Chapter 286 - 238: Meeting Governor Su

"But in that case, he must be nearby right now!" Huo Qiming said with certainty. His gaze fell on Zhou Ze, a hint of regret in his eyes, but his words were firm. "I have to kill Director Zhou... Otherwise, that guy can see us right now..."

"Hold on," Chu Bamboo said, holding up a hand to stop him. He looked directly into Zhou Ze’s vacant eyes and asked, "Can you speak?"

Zhou Ze didn’t speak, but Chu Bamboo wasn’t in a hurry. He stated leisurely, "I wield a sliver of omniscience. I know what you’re planning to do in this land... and by looking at my face, you should also know who I am!"

"I command you." Chu Bamboo tilted his head. ’I have my doubts,’ he thought, but his words were utterly certain, delivered with a regal, natural air. "Go and die!"

"All... for the great cause."

Huo Qiming: "???"

’This tone of voice he’s using... Something feels off about it.’

Huo Qiming hesitated, wanting to speak.

And then...

Huo Qiming saw Zhou Ze’s body tremble as life returned to his eyes. He stared intently at Chu Bamboo, his eyes filled with excitement and doubt, and said in a trembling voice, "...Saint! Is it really you?"

"It is I," Chu Bamboo replied, not even blushing as he nodded in confirmation.

"..." After a long, conflicted pause, Zhou Ze spoke. "Although I still can’t confirm it! But... ah, please forgive me for not being able to follow your command completely!"

Zhou Ze’s voice was respectful. "In the future, when you truly return, I will follow all your commands... but for now, please allow me to complete your order indirectly."

The next moment, Zhou Ze’s body trembled violently as ghostly white fire erupted all over him.

He was self-immolating... Within a few breaths, only a small pile of white ash remained where he had stood.

"..." Chu Bamboo’s face was ice-cold. ’So he found a clever way out, huh? Fine. At least this proves that the title of Saint is a powerful deterrent against Eleven!’

’Hmm?’

A sudden realization struck him. Chu Bamboo rushed out of the room, and then he saw...

The numerous security guards, previously taken down by the drones and left twitching on the ground, were now also burning with ghost fire.

"...Damn it!" Chu Bamboo gritted his teeth, opening office doors one by one. He discovered that, in the end, roughly one-tenth of the Union’s mid-to-high-level leadership had all died by self-immolation!

’As expected...’ Chu Bamboo realized. ’Eleven’s Divine Technique is like cockroaches. The moment you see one, you should realize that countless more have already infested the dark corners...’

Huo Qiming: "..."

Huo Qiming was trying to process what had just happened. He finally looked at Chu Bamboo, about to speak but hesitating. ’Wait, are you really the Saint? Then what the hell are you playing at right now?’

"...I was just tricking him!" As if understanding his confusion even before he could ask, Chu Bamboo gave him the answer.

"..." Huo Qiming nodded expressionlessly. He really wanted to believe Chu Bamboo. But...

’Why did a single sentence from you make the enemy hand over everything they’d built in the Union here?!’

He couldn’t imagine what would have happened to the Union if the enemy hadn’t resorted to this self-destruction and Chu Bamboo had simply left afterward...

’Even if we had seemingly retaken control, the enemy could have snatched it back with a flick of their wrist whenever they wanted.’

Huo Qiming watched Chu Bamboo for a moment before setting things right. He rescued Li Xuan and the others, confirmed they were alive and mentally sound, and returned control of the Union to them. He also activated the emergency combat readiness plan and left ten attack drones behind before they sped away from the Union Headquarters.

Finally, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. "I want a reasonable explanation!"

"What explanation do you want?" Chu Bamboo said without slowing his pace. "That I’m actually an undercover agent for the All-Powerful Lineage? That I don’t actually need to hold the All-Powerful back... that all I need to do is delay you here? That everything I did was actually to hand the Union over to Eleven on a silver platter?"

"..." Huo Qiming instantly deflated. ’Okay, that really doesn’t make sense. Forget it! Sometimes it’s better not to know.’

"So, where are we going next?" Huo Qiming asked again.

Chu Bamboo got into the passenger seat of the electric car Huo Qiming had driven over, his voice flat. "First District, City Government Office!"

...

City Government Office.

Inside an office.

Governor Su pushed up his reading glasses, staring thoughtfully at a report. "Hai Mingyue... took power?"

"Hmph, you old coot! I never thought something like this would happen in your Hai Family," Governor Su muttered. He looked up, able to see the towering Hai Mansion in the distance through his window. The "old coot" he mentioned was not Hai Mingyue’s father, but his grandfather—the great elder of the Hai Clan’s largest faction and its former Patriarch.

"But, Chu Bamboo..." After a brief silence, Governor Su pulled a photograph from a drawer. In it was himself, beaming while shouldering a fishing rod; an indignant Hu Kaikang, still fishing in the distance; and Chu Bamboo, holding a large bucket of fish with a look of complete indifference.

"In the blink of an eye, so much time has passed!"

Governor Su sighed wistfully. He pounded his lower back. "These are troubled times!"

He glanced at his desk. Even though he was doing his best to handle it all, the mountain of government paperwork was only growing... Governor Su shook his head. Even if he wanted to go fishing now, he couldn’t possibly find the time.

Suddenly, the door swung open.

Governor Su’s brow furrowed. "Xiaoli, it’s not time for the meeting yet..."

Governor Su trailed off. He narrowed his eyes, staring at Chu Bamboo, Lu Jin, and Huo Qiming as they walked in side-by-side.

Governor Su’s left hand tapped lightly on the desk. He casually tossed the photo he was holding onto the desk, his tone even. "Your timing is quite something."

"President Su!" A respectful but polite smile appeared on Lu Jin’s face. The "President" title was a symbol of his office as Governor.

Only the highest-ranking official in a region could bear such a title. It wasn’t just for a regional governor; a provincial head could also be addressed with "President."

"Let’s cut to the chase, Old Su," Chu Bamboo said bluntly. The name almost made Lu Jin lose his composure. ’Look, when you call *me* Old Lu, I put up with it because of our history and for my daughter’s sake... I can just treat you like a future son-in-law! But how dare you act the same way toward Governor Su? He’s...’

"Little Bamboo!" Governor Su sighed. "Speak your mind!"

"I just hope... you’re not naive enough to think you can gather these people, place me under house arrest, and then conveniently file a report with the Imperial Capital. Do you really believe you can take over all of Jinghai City that smoothly? And then push through those reforms of yours?"