"Hiss—"
At this moment, cold sweat broke out on Yang Xiao’s back, clearly indicating that Director Gu had already conducted a thorough background investigation on him.
Even the Second Demon Uncle hiding in the Peace Hotel had been uncovered, and the intelligence capabilities of the General Bureau were truly terrifying.
This daughter of the Gu family was also a formidable character, warning him, Yang Xiao, that the benefits from the Gu family were not easy to obtain; if he ever harbored inappropriate thoughts, they had ways to deal with him.
Yang Xiao had no doubt about this; given Director Gu’s status, with just a slight move of his finger, Yang Xiao and his friends and subordinates in Jiangbei Province could meet a grim fate.
The opponent wouldn’t even need to act directly; just exposing his evil cultivator friends behind the scenes would spell his doom.
Some things are inconsequential until weighed, but once on the scale, they become as heavy as a thousand pounds, and at that point, no one could save him.
Not that there were no options; in desperate times, he still had the option to join the Black Buddha Mother, as he was personally invited by the Black Buddha Mother as a Great Saint Bodhisattva expert.
But Yang Xiao considered himself a person with principles and had a deep revulsion for the beasts of the Black Buddha Mother Sect.
Their insanity drove them to conspire with the Japan Ghost Sect against their own people, unworthy of being called human.
Yang Xiao had the greatest disdain for these turncoats, who were not worth mourning.
The conversation with Miss Gu was brief and efficient; after expressing his stance, she let Yang Xiao go and advised him to leave Shangjing soon and not linger.
Yang Xiao was an obedient person; he left overnight, and by the time dawn broke the next day, the plane had landed at Qinglan City Airport.
After freshening up, Yang Xiao immediately took the vehicle dispatched by the Provincial Office to the Provincial Bureau building.
With somewhat weary steps, as he just stepped through the main gate of the Provincial Bureau courtyard, he spotted several figures standing in front of the Provincial Office building from afar.
Upon recognizing those faces, Yang Xiao immediately changed his expression, his travel weariness disappeared, and he jogged forward.
"Director Hong, Captain Witch, Director Zhao, how... how could I trouble you all to wait for me here?" Yang Xiao proactively extended both hands, bowing slightly and respectfully shaking hands with each, appearing flattered.
"Captain Yang, it was quite a journey; your recent mission to Japan has truly given our Jiangbei Province Office a boost in prestige," Hong Anguo said with a laugh, his warm demeanor like reuniting with a long-lost brother.
"Captain Yang, you’ve been away so long, we’ve all been quite worried," Vice Commissioner Zhao added.
"It’s all thanks to the leaders; I, Yang Xiao, am just an errand runner, how dare I claim credit alone," Yang Xiao replied politely.
With that, everyone surrounded Yang Xiao, walking together into the Provincial Bureau building, attracting the attention of nearby staff who cast eyes full of envy, admiration, and more nuanced expressions.
This time, all three main leaders of the Provincial Bureau personally came out to greet him, giving Yang Xiao plenty of face and granting him considerable visibility.
But when one is most in the limelight, it’s also the most dangerous moment, so Yang Xiao remained humble, speaking cautiously, sticking close to the wall, and leaving the spotlight to the leaders.
The four of them arrived at Director Hong’s office reception room and sat down according to rank.
"Captain Yang, you really could have given us a heads-up about such a great occasion; we could have prepared to celebrate," Hong Anguo feigned a slightly resentful expression and smiled.
This question left Yang Xiao momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond, as he didn’t understand what happy event Director Hong was referring to.
Seeing Yang Xiao still playing ignorant, Hong Anguo picked up a document from the table, handed it to Yang Xiao, and gestured playfully at him while smiling: "Captain Yang, how could you keep this from us at this moment? This dampens our spirits."
Stunned, Yang Xiao took the document, and upon reading its contents, he finally understood why the Provincial Bureau leadership was so enthusiastic toward him this time.
"An hour ago, the Provincial Bureau received an appointment from the General Bureau, Captain Yang; the General Bureau officially appointed you as the Special Case Inspection Specialist stationed at the Jiangbei Province Office of the Patrol General Bureau."
"Your administrative level remains unchanged for now, still a second-level full-time position, but this position holds a lot of influence, and a promotion in rank is only a matter of time."
Hong Anguo’s gaze swept over those present, pausing at Vice Commissioner Zhao’s face, and he said with a suggestive smile: "Everyone should stop addressing him as Captain Yang and start calling him Specialist Yang, hahaha!"
"Specialist Yang, you better support our work in the future," Vice Commissioner Zhao seemed oblivious to Hong Anguo’s implications, congratulating and teasing Yang Xiao with a cheerful face, as if the promotion wasn’t Yang Xiao’s but his own.
Holding the appointment in his hand, Yang Xiao was momentarily unable to process it, but he clearly saw the signature of the approving officer on the appointment document; unmistakably, it was Vice Commissioner Gu Chongshan of the Patrol General Bureau.
At this moment, Yang Xiao deeply felt the terror of power; he clearly understood that if his response last night had not met Miss Gu’s approval, he wouldn’t have obtained this position, and might even be suppressed and sidelined.
In just one night, a personnel change within the provincial leadership was accomplished, the weight of this power was daunting.
The subsequent compliments from everyone went unheard by Yang Xiao as he was dizzily led to the meeting room, where the other members of the Provincial Bureau leadership team were called to attend the meeting in advance, totaling nine people, not one absent.