Wu Long, thirty-eight years old, a resident in Hunan’s Zhangjiajie, came from a poor family. He became an apprentice of Monk Wuliao from Tianmen Mountain at a young age and practiced external fist technique. He joined the army at the age of sixteen. After leaving the army, he joined the public security in Xiangtan, but he eventually left because he was displeased by the corruption in the system. He then became a private detective.
When the Earth Federation was established, Wu Long had successfully activated the seventh brain region after practicing the Star Tip Mantra for a year and obtained an ability. He was recruited by the second largest detective agency in the world as an elite member and was normally entrusted with jobs of protecting VIPs all around the globe.
He met Andre and Xia Fei when he was on vacation and successfully stopped the Black Snake Gang from hijacking a plane. He then followed Andre and Xia Fei to seek the truth regarding the mystery of Atlantis, eventually earning Xia Fei’s trust and becoming one of the first main directors of Quantum Holdings. He was appointed as the Director of Commerce and Defense, becoming a member of the board, and now had a net worth of over billions.
Presently, the man, who had recklessly slapped Xia Fei in the face in the past, was about to become the third president of the Earth Federation.
Wu Long was pinching himself on the leg hard to confirm that he was not dreaming. Becoming a president had never happened in the most ridiculous dream he ever had. He was speechless and at a complete loss after listening to Xia Fei’s speech.
The pain Wu Long felt proved that he was not in the middle of a dream. Xia Fei’s determined look was also convincing him that the latter was being absolutely serious. Xia Fei would not give up until he had him sitting on the highest seat on this planet.
Wu Long frowned and emptied the glass of alcohol before saying, “Xia Fei, can you please let me go? I seriously don’t care about being a president. It’s too much of a trouble to deal with all the documents. If you really are concerned about my wellbeing, you can just appoint me to be in charge of a transportation ship, or I can just be a happy spaceship driver. I don’t mind driving a transportation ship even if I’m not qualified to drive a warship.”
It was not Wu Long’s first time complaining to Xia Fei that he was not fit for administrative work. He never liked working a peaceful yet complicated job. He was more willing to work a busy job and visit many places, so to him, Xia Fei was basically trying to kill him by arranging for him to become the president.
Xia Fei shook his head and said, “Can’t do; you’re the only candidate.”
Andre quipped in, “It’s just a president. It’s nothing fancy. You just have to put on airs on normal days and pretend to be reliable. I believe in you.”
Wu Long put the glass down and said sternly, “I’m not the smartest guy. I know that myself.”
Xia Fei said, “Being a president is very simple, since many people are going to work for you. You just need to give the orders.”
Wu Long said, “I hate socializing.”
Xia Fei said, “That’s simple, too; you just need to say a few words during the functions and leave in a hurry. The people will assume you are so busy with your work that you don’t even have time to stay for the food. No one will even think you are watching a soccer match in the president’s residence. The more in a hurry you are, the more respect people are going to pay you. After all, the ordinary people have no clue what a president normally does.”
Wu Long said, “Quantum Holdings needs me. I still have a lot of work to finish.”
Wu Long was merely finding an excuse. He just wanted to prevent himself from becoming the president.
“The company indeed needs you, but it’s actually beneficial to the company if you are elected as the president,” Xia Fei said.
Wu Long fell silent. He kept rubbing his temple with both hands as he tried to come up with a plausible excuse.
“*Sigh.* I just don’t feel like being the president. I think you, Charlie, and Andre are better candidates than me. Why does it have to be me?” Wu Long grumbled.
Xia Fei smiled. “I know that you have gotten worn out from administrative work these past two years, so I’m letting you take a break. Charlie is still young, and I’m constantly traveling between places, so it doesn’t really suit us. I don’t trust other people, either, so you are the best candidate I can think of. Besides, it’s not like being a president is something embarrassing. Why don’t you discuss it with your mother first? I bet she’s more than willing to let you be the president.”
Xia Fei had no choice but to bring out the trump card, Wu Long’s mother. The man might seem very masculine on the outside, but he was very obedient toward his mother. She had always wanted Wu Long to excel in life. His current position was already quite impressive, but if he had the chance to become the president of the Earth Federation, her mother would definitely try her best to convince him. She would even force him to take the opportunity by annoying the hell out of him.
Not only was Xia Fei trying to reason with Wu Long, he was moving the man with emotions, too. He kept saying being the president was the easiest job in the world and promised to hire the smartest people as his advisors to help him run the administration. He just needed to show his face and say a few words occasionally.
However, the most attractive factor was Xia Fei’s promise to appoint Wu Long as the captain of his favorite warship after being the president for two terms. It was an offer that Wu Long could never turn down. It was not as if he only had the thought of driving a warship and roaming across the galaxy for a day or two. He was unable to fulfill his dream because he was occupied with his job; hence, he could only gaze at the ocean and lament his inadequacy, but now, Xia Fei had given him some hope. He just needed to be the president for eight years. After that, he could ask to be allocated to any department as he pleased. Wu Long was a strength ability user, so his lifespan was slightly longer than normal people. Eight years was not too long for him. It would be gone in the blink of an eye if he was patient enough.
