incredibly flat. Are these two old corporate fossils seriously mocking me right now?
Su Wudeng cleared her throat. Looking at the bizarre, petty rivalry between these three, this woman must genuinely be the Patriarch of the Mu family.
Plastering a welcoming smile on her face, she stepped aside. “Please, come in. Let’s step inside and speak comfortably.”
The three family heads filed into the luxurious suite.
Mu Jin had initially intended to pitch a simple commercial lease for a few Lingnai Deer. However, having just overheard Elder Xia and Patriarch Fei bragging about relocating their entire planetary operations to the manager’s world, she hesitated.
Her hesitation didn’t stem from any doubt regarding Su Wudeng’s capabilities; she fully believed the pet home possessed the power to revitalize their traditional industries. The issue was that her family was currently facing a far more immediate, systemic threat. If this legislative crisis wasn’t neutralized tonight, it wouldn’t matter what planet they relocated to—they would be legally bankrupt before the colony ships could launch.
Mu Jin turned to Su Wudeng, her expression turning intensely solemn. “Manager Su, before we discuss biological asset allocation, I must ask: are you fully aware of the true, underlying agenda behind tonight’s assembly?”
Su Wudeng recalled her briefing with General Chu. “You’re referring to Director Lin’s plan to utilize the legislative vote to completely strip your three families of your remaining market influence?”
Mu Jin nodded grimly, then shook her head. “Yes, but the scope is far wider than that. It isn’t merely our three legacy clans under the knife; it is a coordinated campaign to completely criminalize and eradicate the traditional beast faction as a whole.”
“You encountered Lin Rongsen at the gates today. As the chief financier and chairman of tonight’s conference, his primary objective is to purge the Beast-Taming Association Board. If his corporate coalition succeeds, every single regulatory seat will be occupied by a mechanical lobbyist by midnight.”
“Such an outcome would deal a fatal, irreversible blow to traditional beast owners. Given how utterly your falcon dismantled their new product line today, the moment they secure legislative authority, their regulatory retaliation will be monstrously extreme.”
“They will pass draconian zoning laws for living animals, impossible biological testing standards… I am sure an executive of your intelligence understands exactly what that means for your business model.”
Su Wudeng’s expression darkened. This wasn’t a standard market competition; this was an absolute legislative ambush. The faction that controlled the regulatory framework was preparing to legally outlaw their competitors.
To put it in the simplest terms: if this corporate bill passed, she wouldn’t even be legally permitted to sell a single puppy without first obtaining a signed compliance permit from a mechanical conglomerate!
Her stomach dropped. No wonder General Chu had gone to such lengths to secure her an official invitation to this summit. He had clearly intercepted intelligence regarding the legislative coup but lacked the local jurisdictional authority to intervene directly. He had sent her in as a wild card, hoping she could fracture the corporate coalition from the inside.
She looked at Mu Jin. “Surely the legacy families have a counter-strategy? You can’t possibly intend to just sit there and let them vote you out of existence. Do you have any leverage?”
Mu Jin let out a bitter, hollow laugh. “If we possessed any meaningful leverage, I wouldn’t have chosen to boycott the event.”
“Lin Rongsen has accumulated too many financial chips. We simply cannot compete with his capital allocation.”
“A sympathetic political contact informed me in confidence that Lin Rongsen has spent the last forty-eight hours guaranteeing deep corporate discounts on all automated security systems to any independent board member willing to cast their vote for his candidates.”
“We are financially depleted; we cannot offer equivalent bribes.”
Su Wudeng nodded slowly, understanding the mechanics of the corporate play. The mechanical faction was massive, wealthy, and highly optimized. Mass automation granted them superior scales, negligible production costs, extreme efficiency, and massive profit margins. The legacy families couldn’t match their cash flow.
Furthermore, cash bribes were fluid; the corporations could simply raise their bids the moment the legacy families tried to match them. It was a losing game. Trying to out-bribe a multi-planetary conglomerate with standard currency was economic suicide.
Suddenly, a sharp, brilliant spark ignited in Su Wudeng’s eyes. “Bribes don’t necessarily require massive volume, Director Mu. If the currency you offer is entirely absolute and unattainable by your competitors, the size of their cash reserve becomes completely irrelevant.”
The three family heads blinked, staring at her in confusion. Mu Jin leaned forward. “Absolute currency? What do you mean?”
Su Wudeng offered a cool, confident smile. “My planet is currently finalizing construction on a massive, state-of-the-art interstellar transit port. I assume you’ve reviewed the public architectural filings?”
