Chapter 37

Puhai Pearl Tower.

It is the tallest building in Puhai, even in all of Huaxia, and the landmark of Puhai.

When people mention Puhai Pearl Tower, they usually think instinctively of its height and fame.

Very few realize that the top-floor conference room of Puhai Pearl Tower is the most luxurious in the world.

At this moment, nearly all deans of the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies are present in the top-floor conference room of Puhai Pearl Tower.

In addition, there are Qu Weimin, the Alliance's leader, Yan Xia, the deputy leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, and Shi Changqian, the leader of the Gene Alliance.

Shi Changqian is American; his original name was Francis, but now Huaxia is the world's leader.

Just as everyone learned English decades ago, now taking a Chinese name is equally fashionable.

Of course, this is not merely fashion; more importantly, having a Chinese name makes things easier.

Of the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies, four are in Huaxia; nearly ninety percent of all martial arts sects are in Huaxia.

In genetics, Huaxia is also leading the way.

The host of this meeting is Qian Chen, responsible for the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies' admissions assessment and also the director of the Gene Security Bureau of the Gene Alliance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this year's Top Ten Blue Planet Academies admissions assessment has produced many geniuses. Their emergence will inject new blood into our future, safeguarding Earth's safety and humanity's survival."

Qian Chen's words were forceful, carrying a deep concern for humanity's future.

"Tomorrow marks the beginning of our second-round assessment; I believe and anticipate it will bring us even greater surprises…"

As Qian Chen spoke the last words, his tone slowed, as if waiting for someone to interrupt.

Indeed, a fat white man suddenly spoke up, "Director Qian, I have a question to ask."

Qian Chen immediately stopped and smiled, "Mr. Gufu, please speak."

The fat white man is Gufu, deputy leader of the Gene Alliance; he is European, with mediocre Chinese, yet he insists on showing off his Chinese.

His original name was Edward; to demonstrate his Chinese proficiency, he gave himself the Chinese name Gufu.

In his mind, Gufu means "ancient virtue."

But he confused the character for "virtue" with "leisure," and no matter how he explained, everyone accepted him as Gufu.

Eventually, he reluctantly accepted the name Gufu.

Gufu cleared his throat, "As Director Qian said, yesterday indeed produced many talented students, but also a few whose abilities defy conventional understanding—such as Fang Chong, Li Wanran, and Lü Zi from Yujiang University."

The conference room fell utterly silent; nearly everyone understood the true purpose of this meeting was these three students.

Or rather, not the three students themselves, but who was the teacher behind them?

"What's so unusual? Six years ago, during our admissions assessment, we had a student with a gene fusion rate nearing 99%." A disgruntled voice rang out.

The hall fell quiet; the speaker was an elderly man with white hair—Zhang Yongcheng, dean of Dahanyi Academy.

Zhang Yongcheng despised everything the Gene Alliance had done in recent years; two months ago, when the Gene Alliance turned Puhai upside down, he was the first to oppose them.

He also suspects the Gene Alliance was involved in the disappearance of that student with near-99% gene fusion who vanished after entering the Amazon.

Qian Chen nodded, "Mr. Gufu is correct, and Dean Zhang is not wrong. But this situation differs from six years ago; this time, three students simultaneously reached S-rank, and all three were trained by the same mentor."

Gufu declared loudly, "Exactly—that's my point."

"If this mentor truly can train such outstanding talent, why not invite him to the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies or the Gene Alliance to contribute to Earth's future?"

"Heh, Mr. Gufu may not be aware—the mentor who trained these outstanding students is named Ding Huan…"

A woman stood up.

Before she could finish, a voice immediately countered:

"Qin Qiang, don't speak recklessly—we've heard the three students were trained by two teachers, with Master Geng as the main instructor and Ding Huan merely assisting."

The speaking woman is Qin Qiang, dean of Wumai Mountain Academy, ranked eighth among the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies.

The one who interrupted her is Li Chuan, dean of the Protectors Academy, ranked fourth among the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies.

Qin Qiang spoke coolly, "Dean Li, I won't mind if you misunderstand the situation. I'm merely reminding you: in this conference room, it's best to understand the facts before speaking."

"Mr. Li, the mentor of the three Yujiang University candidates is indeed primarily Ding Huan, with Geng Qianxing as assistant," said Ani'ao, dean of the Planet Academy, supporting Qin Qiang.

Li Chuan frowned slightly but said nothing.

He deeply disliked this woman Qin Qiang—she was Huaxian, dean of Wumai Mountain Academy, yet sided with the Gene Alliance and eventually became one of them.

Everyone knows the Gene Alliance is now dominated by Western powers; the Martial Arts Alliance is the true Huaxian tradition.

