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"Councilor Hou, things are getting pretty fierce down below."

In the highest meeting room of the Central Federation, meetings had been convened nearly every day since Wang Ye’s departure, due to the leak about the relocation project in the New World.

If the news could have been contained immediately, it would have at least prevented the residents from becoming so unsightly all at once, but the first batch of descendants sent to the Northern Wasteland were not just simple small fry.

They were hardened veterans from other Virtual Worlds; if it wasn’t for the disintegration program controlling them, who knows if a few more Zhang Zhengyuans would emerge from their ranks.

But even with such suppression, those people still possessed an energy that the Federation’s upper echelon could not afford to ignore.

The New World was extremely dangerous, and almost everyone had signed contracts before going there, with the right to actively contact their own families, a quite reasonable demand.

After all, if even this small request wasn’t fulfilled, suspicions of being sent to their deaths would arise, which wasn’t good.

Initially, not many cared about this, but who could have anticipated Chen Qing’s move?

The current dissension was indeed unexpected.

"The fiercer the uproar, the better..." The middle-aged man known as Councilor Hou smiled slightly: "If it were too calm and quiet, that’s when real trouble might arise..."

"But... with such an uproar bustling below, we could be in for a major mess if we don’t appease them." The councilors all seemed rather anxious.

It was true that the Federation had disintegration programs, but such large-scale outbursts were not something to be easily quelled like individual offenses.

After all, the fault lay with them, and forcibly suppressing it would not only greatly harm the strength within the Federation but also be a huge blow to the future expectations of the lower-class citizens.

This wasn’t conducive to long-term governance.

In recent years, the official stance had been to promote grassroots talents like Xu Min, telling the masses that with enough effort and talent, even those with less fortunate births could achieve success in the miraculous Digital City.

Such myths had a strong motivational impact, but should the masses discover that these so-called rising stars were merely higher-level watchdogs, many from the lower classes might completely collapse. Life, already pushed to the limit, if stripped of its hopes, could indeed trigger internal strife.

This kind of thing had actually happened quite a few times in the Western Federation over the years, including changes of dynasties.

"I didn’t say we wouldn’t appease them..." The Hou surname middle-aged man said with a smile: "How could we not go through the motions in this situation? If Chen Qing can divide us, can’t we divide them?"

"Oh?" Those present were seasoned politicians, and with just a hint from the man, their eyes lit up.

Indeed, if Chen Qing used such tricks to divide them, couldn’t they align with one faction against another?

"Most of these guys come from the Demonic Path in the Virtual World; who among them is completely loyal? Would they truly rebel for some so-called collective interest? Just offer them some benefits, and they will naturally divide among themselves."

"First, we publicly criticize those aristocratic descendants who abused their power, but since they’ve already reincarnated, punishment will be delayed.

If they cannot redeem themselves with meritorious deeds, they would face doubled penalties.

We’ll at least give them a way out, and regarding the reincarnation slots, we can let go of a few.

Under this big trend, wouldn’t we, the aristocratic descendants, understand the bigger picture? "

Hearing this, many councilors nodded in agreement, their expressions visibly relaxed compared to before.

At the council table, only an elderly man, seemingly in his seventies or eighties, was frowning deeply.

Was it really that simple?

This Hou surname belonged to Old San, ranked third among the second generation of the Hou family, and originally it should have been his two older brothers who inherited the family’s power.

One of them was presumed sacrificed after the Southwest Science and Technology District incident, while the other was sent to the New World to seize resources right at the beginning.

The political legacy within Digital City was handed down to this man, who hadn’t been very notable before.

It had to be said, this youngster was no fool, but he truly seemed to underestimate the people below...

Moreover, judging by the expressions of the surrounding councilors, it appeared they all shared this view, which suddenly made him wonder, was it really a good idea for the great houses to shift their focus to the New World?

Digital City was the foundation, yet for eternal life, for power acquisition at a faster rate, the families had sent their primary heirs into the New World, with many Family Heads personally partaking, like Elder Hou.

To leave such young whippersnappers in control of the rear was, in his view, a grave misstep!

These little guys lack extensive experience, possessing only some cleverness, such as this reference to the Old San of the Hou Family, which seems reasonable, but in reality, he did not view it favorably.

The premise of recruiting one faction to fight against another is based on the assumption that these exceptional grassroots descendants are short-sighted!

In pursuit of immediate benefits, they would turn around and continue to serve as dogs, losing the support of their own people.

Don’t underestimate the solidarity of these grassroots descendants.

It’s precisely because of their solidarity that the officials recently had to compromise, yielding a good number of military positions and council seats, granting them sufficient status.

Would they have received such treatment if they were fighting alone?

Children like Xu Min already understood this principle long ago; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stood up for his subordinates back then.

Would they really betray those who followed them for a better reincarnation now?

If they were indeed so duplicitous, could these people have achieved the status they have today?

Frankly speaking, whether it’s Elder Hou San or the young councilors at the present meeting table, they all seem too arrogant, not taking those below them seriously.

This gave him a very uneasy feeling.

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"Brother Min, will making such a scene risk alarming our target?"

Outside the exhibition hall, a close confidant of Xu Min leaned in and whispered, "The plan this time is so risky, if the higher-ups get wind of it."

"It’s precisely because it’s risky that we need to divert their attention. If we don’t make any noise at all, the higher-ups would be even more suspicious..." Xu Min whispered, "Is the Flying Star Seal ready?"

The Flying Star, similar to the power of spatial transfer, can bring anyone marked with the seal to a designated location at any time by using the so-called techniques!

They had previously seen Wang Ye personally demonstrate this ability and discovered that no matter how secure the barriers, no matter how many layers of encrypted, independent virtual spaces, as long as one is marked with that seal, they could gain entry!

But then again, using the seal left by Chen Qing, one could directly traverse from the Virtual World to Digital City—such a miraculous effect, and yet, the authorities above had so far failed to take notice!

Then there was Mister Tianji’s prophecies, accurately predicting times of misfortune and fortune, never once wrong. With such a combination, what could they not achieve?

Yet the thought of such power potentially falling into the hands of players in the future set his heart ablaze!

The Demonic World was a new arena where many players had gained new lives and powers.

It was also key for breaking free from the shackles of mortality and the limitations of a digital existence.

In that arena, he certainly didn’t want to be controlled anymore.

If he couldn’t turn the tables this time, he feared he might be doomed to a lifetime of subservience!

"Don’t worry, boss, everything that needs to be arranged is set. But whether it will succeed is up to Mister Wang. Even if we reach those places, finding the exact location of the disintegration program is not so straightforward," the confidant assured.

"Hmm... Just do your best..." Xu Min closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

As he was thinking, suddenly an alert from his smart device indicated that he was being invited for a private conversation in the conference center above.

Upon hearing the smart invitation, the corners of Xu Min’s mouth curled into a smirk.

Anybody could guess what those arrogant councilors intended to do—nothing more than trying to pit one faction against another.

If Elder Hou and others were still in the conference center, they would never have come up with such a bad idea.

Luckily, the older generation’s desires were too strong; almost none could wait any longer, and they all threw themselves at that world. Mister Tianji had divined that this meeting would be a very auspicious one—another precise prediction.

Good... This corrupt Central Federation that has degraded for hundreds of thousands of years truly needs a change!!!