Otherworld Advance Team-Chapter 43 - 39 Internal Meeting_1

43: Chapter 39: Internal Meeting_1

43 -39: Internal Meeting_1

“I’m retired now, is it appropriate?” Luo Qishan asked.

“You’re the principal of Haiya Academy, it’s definitely appropriate.

After all, it involves your students.”

Luo Qishan didn’t speak again, he stared at Lin Wei’s smiling face, sighed slightly, and turned to walk towards the conference room.

Inside the conference room, the lights were bright.

Rows of tables and chairs were arranged in a rectangle and had already filled up with soldiers in regular uniforms.

As Lin Wei and Luo Qishan entered, everyone immediately stood up and saluted them.

Luo Qishan looked nonchalantly, under Lin Wei’s guidance, he came to the podium and sat next to Lin Wei.

Lin Wei did not sit down, he stood gazing around at everyone, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, “Everyone, please sit down.

Now that everyone is here, let’s start the meeting!”

He waved his hand, all the officers sat down.

Lin Wei turned his head and looked at Luo Qishan, then continued, “This is an internal meeting of the headquarters.

We don’t need to follow the formalities of officialdom, let’s get straight to the point.

The theme of this meeting is the selection of personnel for the Advance Team sent to the Otherworld.”

After Lin Wei’s remarks, everyone started to discuss.

One staff officer raised his hand and asked, “Hasn’t the selection in the academy already ended?

Since the team called ‘Hunter Squad’ won, shouldn’t they naturally be appointed as the advance team?”

Lin Wei smiled, waved his hand to signal him to put down his hand, and explained, “You should know that the only way for us to get information about the Otherworld without an advance team is to bribe those Blaiqi merchants.

However, it’s clear that these people are all greedy for money.

They can join us for money, but they can also be bought off for a larger profit.

So, we can only trust their information to some extent.

Hence, we are still deficient in terms of intelligence, so much so that the Ministry of Defense cannot make effective judgments about the Third Otherworld War.”

“So, you mean, we need more reliable and effective sources of information, right?” another staff officer asked.

“Exactly,” Lin Wei looked around at everyone, and his expression gradually became serious, “We need informants who are completely loyal to the country and the military.

It’s precisely because we can’t trust these Blaiqi people that we can’t carry out more in-depth intelligence work, which is very lethal for us.”

“We need a reconnaissance force that can be completely trusted to execute our subsequent deeper missions and help us determine whether we need to dispatch troops to the Otherworld.” Lin Wei spelled out their current biggest dilemma.

“So, such a force must be composed of our own people, not Otherworlders, to ensure their unwavering loyalty to the country.” one of the staff analyzed.

“Correct!” Lin Wei nodded.

“With the current strength of the sub-species, they should be able to take on the position of the recon team, right?” another staff officer asked.

“As it stands now, using the sub-species as the advance team is the best choice!”

As he spoke, Lin Wei activated the 3D projector in the center of the meeting room, and two 3D human body models appeared on it.

“Please look, these are the physical structures of Earthlings and Otherworlders.” Lin Wei pointed to the models and said. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Everyone could see that inside the body model labeled as Otherworlder, there were veins flowing with an unidentified red substance.

“What is this?”

“These are the blood vessels of an Otherworlder, the red liquid is not blood, but the magic power that is ubiquitous in the atmosphere of the Otherworld.

And this one, is the structure of an Earthling’s body.” Lin Wei pointed to another body model and said.

From what they could see, the body marked as an Earthling had no red veins with the red liquid seemingly flowing outside the body.

Lin Wei opened a cross-section analysis diagram, and everyone noticed that the red liquid was slowly seeping from the skin into the body.

“Magic power erosion.

During the Second Otherworld War, over two hundred thousand Earth soldiers died from this condition!” Lin Wei announced solemnly, “This kind of erosion is irreversible.

Once magic power invades an organ, organ failure awaits.”

Luo Qishan looked at the magic power erosion, his brow involuntarily jumped, and he felt a sudden discomfort in his heart.

His son Luo Chuan, who was once sent to the Otherworld to fight, had died from magic power erosion.

“This is the body of the sub-species!” Lin Wei said as he fused the two body models into one, everyone was amazed to see that the combined body still had the flowing red veins.

“The sub-species can perfectly adapt to the magic-less environment of Earth and similarly, to the magical environment of the Otherworld.

They could be said to be the most suited to be the advance team.

This is why the selection was held at Haiya Academy.”

“Elder Luo, what do you think?” Lin Wei turned his head and asked Luo Qishan.

“Hybrid humans are the result of a combination of genes from humans from Earth and the Otherworld, basically all test tube babies.

If they know the truth, there is no guarantee they won’t feel resentment and choose to become our enemies.” Luo Qishan made his point slowly, wrapping his fists in emphasis.

“That’s exactly what I think,” Lin Wei lifted his head and addressed the crowd, “I’m sure you all have read the files about the hybrid humans.

They are genetically mixed, formed from human and Otherworld genes.

Whether on Earth or in the Otherworld, they have no roots and to be blunt, they could betray either side.

That’s what worries me.

