My career aspirations have come true.

Chapter 41 Captains' Meeting

The North District Detachment's headquarters, the captain's office.

Pande raised his hand and knocked on the heavy wooden door. After hearing the word "Come in" from inside, he pushed the door open and went in.

The office is spacious and bright, with a light gray carpet naturally dividing the two functional areas.

On one side is a solid wood desk filled with files and computers, the desktop neat and tidy.

On the other side is a spacious rest area, with three gray-blue leather sofas arranged in a semicircle, and a low table with an embedded non-slip mat in the middle.

The midday sun streamed in through the panoramic floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor, making both spaces feel bright and airy.

Luo Du was leaning back on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting, with an unlit cigar between his fingers. Guo Wenzhou was sitting next to him flipping through documents. The two of them turned to look at Pan De at the same time when they heard the sound.

"We've been waiting for you, Lao Pan." Luo Du opened his eyes and spoke calmly.

"Sorry, something came up and I was held up."

Pande chuckled and quickly walked over to the sofa area to sit down.

The three highest-ranking and most powerful members of the Chilian City North District branch, excluding the investigation team directly under the Intelligence Bureau, are gathered together at this moment.

"I called you all here today to have a short meeting."

Luo Du glanced at the two deputy captains, and without any further pleasantries, went straight to the point.

"You've all heard about Jiang Lei's situation, right?"

Guo Wenzhou and Pan De's expressions instantly turned serious, and they both nodded solemnly.

Luo Du sighed and said, "The leader of Special Operations Team Eight is actually a spy planted by the Divine Shepherd Society. We need to seriously reflect on the branch's surveillance system."

The two vice-captains exchanged a glance, their expressions both somewhat grave.

The cult's sinister ability to strip others of their power to strengthen themselves is extremely attractive to many professionals who crave rapid advancement.

Over the years, officers within the legion have been infiltrated and turned against their own side, and the Northern District Detachment is not an isolated case.

However, since the incident occurred within their own jurisdiction, it ultimately made them lose face and caused their superiors to question their management abilities.

Fortunately, Jiang Lei was eventually caught and killed on the spot, which somewhat salvaged the reputation of the North District Branch.

"Old Guo, the supervisory work is under your jurisdiction."

Luo Du looked at Guo Wenzhou, his tone serious and leaving no room for doubt.

"Upon returning, immediately conduct a thorough screening of all members of the special operations team and key personnel from the regular forces to ensure that a similar situation does not occur again."

"Understood, I'll arrange it right away." Guo Wenzhou nodded solemnly.

Luo Du nodded in satisfaction, then abruptly changed the subject.

"Next, let's talk about Lin Ze."

"Lin Ze has done a great job this time, removing a scourge from our unit. The position of leader of the Eighth Squad has become vacant, and I plan to have him take over. I'll also apply to the higher-ups to promote him to warrant officer. What do you think?"

Pan De and Guo Wenzhou were both somewhat surprised by these words.

They had already guessed that the agenda for today's meeting would include rewarding Lin Ze, but they didn't expect Luo Du to actually plan to promote Lin Ze to the position of group leader of Group Eight.

"Captain Luo, isn't this a bit too hasty?" Guo Wenzhou asked hesitantly. "Lin Ze's contributions are indeed commendable, but he has only been with the special operations team for a month. His sudden promotion to team leader might cause controversy. Moreover, there is no precedent in the brigade's history for a Level 3 professional to serve as the team leader."

As is customary, the leader of a special operations team must be at least a Level 4 professional.

Otherwise, how can you keep the people below in check?

However, as soon as Guo Wenzhou finished speaking, Pan De shook his head in rebuttal.

"I don't see anything wrong with it."

"The rules of the legion have always been that the capable rise to the top. Seniority and age are not obstacles. Since Lin Ze has made great contributions, he should receive the corresponding reward."

"Moreover, although Lin Ze is only level 3, he was able to kill Jiang Lei head-on, which is enough to prove that he has the strength to rival a level 4 professional. He is more than qualified to be the team leader."

Guo Wenzhou wasn't really against Lin Ze being the team leader; he only said those words out of caution. Seeing that Pan De's words were reasonable and well-founded, he simply shut up and said no more.

Seeing that neither of the two vice-captains had any objections, Luo Du immediately made the decision: "Then it's settled."

He leaned back on the sofa, his tone tinged with emotion.

"It's good to promote capable young people. The Legion has been in an increasingly difficult situation in recent years. It's time to make a change. You've all seen the actions taken by the higher-ups in recent years. They've been vigorously promoting young people and have even launched a Supernova Program."

"I received information that the Red Lotus Branch has already obtained a batch of recommendation slots. It's estimated that it won't be long before the branch asks all the detachments to recommend some promising young people to participate in this program."

"Please keep an eye out for suitable candidates."

Pan De and Guo Wenzhou both nodded in agreement and kept the matter in mind.

With the issue of promoting Lin Ze settled, the three immediately moved on to the next topic.

"How's the surveillance on the Blackstone Society going?" Luo Du asked Guo Wenzhou.

Guo Wenzhou shook his head and said, "Since that incident at the weapons factory, the winter solstice and the awakening of insects have almost never occurred again."

"Perhaps they're scared, after all, Bloodhawk and Steelfist have also gotten involved," Pande speculated, stroking his chin.

Luo Du pondered upon hearing this.

Would someone who dares to attack a guild without any scruples give up just because Bloodhawk and Steel Fist are searching for them?

He always felt it was unlikely.

After a moment's thought, Luo Du said in a deep voice, "Continue to send more people. We need to keep a close eye on not only the Black Stone Society, but also the movements of Blood Eagle and Steel Fist. If Winter Solstice and Awakening of Insects reappear, we must get the news immediately."

"Understood." Guo Wenzhou nodded in agreement, then couldn't help but sigh, "These are truly troublesome times lately. The alliance plan of the Cliff Guild hasn't been resolved yet, and now Tian Shi has suddenly appeared. The Divine Priest Guild is also secretly causing trouble. It's like trying to hold down a gourd only to have another one pop up. It's really making me worry sick."

Pande laughed and said, "Other things are indeed a headache, but the arrival of favorable timing may not be a bad thing for us. At least they have helped us share a lot of the pressure from the guild."

"If they can take care of one or two guilds in the process, it will save us a lot of trouble."

Upon hearing this, Luo Du and Guo Wenzhou burst into laughter.

Solve the guild problem?

It's not that easy!

Don't be fooled by the fact that Blackrock is in a mess due to the timing of events; it's because the former is in the open while the latter is in the shadows, making destruction easier than defense.

While a favorable opportunity might allow for a surprise attack on Blackrock Guild's stronghold, it doesn't guarantee the ability to wipe out a guild outright.

Although the Blackstone Society has suffered considerable losses, its foundation remains intact and its strength should not be underestimated.

If a direct war were to break out, given the strength that Tian Shi has currently displayed, it's not certain that he would come out on top.

As for the even more powerful Blood Eagle and Steel Fist, needless to say.

Pande's idea was beautiful, but unrealistic.

Pande knew his idea was unrealistic, so he laughed and changed the subject: "Let's not talk about that, let's talk about the dungeon quota for next quarter..."

The meeting ended after about twenty minutes.

Guo Wenzhou and Pan De got up and left one after the other.

The news that Lin Ze was about to be promoted to warrant officer and take over as the leader of Special Operations Group 8 spread like wildfire throughout the detachment's base.