When the Head Elder heard this, his old pupils shrank. The other elders did not expect Huo Zhi to present such a solution. None of them looked shocked or angry. Instead, they all looked incredulous.
“Expel Elder Leng from the Elders’ Association?” Elder Bi repeated Huo Zhi’s words meaningfully, then he smiled and looked at Huo Zhi. “If I didn’t hear this from you, Director Huo, I’d think that I heard wrong.”
“Yeah, the medical association belongs to 102 Research Base. As long as Elder Leng is in charge of 102 Research Base, the medical association will belong to her and she will retain her place as an Elder. Who can expel Elder Leng?”
“Director Huo, you can’t put forward these unrealistic plans just because of the feud between Elder Leng and Ms. Gu.”
“Base 102 is inseparable from Elder Leng. Director Huo, are you sure that you want to expel Elder Leng?”
They spoke one after another, mockery in their tone.
“Director Huo.” An elder hesitated and said, “Do you mean that… We are going to let Elder Leng make a false resignation so we can release a public statement and block the negative comments?”
When he said this, the others looked at each other. If that was what Huo Zhi had meant, then it was indeed a solution.
Elder Bi looked calmer. “If that is so…”
“I will only repeat this once.” Huo Zhi cut him off and said in a cold tone, “Elder Leng will be expelled from the Elders’ Association and she will be dismissed from all the positions that she holds. We will have someone to take the positions that the Leng family holds in the Elders’ Association.”
Elder Bai frowned.
The Head Elder laughed as if he felt that Huo Zhi were mad. He asked rhetorically, “How are you going to deal with Base 102 if you expel Elder Leng? Who can replace Leng Xuan and take her place?”
Huo Zhi leaned back. “Gu Xian.”
The smile on Head Elder’s face stiffened.
When the others heard the name, it was as if something in their nerves had exploded. They were all instantly pulled back to the tragedy that had happened on Jijing Island many years ago.
The previous person-in-charge of Base 102 had been Gu Xian, Leng Xuan’s master. On Gu Xian’s watch, the outstanding juniors of the various big families disappeared. Nobody knew if they were dead or alive. They had only been eight years old then.
By the time the Elders’ Association and the various big families heard about it, the people who were involved had long been dealt with by Gu Xian in private. Hiding the truth from the masses had of course enraged everyone. Several big families united and charged into the Gu residence to demand their children back.
There was a period of civil unrest on Jijing Island and many people died.
Old Master Gu and Gu Xian could not give them an explanation and the Gu family came under heavy surveillance. Old Master Gu was placed under house arrest and Gu Xian was taken away by the Security Bureau for interrogation.
But as before, there were no leads.
In the end, the Elders’ Association distributed the Gu family’s powers to the various big families as compensation. Only then did things take a turn. To balance the powers of the various big families, the Elders’ Association selected Huo Zhi, one of the most skillful people at Base 102 to take on the role of director.
Although the unrest had subsided, everyone knew deep down that the children who had disappeared had probably faced the same consequences as the people who had been dealt with by Gu Xian.
Mentioning this past incident tore open old wounds. If it weren’t for the Head Elder’s defence back then, Gu Xian might have been lynched. Yet Huo Zhi still dared to mention Gu Xian?
“No way!” Elder Bi rejected the idea without a second thought. “If you want to let Gu Xian take the place of Leng Xuan, you have to first ask the heads of the various big families for their permision. Huo Zhi, do you want another riot on Jijing Island?”
The Head Elder stared gloomily at Huo Zhi.