Mu Jin had thoroughly researched the pet home’s planetary data. She let out a soft sigh. “I reviewed the transponder data, yes. But I assumed it was merely a marketing exaggeration designed to inflate your valuation. Are you telling me the orbital infrastructure is functional?”
“How did a fourth-tier world secure those rights?”
An interstellar port required far more than just raw capital; securing certified warp lane authorizations from the Imperial Ministry was a bureaucratic miracle! Yet, this young girl spoke of it as an accomplished fact.
Before Mu Jin’s mind could spiral further into the geopolitical implications, Su Wudeng’s smile deepened. “Because the resource I utilize to clear those hurdles is entirely absolute.”
She rose from her seat, her posture radiating absolute authority. “Rest assured, gentlemen. I have a definitive solution to our legislative problem. However, I require your immediate assistance to identify every independent board member currently wavering on the fence. We need to map out who we can swing to our side.”
“I guarantee you, not a single living master will be capable of refusing the currency I am about to place on the table!”
The moment she had set foot in this sector, she had realized that the single most absolute, desperately coveted resource in this technologically sterile galaxy was natural, uncorrupted Spiritual Flora.
And coincidentally, the one resource her system possessed in completely infinite, overwhelming abundance was exactly that!
It was the ultimate, unchallengeable hard currency of the cosmos.
At 7 PM, the Grand Ballroom of the Athens Luxury Resort was transformed into an elite legislative arena.
The assembly officially commenced.
The chamber was arranged around an immense, sweeping mahogany round table, dominated by a massive holographic projection array suspended in the center, which displayed the night’s legislative agenda.
Su Wudeng scanned the room. The attendance pool was surprisingly robust; evidently, a significant number of independent masters had successfully navigated the recalibrated gate trial after her falcon had shattered the initial grid.
The moment Lin Rongsen entered the hall, he was instantly swarmed by a sycophantic crowd of corporate reps and dependent distributors.
Moving to the center of the chamber like a celebrity basking in the spotlight, he raised a hand to request silence. He projected a smooth, practiced corporate smile. “Good evening, esteemed colleagues and distinguished guests. It is my distinct privilege to welcome you to this year’s Beast-Taming Exchange Conference. I am deeply honored to serve as your chairman for tonight’s proceedings.”
“Our primary objective this evening is to map out the long-term strategic evolution of our regional Beast-Taming Association. This will include the introduction of several critical modern policies, as well as the formal retirement of obsolete legacy regulations.”
“I invite every voting member to engage productively, lending your invaluable expertise to secure the future prosperity of the Scott Galaxy!”
“Following the conclusion of our policy review, we will formally initiate the secret ballot to elect our new Board of Directors. This vote will dictate our regulatory framework for the next century, so I implore every voting master to exercise their duty with the utmost gravity! Weigh your choices carefully before casting your historic votes!”
“And finally, we will conclude the festivities with our traditional Beast Combat Exhibition, a magnificent arena showcase designed to facilitate mutual growth and sporting excellence!”
“I hereby declare the Scott Galaxy Legislative Assembly officially open!”
As the holographic display flashed the first policy bill, the chamber immediately erupted into a lively, highly structured debate.
Lin Rongsen cast a sharp, calculating glance across the table toward Su Wudeng, who sat entirely silent, flanked by the patriarchs of all three legacy families. Are they attempting a last-minute coalition? Pitiful. A gathering of desperate beggars changes nothing.
The financial incentives he had distributed were entirely too lucrative. He refused to believe a backwater pet shop owner could match his corporate treasury.
Yet… why did they look so remarkably unbothered?
Right then, Su Wudeng’s gaze shifted, locking directly onto his eyes. Lin Rongsen forced his smile to remain steady, quickly breaking eye contact to resume his discussion with an independent director.
For a reason he couldn’t scientifically define, an intense, cold knot of anxiety began to form in his stomach. Su Wudeng’s absolute calm was deeply unnatural. Was it possible she had managed to construct a counter-play?
He leaned closer to his executive secretary, whispering sharply, “Are the voting tallies secure? Have all commitments been verified?”
The secretary bowed smoothly, responding in a hushed whisper, “Every variable is accounted for, Director Lin. We’ve re-verified every independent delegate on our ledger. They will execute their votes precisely according to our candidate list.”
Lin Rongsen’s shoulders relaxed slightly. He was overthinking things. The targets assigned to him by the high board were bulletproof. Even if those independent delegates were somehow immune to financial bribes, they couldn’t afford to offend the corporate empires backing his play. The vote was mathematically secure.
