Chapter 1020 - Internal Meeting (1/2)

At this moment, Ren Xiaosu and Yang Xiaojin's house was fully packed with people.

The Great Hoodwinker, Zhang Xiaoman, Wang Yun, P5092, Wang Fugui, Jiang Wu, and the rest had all gathered around Ren Xiaosu.

Ren Xiaosu sat calmly on the couch. ”So tell me, how did y'all find me?”

Zhang Xiaoman chuckled, ”We were planning to sniff out all the spies hiding in Stronghold 144 with the same method that we used to catch Luo Zongren. But who could have thought that we would end up catching Future Commander instead!”

Ren Xiaosu was left speechless.

Next to him, the Great Hoodwinker kicked Zhang Xiaoman's butt and chided, ”Watch what you're saying! What do you mean by we've caught Future Commander!?”

Zhang Xiaoman was immediately enraged. But considering that he could not win against the Great Hoodwinker, he held in his anger.

Only then did Ren Xiaosu realize Wang Yun had located him through the surveillance footage.

It couldn't be helped then. Staying hidden under the nose of someone like Wang Yun was virtually impossible.

The Great Hoodwinker laughed and said, ”Future Commander, why didn't you tell us that you were already back in the Northwest?”

”I wanted to rest for a while. After all, I'm really tired from all the fighting and killing we did in the Central Plains,” Ren Xiaosu answered. ”However, this rare moment of peace was shattered by all y'all.”

”Don't put it like that.” The Great Hoodwinker chuckled and said, ”Future Commander, if you had informed us in advance, we wouldn't have come and bothered you.”

”Then y'all may go back for now. Remember not to reveal my identity to the neighbors,” Ren Xiaosu said.

”It's already too late.” Zhang Xiaoman said shamelessly, ”I was afraid that you wouldn't want to return to Stronghold 144 to take charge, so I explicitly ordered the soldiers to tell your neighbors that this is the future commander's residence.”

Ren Xiaosu's eyebrows twitched. He really wanted to kick Zhang Xiaoman in the face.

In the end, it was still P5092 who stepped forward to calm things. ”Actually, Future Commander, all the other strongholds are no longer run by the military. However, Stronghold 144 is still being managed by the 6th Combat Brigade. This shows that Commander Zhang also hopes you can govern this stronghold.”

In normal times, there was a clear distinction between the military and the administration.

But due to special circumstances, the Fortress 178 troops had taken management of the various strongholds in the Northwest. Now that all the new overseer positions were filled, it was time for the military to step back and return to their original duties.

The administration and the military were two systems that complemented each other—always having overlapping objectives but never running parallel in the way they operated. This was the difference between civilian and military officials.

However, Stronghold 144 was different. The 6th Combat Brigade still retained all the authority over the stronghold. Zhang Jinglin's intention was clear. He wanted to hand Stronghold 144 to Ren Xiaosu to gauge his capability.

Although Commander Zhang's current thoughts were not explicitly expressed, the Great Hoodwinker and Zhang Xiaoman, along with the rest, understood his intention with just a hint.

P5092 said, ”Future Commander, Stronghold 144's trade scene has stabilized as President Wang Fugui has handled everything very well. The Chamber of Commerce is also in good order, so everyone can rest easy. Ms. Zhou Yingxue is also maintaining order in the mafia. We're all of the opinion that she's more than well-suited to manage the black market. Currently, the remaining issues are the food crisis and the possible outbreak of war. I feel we don't have much time to waste. Would you like to make a trip to Fortress 178 and meet Commander Zhang to see what his plans are?”

Ren Xiaosu shook his head. ”I won't go there for the time being.”