To deploy hybrid humans for combat in the Otherworld is premature, as both their combat abilities and loyalty are still questionable.”

Lin Wei’s words incited a wave of discussion amongst the crowd.

One strategist cautiously raised his hand, asking: “So, you’re suggesting that Hunter Team isn’t reliable, correct?”

“Exactly!” Lin Wei nodded in response, his answer causing an even more heated debate.

“Then who qualifies to be the candidate for the Advance Team?” The strategist continued to ask.

“I think,” Lin Wei once again looked at Luo Qishan who was bowing his head as if trying to avoid something, but spoke nonetheless: “That the second place contestant, the Zero Team, is more qualified to be an advance squad!”

His statement caused Luo Qishan’s heart to skip a beat, he looked up at Lin Wei with a puzzled expression.

“Gentlemen!” Lin Wei raised his hand to indicate everyone to be quiet, then with a calmer voice, he continued, “The premise of the Advance Team is loyalty to the nation.

In a place like the Otherworld, where it’s hard for us to keep watchful eyes, only the squad’s own consciousness will determine whether they can achieve their mission.

After all, political review is not a panacea.”

Lin Wei’s words resonated with the military officers who nodded and discussed amongst themselves.

Luo Qishan did not join in, he was feeling incredibly unsettled.

Strictly speaking, as the lead person for the Origin Project, he had no say in the appointment or removal of the advance team.

However, given a choice, he would do anything to keep his sole grandson, Luo’er back.

Sending him off to the danger-filled Otherworld seemed too risky, and his safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

Complicating this, Luo’er was dead set on going to the Otherworld, even though it had resulted in years of a cold war between them.

“Elder Luo, what’s your take?” Lin Wei asked.

Luo Qishan took a deep breath, steadying his emotions before responding, “Though Luo’er is my grandson, the decision to dispatch him to the Otherworld should still ask for his opinion.

If he is unwilling and we force him, even though he is my grandson, he might become rebellious and do things that are detrimental to the country.”

Lin Wei knew Luo’er, Luo Qishan knew that.

In the second Otherworld War, Lin Wei was a comrade of Luo Chuan, Luo’er’s father.

Without the cover provided by Luo Chuan’s team in that war, Lin Wei would never have had the chance to retreat back to the Otherworld Gate with the Russian army.

“Would you persuade him then?

The higher-ups have already internally decided him as a candidate for the advance team, it just happens his performance was beyond expectation.” Lin Wei said with a smile.

Upon hearing the news, Luo Qishan trembled slightly, his face filled with shock.

“If he’s already been internally decided, what’s the point of holding a competition at all!”

“It’s just a smoke screen.

Even if Luo’er was eliminated in the first round, we would have found a way to place him in the top team.

No matter what, Luo’er has to be our eyes and ears in the team.

After all, his grandfather is Luo Qishan, so assuming he would…”

Before Lin Wei could finish his sentence, Luo Qishan, unable to hold back his anger anymore, stood up glaring at him, “Are you using me?”

“Don’t be angry,” Lin Wei calmly gestured for him to sit down, “This is the wish of the military commission.

Currently, our research into hybrid humans still is in its early stages, we have to tread carefully and take the safest approach possible.”

“I understand you, Elder Luo.

You’ve diligently served the country for many years, even losing your son in the process.

Luo’er is your only grandson.

But I’m sorry, the country still needs you…

From my perspective, all I can say is I’m sorry.”

Following the apology, whatever else was discussed at the meeting was just background noise to Luo Qishan.

The worst-case scenario he had already anticipated was unfolding.

The higher-ups would never let Luo’er go.

He had always protected Luo’er, refusing to hand him over to anyone.

But the higher-ups were always after him, even after the Origin Project started and they had thousands of hybrid humans at their disposal.

In the end, the conference decided that Murong’s Hunter Team would join the Army Officer Academy for further studies and to carry out a more critical assignment.

As for the second-place Zero Team, where Luo’er was a member, they were assigned as the Advance Team for reconnaissance tasks in the Otherworld.

Leaving the conference room, Luo Qishan was in disarray.

Instead of opting for a helicopter ride home, he called for his private car.

Luo Qishan was unable to forget his son’s last wish for him, nor could he forget the first time Luo’er called him ‘grandfather’.

But he also couldn’t oppose the country’s expectations or defy the higher-up’s orders.

What was even more heartbreaking was Luo’er’s longing for the Otherworld.

He wanted to find his mother no matter what, but Luo Qishan didn’t care.

He kept Luo’er under house arrest in the secluded Haiya Academy for over two decades, under his constant surveillance, even if it deepened Luo’er’s resentment towards him.

While on the car ride to the academy, Luo Qishan, an 80-year-old general, cried in the back seat like a child.

The driver who was meant to console him, knew better than to speak, and simply drove in silence.

Luo Qishan had made up his mind, he would do whatever it took to convince Luo’er to not go to the Otherworld.

He was prepared to place him under house arrest, as long as he remained within his sight.

He simply didn’t have the heart to let Luo’er go.

He had already lost his son and he wasn’t prepared to lose the last of his kin at the end of his days.