He cast another look toward Su Wudeng’s corner, his smile taking on a condescending, arrogant edge. Enjoy your final hours of relevance, little girl. You have no idea that your business model is about to be legally liquidated.
Three hours flashed by in a blur of intense legislative debates.
The delegates’ throats were dry from hours of continuous positioning. Glancing at the chronometer, Lin Rongsen raised a hand, signaling the catering staff to deploy the exquisite banquet that had been prepared behind the scenes.
“The policy review has been grueling, gentlemen,” Lin Rongsen announced magnanimously. “Please, enjoy the premium refreshments our hospitality team has prepared. Consider it a small token of our appreciation for your tireless service!”
The tense atmosphere in the room instantly evaporated into warm smiles. “Director Lin’s hospitality is unmatched! The organization this year is truly flawless!”
“Indeed! Thank you, Director Lin!”
Whatever his faults, Lin Rongsen’s mastery of corporate corporate optics was undeniably superb. Though labeled as light refreshments, the banquet was a lavish spread of rare delicacies. Su Wudeng and the legacy patriarchs didn’t let pride get in the way of a good meal; three hours of high-stakes mental maneuvering had drained them, and they fell upon the food with enthusiasm.
Once the delegates had eaten their fill, their spirits returned. Checking the time, Lin Rongsen stepped back onto the central podium, a victory smile playing on his lips. “Excellent. Now that our strength has been restored, we shall proceed to the core event of the evening!”
“We will now activate the encrypted, anonymous electronic voting matrix. Every certified master may now cast their digital ballot to elect the ten directors who will form the new executive committee of the Beast-Taming Association!”
A localized interface materialized before every delegate, displaying the official candidate list. The voting window was locked to a strict ten-minute countdown, after which the interstellar core intelligence network would automatically tally and publish the results.
The tracking and computation were handled entirely by the sovereign galactic AI network to ensure absolute data integrity.
A holographic interface flared to life before Su Wudeng. Her slender fingers tapped the screen with practiced fluidness, and the display vanished instantly.
Though a ten-minute window had been allocated, the entire assembly finished executing their ballots in under five minutes.
Unlike the boisterous atmosphere of the banquet, the grand ballroom fell into a suffocating, absolute silence. The independent masters kept their gazes locked onto their laps, completely avoiding eye contact with their peers.
Lin Rongsen felt his pulse begin to accelerate. He checked the timer—two minutes remaining.
His eyes drifted back toward Su Wudeng. The girl was sitting back in her chair, her face a mask of serene, untroubled calm. There wasn’t a single trace of anxiety in her posture.
PING!
The countdown hit zero, and the smooth, synthetic voice of the galactic core AI reverberated through the chamber speakers: “Voting sequence terminated. Processing cryptographic tallies…”
Lin Rongsen’s skin tingled with anticipation. He locked his eyes onto the massive central projection screen, his heart pounding against his ribs so hard it was deafening.
“The executive committee consists of ten available seats. Initializing data publication for the verified directors…”
“Lin Rongsen. He Yu. Han Xi. Lu Jiji…”
Lin Rongsen’s grin expanded until it threatened to split his face. Yes! Every single name belongs to our coalition!
Nine names had been published, and every single one was a corporate asset. The final seat was a mere formality. The victory was absolute.
Suddenly, the cold, mechanical voice of the AI read out the tenth and final name: “Su Wudeng.”
“The executive roster for the new term of the Scott Galaxy Beast-Taming Association is now locked and verified. The data package has been formally registered with the High Ministry of War. Congratulations to the newly appointed directors.”
“May your governance contribute to the continued advancement of the Scott Galaxy.”
Lin Rongsen’s smile shattered, his face draining of all color until it was a ghastly, violent white. What?! How is her name on that list?!
He whipped his head around, his eyes wild with fury as he glared at Su Wudeng. The young woman slowly rose from her seat, a soft, radiant smile playing on her lips as the ambient spotlight caught her silhouette, framing her like an undisputed conqueror.
She strolled toward Lin Rongsen with slow, deliberate steps, her voice smooth and melodic. “Congratulations, Director Lin. Nine of your hand-picked candidates have successfully seized their seats. This election can truly be hailed as a flawless corporate victory.”
To Lin Rongsen’s ears, her words were a poisonous, deeply insulting mockery!
He stared at her with a twisted, murderous snarl, the rage in his chest burning with incandescent fury. “Su Wudeng… what did you do?!”