Once he retired from the role of the president, he would only be forty-six years old. He would still be at his peak, and by then, roaming the galaxy would no longer be a dream.
Besides, Xia Fei told Wu Long that he would need to establish a defensive starfleet for the Earth Federation when he was still the president. Therefore, as the president, he had the right to intervene with the entire process.
It was a very enticing offer for Wu Long, to form a fleet of warships for the Earth Federation himself. Not only would it be a dream come true to him, his achievement would be passed down for generations, too.
Wu Long suddenly realized that being the president was not as bad as he thought. He could easily let others deal with the paperwork which he despised. He just needed to focus on the military. Not only would he be doing something he was passionate about, he could also be of great help to Quantum Holdings and Xia Fei, speaking of killing two birds with one stone.
He would spend eight years to bring Earth’s defense to a whole new level. After that, he would go on an adventure across the galaxy like Xia Fei. He would spend the rest of his life as an explorer, just like what he had dreamed of.
In the end, Wu Long agreed with Xia Fei’s suggestion. Xia Fei asked him to pass on his role as quickly as possible. A team of experts would soon approach him to make him presentable in all aspects.
In an era of marketing, a person needed packaging and advertising just like a product. The experts would give Wu Long a complete facelift from the way he talked to his dressing style.
The people would never find out the truth. Imagine if the people on Earth found out that their future president had only agreed to be in that position after being enticed and convinced while having a huge crab feast; they would be so shocked that their eyes were bound to fall onto the ground. Therefore, they should never know what was happening behind the scenes.
Xia Fei contacted the Assassin Sect’s headquarters after convincing Wu Long and invited eight skilled Deathguards over. Normally, it was not necessary to allocate the sect’s ‘machines’ for an operation of this level. After all, these disciples, who had no concept of life and death, were treated as the sect’s lifeblood. It was not easy to train the Deathguards, and the cost involved was beyond anyone’s imagination.
However, Xia Fei had done them a huge favor recently when the fate of the sect was at stake. As a result, Craneshadow finally agreed to dispatch the Deathguards on the condition that the operation would only last for a month at most. The Assassin Sect would retrieve the eight Deathguards whether the operation was a success or not.
The Deathguards were willing to sacrifice themselves because they were brainwashed by the Assassin Sect with a special method. If they had contact with human society for too long, they might end up adapting to it. If the Deathguards began to have emotions, they could no longer sacrifice their lives to kill their enemies recklessly due to misgivings. Therefore, the Assassin Sect was very strict at controlling the Deathguards. The Deathguards were not allowed to linger in the teeming world for even an extra moment. Therefore, Craneshadow was already being extremely generous by allocating eight Deathguards to Xia Fei.
Toward the end of their conversation, Craneshadow told Xia Fei that Shadowless had passed away three days ago. Xia Fei felt a strong grief all of a sudden. Shadowless was actually not a bad old man. He had a broad vision and was meticulous, too. Xia Fei only spent a short time with him, so they were not that close, but he could not help lamenting Shadowless’s death, realizing how unpredictable life was.
Either way, Shadowless was still Xia Fei’s first master in this world. It had only been a short time between their first meeting to their parting, but there were certain things that humans could never resist. The journey from birth to death was like a meteor sweeping across the sky. It was brief yet dazzling.
Xia Fei was deeply moved by the sudden news. Craneshadow assumed he was grieving over Shadowless’s death, so his impression of Xia Fei had improved slightly. He even tried to comfort the young man.
Ultimately, Xia Fei had gotten the help he needed. Andre also contacted a few reputable detective agencies right away. They were willing to investigate anyone as long as they got paid, so they immediately agreed to take up the job.
These detective agencies were no ordinary organizations. They would keep a copy of their findings confidential, so they could use it for self-defense purposes if necessary. Xia Fei was not worried that they would keep the evidence, since they would never have the chance to do so. The Deathguards he had tried so hard to bring over were exactly his preventive measure for it.
It was fine if the detective agencies knew their place, but if they dared to have any ulterior motives, Xia Fei would not mind sending them to Yama’s palace, so they could reunite with their loved ones in just a few words.
…
Xia Fei woke up very early the next morning. He piloted Vampire to Hawaii to bid farewell to Qin Mang, Moon Song, and Chen Dong before heading for Alaska. The research and development of the super-radar system was still in progress. He needed to understand its key concepts as soon as possible to prepare the second shocking product of Quantum Holdings.
Qin Mang and Chen Dong understood where Xia Fei was coming from, yet Moon Song was obviously in a bad mood. Xia Fei seemed to know something, but he was not sure of it.
Sarah’s fleet would be escorting them back, so Xia Fei was not too worried about them.
Xia Fei headed to the lab after a brief conversation; he was intending to completely disassemble the nether bell.