But since Ani'ao had spoken, he couldn't press further; in truth, he hadn't investigated thoroughly, yet he understood the stakes.

The Gene Alliance had orchestrated this meeting, clearly targeting the teacher behind the three geniuses from Yujiang University.

Once confirmed, the despicable Gene Alliance would use a legitimate excuse to summon that teacher to join them—actually intending to interrogate his secrets.

Over the years, the Gene Alliance, under the banner of justice, had done countless despicable things; others might not know, but the deans of these academies knew some.

◆co

But what could you do even if you knew?

The man who just spoke, Ani'ao, was from the Gene Alliance; this woman Qin Qiang was a traitor, also from the Gene Alliance.

At least four of the Top Ten Blue Planet Academies' deans were from the Gene Alliance…

Thinking of this, Li Chuan suddenly broke into a cold sweat—had the Gene Alliance grown this vast without anyone noticing?

Gufu smiled, "Dean Li, we mean no harm; on the contrary, we intend to strongly cultivate and support talents like Master Ding Huan…"

Qin Qiang chuckled, then suddenly said, "Mr. Gufu, if you knew two of your Gene Alliance members were killed and might be connected to this Master Ding Huan, you might not think so."

"What?" Gufu's smile vanished; his tone now carried a chill of killing intent.

Zhang Yongcheng, dean of Dahanyi Academy, spoke coldly, "Dean Qin, you can't just speak carelessly—food isn't even safe to eat casually, let alone make baseless claims. Don't spread unverified accusations here."

A sharp voice cut him off: "Dean Qin, state the details. We do need outstanding talent—but not those who kill innocents."

Zhang Yongcheng sighed and fell silent; the speaker was Shi Changqian, a madman.

As leader of the Gene Alliance, Shi Changqian once used an entire small town to lure a gene beast, then surrounded and slaughtered it.

Although the ambush against the gene monsters achieved excellent results—even eliminating the gene monster threat from an entire mountain range—that small town suffered heavy casualties.

As the instigator, Shi Shi Changqian constantly claimed he sacrificed a few to save many. Even if he died, if it meant more people would survive, he would unhesitatingly die.

Anyone with eyes could see the bastard was just talking nonsense—he valued his own life more than anyone else's.

Even though it was just a small town in Europe, Zhang Yongcheng felt deeply uneasy.

What was the purpose behind the formation of the Gene Alliance, the Martial Alliance, and the Ten Great Academies of Blue Star? To protect humanity and protect Earth.

How can you speak of justice when you use people as bait?

Qin Qiang paid no attention to Zhang Yongcheng's sharp rebuke and continued speaking to Shi Shi Changqian.

"Chairman Shi, although I'm not certain whether Ding Huan did it, I've uncovered several points for your reference."

"I became aware of Ding Huan because Yujiang University's results were too outstanding. I did investigate Yujiang University—and upon closer look, I discovered all sorts of problems."

Li Chuan, dean of the Protectors, couldn't help speaking up: "Dean Qin, think before you speak."

"Teacher Ding is innocent. If your words cause an innocent person to be implicated, can you live with your conscience?"

Qin Qiang spoke coolly: "Dean Li, rest assured—I don't need you to teach me this. Every word I say is grounded in evidence."

"First, Ding Huan arrived in Puhai over two months early. Before the two Gene Alliance members were killed, Ding Huan visited the Auden Luxury Hotel to scout the location—but he arrived a week ahead of time…"

Hearing this, Shi Shi Changqian gritted his teeth in fury—not because of anything else, but because he was furious the Gene Alliance had raised a bunch of idiots. Such a simple matter hadn't been uncovered, yet Qin Qiang had found it.

He didn't know that Qin Qiang, as one of the Ten Great Academies' deans, wasn't merely exceptionally skilled in other areas—her intelligence operations were top-tier.

A year ago, when it was confirmed that Puhai would become the testing site for the Ten Great Academies' admissions, she had secretly installed hidden surveillance equipment in nearly every hotel around Puhai Martial Square.

These surveillance devices were concealed in various locations; unless meticulously searched, even a full renovation might not reveal them.

She was certain Ding Huan was responsible because the footage showed him taking the elevator to the ninth floor, then walking up the stairs to the eleventh.

But those idiots in the Gene Alliance, in their first step of reviewing the footage, automatically ruled out anything beyond the elevator reaching the eleventh floor.

Their workload decreased—but it was utterly useless.

When Qin Qiang first learned this information, she hadn't paid attention. Honestly, though she was a Gene Alliance member, she felt nothing special about the deaths of her own alliance members.

Only days ago, when she learned that three students from Yujiang University had achieved S-rank in their first-round tests, and realized it was connected to Ding Huan, she began to pay attention.