“Why look so angry, Director? There’s really no need,” Su Wudeng replied, her eyes narrowing as she met his gaze with absolute icy indifference. “I merely managed to slip into a single, solitary seat. A minority of one cannot possibly disrupt your grand corporate strategy, right?”
“You are still entirely free to proceed with your corporate restructuring. Though… if my memory of the ministry bylaws serves me correctly… doesn’t every executive director possess absolute individual veto power over any new regulatory policy?”
She tilted her head, her smile turning razor-sharp. “But of course, Director Lin is an experienced administrator. Under your flawless leadership, I am sure you will never give me a reason to exercise that right.”
Lin Rongsen’s breath caught, his face twisting in a mask of pure, choking fury. But the data was locked; the registration had already cleared the Ministry of War. There was no appeal process.
His entire body shook as the horrific reality washed over him—his multi-million-credit campaign, his years of careful political positioning, his perfect corporate monopoly… all of it had been completely paralyzed by a single seat! It was over!
Su Wudeng had deliberately engineered this outcome to publicly castrate his authority!
He stared at her with unadulterated venom, his mind screaming as he tried to comprehend where his foolproof ledger had fractured. Which of his bought-and-paid-for independent delegates had betrayed him?
But Su Wudeng was already done with him. She had no interest in studying his pathetic corporate meltdown. Turning on her heel, she began to walk out of the hall.
Halfway to the exit, she paused, glancing over her shoulder with an airy, casual afterthought. “Oh, by the way, Director Lin… I find my current hotel suite to be exceptionally comfortable. As an executive director of the regulatory board, I assume my extended stay will be fully covered by the association’s hospitality budget? Please ensure the paperwork is handled.”
Lin Rongsen’s complexion turned an even more hideous shade of purple. He realized with absolute dread that Su Wudeng had zero intention of leaving his sector. She was going to camp directly on his throat.
It is infinitely easier to invite a demon into your house than to cast it out.
Any dreams he had of using the regulatory framework to monopolize the galaxy’s pet market were officially dead.
Right then, a tone-deaf delegate at the far end of the ballroom shouted enthusiastically, “Director Lin! The Beast Combat Exhibition is about to commence in the main arena! Shall we proceed?!”
An adjacent executive frantically grabbed the man’s arm, hissing in a panicked whisper, “Shut up, you idiot! Look at his face! Can’t you see Director Lin is on the verge of a literal stroke?!”
Lin Rongsen forced his eyes shut, inhaling a long, shuddering breath before snapping them open, his gaze burning with manic desperation. “We proceed! Why wouldn’t we?!”
He had lost the legislative war, but he refused to let Su Wudeng humiliate him in the combat arena! He would crush her beasts in public to reclaim his reputation!
Yet, the moment he arrived at the royal viewing box overlooking the combat arena, his eyes scanned the floor only to find that the girl standing beside the immense black falcon wasn’t Su Wudeng at all.
He frowned deeply, his voice cracking with irritation. “Where is Su Wudeng?”
His executive secretary stepped forward instantly, whispering in fear, “Director Lin… Manager Su has retired to her suite to sleep. Her younger sister, Su Yulan, has been deployed to represent the pet home in the combat exhibition.”
Lin Rongsen’s jaw tightened. “…”
She didn’t even deem me worthy of her presence? She sent a child to face my division?!
“Deploy our highest-spec combat models!” Lin Rongsen roared, his hand slamming into the balcony railing. “Vaporize that bird! Show no mercy! I want a total, crushing victory!”
Meanwhile, back in the quiet luxury of her hotel suite, Su Wudeng immediately pulled up her system management interface the second she closed the door.
The moment she had formally checked into the core world, a series of frantic system alerts had begun pinging her consciousness: [Warning: New destination matrix detected! Uncharted territorial coordinates have been unlocked!]
Did this prompt mean what she thought it meant? Was she finally unlocking a brand-new map sector?
Suppressing her frantic excitement, she tapped the notification to expand the structural logs. Since the day she had inherited the system, she had been entirely confined to the introductory ‘Novice Forest Map.’ Aside from her brief excursion into the simulated Snow Mountain module, she hadn’t been permitted to explore any other ecological zones.
She had never anticipated that simply traveling to a new physical planet in reality would trigger a corresponding map unlock in the system! If I knew the system operated on physical geography, I would have boarded a starship months ago!
The glowing interface displayed the following metrics:
[System Verification: Core user has maintained residency at the uncharted geographic coordinate for a continuous duration of six hours. New territorial anchor successfully activated.]
[System Prompt: Would you like to initiate immediate spatial transit to the new map sector?]
